Japanese Frisco from a Free bike and Cheap Parts!

[hotrod937]

So I was buying a bunch of old Honda's and this was part of the deal. I didn't know what it even was. I brought it home and stuffed it in the pile. A few months or year later I was looking at bikes online and saw a bunch of the same engines and thought, humm... I ran outside at 3am in my boxers in the freezing cold and sure enough, XS650. It had been hacked in a horrible attempt to static the rear using the swing arm and some boogers.. But it seemed to be mostly there.

In an unrelated epidsoe I picked up a 21" HD wheel that appears to be aftermarket and I bought this 70's ironhead narrowglide front end.

Then I saw a buddy was parting a build and had a TC Bros frame for sale. At this point my mind really started working.. And I got another free bike!

So now I have this XS, frame, 21" wheel and HD Narrowglide. I pulled a sporty tank off the wall and some mini apes and I saw what all I needed to see. How to I put all this together and make it work?! Japanese Frisco.

 

[hotrod937]

Front end wheel and forks:
After running the numbers it seems that my bike is a 74-5. The forks are the smaller 34mm. So do I bore them out and push the tubes up with the HD tapered ends sticking out the top? Or do I do the stem conversion and run the full narrow glide? Problem is my HD forks are drum and my 21" wheel is disc. Can I fab a bracket to run a disc and caliper bolted where the fender bosses are? Or do I run the 17mm drum 19" wheel on the stock 34mm front end? Also it appears that the HD wheel is 17mm but the hole in the forks is 3/4.. Man oh man. what to do? I want to run a front brake

 

[hotrod937]

What I'm thinking is taking my Ironhead wheel down the street to Dayton Wire Wheel and see if they can lace up the drum to the 21" rim. Then I'll run the stem conversion and I can shave my lower tubes. That would look clean as steam with the polished drum on that roundy rim..

 

[weaselbeak]

I do not believe you are in uncharted waters. Some searching the net should provide answers. As for that front axle problem I think maybe some kind of bushing or split bushing ingenuity to knock those fork holes down to size?

 

[3Deuces]

Cool shop, looks like you have a couple of interesting projects there.
I just read a how to on putting Harley neck cups on an xs frame. Chop cult maybe?

 

[hotrod937]

I'm the project king. Jeeps are my first love. Then Muscle as in 69 camaros and late 70's trans ams. After that old fords then English sports..

 

[bobber_xs]

very nice garage!

 

[swbill]

Good score. Looks like you found the graveyard of unfinished XS builds. That's how I do all my builds, People start and give up then sell at a big lose. We pick up the pieces and bam $$ in the pocket.

 

[hotrod937]

A few years ago I went on a 100-200 dollar bike buying spree. I amassed about 10 bikes in various states of apart and running...

And here's some old Cafe Racer videos I made to show that any dumb ass can make something half way.. haha..

 

[rusty rocket]

Digging the model A with the dual carbed flatty in the back ground.

 

[hotrod937]

Where do you see two carbs?

 

[hotrod937]

There are two carbs on both A's

 

[hotrod937]

So here's what I'm doing. '74 Sportster front end, sports drum hub laced on a 21 wheel I have sitting. XS from there back including the awesome Drum 16 inch rear. Started blowing apart the doner bike.

 

[hotrod937]

Time to buy a rear tire. What should I get? Will a 5.00x16 fit in a TC hardtail? Cleaned the engine and found a small broken fin on the bottom. Hope this turd runs.../

 

[hotrod937]

Working on getting my bike to roller status. I orderd a complete xs650 triple tree set up off ebay so I could maintain my complete front end with out cutting it up. I'll cut the stem out of the spare ebay piece and use all the hardware for my Harley front end conversion.

I took my 21 inch Harley profile wheel and 19 inch '74 sportster drum wheel to Dayton Wire Wheel to see if they could lace up the drum hub on the profile 21" rim. Same 40 spokes and double 2 cross patern. Let's just hope it's not 400 bucks to marry the two. I might have them throw a polish on the smooth drum also.

Now it's time to buy tires. I have the early xs650 drum brake 16" spoke wheel. I'm between the Shinko 270 5.00-16 or the more expensive Avon

For the front I'm really at a loss. Two things I hate hate hate the Avon 21 front rubber. It looks like an old dry rotted tire to me. No personality in tread design. Straight lines and rubber slag. I also don't really want to run a dirt style tire. I'd like something similar looking to the zig zag rear tires..

 

[Rgconner]

Oh man! That is my green tank!

Don't suppose it came off a 75 CB550K? =)

 

[hotrod937]

73 CB450 12K miles original paint.

 

[hotrod937]

Front wheel. I took my HD 21" Profile wheel and 19" Sporty Drum back from Dayton Wire Wheel as I wasn't ready to drop 500 bucks on a front wheel for a bike that will only be worth 2K (Less exaggeration est so I feel better about scraping idea) when I'm done.. Later on down the road I'll do more homework and find a proper rim to lace up some Buchanans spoke and do it all myself. For now I'm just gonna run the Sporty 19"

I got my extra xs triple tree to cut up so I didn't have to have an incomplete front end. I plan on using It's a '76 IIRC and fits my smaller early tubes. Broke out some wine to mock it up just to see how it would look..

Engine went into the TC Bros Tailed frame easy

Mocked up the stock front end and wheel to see.. High Sporty tank and Antlers..

Low tank and low bars..

Mean time I ordered a Shinko 270 and still need to get the neck bearings and new chain..

 

[neanderthal]

hey dude i have a 21 laced to a harley drum brand new. pm if interested

 

[hotrod937]

I got a Shinko 270 5.00/16 and am impressed with it's construction. It's not made in China! I've also got my 21" sporty big drum on its way. Also looks like my rear rim is trash so I'll be getting a new one of those with spokes and polishing up the drum. Also going to buy the All Balls head bearings..