wanted one of these. settled for the motion pro cuz i could get it local. and you're right; any dummy can do anything with the right tool. my friends laugh at me cuz of my tool collection (one time use) but my stuff gets fixed and i don't have to pay someone to do it wrong and redo it.
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A ripp'n hardtail bobber build from a seized, desert rat: CALLING ALL DESTROYERS
wanted one of these. settled for the motion pro cuz i could get it local. and you're right; any dummy can do anything with the right tool. my friends laugh at me cuz of my tool collection (one time use) but my stuff gets fixed and i don't have to pay someone to do it wrong and redo it.
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
youre friends sound mean. i hope you share the laughter when youre riding free with knees in the breeze
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
the ignition deluxe from low brow should be called the ignition pile o sh@t
that thing is garbage for a few reasons
the first being that doesnt seem to be reliable
the second is that the entire rear of the ignition where the connections are made is exposed. maybe this isnt a problem on most applications but for an under the tank application its not all that great. if someone wanted to they could jump this bike in one second and ride away (if they found out where the kill switch is). i didnt like have that type of exposure and was planning on fabricating up a back plate to protect this vulnerability.
now maybe im a bit salty because mine broke and caused me some issues, drained my battery and down time
and im sure there are other bike builders who use it without any problem BUT thats not my experience
todd at low brow was super cool and refunded my money but couldnt help me out on the battery it ended up draining and is no longer useful. oh well...
i ended up going with a 3 pole ignition from DRAG
its heavy duty and all the connections come pre-covered so someone would have to work really hard at stealing my bike. they could just role it onto a truck and drive away but thats a different story....
im pointing to the rear of the ignition which is a little difficult to see
the cheesy thing about this ignition is that it requires one of those round keys which im not sure but assume are universal? ...
being 3 pole allowed me to wire it as off-motor on- light on / motor on
which helps with the draw when kicking
sweet
that thing is garbage for a few reasons
the first being that doesnt seem to be reliable
the second is that the entire rear of the ignition where the connections are made is exposed. maybe this isnt a problem on most applications but for an under the tank application its not all that great. if someone wanted to they could jump this bike in one second and ride away (if they found out where the kill switch is). i didnt like have that type of exposure and was planning on fabricating up a back plate to protect this vulnerability.
now maybe im a bit salty because mine broke and caused me some issues, drained my battery and down time
and im sure there are other bike builders who use it without any problem BUT thats not my experience
todd at low brow was super cool and refunded my money but couldnt help me out on the battery it ended up draining and is no longer useful. oh well...
i ended up going with a 3 pole ignition from DRAG
its heavy duty and all the connections come pre-covered so someone would have to work really hard at stealing my bike. they could just role it onto a truck and drive away but thats a different story....
im pointing to the rear of the ignition which is a little difficult to see
the cheesy thing about this ignition is that it requires one of those round keys which im not sure but assume are universal? ...
being 3 pole allowed me to wire it as off-motor on- light on / motor on
which helps with the draw when kicking
sweet
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
ahhhhhhhh ok it seems like im keeping to the trend of dropping off for a few weeks at a time, slipping on keeping this build updated...my silence is due to sickness + life + calling all destroyers living up to its name and destroying itself!
well i have to admit that im pretty bummed. this bike was expected to be on the road by now but i caught bronchitis then got better then traveled to south america and came home with a sinus infection. all the while calling destroyers sat needing some bugs worked out.
heres my new list
.......
well i have to admit that im pretty bummed. this bike was expected to be on the road by now but i caught bronchitis then got better then traveled to south america and came home with a sinus infection. all the while calling destroyers sat needing some bugs worked out.
heres my new list
.......RpNSht
XS650 Addict
after the ignition was replaced i still wasnt convinced about the electronics. rather than putting a capacitor in i ordered a new battery
YEP
turns out that battery i had wasnt holding a charge complicating the problems i was having with the ignition. the new battery is the cherry on top to my electronic issues solved.
YEP
turns out that battery i had wasnt holding a charge complicating the problems i was having with the ignition. the new battery is the cherry on top to my electronic issues solved.
