Build Thread...Special to Cafe Bike

MaxPete I post from my phone using the directions I gave. Use your laptop for a few then using the phone will be e z p z.
You can make a few test runs in the sandbox then delete the posts when you are done.
 
MaxPete I post from my phone using the directions I gave. Use your laptop for a few then using the phone will be e z p z.
You can make a few test runs in the sandbox then delete the posts when you are done.

Ok - now I have to figure out what and where the sandbox is....
 
Well I'll go with you ain't yankin my chain. Click the forums tab and scroll down it is the last forum.
I'd link you but it's best you find on your own.
 
Gotcha - and many thanks.

BTW - I'm not much into chain yanking nor bragging about what I've done what I can do or what I own. I have so much to be modest about.....
 
Thanks Pete for the information, very helpful and concise. Looking forward to seeing how you get a cafe seat for the 81. I purchased a flat seat that will fit if I cut/grind the mounts. Not a big fan of modifying the frame.
 
Pete I really like the direction you're going with this new bike. I think it's very cool that you have a classic original and this new one that you can let your creative side loose on. What a great winter project!

Btw, I do all my posts and photos from my IPhone 6, it's so easy. I also use my IPad for everything else. I have a laptop that's sits unused.
 
Thanks all. I've spent the evening scheming, sketching and planning and have made an acquisition....more soon!

Pete
 
I'd be curious to see your planned rearsets, especially the shifting components. Curious to know if they alter the shift lever leverage and travel. Had a discussion with Paulrxs650 about shiftshaft forces and needle bearing mod to his sidecover:

http://www.xs650.com/threads/uk-board-tracker-build-thread.43512/page-2#post-436440

http://www.xs650.com/threads/uk-board-tracker-build-thread.43512/page-3#post-439470

http://www.xs650.com/threads/uk-board-tracker-build-thread.43512/page-7#post-445512
 
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Hi 2M: I've already gotten the rear-sets.
I bought the same ones used by Brassneck and they have safely arrived from the shop of VintageRider58 and his son JRod10. The only difference is that my set have folding pegs which allow the use of the stock XS650 kick start lever. They are beautifully made but I haven't installed as of yet and so I cannot report on how they feel in action.

Pete
 
Pete, You and I are on the same path. I am (slowly) turning my 79 Special into something of a café bike. I like riding it so much I hate to take it off the road to fit the 750 tank!
I have the same rearsets I believe, and can tell you they work pretty well. The only issues I could mention would be the leverage on the rear brake could be improved and the buzziness increases by a factor of 10. But once you get use to it, it is not that bad.
 
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Yes, if you remove the stock foot pegs, with their rubber mounting, be prepared for a lot more vibration in your feet. A friend has an XS650, that had some highway pegs mounted solidly to the frame. We swapped bikes for a short ride, and when I put my feet on those pegs, I was shocked at how much vibration was coming through my feet. Very uncomfortable.
I would never give up my rubber mounted pegs.
 
Pete, You and I are on the same path. I am (slowly) turning my 79 Special into something of a café bike. I like riding it so much I hate to take it off the raod to fit the 750 tank!
I have the same rearsets I believe, and can tell you they work pretty well. The only issues I would be mention the leverage on the rear brake could be improved and the buzziness increases by a factor of 10. But once you get use to it, it is not that bad.

Yup - thanks for the notes TXSG and RtdG - I suspect that I will have to look into a way of rubber mounting those units because as I get older, I find myself much less able to deal with harsh vibes. If I do manage to work something out, I will post my solution with instructions on the thread and feed them back to VintageRider58 and JRod10 so that they can improve their products.

Pete
 
Haha, all it takes is a mild case of spongiform encephalopathy.
The brain becomes sponge, soaks up everything.



Easily juiced-out later when needed...
View attachment 93386

ahhhh, the lovely and talented Mortica Addams.....every 10 year old's dream back in the '60's (along with Ginger on Gilligan's Island). Between her charms and watching Gomez' trainset with the exploding bridge, that truly was "must see" entertainment.
 
