First build.. Trying to do a desert sled-ish bike

[Lasper01]

Got some work done yesterday. Got the swingarm with new bronze bushings in on and the front forks and wheels on

Front end with HHBs fork brace

On with tank, seat, handlebars and chopped fender

But I dont know if I should make a new seat.. more desert sled-ish

Enjoying the days work

 

[Lasper01]

Maybe I should add higher shocks..

 

[vsop-dk]

you have seen my shocks, they can go low. I think yours look cool.. great work.

 

[Lasper01]

Yes and they look great on your bike, but I think mine looks a bit too low in the back. So would like to raise the back with higher shocks..

 

[vsop-dk]

Your might right, cant really see that due to the angle of the photo, but then again your planning a backseater, its might a good idea. Looking forward seeing the progress..

 

[Lasper01]

Got some more work done.. found a cheap pair of triumph scrambler shocks (365mm) and returned to the honda tank and a little seat.. Im really having a hard time figuring out which look I like the best!

I also put the original rear fender on and my new cocktail shaker mufflers...

Tried different looks for the front fender

Or

Or

Front look

Rear

 

[Lasper01]

Then I tried the gastank from my black xs

Im using to old hole in the fender for my small indicators

 

[Lasper01]

I like the black/white theme, but im still leaning towards the blue tank and a smaller seat
A lot of thinking going on!!

Oh yeah I got the ex500 carbs on with the unifilters.. have jetting like guys in the ex500 thread THanks for the tips and info!!

 

[CDNTX650]

I like the black tank with the seat as it is. Very 60s. You might find those scram shocks a bit on the stiff side. My xs wears a pair in close to stock 74 weight and they are just okay. My 2014 scrambler of course has them and they suck. Hahaha

 

[Lasper01]

Yes I like it too.. and it got space for the girlfriend
Okay.. I just read that guys where liking them.. But I'll find out if they are good in about 4 month when its done

 

[CDNTX650]

For road use on my xs they do work well enough. The scrambler is great on the road with them...but awful off road. Depends what you plan to do. It's only bad on real hard bumps off road.

 

[Lasper01]

Alright.. Im not going to jump.. just gravel and road.. Im not good enough for real offroad

 

[CDNTX650]

Any updates?

 

[Lasper01]

Not really.. Im still trying to work out the placement of the gastank and the seat.. In the first picture the tank is low as it can be.. but I think the space between the tank and handlebars are too big. The handlebars looks to high..

In this picture the tank is a bit higher and I like it better. Now I not sure if I want the space between the tank and the seat or I should make the seat bigger and close to the tank?

 

[Lasper01]

A bit more progress. Made a bracket for the coil:

And then I changed the breather from two outlet to the newer with only one. I did it because I have changed the carbs to the ex500 carbs and the throttle cable has no room with the two outlets:

Much better!!

Cut the seatpan to fit

And added rubber from the stock seatpan rubber:

Hoping it will take some vibration

Slow but steady progress

 

[arcticXS]

This is a very nice seat for a scrambler style build, and not too expensive:

http://motolanna.com/ourshop/prod_2394099-Seat-Classic-Style-v30.html

With the stock tank on my 1977 D (standard), the tail of the seat sits just a little bit forward of the frame loop. And it fits OVER the frame tubes, just like the stock seat, if you grind off the seat latch housing. Personally, I strongly dislike the current fad of narrow seats with a flat seat pan, showing the frame tubes. That just looks terribly "home made" in my opinion.

On the earlier frames, the latch can be removed without grinding I believe.
I actually have one of these seats, but I am reluctant to remove the seat latch, so may end up using it on a 125 cc scrambler project instead.

As they are shipping out of Thailand, it may be an option to have a friend pick one up while on holiday there, or if you go yourself. These seats are not very heavy, fiberglass pan I believe. I had MotoLanna ship to a colleague who lived in Thailand as an Ex-Pat, with no problem. Then he put it in his bag when travelling to work.

 

[Lasper01]

Yes thats a Nice Seat. I wanna make one like that but a bit higher like the old Bates style seats. And im running a Honda cb350 gastank so I need to custom shape the Seat to match the tank

 

[arcticXS]

Yes thats a Nice Seat. I wanna make one like that but a bit higher like the old Bates style seats. And im running a Honda cb350 gastank so I need to custom shape the Seat to match the tank

OK, sounds you have a good plan. On the pic, your seat pan is flat bottomed. I guess you plan to weld a lip around it then. When building your own, you should even be able to use the stock hinges and latch. That would surely be the most elegant solution IMHO.
Otherwise, I like the general direction of your build. I am sort of going the same route with my 77 D model, but making little progress. House renovation, offshore work, and other projects tend to eat up all my time....Especially like the look of your Cocktail Shakers, how do they sound?

 

[Lasper01]

Im sorry I think I misunderstood you on the flat seat, I thought you meant the thin brat seats.. No I didnt think about making a lip.. but I agree in what you are saying and maybe I should try doing that..

I did think of using the stock hinge once but then the seat would be too wide

I having heard them yet, they are brand new ro me

 

[arcticXS]

Are they made for 1 1/2" (38 mm), 1 5/8" (41.3 mm) or 1 3/4" (44.5mm) headpipes?
I tried 1 1/2" Norton Commando "peashooters" on my otherwise stock XS, but they sounded awful. A ringing, tinny sound. I guess the Norton muffler core is unsuitable for the XS exhaust characteristics. The Norton core is basically a straight through 38 mm ID tube, with 3 rows of pressed "louvres", and no packing between this core tube and the muffler body, just an empty void space. Hopefully, your cocktail shakers have a perforated core that will allow some packing around it. I am sure that would improve the sound a lot.