Hello XS650, first time cafe build from a '77 in Ontario Canada

leighd42

leighd42

XS650 Enthusiast
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Just wanted to say hello and that I have never seen so many beautiful pieces of art until I joined this site. I sure hope I can transform the '77 I picked up on Thursday into my dream bike. First time restoration/build for me but I'm not afraid to get in there and do what needs to get done. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions along the way and here's hoping that they are not all dumb ones....

Here's my new toy as I got it on Thursday. She is a runner with great compression almost spot on spec for both cylinders. Got rid of the bookshelf on the back and took it for a ride. The sprockets are set up with 18/30 so it launches like it is in second gear so I'm going to pick up a 17T and try that out. I will post pictures of the build as I go.

Cheers

Dave
Prince Edward County
Ontario
Canada

Before
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After
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I too am partial to 77's. Looks like you've got a great starting point there, looks to be in nice shape. And is that a dual disk setup I see on the front end? :thumbsup:

Welcome aboard.
 
nice bike ! :thumbsup: I hope you ceremoniously burnt that rear rack lol :D

Don't want that turning up again ...its a serious bad taste item .

Looks like the Euro spec twin disc front end . Were all the Canadian imports Euro spec ?
 
HEy ! Another Ontario XS owner ! I was tempted to buy that bike myself , it was listed on kijjiji for several months . He wasn't even asking that much for it , so if it runs good you are ahead of the game.. If that was my bike ( I have a '78 E , pretty close to what you got, dual disc standard ) I would do a resto-mod. Upgrade all the weak stuff that came on the stock bike , and do a few cosmetic changes to personalise it without chopping the frame.
 
Thanks for the comments :thumbsup:

Yes the carrier on the back I actually had to cut the rear mounts off and re-use the threaded tubes as nuts so I could take her for a ride so it is no longer useable and is now in the scrap metal heap.

I started to do some more serious inspection yesterday afternoon and it looks like I have to convert to PMA too bad XS650direct is out of stock right now. Have ordered petcocks and some gaskets, hardware, clutch cable and a few other items. was hoping for some clubman or clip on bars but that stuff is out of stock too. Must be build season now...LOL.. Ignition inspection today ( apparently has been upgraded ) but have to confirm it can handle the PMA upgrade. I took the 2-1 header off for now because the muffler had a JB welded bracket wired to the frame.... not my liking...and am going with the stock headers wrapped and a couple of open mufflers from xs650direct. We will see if it works out. Hopefully a couple more rides are left in the season before I get serious and tear her down so I can get the frame and swing arm blasted and powder coated.

Off to play in the garage!!
 
Looking good man..

But whats with all the hate for a rear rack? (obviously not on a cafe, but..)

You guys must not ever ride long distance. A backpack really starts to hurt after a few 100ks..
 
...and you can strap a two-four on it for ease of carriage :cheers:

Bike's coming along nicely! I'm wondering about the double disc in front, though. My '77 has only the single disc setup...
 

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Got rid of the dual disk and going with the single Brembo. I have removed about 15lbs off the front end in place of about 4 lbs. Should make a huge difference and have modern stopping power.
 
Thanks! The tank had a dent in the left side so I decided to hammer knee dents into it. I just followed the original pinstripe as my pattern. Originally I didn't want them as big but had to get past the dent so I went for it. I think it looks much like the tank on DCC's Gum Ball 3000 CB450. I will be painting everything winter 2013/14 so for now I am going to sand, polish and clear coat the tank. Should look cool for now.

That triple clamp looks cool. Too rich for me though.
 
Yeah, I agree that is way high, I just remembered seeing it when I was looking at your build pics. That's a damn good job on your tank leighd42. One way to get rid of a dent or two...:D
 

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