Intro and Project Bike

Greetings....new guy from SoFla with my project....picked up last weekend over in Clearwater (Tampa area) and being stored in the in-laws garage till I free up a little space in mine.



Looks to be completely original complete with a smokin 80's king and queen seat that's seen much better days. Engine kicks over, trans shifts (though the clutch doesn't really release) and the fluids look pretty good for having sat for 10 years.



It will be a few months before this becomes a build thread...garage is too full of Camaro parts right now to dive in. I do have a question about the front brakes. My goal would be to have dual-discs in place of the single disc...it looks to me like the only thing I really need is another caliper and another rotor? Both legs have caliper mounts...



And it looks like the black ring in this pic probably covers up the mounting holes for the rotor...



Yes...No? For sure it looks like the fork tubes are history....

Tks for looking.

John

I'm interested in doing that conversion too, but the calipers up front are left and right specific. At least the brackets are. So you'll have to find a left hand bracket/caliper from a dual disc bike. Unless Mike's has em or some place.

But welcome to the forum, I've been having fun here for the last week or so.

I've read of others using an SR500 caliper and bracket and using a double banjo bolt for the hose. Mikes has a kit for both calipers. Here is also some good model info for parts. I'm using a complete XS1100 front end on mine. Has dual discs and corrects my trail after I raked my frame.

damn thats rusty!

my forks had mounts on both legs as well and my bike did not have duel calipers from the factory.

Look for a left-side caliper off an XS1100. Rotors are the same, left and right. The XS1100 also uses the same rotor. You'll also need the XS1100's banjo bolt fitting and brake lines, or else plan on running new ones. I'm not sure, but I think MikesXS might carry this banjo bolt now.

Your guess is correct. That black cover hides the bolt holes for the left side rotor. The XS650 came with dual rotors in some markets (Euro and maybe Japan?).

Be aware, though, that there are two different schools of thought when it comes to doing the dual conversion. Yes, it will improve your braking performance. And it gives the front end a more muscular, balanced look. But unsprung weight is increased and there is a slight degradation in handling as a result. A good combination of master cylinder and disk caliper can provide excellent stopping results even with a single disk system. In the case of the XS, the easiest way to go is to get a master cylinder that's about one size smaller -- typically a 12mm bore size. Lighter front disks are also available from MikesXS which will even further reduce unsprung weight. So, single disks have their advantages.

Looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Nothing quite like the Gulf Coast for putting its marks on metal. Do you know what year model it is?

1980G.....my other bike an 03 FJR...I really like the dual front disc but of course it has a ton more power. There was a thread (maybe this board) that showed an earlier R1 caliper (same as on my FJR) transplanted with a custom bracket...I'm certain that would provide a ton of stopping power. I'm planning on leaving the rear drum intact...I like the way it looks...so decent stoppers up front are a must.

John

I tried a second disc to see what the difference would be like. Gonna stay with the single,too many twisties in my riding. There's plenty of stopping power along with the characteristics of the unclutched engine decel.

Welcome aboard John, what a project, gotta love the ol' paint job.

nj1639 said:

I tried a second disc to see what the difference would be like. Gonna stay with the single,too many twisties in my riding. There's plenty of stopping power along with the characteristics of the unclutched engine decel.

Welcome aboard John, what a project, gotta love the ol' paint job.

Click to expand...

What about that seat! I'm going to try and save the paint on the tank for my build.

I keep forgetting the forks on this bike are pretty scrawny comparatively speaking (my FJR forks are 48mm). I did score an XS1100 dual settup but you're all probably on the right track with a good single settup. A single late-model 4-piston caliper is probably the best bet.

Those flames are turnin me on!