My XS650 12 Months In.......

Nice work!

How did you patch that nasty hole in the tank?

I cut out the area where the rust had gone all the way through, this actually only ended up being quite a small area, maybe 40 x 20mm. I then cut an oversized steel patch placed inside the tank, held with magnets and had it welded shut. The rest was only very thin surface rust and the inside was in really good condition so didn't even require any kind of tank lining.

In the UK these tanks are fairly hard to come by and when they do come up they are often in an awful condition inside.
 
The tank stripe looks good to me.
From the straight-on perspective of the camera lens, the curvature or bulge of the tank gives the impression or illusion of the stripe being "off".

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Similar to viewing the first meridian just east of the Prime.

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Now I like this reply.....!! ;-)
 
Paul, I just found this post. REALLY stellar work, well done! Your first post you mention that this was a "therapy bike". I had one of those as well, it was an old BMW I had purchased as a restoration project before I was diagnosed with cancer. They really are a wonderful distraction, even when I felt like crap I could go out and totally immerse myself in detail work for hours on end. That was twelve years and five bikes ago, I hope your therapy bike helps you as much as mine did me.
By the way, I've started following you on Instagram also. Carry on!
 
Nice work Paul and as soon as I can find a 7 year old kid around here to show me how to do it - I’m going to follow you on Instagram too!!

I am not a total dunce, and I use computers all day - but I have to admit that social media has not yet penetrated what I laughingly call....my mind. I have actually been shown once or twice but I seem to be becoming increasingly forgetful. Things that should stick simply don’t - at least not like they used to in years past.

Oh well.

P
 
Hey Moon, thanks, I'm down on the coast near Brighton......you?
Paul, I'm up in woking. Not to far away. Like the sounds of your project. We need to organise a UK xs650 meet up. Would love to meet with some like minded individuals. My current project...there is xs650uk facebook group?
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Paul, I'm up in woking. Not to far away. Like the sounds of your project. We need to organise a UK xs650 meet up. Would love to meet with some like minded individuals. My current project...there is xs650uk facebook group?View attachment 110670
Hi Moonmanzn,
That's a nice build and I'm sure the list would like to see photos on completion.
But I ain't happy with your rear brake's operating mechanism.
Mr. Euler's long column formula sez a tube that skinny won't be happy working in compression.
Me, I'd swap the pivot points around so it pulled instead of pushed.
And watch them plungers, they corner funny.
My plunger-frame BSA Gold Flash handled like a small boat in a choppy sea when I leaned it over on roundabouts.
 
Hi Moonmanzn,
That's a nice build and I'm sure the list would like to see photos on completion.
But I ain't happy with your rear brake's operating mechanism.
Mr. Euler's long column formula sez a tube that skinny won't be happy working in compression.
Me, I'd swap the pivot points around so it pulled instead of pushed.
And watch them plungers, they corner funny.
My plunger-frame BSA Gold Flash handled like a small boat in a choppy sea when I leaned it over on roundabouts.
Lol thanks man, I dunno how you mean for me to swap so it pulls...I can't see how it could work any other way? I have swapped rear brake arm to bottom since this pic?
 
I believe Fred is referring to this tube....


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Hmmm... solid rod, looks to be about a half inch in diameter... my opinion, it should be just fine.
 
I think Fred meant the rod from the brake hub forward, but it does pull instead of push. Not sure if I've ever seen the arm at the brake hub in that configuration, but it should work if the brake cam is shaped right.

Scott
 
...Mr. Euler's long column formula sez a tube that skinny won't be happy working in compression...

Looks like a 3:1 leverage ratio at the brake petal. If pressed hard with 100lbs, would produce 300lbs compression on that long pushrod.

My impromptu test on a 10" long, 8mm aluminum pushrod showed the beginning of buckling at about 1000lbs.

A lot of custom XS's use this pushrod brake setup, haven't heard of any problems, but if you want to calculate when it could enter "buckling", you could Google: "push rod buckling"...
 
I thought so but I can't change it from push to pull tho? Also it's solid bar and when used there is no flex at all? But please correct me..

Hi Moonmanzn,
you can drop the brake pedal pivot so it's below where the brake operating rod pivots so when the brake pedal is pushed forward by your riding boot the operating rod also moves forward so it's other end pulls on the transfer lever instead of pushing it.
Then you have to reverse the rest of the brake linkage to suit and re-make a bunch of brackets too.
But that's a load of work, right?
OK then, you say that the solid barstock don't flex and the brake works good as is.
I reckon that if you really emergency-stomp on the brake pedal that bar WILL flex.
What you can do without a load of hassle is to saw the ends off the existing push rod and weld them onto a length of 1"OD x 11gauge mechanical tubing.
That'll weigh about the same as the solid bar and is perhaps 4 times as resistant to flexing in compression.
 
Will do Pete, jucr got to make a slight alteration and Ill have some more pics up......
 
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