Good morning all!
WER: Thanks for the help on posting pics & vids - please leave them up till I have a chance to read and try them out.
peanut: As for the other cafe build thread - I think the one your referring to is Brassneck's bike. He has done this job - and his bike is just what I am aiming for.
TimeMachine: thanks so much for that kind offer - I'll keep everyone posted on what the project needs as we go along!
ZeroXS650: The XS750 fuel tank mounting requires a bit of metal working but it appears to not be too big a deal and lots of folks have done it. I have compiled several good notes on this topic and will post them when the time comes. NOTE: I am going to try to leave the stock 650 tank mounting "ears" on the frame - from a quick look at where the tank ears are situated, this looks to be possible.
The issues of the tank cap and petcocks are complex to explain but simple to solve:
FILLER CAP: I found that the fuel filler cap from my red '76 XS650C fuel tank also fits the grey 750 tank I bought from the salvage yard (I've been told that it is a '76 or a '77) and so I have simply bought one of those filler caps from XSDirect: p/n 20-0033 for about $33 CDN. Its Chinese, but looks nice, fits fine and it even came with two keys.
PETCOCKS:The vacuum petcocks that were stock on the 750 can be replaced by NON-vacuum units for an XS650 - BUT the '76 XS650C petcocks DO NOT FIT. The big difference is the spacing of the petcock mounting screw holes: the 750 tank requires 46mm - which matches the spacing on XSDirect / MikesXS part number 20-0019 (check this listing on the Mikes site). These parts are intended to convert the leaky '79-'84 vacuum petcocks on XS650 Specials to non-vacuum operation - and so I bought two of those (p/n 20-0019 for around $50 each) and indeed, they do fit the 750 tank. A benefit is that all the heartburn associated with vacuum petcocks will be gone!
As I pointed out in another thread some time back - manufacturers tend to use simple and generic parts like seals, fasteners, electrical switches, reg-rec units, petcocks and filler caps across their entire line of cars, bikes, chainsaws, outboard motors, toasters, or whatever, to cut costs and simplify supply lines. That's why parts listing application lists are such powerful tools in restoring older equipment. Believe it or not - there are parts on 2017 Yamahas in showrooms today that are identical to parts used on our 40 year old XS650s, right down to the part numbers. Finding this info can be a challenge - but it makes finding the parts themselves waaaaayyyy easier.
Anyhow - today is cafe seat day, so wish me luck! The issue I'm having on the seat is that the '81 Special frame uses a lift-off type seat mounting arrangement rather than the earlier hinge type. The lift-off style has two slotted brackets on the frame, back near the rear loop. Those brackets are a wee bit wider than the rest of the top rail of the frame and the cafe seat needs to accommodate this width, but most cafe seats are a little too narrow. Anyhow, today, we'll see how the local chap's seats measure up. He said he will let me bring them home to trial fit them on my donor bike (nice guy).
Cheers,
Pete