I host my pics on one of the free on-line sites. That makes them easy to access from any computer, phone, etc. I usually need to do some work to them first before they're ready for posting (re-sizing, cropping, labeling, watermark) so I take care of all that on my computer before I upload the final "fixed" image. I use simple free programs to do the work. The well known Adobe Photoshop is way to big and complicated for my needs. Basically, I just need a simple way to re-size and crop. Labeling gets done with the free Paint app that came with my PC. A couple of my latest .....



 
When you got this let me know and I can delete those posts so they don't trash up your build thread.

WER - thank you so much for such complete and clear instructions! I have cut&pasted them into an MS-Word docx now so that I can refer back to them. I suspect I wont need to once I've done it a few times. The step I was missing was the one about "insert every images..."

Cheers!

Pete
 
I host my pics on one of the free on-line sites. That makes them easy to access from any computer, phone, etc. I usually need to do some work to them first before they're ready for posting (re-sizing, cropping, labeling, watermark) so I take care of all that on my computer before I upload the final "fixed" image. I use simple free programs to do the work. The well known Adobe Photoshop is way to big and complicated for my needs. Basically, I just need a simple way to re-size and crop. Labeling gets done with the free Paint app that came with my PC. A couple of my latest .....





Brilliant 5Twins - I have noticed how your graphics always are so clear and well formatted.

Pete
 
Like I said, Once you get used to it it is not that bad. I've done a couple 100+ mile rides with them and it doesn't really annoy me anymore. It does help I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs. Something left over from my dirt bike days...
That being said I'd be interested in a modification to rubber mount them.
 
Good afternoon all:
Well, its a bright sunny day here at the Disaster Central Workshop on Canada's southern coast and there have been a couple of minor, but worthwhile developments on the Special-to-Cafe build front:
  • I have found a seat which WILL fit the Special II frame and CHorHW - I am going to make it work (thanks LittleBill31!)
I will provide complete details once I have it here and have dug into the process (check out Brassneck's album for some clues of where I am headed);
  • I took advantage of the reasonably decent, (for Canada, in January) mild and pleasant weather and washed the salt and road crapola off the bike.
You may recall that I had hauled it across the province, 500 km from the 'Shwa to Windsor from Lakeview's Amazing Bike Emporium on an open UHaul trailer, through a blizzard, about a month ago. Once I got here, it immediately got so danged cold that I couldn't have possibly washed it outside. See the photo below of Lakeview helping me load the bike and note: the weather changed A LOT just after I pulled away.

Bringing_her_Home-Dec-2016.JPG


Wow - I finally managed to insert a photo in the middle of some text - I think I've got it now (all the neighbourhood 9 year old kids breathed a sign of relief)! Below is a photo of my driveway right after I returned the trailer to UHaul the day I brought the bike home....it is just SO DAMNED MUCH FUN being a Canadian in the winter.....

Canadian_Winter_Mush-YUK.JPG


...and, here is a picture of the bike today (yes, it IS January 15 in Canada - and there is no snow in sight) while it was being washed. She looks rather pretty doesn't she?

1981_XS650-Special-II_wash-Day-Jan-15-2017.JPG


...and then I connected up my trusty Ford Escape and tried to start her up....

1981_XS650-Special-II_start-attempt.JPG


I put the single vacuum petcock on "PRI" (prime) and checked for fuel flow (yup.....) and then used some starter fluid. After much cranking, I got a few pops out of the carbs and she did fire for maybe 3 seconds at one point, but it was simply too cold to keep fooling with it so I packed her away again till things get more reasonable outside. Incidentally, those few pops are A LOT more than I got from my '76 when I tried to start it up last summer - and the C-model runs absolutely great now, so I will get there.

Anyhow, I am making progress - slowly, but that is OK by me. Once the cafe seat arrives, I will have accumulated all of the major components for the cafe bike - and then its all labour and fun in the DCW - which I always enjoy.

Cheers all and keep those suggestions coming!

Pete

PS - thanks again for all the help with the videos and photo posting info. Not to digress, but you would think that a guy with a flippin' doctorate in engineering could figure out how to work on a public website, wouldn't you.... Oh well, if you need help figuring out synchromesh transmissions, I'm your guy!
 
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