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Mailmans , 77D getting a makeover
- Thread starter Mailman
- Start date
Looks great Bob...........Really like the black it highlights the motor and blends in with the seat...........for me, the side-covers don't need anything on them.......
Less is more. The bike looks absolutely stellar. Great work!
Thanks guys! This is now the third bike that had a black and gold theme. There is just something classic about that color pairing. I always liked my bike when it was white, but I think I like this even more. 
Bob, Bob, Bob, after only 200 posts to your makeover thread and it's over? We Mailman addicts want more, please.
In all sincerity, your '77 came out great and of course your 'impeccable' restoration of your XS2 is outstanding.
Ha. Ha, you guys are going to be fighting for the 77D calendar page
Bob, Bob, Bob, after only 200 posts to your makeover thread and it's over? We Mailman addicts want more, please.
In all sincerity, your '77 came out great and of course your 'impeccable' restoration of your XS2 is outstanding.
Thanks buddy! Of course all the real work has already happened in my 60th birthday thread! Haha!
No No No! I would not even accept a nomination for my ‘77. It’s already been on a calendar.
If someone else doesn’t beat me to it, I DO INTEND , to nominate Mr. Bultacos beautiful 77D for this year’s calendar when the nominations get real. His bike has a lot of nice custom and tasteful details, I think it’s awsome!
Edit: So I went to the unofficial calendar nomination page to nominate MrBultacos bike, and wouldn’t you know, it’s already been nominated by Skull! Haha!
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....true, they're both gorgeous, but Mailman's bike has such a nice...
<wait for it>
<you know its coming>
rack.
Looks good Bob. I got lucky with my powder coating. Gainesville Powder Coating used to charge me like 5 to 600 for frame and related parts. But it got sold and the new owners only charged me 300 for all my XS2 stuff. Painted stuff was.....well......something else. But whatever you decide I’m sure it will be great.
I ordered some new black spark plug wires for this bike. I never did like those yellow wires that came with my ignition kit, and now that the bike is all black, I like them even less. So they’re outa here!
You shoulda went with the root beer wire to go with you grips.I ordered some new black spark plug wires for this bike. I never did like those yellow wires that came with my ignition kit, and now that the bike is all black, I like them even less. So they’re outa here!
...now you just need some red shoes...
Nah... I like the grips.Hey! Are you making fun of my hipster grips? They’re staying buddy!
Well, OK.....maybe a couple more posts.
Today I went out in the garage to balance my carburetors with my home built manometer. I had a brand new package of Motion Pro vacuum port adapters ready to go.
So , first I started up the bike and got it warmed up, shut it off and installed the vacuum adapters and hooked up the hoses from my manometers and started the bike back up. You know, it kinda surprised me, when I started it up and almost immediately it started pulling all the fluid in the manometer up and almost out of the right side tube, before I could get it shut off.
When I assembled the carbs, I was painfully careful to set the butterfly position exactly the same on both carbs. But for whatever reason the right cylinder pulls harder than the left. All it took was a very slight adjustment to bring them back down to level. That manometer is extremely sensitive and I drove myself crazy trying to get both sides to stay exactly level. It kept fluctuating , but as the bike got hotter it became more stable. Here’s a short video of my bike running with the manometer on it. I had a cooling fan running, so you can hear that some on the video.
After that , I pulled the manometer off and rolled my bike out to the street for a little test ride. I started it up and It Ran Like Crap!!! WTH?
I’m looking down at my bike and it hits me, I’ve still got the vacuum ports installed and no caps on them.
I was sucking air like crazy. I took care of that and off I went! The bike is running beautifully! I almost forgot how nice this bike is. It’s smooth, quiet, pulls strong, idles perfect. It’s so drama free, it almost feels like a modern bike.
So as I’m riding back to the house, I’m thinking again how different the riding experience is from my XS2, and I thought, Hmmm....now is the perfect opportunity to hop off of one and onto the other and get that immediate comparison. So that’s what I did.
Hopping on my XS2, right after riding my 77D only reinforces my impressions.
The riding position,
On the 77D, you sit up high, you definitely have the sensation of being on top of the bike, the handlebars are also lower.
On the XS2, the seat is lower and the handlebars are higher, giving the impression that you are sitting down in the bike. It is also a very narrow bike, giving it a feeling of lightness and flickability.
