Girards Build!

[girard]

Might find some inspiration looking at vault-door hinges:

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-vault-door-image14224122

Or, some kind of bayonet fitting:

thanks. hopefully gonna come up with something today.


I am looking at the YA MAMA exhaust. how have people been mounting it? to prevent it from snapping studs?

 

[Ranger]

I am looking at the YA MAMA exhaust. how have people been mounting it? to prevent it from snapping studs?

Just call Dan at Pandemonium. He'll walk you through it.

 

[girard]

Just call Dan at Pandemonium. He'll walk you through it.

I emailed him last night, just waiting on his reply

 

[girard]

exhaust ordered, i'm fired up, can't wait!

 

[girard]

Update:

I am trying to order more parts but am having a hell of a time finding a kill switch. I am going kick only. I do not want a momentary switch. anybody found anything cool?

 

[lurch11]

Update:

I am trying to order more parts but am having a hell of a time finding a kill switch. I am going kick only. I do not want a momentary switch. anybody found anything cool?

Had the same issue recently. This was the best I could find that still looks a bit retro - http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-electronic-parts-retro-black-handlebar-mounted-kill-switch-21-1219.html

 

[girard]

Update:

made some good progress. I think I got my electronics box figured out.

decided to try kick only to start. If I don't like it I can always hook up the starter. So I got this. actually hard to find, alot of stores are sold out.

Also, got this woooooo

mocked up

new headlight, its not centered in the pic but since been fixed

exhaust mount tacked up

and some gussets I made. I'm sorry hugh! I'm just really trying to make as much as I can on this build. I did buy a ton of Hugh's stuff though! haha

next up, I need to tack up my electronics box mount. Then its gonna be teardown, cut off the centerstand mounts, passenger pegs mounts. finish welding everything i've tacked. drill/tap a hole in swingarm to mount the rectifier, it more grinding, then paint!! I'm planning on just spray painting the frame this year to get me by. Get proper paint on tank/fender/frame next winter.

Well guys, thanks for looking! if you have any suggestions or ideas, my ears are open!

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

...drill/tap a hole in swingarm to mount the rectifier...

Just an FYI. Member EvenmoreXS had a charging problem, was using the swingarm as a grounding point.

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27552

Did you hinge that bottle, or double hasp?

 

[girard]

Just an FYI. Member EvenmoreXS had a charging problem, was using the swingarm as a grounding point.

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27552

Did you hinge that bottle, or double hasp?

ooo good call. I wonder if a good solution would be running a ground wire back to the main ground? as mentioned in another post started by Figure8 its a good idea to run grounds back to a central ground so those guys kinda convinced me that it would be a smart move. The bottle is double hasp'd. I looked and looked but could not find a nice hinge that would work for my application. There is definitely some improvements to be made on this bottle but for now I think it will work.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

... I wonder if a good solution would be running a ground wire back to the main ground?

Sure. The main thinking is to get solid/reliable grounding, and question the thinking that metal things are automatically grounds. Example is the handlebar. It may or not be grounded, either by the clamps to the top crown, or by separate wire. Then, the top clamp may show grounding, but that may be thru the steering bearings, not a reliable ground.

Similar situation with trailers. Lighting and electric brakes may seem OK when the grounding is thru the hitch ball and receiver, but isn't really reliable when things start rusting. I always run additional ground strap on trailers...

 

[fredintoon]

Hi 2many,
the stock XS650s seem to ground every electrical thing with it's own black wire back to one main point.
And that's what I do with trailer wiring.
A trailer wiring harness comes with a short ground wire that is attached to the trailer frame and the trailer's lights are also meant to be frame-grounded.
Which works fine on new trailers.
Parked outside for a few months; not so much.
Works far better to assume the trailer frame is a non-conductor and ground everything back to the trailer's harness plug.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Hey, Fred! Hope things are warming up for you. We're doin' our dangest to send our 'hot air' up there.

New inspection enforcement laws down here now require annual inspections on all trailers now.
I had to completely rewire and reground my 15 year old trailer. It's always outdoors in the weather.
That job is still fresh in my mind, hence the strong 'grounding' admonishments...

 

[girard]

Update:

Got my workbench all finished! 1/8" 304 stainless sheet for a bench top, other side is butcher block.

got the bike torn down again.

heres my makeshift welding table haha

heres the neck gussets i fabbed up.welder was acting up a bit. all in all pretty happy considering this is my first welding project of any sort.

This is the bracket my e-box is gonna mount too.

Tonight I will be cutting/grinding off center stand mounts, passenger peg mounts and some random tabs and etc.. hopefully start painting this weekend. Thanks for looking!

 

[girard]

heres where i'm at now, frames painted and assembled. I am not just putting together the pieces. trying to figure out little things, like where to put my ignition coil. suggestions? for some reason I always intended to leave it where it was in the stock location and never put much thought to it but now that the frame is painted and assembled, its sooooo ugly there. got my E-box all polished up and mounted. will probably have to remove again to drill a hole for the wire to enter but wanted to get it in to make sure everything fit. I am also experimenting with a different rectifier location. I think it looks ok but am not 100% sold on it. next up i'm gonna clear the fender/sissy bar and mount those. here are some pics..

new toy!!

powdercoating

rectifier mount, I am going to run a ground to it when I wire the bike. in looking at the pic in this exact moment i'm not sure its gonna work because of the bracket for the seat and the bolts that hold the seat on. I'll have to fit it tonight and see.

e-box

so thats where I'm at now, I'm still not sold on rectifier location. anybody have any ideas?

 

[figure8]

Are you running a starter? If not you could run the rectifier there.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Some coil mount ideas:

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40502

 

[girard]

I am not going to run a starter...BUT i want to keep it for now just incase i dont like kick only. Try it out this summer. The other option i have is the end of my e-box. So basically in the same spot as my ignition switch but on other side of bike. Would be in plain view but its not ugly or anything. Bah decisions

 

[girard]

Some coil mount ideas:

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40502

Thanks! A few ideas for sure. Might try to fab up a bracket to keep them in stock location but mount them better, a bit farther away from engine mount as its basically touching it.

 

[girard]

progress report:

While I thought I was doing my due diligence in mocking up bike as much as I could to make sure everything would fit, i forgot to actually mount my air filters, UGH. so my elec. pod would not fit.

SO last night I fabbed up a new bracket and very carefully sanded some paint and welded it in. no pics of that yet.

Heres the bike on a table I made for it. cut angles into middle 4x4 legs and put the rear legs on hinges so it acts as a ramp until the bike is on it then it levels out.

Here is my rear fender, i just plasti dipped it clear for this year. Gonna get it painted next year but didn't want it to rust and i actually really like the raw look on the flat black frame.

license plate/tail light axle mount I made to fit our larger canadian plates.

might be changing my rectifier/reg location now that the e-pod is moved. gonna take a look at that tonight. Also shipping my Pandemonium exhaust out today to get ceramic coated. waiting for a few misc. parts to come in, then its on to the wiring!

Question: for you guys that wrapped your exhaust, do you have any tricks to not see the stainless straps? Ive done it before and it looked ok with the straps visible but I seem to recall seeing somewhere exhaust that was wrapped but it didn't look like you were able to see the straps. I will try to dig up the picture I am thinking of.

Thanks for looking

 

[girard]

question about wiring. Does polarity matter to the coils? I notice no markings or anything on the 2 tabs on the coils so was just wondering if it actually matters? Thats a terrible explanation but ya know what i'm sayin? Ive got power going to pamco, which taps off and goes to one of the connections, but just not sure if it matters which one? Thanks!