BC XS650 bobber/chopper build

[Oddjob]

I've been debating whether to do a build thread, so here it goes... hopefully this will help keep me motivated to see this through...

I had been looking for about a year for a reasonably priced, and reasonably decent starting point for a hard tailed XS650 bobber... A lot of the bikes that came up were overpriced and/or too nice to modify...

A few months ago a relatively cheap 78 XS650SE basket case came up... the previous owner had given up on the project but had gone through the effort of chopping up the frame and adding a TC Bros hard tail...

So here's what it looked like on day one... the bike was reasonably complete, with the PO having kept most of the stock XS parts...

The left over stock XS parts...

 

[Oddjob]

Day 2 of the build... "See Honey, its mostly complete"

So after spending a few days figuring out what the hell I had just bought, I decided to investigate the PO's claim that bike was in running condition prior to the "chop"
Several weeks later, after sorting out some wiring, making a temporary panel for the electrical bits, cleaning out the carbs, and sacrificing a hockey water bottle to the XS-gods, success was had...

It ran... albeit out of tune... the PO had chopped the exhaust pipes so I wasn't expecting it run in tune... It did actually run reasonably well with the choke on, but not so much at idle, which in my mind confirms that the jetting was off... I would also suspect that the carbs will need to be fully rebuilt as opposed to just cleaned out... what I did learn from this brief test was that it didn't seem to burn any oil, and there didn't seem to be any unusual noises coming from the engine...

 

[59Tebo]

It looks like a great starting point! And now, you can turn around and SELL all those left over stock Xs parts in the classifieds (scroll down the "Forum" tab)! There'll be plenty of interest, and the $$ will finance your build. Keep us posted!

 

[Oddjob]

So the next step was figuring out what I wanted this bike to be... the PO had intended to run a Frisco style Sporty tank mounted above the backbone... this wasn't my style... I have always appreciated the look of the old "rigids" of days gone by, so I wanted more of retro look with the tank mounted low on the bike ideally concealing the backbone...

After a bit of research I was prepared to buy an aftermarket Wassell tank, but decided against it after learning that the tank wouldn't fit the bike without modifying the top engine mount and relocating the coils and condensers...

So my thoughts turned to modifying the stock tank...
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?p=440360#post440360

But before that, I added a cheap solo seat and drag bars that came up on craigslist... wasn't really sold on the seat but needed something to visualize the tank mod with.

taking the grinder to the tank...

Fabricating and fitting some scallops

Some welding and body work later...

 

[Oddjob]

It looks like a great starting point! And now, you can turn around and SELL all those left over stock Xs parts in the classifieds (scroll down the "Forum" tab)! There'll be plenty of interest, and the $$ will finance your build. Keep us posted!

Thanks Tebo... once I'm further along i will definitely do that...

 

[Oddjob]

Next up was the rear brake MC... the PO was going to run a rear disk only actuated by the front master cylinder... again, that's not my style... and besides I appreciated the effort by Yamaha that went into having dual disks on this particular model... luckily for me the PO kept the front disk parts and the rear foot pedal and pivot lever...

So I ordered the monster craftsmen mid mount foot pegs, Mikes XS aftermarket master cylinder and fabricated the brake pedal pivot mount and linkage to the master cylinder... while I was in there I tacked in a few angle bars for the battery mount...

 

[Oddjob]

Over the holidays I ordered a chain, a monster craftsmen chain tensioner, and stingray ribbed 6" fender. The idea was to mount the chain tensioner and then figure out how to mount the fender…

After fighting with the tensioner for a bit I decided to modify it by jogging the wheel over by 20mm, so that the tensioner bracketry wouldn’t interfere with the battery...

I then started looking into how to mount the fender and concluded that since all tires are not created equal that I should fit the fender to the tires that I intend to run... so under the guise of Christmas shopping I ordered up some new tires... a full profile Shinko rear, and Avon front...

And that puts me close to where I'm at now… finalizing the fender mounting

 

[lakeview]

It is none of my business, but would you give an idea of what you had to pay for your bike? $800.00 maybe?
I do like the scalloped tank and the ribbed fender is a great look.

 

[Oddjob]

Hi Lakeview, I'm not sure how it is in the GTA, but out here there is a lot of pent up demand for these bikes... I think you would be hard pressed to find a titled XS for 800 in greater Vancouver... I paid 1400 which I think is reasonable in that it included the hardtail, which is an expense that I would have incurred anyhow...

 

[Oddjob]

A few progress pics of the fender brackets

 

[Oddjob]

Been working on the exhaust fitment... I went with the TC bros DIY kit to ensure that the exhaust fits the brake pedal placement...

Undecided about what muffler to run, and what finish to apply... but for now this is where the headers are at...

 

[fredintoon]

so under the guise of Christmas shopping I ordered up some new tires... a full profile Shinko rear, and Avon front...

And that puts me close to where I'm at now... finalizing the fender mounting

Hi Oddjob,
what's the mfr's code for the Shinko rear tire, my sidecar bike would run better with that squareish profile, when the bike can't lean over the usual round profile tires only wear in the middle, eh?
BTW will that Shinko run as a tubeless?
And if it were mine to do I'd look at putting isolastic bushings into the fender mount design so it don't fatigue-crack so easy.

 

[Oddjob]

Hi Oddjob,
what's the mfr's code for the Shinko rear tire, my sidecar bike would run better with that squareish profile, when the bike can't lean over the usual round profile tires only wear in the middle, eh?
BTW will that Shinko run as a tubeless?

Hi Fred, the full profile 270 is a "S" rated, 716lbs, "tube type" tire. It might be the angle of the pictures but it really isn't that square... at least not "car-like" square...

And if it were mine to do I'd look at putting isolastic bushings into the fender mount design so it don't fatigue-crack so easy.

I'm hoping that the thickness of the fender (~2mm) and the use of M8 flanged button head screws will help minimize that... I guess time will tell...

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Oddjob,
pity about that tire needing a tube, ah well.
Suggest ~1/8" sheet rubber washer both sides of the fender and a big flat steel washer on the inside.
Mufflers? Kicked up cocktail shakers would match the rear frame tube angle and my son has a nice set going spare he might want to sell.

 

[Oddjob]

I'll look into the rubber washers... the additional benefit is that it should help protect the paint in that area...

I'll PM you regarding the upturned cocktail shakers...

 

[Oddjob]

So this weekend I spent some time mocking up an electrical enclosure... Used some CAD software at work to conceptualize, and create the flat layout.

From the flat layout I mocked up a card board prototype...

Hopefully the real deal looks a bit better than that

 

[Oddjob]

Also spent some time messing around with the seized calipers... The grease gun method as documented by others on this board worked great... the pistons are pitted and will need to be replaced... the bores were thankfully unscathed, should be rebuildable...

Has anyone used MikesXS caliper pistons with success?

http://www.mikesxs.net/parts/yamaha-xs650-caliper-piston-front-or-rear-77-84

 

[totalgearhead]

Great build oddjob! I think you got a deal for that price with a hardtail already welded up. As for the brakes, I think they all look like that when they have been sitting. Mine were the same and a mikes xs (650 direct) piston and rebuild and you'll be good to go.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I like your 'fake tank' enclosure. Will it be vibration isolated?

 

[Oddjob]

Hi TwoMany, yes the plan is to vibration isolate with some rubber bushings of some sort...

I think I produced about 3/4lbs of iron dust today