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Hunga, dunga! That's some serious metal you scabbed in there. And, do you think the battery box is strong enough? ;)

While I'm not getting one any time soon, I like the Triumph vertical twin line because they look like motorcycles. Also, like the XS was when available new, it's a motorcycle that people can buy and ride around a little bit. Maybe 15-20 years on, it will be possible to buy Triumphs from the...

Interesting. One of my cousins lives in your neighborhood (Surrey) and had the experience that the Canada Post was really slow going CDN -> USA. She frequently goes to Blaine to get a selection of groceries which are a lot cheaper in the States. Milk and wine. And sometimes bread. So, she will...

Lack of effective damping has a habit of doing that... ;)

I agree. That's pretty nice. It's easy to forget that Honda originally designed the GL to be a sport touring bike. I remember when they first came out, owners were crying for pieces to load 'em up. Considering that, at the time, the Electra-Glide and Heavy Guzzi were the only heavy weight...

I remember that on those long, long front ends (15"+) front suspension wasn't much needed because the forks would flex naturally.

Dirt bike- si. Road bike- no. I s'pose if you're the type of rider who occasionally has to climb over curbs and go up and down sets of stairs, there might be a practical advantage to a 21". There is more sticky, wide rubber available with an 18" or a 19". Some cafe guys go with modern...

In the late 70s-early 80s, Honda made a variety of dirt bikes of the dual sport variety which had 23" front wheels. One of my cousins had a 350 Honda with the big front wheel. He used it as a work bike on his farm and it did pretty well. I think the idea was to be able to get in and out of...

Condenser is the "old school" name for capacitors. Capacitors both store up energy and filter it. You will hear on the board lots of guys who have replaced their batteries with a big capacitor. The alternator will charge up the capacitor and, when the points/electronics and coils want it, it...

The condensers are located on the top of the head, in the middle. The motor mounts for the top of the engine bolt to the head and to the top tube of the frame. The condensers are on the inside of the motor mounts, in the space between the top motor mounts. Cars with points usually hide them...

You'll have to pull the old motor to put the one you would trade for in so you won't save any labor. Whatever motor you trade for might not be any better than what you have. If it runs fine but blows some oil, your motor might just need a hone and re-ring job. Or remember to top off the oil...

Cool. There are a lot of types and sizes of m/cs available so you have your choice of sizes and shapes. I certainly agree with having a rear brake. Post some pictures when you get that far...

This is the standard mechanism for BMW airheads from 69 to sometime in the early 80s. It works well. My only objection is checking of brake fluid. There is a float switch monitoring the level by lighting up a bulb in the gauges but the tank has to come off to top off the fluid. It is not...

It looks a lot like the Triumph 500/650 scramblers/desert racers of the early to mid 60s. One of the things I like about the XS650 on the street is the midrange torque. When I'm riding in city traffic with a maximum speed of 30 to 40 MPH, I mainly use second or third gear and very rarely get...

That's an interesting bike. Hope you have a lot of fun with it. That oil filter looks a little exposed in the case of a 10-15 MPH lay down. Any close calls so far? Did you have any considerations of putting a 21" front wheel on it?

UK to CDN might be a different than CDN to US. That Commonwealth thing, you know. The Queen is probably still mad about 1776. I would have thought 1812 might have evened it all up...

Never mind....

Woo, hoo! Braided cloth! This should have the Old Brit Bike and the Harley Guys creaming in their jeans! Is solid color wire covered available as well as the two colored?

Here's a link to the California motor vehicle website about "direct import vehicles" https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/reg_hdbk/ch12/ch12_15 This may help and it may confuse. If your XS was made as a "Canada Only" bike and sold new there, it might...

If you are going to put your wiring inside the headlight, might be a good idea to get a complete headlight with as much room as possible. The stock XS unit is pretty cramped when everything is stuffed in. I think the ones listed as "Lucas" or "Lucas Clone" are the biggest inside. The Lucas...