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
breaking in the motor i realized the vibs started to reveal bugs.
the first bug: the rear lights.
remember these lights that i bought at dime city:
http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/rpnsht/calling%20all%20destroyers/IMG_4922.jpg
well turns out that either they are built like cheap sh%t or the place i chose to mount them create too much vibration or a mixture of both. these lights basically shook themselves apart. low rpms i had lights. ripping down the street = no lights.
ugh
i replaced them with these (from dime city):
the housing is steel and they use led bulbs. their electric draw is in the milli amps and can withstand all vibs. they arent cheap but they work and they are hella brighter than the orignial lights i was using. they are listed as being amber but they are red enough for me....
oh yeah. the lights dont stick out as much as the originals which i was always afraid of kicking or hitting with my shins... these new lights tuck in tight and would be perfect for a lane splitter
the first bug: the rear lights.
remember these lights that i bought at dime city:
http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/rpnsht/calling%20all%20destroyers/IMG_4922.jpg
well turns out that either they are built like cheap sh%t or the place i chose to mount them create too much vibration or a mixture of both. these lights basically shook themselves apart. low rpms i had lights. ripping down the street = no lights.
ugh
i replaced them with these (from dime city):
the housing is steel and they use led bulbs. their electric draw is in the milli amps and can withstand all vibs. they arent cheap but they work and they are hella brighter than the orignial lights i was using. they are listed as being amber but they are red enough for me....
oh yeah. the lights dont stick out as much as the originals which i was always afraid of kicking or hitting with my shins... these new lights tuck in tight and would be perfect for a lane splitter
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
after the rear lights were solved i flew down to south america:
check out the 50lbs salmon my girlfriend caught while we were trolling in a river in the andes
im not joking or lying when i say that the fish was 50 pounds of pure savory goodness
check out the 50lbs salmon my girlfriend caught while we were trolling in a river in the andes
im not joking or lying when i say that the fish was 50 pounds of pure savory goodness
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
i never liked how my front end was put together. the forks were super tight and although i was able to loosen them up a bit they didnt sit right with me. after paying for them to be shaved, powdered, and rebuilt, i realized that they were probably twisted in an accident. (i believe this should have been picked up on when they were being rebuilt by thats spilled milk).
trying to replace these forks, ive been screwed over by another forum member with fake forks, i was able to replace the uppers (didnt solve my problem) and finally while traveling was able to locate forks on the cheap.
please excuse the bad picture. you can tell by the blurriness that i was excited to get to work on these things, shave, powder, rebuild, and swap them out with the current lowers that are currently fighting with me.
taking the forks apart i used hugh's guild line which im sure ive posted before:
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5537
trying to replace these forks, ive been screwed over by another forum member with fake forks, i was able to replace the uppers (didnt solve my problem) and finally while traveling was able to locate forks on the cheap.
please excuse the bad picture. you can tell by the blurriness that i was excited to get to work on these things, shave, powder, rebuild, and swap them out with the current lowers that are currently fighting with me.
taking the forks apart i used hugh's guild line which im sure ive posted before:
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5537
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
the forks are ready for powder and will be dropped off on monday but while inspecting the front end i discovered that my front light plate basically imploded on itself and the casing for the two main headlights cracked.
WHAT
THE
F#$%^&*()K
maybe i had the bolts too tight or maybe the headlight system wasn't designed properly....all i know is that i should have named this bike something like ..."all the first choices will work out propoerly and you will not have to go back over and redo anything"
oh well i didnt and im feeling like the biggest newbie ever....back to the drawing board
WHAT
THE
F#$%^&*()K
maybe i had the bolts too tight or maybe the headlight system wasn't designed properly....all i know is that i should have named this bike something like ..."all the first choices will work out propoerly and you will not have to go back over and redo anything"
oh well i didnt and im feeling like the biggest newbie ever....back to the drawing board
Johnt3
Still learning...
Hey man! I'm just gettin' mine rounded up so don't give in now.
Your bike looks like it's fun.
I'm going to mount my rear turns like you did. Hope they last awhile before they fail.
Your bike looks like it's fun.
I'm going to mount my rear turns like you did. Hope they last awhile before they fail.
