Miesha: Build thread.

[Bob Kelly III]

LOL ! that's kind'a why i was asking cuz it looked like the switch was in it's place HA !
that's a fancy tool roll ! I just use a rag or 2 and roll the tools up in a burreto fashon in the rags and then wire it together with a hunk of bailing wire.... if ya roll it right the small tools can't get out ... i roll it tip of the rag to tip and get about half way and then fold the other corners in to the center and finish rolling it ... I used to just bunji that roll to the crossbar on my handlebars but my handlebars don't have a cross bar so I stuff it under the seat... then it takes some perswasion to get the seat locked and I'm good to go ! HA !
.....
it's getting close to tear down time here I think..... when it's too cold to do anything else I think I'll pull the crank on my XS650 and see if I can straighten it out..... if not .... it was fun while it lasted HA !
.....
Bob.....

 

[CoconutPete]

Paint isn’t great but I never was a rattle can master and I plan on powder coating in the long run.
I’m happy with how it came out.

 

[azman857]

Well Done!

 

[CoconutPete]

Swapped out the mufflers this weekend. Went with full length instead of the “shorty”ones which were actually better than I expected but these are perfect.

Maybe it’s in my head but she seems to have more oomph in the midrange with these on.

It’s a lot of chrome for me... haven’t decided if I’ll strip it and paint them black yet.

 

[MaxPete]

Looks nice Pete - and FWIW - I like the long chrome mufflers. They look classy in my eyes.

Pete

 

[Bob Kelly III]

I agree with Pete ! they look fine !
and it's probably not your imagination...it probably does have more Oooomph !
just when I was thinking I ought to put the battery back in the bike we get a blizzard ! Damm man why is the world conspiring against me riding !?!?!?!? heheheh oh well, I built a table saw from scratch so far this winter...so it's not all been for not!
.....Bob.........

 

[gggGary]

So that's where you've been Bob! we wanna see pic! Coconut yeah those mufflers are a good match for the XS can you set them up a bit higher? I think they are hanging a bit low for the scrambler style your bike seems to be. I messed with that on "madness" made some bends to sweep them up more but never really got it "just right".

 

[CoconutPete]

Thanks all.

So that's where you've been Bob! we wanna see pic! Coconut yeah those mufflers are a good match for the XS can you set them up a bit higher? I think they are hanging a bit low for the scrambler style your bike seems to be. I messed with that on "madness" made some bends to sweep them up more but never really got it "just right".

Gary: Would you just recommend trying to find a pipe bender and increasing the slight uptick that's there from the factory?

I would like to increase the angle they sit at because A: I agree it would look better. B: The right one is riiiiiiiight on the axle nut and could benefit from the increase as well.

 

[gggGary]

Pete let me go look around at what I've done, see if I can find pics, it's tough to get a smooth bend in an existing pipe. Heat on the outside of the bend some sort of mandrel to help keep a smooth pipe shape??? I have dented in the back of mufflers to improve clearance at axle nuts....

the slight bend up inserts on madness.

These mufflers (emgo?) suck but have the bend up on them.

 

[CoconutPete]

HM. I may have to just try the BHF method like you for the time being.

I just realized those pictures make it look like less of an up-angel than they are at, they do go u pa little bit.

So does that one pic of your bike, madness, have an insert in between the headpipe and the muffler that add the upswing?

 

[gggGary]

Sorry for the delay I did snap some pics yesterday. This is an aftermarket large diameter header pretty sure those mufflers have to go but there's other issues with this bike so....



That bend is a real lashup, took a chunk of exhaust tubing, made a series of cuts, bent, welded ground the OUTSIDE smooth LOL..

 

[CoconutPete]

Thanks Gary. I'll have to see about possibly creating a piece like that.

Maybe even cut a slight "V" notch in the muflers and weld it shut in order to create some up-angle. I do like the idea of them angling up more.

I'll ride it for a while like this. I'm still not sold on Chrome. I'm just not a chrome guy. Not sure why.

 

[5twins]

Yes, a slight up-sweep is good, not only for looks but more importantly in my eyes, for rear axle access - you can pull it without taking a muffler off. The back end of your headpipe looks low. Any way you can raise it? That might do the trick. I have MAC headpipes (N.L.A.) and as you can see, besides the slight kick-up on the end, the whole lower length under the engine runs up at an angle too .....

Those 2 combined angle my mufflers up perfectly, high enough to clear the axle, low enough to clear my bags. What holds the headpipe there for me is the "P" clamp I added .....

I would loosen the headpipe connection at the head and see if the rear end will lift some. It won't have to move much. Fashion a "P" clamp to hold it there and install the pipe with a fresh gasket. The gasket may squish unevenly (more on one side than the other) but they're quite thick so I think it will seal up OK.

 

[MaxPete]

I really like those Krauser-style bags on your bike 5T! Stylish, compact, efficient.

 

[5twins]

They're more than "Krauser-like", they're actual Krausers. They are the smaller Starlet bag that was offered. I also have some of the larger Star bags but felt they looked too big on the bike .....

These were a wonderful period accessory available back in the late '70s through early '90s. They could be adapted to and mounted on nearly any bike. They quickly and easily pop on and off with the push of one button. This Starlet set came from a guy who bought them new for a bike he was supposed to get and never mounted them. The bike was sold out from underneath him so now he had bags and no bike, lol. I paid $200 or $250 for them but in hindsight, it's been well worth it considering all the service they've given me. I ran them on my SR500 before this.

 

[MaxPete]

VERY nice 5Twins - I'll be looking for a set of those puppies.

 

[CoconutPete]

5Twins: I actually do have my head pipes bolted onto the frame with the same type of P-clamp that you use. There more or less is no wiggle room on getting them to sit differently. I spent a while trying. One side has a very small spacer because it sat too close to the frame, but other than that they are solid.

Not sure if something else is out of whack or what, but they're tucked up under the frame nicely so I don't mind how they sit. I may just see about either borrowing a pipe bender and increasing the upkick or using the cut-n-weld method when I tear her down for paint.

 

[CoconutPete]

Not sure if this angle helps. A little dark.

 

[5twins]

Yes, I can see it OK, and I see you're using the rear hole on the frame, which is lower. Mine is attached to the slightly higher front hole. Like I said, some small amount of movement there will make a bigger difference out back at the end of the pipe. I have to use a thick washer spacer behind both of my P clamps.

 

[CoconutPete]

Interesting. I was under the impression that with the 2 nuts at the cylinder head and then the hole in the frame, it would sit one way and not budge at all. I'll experiment with it a little more. Thanks for the input.