The engine,
The 77D, feels smooth, builds rpms quickly and ( my seat of the pants tells me ) it accelerates faster than my XS2, but it does so deceptively because it is smooth, and quiet and doesn’t make a lot of fuss.
The XS2 on the other hand FEELS FASTER because the whole package just feels rowdier. More vibes, more sound, more commotion when you’re on the gas. I like the sounds and the way the engine sort of throbs and it’s a blast to drive, because it feels and sounds kinda like a hot rod. But it’s more perception than reality.
They both have their place for me. If I wanted to ride any distance, I’d take the ‘77, it’s just a great bike that’ll get you there without beating you up. But if I want to tear around the neighborhood just for fun, I’m taking the XS2!
It’s good to be King! Heavy is the head that wears the crown!
A couple of side notes, today the mailman brought me 4’ of black spark plug wire, so goodbye yellow wires!
I still have some new spark plugs coming, I might just wait and throw them in at the same time.
Also I’ve retired my white gas tank. It’s now hanging in my motorcycle hall of fame above my bench.
il bianco è morto, lunga vita al nero
To be continued?............
Maybe, Bob
Today I went out in the garage to balance my carburetors with my home built manometer. I had a brand new package of Motion Pro vacuum port adapters ready to go.
So , first I started up the bike and got it warmed up, shut it off and installed the vacuum adapters and hooked up the hoses from my manometers and started the bike back up. You know, it kinda surprised me, when I started it up and almost immediately it started pulling all the fluid in the manometer up and almost out of the right side tube, before I could get it shut off.
When I assembled the carbs, I was painfully careful to set the butterfly position exactly the same on both carbs. But for whatever reason the right cylinder pulls harder than the left. All it took was a very slight adjustment to bring them back down to level. That manometer is extremely sensitive and I drove myself crazy trying to get both sides to stay exactly level. It kept fluctuating , but as the bike got hotter it became more stable. Here’s a short video of my bike running with the manometer on it. I had a cooling fan running, so you can hear that some on the video.
After that , I pulled the manometer off and rolled my bike out to the street for a little test ride. I started it up and It Ran Like Crap!!!
WTH? I’m looking down at my bike and it hits me, I’ve still got the vacuum ports installed and no caps on them.
I was sucking air like crazy. I took care of that and off I went! The bike is running beautifully! I almost forgot how nice this bike is. It’s smooth, quiet, pulls strong, idles perfect. It’s so drama free, it almost feels like a modern bike.
So as I’m riding back to the house, I’m thinking again how different the riding experience is from my XS2, and I thought, Hmmm....now is the perfect opportunity to hop off of one and onto the other and get that immediate comparison. So that’s what I did.
Hopping on my XS2, right after riding my 77D only reinforces my impressions.
The riding position,
On the 77D, you sit up high, you definitely have the sensation of being on top of the bike, the handlebars are also lower.
On the XS2, the seat is lower and the handlebars are higher, giving the impression that you are sitting down in the bike. It is also a very narrow bike, giving it a feeling of lightness and flickability.
The engine,
The 77D, feels smooth, builds rpms quickly and ( my seat of the pants tells me ) it accelerates faster than my XS2, but it does so deceptively because it is smooth, and quiet and doesn’t make a lot of fuss.
The XS2 on the other hand FEELS FASTER because the whole package just feels rowdier. More vibes, more sound, more commotion when you’re on the gas. I like the sounds and the way the engine sort of throbs and it’s a blast to drive, because it feels and sounds kinda like a hot rod. But it’s more perception than reality.
They both have their place for me. If I wanted to ride any distance, I’d take the ‘77, it’s just a great bike that’ll get you there without beating you up. But if I want to tear around the neighborhood just for fun, I’m taking the XS2!
It’s good to be King! Heavy is the head that wears the crown!
A couple of side notes, today the mailman brought me 4’ of black spark plug wire, so goodbye yellow wires!
I still have some new spark plugs coming, I might just wait and throw them in at the same time.
Also I’ve retired my white gas tank. It’s now hanging in my motorcycle hall of fame above my bench.
il bianco è morto, lunga vita al nero
To be continued?............
Maybe, Bob
