1980 Cafe Racer inspired build

Eotnak

XS650 Enthusiast
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Titusville, NJ
I'm not in the market for a pudding helmet, lol

https://web.archive.org/web/20140806015202/http://rideapart.com/2011/07/gogo-bozo-and-the-neo-moto-hipster-hobobobo-nouveau-with-an-afro-it’s-the-next-big-thing/

but I do like the look of the vintage cafe racers. So I'm building something cafe-ish and if I can make it do the ton *eventually* I'll be happy, if not, that's OK too, and I'll make no apologies.

I picked up this 1980 in boxes for $500. DPO had the same idea as I did, he had unlimited funds, and limited knowledge/skills. I bought the thing with a few missing parts and a few extra parts. I sold the awful fiberglass tank for $200, it came with a nice $200 rearset kit, some genuine Yamaha gaskets and seals. If I add up all the new parts that I'm using, and ignore the missing parts that I'm not, I got this titled bike for free.

This is where the picture of the bike as I got it should go. I'm not a picture-taker though so I just teared into it as usual. I assembled the forks using the new seals that were included. DPO took them apart to have them powder coated but didn't know how to put them back together. The powder coater apparently runs his shop in a chicken coop or a saw mill, or maybe some ancient European catacombs, and includes the dust in his work for free. I attempted to prep them to polish out the crap, but the coat was too thin and I hit metal.

At this point, I thought to myself, "I really did learn a lot lurking on XS650.com, so I should return the favor in a small way by taking some pictures."

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So I media blasted, paint stripped them down to aluminum. I didn't get to polishing them yet. My plan is to get her running first and enjoy riding for a little bit. With my schedule and budget, I'll never get it finished if I do a nut-and-bolt build up. I reassembled the forks, spending a great deal of time sanding all the powder coat off of all of the mating surfaces and bolt holes. -- We don't need no stinking masking tape!! --

I bought a $35 seat on Feebay, reassembled the wheels, bearings and all, cleaned and regreased the neck, and got to this point:

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Look at that pretty yellow! Again, who needs masking tape? Let's put that all over the inside of the gas cap, petcock, and --- rubber mount. Yes, this guy was too lazy or *other* to remove the rubber mount before spraying the Krylon. Also, it had a nice "distressed" look due to the fact that he didn't even knock the gloss off of the original paint. By distressed I obviously mean the paint was flaking off.

Stripped the tank, which revealed a nice bondo patch, and sprayed it with some single stage black that I have for these occasions. I'll deal with that later. Now it was time to hack off the back of the frame. I originally wanted to install the shorter shocks that came with it, but when I tacked the mounts back on, I realized that I didn't like the angle.

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So I found some Honda shocks from my dad's stock and grinded them to fit. Time to take more pics, so to be continued.

Side note/question. Does anyone know of a clutch handle assembly that will match this brake assembly? The supplier discontinued the matching clutch handle when I ordered it:

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Thanks for reading.
 
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Howdy and welcome! She may look rough now but it'll be a very nice bike you get it finish I'll bet.

Stick at it, ask questions and seek advice - you will get there.

Pete

PS - sorry I can't help with your brake-clutch cylinder issue - but what would be wrong with a mismatch?
 
...sorry I can't help with your brake-clutch cylinder issue - but what would be wrong with a mismatch?

nothing I guess. I ended up going with a Tommaselli lever assembly. I can get a matching clamp for the brake lever and it'll look close enough for me to be happy with it.

An eBay search of "yamaha xs650 clutch lever" shows boatloads of those Magura-style levers.

...Could also search here for "Magura". Lotsa threads...

That's a new term for me, I like what I've seen so far, thanks!
 
I finally got a couple hours to do a little more work. I marked where the frame tube fits inside the seat. I don't expect this seat to last too long with its plastic base, I mainly bought it for design purposes. I'll have a friend make up a seat for me later.

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I had to compromise on the fitment of the seat with the existing frame. The point where the rear loop fits best under the seat is too narrow for the existing frame. So I made another mark where the loop lines up with the frame at its shortest point. Then I measured how much I could tuck the rear loop upwards into the seat for the fender, it turned out to be about an inch. With those marks, I made a poor man's frame jig and drew my cut line.

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Clamp, brace, weld, smooth. Next step is to fabricate and finish the shock mounts.

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Made some patterns a few days ago when I had a few minutes to spare.

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Here I am starting to weld them in. I used 14 gauge mild steel which by my measurements is as close to factory as I can get.

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I haven't welded in years, so I'm not too proud of my work here.