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
Johnt3
Still learning...
Will do. I'm cheap so it'll be tough.
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
END OF DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! for my twisted forks...
So the mayans predicted wrongly but i predicted right!. turns out all those problems i was having with my front end was due to some twisted lowers. today while hoping the mayans were right, i spent better part of the late afternoon swapping out the uppers, progressive springs, and other bits from my forks to my new freshly powder coated lowers.
while moving parts over i found this:
i found this (and by found it i mean it was this way before i started unscrewing it) when disassembling the problematic lowers i had built for me. the screw is used for the fork fluid bleeder and its really twisted. thankfully it came out in one piece.
once everything was reassembled i could see that there is a big difference between new/tough/ forks and binding forks. despite being pretty bummed about the front end job that i paid for, ive decided to let it go as it would be hard to see that the lowers were twisted without actually being in the triple trees. but with all the trouble ive had with this front end, it ended up being a blessing because the gloss black powder coat is a better looking gloss black, not to mention i know for a fact that everything is working properly. in the future i will do this job myself and save the money im adding it to one of the multiple lessons ive learned on this build....
if anyone needs uppers i have some for sale
they are 35mm, straight and have a bit of pitting
make me an offer + shipping and they are yours.
[IMG]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/rpnsht/photo-15-1.jpg[/IMG]
So the mayans predicted wrongly but i predicted right!. turns out all those problems i was having with my front end was due to some twisted lowers. today while hoping the mayans were right, i spent better part of the late afternoon swapping out the uppers, progressive springs, and other bits from my forks to my new freshly powder coated lowers.
while moving parts over i found this:
i found this (and by found it i mean it was this way before i started unscrewing it) when disassembling the problematic lowers i had built for me. the screw is used for the fork fluid bleeder and its really twisted. thankfully it came out in one piece.
once everything was reassembled i could see that there is a big difference between new/tough/ forks and binding forks. despite being pretty bummed about the front end job that i paid for, ive decided to let it go as it would be hard to see that the lowers were twisted without actually being in the triple trees. but with all the trouble ive had with this front end, it ended up being a blessing because the gloss black powder coat is a better looking gloss black, not to mention i know for a fact that everything is working properly. in the future i will do this job myself and save the money im adding it to one of the multiple lessons ive learned on this build....
if anyone needs uppers i have some for sale
they are 35mm, straight and have a bit of pitting
make me an offer + shipping and they are yours.
[IMG]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/rpnsht/photo-15-1.jpg[/IMG]
thatguy
XS650 Addict
hey how is that 5th gear i was thinking about getting one
Johnt3
Still learning...
Wow RpNSht,your lucky you got that bolt out in one piece.
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
no kidding
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
RpNSht
XS650 Addict
remember this post (see below)
despite the led's being red enough for me i ended up giving tom from auto-gem http://www.auto-gem.com a call to see if there were replacement RED led's for these lights. turns out he had them and generously sent them to me for free.
within a few minutes of receiving the new leds i swapped them out no problem. now they are for sure red and hopefully DOT approved.
despite the led's being red enough for me i ended up giving tom from auto-gem http://www.auto-gem.com a call to see if there were replacement RED led's for these lights. turns out he had them and generously sent them to me for free.
within a few minutes of receiving the new leds i swapped them out no problem. now they are for sure red and hopefully DOT approved.
breaking in the motor i realized the vibs started to reveal bugs.
the first bug: the rear lights.
remember these lights that i bought at dime city:
http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/rpnsht/calling%20all%20destroyers/IMG_4922.jpg
well turns out that either they are built like cheap sh%t or the place i chose to mount them create too much vibration or a mixture of both. these lights basically shook themselves apart. low rpms i had lights. ripping down the street = no lights.
ugh
i replaced them with these (from dime city):
the housing is steel and they use led bulbs. their electric draw is in the milli amps and can withstand all vibs. they arent cheap but they work and they are hella brighter than the orignial lights i was using. they are listed as being amber but they are red enough for me....
oh yeah. the lights dont stick out as much as the originals which i was always afraid of kicking or hitting with my shins... these new lights tuck in tight and would be perfect for a lane splitter