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Ready for paint. Not my best work, but I only get a few hours here and there. That includes pulling the car out and cleaning up at the end of the day to pull her back in. Otherwise it's Gone in 60 Seconds the sequel for me.

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Time flies...I've been busy doing little work on this bike, taking less pics as I go, and not updating this thread at all. Before I start uploading and telling some more stories, I wanted to get some opinions. Here is a wiring diagram that I designed. I'd like some input from all. I used these colors because this is a budget build and that's the wire I have. Looking back, I think I should have organized the colors differently. I'd like to hear thoughts on that. I'll update accordingly. Thanks!

Also, note that all components are listed in a rough location relative to the bike. The front diodes mount under the frame above the coil, Capacitor, fuse box, and other electronics mount under the seat, etc.

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Welded in a couple backing plates to mount an aluminum tray for electronic components and storage.

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The pattern for the underseat tray.

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Some more powder coat on a mating surface that I had to remove

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I took this pic because the manual said to put 175 mL of fork oil in each fork. It seems a little spongy to me. I've read here that I should put a little more in to stiffen things up or go with a higher viscosity.

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Looking forward to more pictures!

Your wiring diagram looks good but I have a couple of comments:
Rear turn signals: diodes in line between the switch and rear turns are not needed.
Neutral switch and indicator light. The switch grounds the light. Power to light pos wire then light neg wire to switch.
 
Looking forward to more pictures!

Your wiring diagram looks good but I have a couple of comments:
Rear turn signals: diodes in line between the switch and rear turns are not needed.
Neutral switch and indicator light. The switch grounds the light. Power to light pos wire then light neg wire to switch.

Neutral switch...doh! Thanks!
The rear turns actually light up dimmed when the brake is applied, then go full bright with the flasher. I did it this way because my original design was to have no center brake light. I'm not ready to abandon the idea until I get a feel for how it acts. The inline diodes prevent the front turn signals from lighting up when the brake is applied.

I recently acquired some instrument BA9s LEDs from Super Bright LEDs, in yellow, green, and white. Tested, and they are indeed polarity insensitive. And really bright.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...led-ba9s-retrofit-car-classic-car-bulbs/6/58/

Those Super Bright LEDs already have current limiting resistors.

I bought most of the LED's from there, I just left the resistors in my diagram as a reminder that they are needed.
More pics coming soon.
 
Yes, put more than the speced amount of fork oil in. If doing just a drain and fill, 6.5 ounces (192 ml) would probably do. If the forks were stripped down and are totally dry inside, 7 ounces (207 ml) is good. I stuck with the stock recommendation of 10wt. oil and it seems to work well.
 
I always use the heaviest fork oil which is 30w maxim.big difference VS 10w fork oil. No more insane fork dive when braking.
 
Thanks to peterg, I've updated the wiring diagram in post 10.
Yes, put more than the speced amount of fork oil in. If doing just a drain and fill, 6.5 ounces (192 ml) would probably do. If the forks were stripped down and are totally dry inside, 7 ounces (207 ml) is good. I stuck with the stock recommendation of 10wt. oil and it seems to work well.
Yes I completely disassembled them and cleaned them so they were bone dry.
I always use the heaviest fork oil which is 30w maxim.big difference VS 10w fork oil. No more insane fork dive when braking.
I'm going to start with adding more as the forks were completely empty when I assembled them. I'll move up the viscosity if I still don't like the feel. Thanks guys for answering that question!
 
The stock fork springs are usually pretty weak by now. Before replacing them, try adding a 1" pipe preload spacer. That might do the trick for you and save you the cost of new springs. Many of us also "Minton Mod" the damper rods. It's basically a free mod that improves the way they flow oil (the damping).
 
If it takes me this long to make a post, imagine how much wrenching time I get...

Before shots with stock pipes

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After shots with HHB SS Speedster Pipes. I wanted to stick with the stock pipes but they were not clearing my rearsets. I was a little disappointed in the options for pipes, and I was contemplating rolling my own but I'm shorter on time than money so I bit the bullet on this purchase.

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Not pictured are the shorty mufflers that I picked up from MMM years ago. As soon as I get some cash I'm going to rent a tri mix bottle to finish the exhaust to give me something to bolt them on to.
 
The stock fork springs are usually pretty weak by now. Before replacing them, try adding a 1" pipe preload spacer. That might do the trick for you and save you the cost of new springs. Many of us also "Minton Mod" the damper rods. It's basically a free mod that improves the way they flow oil (the damping).

I'll keep that in mind...rings a bell so I'm sure I've read a thread or two on it.
 
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