My first XS650

[Rexxis]

Thanks Cleon!

Thanks George for encouraging me to update.

Sentricity, you were correct, check it out. Not only did my electronics box interfere but the frame did as well.

So I chopped them bitches up!
Before and after.

Had to notch the elec box to allow the filters to clear.

Finished up my seat, idk why the pic is a screenshot of my phone, I don't remember it being like that, whatever. And yes I have 700+ pictures on my phone and its slowing it down. I should do something abt that..

Got down to business on the sissy bar.

I found a quality, all metal brake switch at a local bike salvage call A&A cycle, more abt them shortly..

I like the way the switch wires look from the outside.

Well, I'm gonna be covering my seat soon so I figured I should start brushing up on my leather working skills. I made mom a planner cover thingie for moms day.

So I found the motherload of motorcycle salvage here in OKC. It's called A&A Cycle Salvage. This is just a fraction of all that is there.

Tanks galore, this shot x 10. I couldn't get a good picture of them bc they are hanging everywhere

4 or so aisles like this. If you look close, theres a girder sitting back there, I just now noticed it. Haha

One more shot of the bike.

 

[GeorgeKillianLett]

Thanks for updating! Great job on the "cover thingie"! I'd kill to have a salvage yard like that close by!

 

[TSinOK]

Its looking better with every pic. Im going to have to go check that place out.

 

[Rexxis]

Thanks TS. Yeah, do it. It's amazing if you're looking for some random little part. I wish I had discovered the place earlier in my build.

 

[good2bsims]

And yes I have 700+ pictures on my phone

And how many of those include titties?

 

[Rexxis]

ALL OF THEM. Haha

 

[Rexxis]

Finished up my electronics box. The latch was too tall to allow the box to be slid in or out of the frame with the latch attached so I pop riveted it on after the box was in the frame. With the pop rivets I can easily remove the latch later when I get to the paint stage.

Here's the bottom of the box before wiring. I wanted to hide my ignition and kill switch so they were both installed in the bottom.

Here it is with the top open. Its quite a bit more cluttered than you see here, now that wiring is done. I found some rubber grommets at Auto Zone that fit nicely under my ignition switch and in the hole where all my wires pass through, they aren't in this pic though.

I really didn't enjoy doing the wiring. I used Lowbrow's cloth wiring and heat shrink tubing. This is the harness that sends power to the tail.

Drilled my cover. Don't look for too long, this is by no means perfect but I'm satisfied w the way it turned out.

Ordered some petcocks from steadfast cycles. I didn't want a sight tube on the outside of my tank and I remembered reading an old biker trick abt brazing a short piece of tubing to one petcock, leaving only that petcock open, that way when you begin to run out of fuel you can crack open the other petcock and make your way to the next fill station

Started covering the seat. First I cut out a big patch of cardboard, then I laid out the shape of the stiffener that's welded to the bottom of my seat onto the middle of the cardboard and cut it out(see pics to make sense). Then I pressed the cardboard onto the back of the seat and kinda started stabbing the spring studs through the cardboard until they left an impression in the cardboard, then I cut holes in the corresponding spots so the studs could pass through. Now that the cardboard can lay flat against the bottom of the seat pan I went ahead and traced around it.

Next, I traced the pattern into the backside of my leather, then I started cutting out my shape leaving plenty of extra leather all the way around just in case..

Next, I drilled all the holes in my seatpan so that I could pop rivet the bottom piece of leather to the pan. The way I got the holes in my leather and seatpan to line up was by laying the leather onto my seat and placing the drill bit into a hole in the pan and then drilling into the leather. I started in the very front, drilled one hole in the leather and pop riveted it in right away. next I positioned the leather and snugged it toward the rear, drilled my hole in the leather at the very rear and riveted it. Now I had my leather lined up properly on my seat and wen ahead and kept drilling and riveting, first all around the stiffener then doing the edges. Basically, I started in the center and worked my way out so I didn't end up w any puckers or gaps between the pan and the leather.

Found some high density closed cell neoprene at a local foam supplier. The experts like neoprene bc it is waterproof and won't mildew. Neoprene is the same stuff they use for wetsuits. I've been doing my research on this whole seat process and I ended up going w contact cement to attach the foam. They said it would hold up well in all kinds of weather extremes. It adheres instantly so you really only get one chance at placement. I boogered my first attempt and had to rip it off. Fortunately I had plenty left over to try again. I clamped the edges but it wasn't really necessary.

I forgot to take a before picture but here's the tooling I used to shape my foam, a nylon bristle wheel for roughing it out and a scotchbrite flap wheel to finish it up. I was super happy w the way this part turned out.

Before I started thinking abt the top, I trimmed up the bottom piece of leather and punched all my holes for lacing.

I used more cardboard for the top but forgot to take pics of my top pattern. The top shape was a much more complex shape than the bottom. I had to shrink parts of the leather and stretch other parts to form it to the foam, So.. I just kinda made a big starburst type piece of cardboard for the top that way it would kinda take the shape of the foam while I trace around the bottom of the seat onto the cardboard.

Next I transferred my pattern onto my leather, cut it out, and dunked it in the sink for abt 60 seconds. Then I recruited some help from my girlfriend. I punched a hole on one side at the lowest part of the seat and used some string to tie the two layers together. then I stretched the leather to the other side and held it tight as possible while the girlfriend transfered a hole location to the top piece of leather, punched the hole and tied it up.. all while I'm pulling hard as possible on the leather. This got tiring pretty quick. We continued around the seat tying the top and bottom together every two inches or so.

I used a round handle to really get the leather to a shape I liked around the edges

 

[GeorgeKillianLett]

Great job on the seat so far! I understood the step by step up until the stretching and shrinking to fit the top leather piece. Leather working is something i've never done but looks much easier after following you.

 

[Rexxis]

Thanks! When I started working on the top leather piece, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just went at it and figured it out as I went. Once the leather is really wet it stretches and forms much easier than you would think.

 

[TSinOK]

Looking good. Im catching up to you,hopefully we'll both be riding soon.

 

[duder]

Subscribed!

 

[cleoncleon]

that seat too! I ended up gettin' a Wassel Style Bottle off ebay too, High tunnel like your own. I like the tank to feel under me and opposed to in-front of me.. Let alone over me lol..

Im fussin with seat mount right now, how do those mounts feel? with the clip to lock the springs down... Is the seat solid? Springs don't bounce around? Im tossing around the idea of mounting tapped bungs, something i can screw the springs into... But if those are sufficient, I can source those Weld-on seat mounts a little cheaper..

 

[Lester]

Great build thread and f#£kin nice build too.
I really like the way it comming out and I like they way you comment your own "Should have done that instead" situations that we all stumble upon and keep it all too ourselvs like a deep dark secret.....LOL.

You wouldn't happend to know what bike that nifty brake light switch came off of do you?
Also... How much did that Seven Fiddy kit run you? I'm about 225lbs+gear and I am considering a few performance bits, but haven't landed on anything in particular yet.

The seat is comming out great, cann't wait to see the art, keep us posted.

cheers

 

[Rexxis]

It's been a long time, I know.

I got in touch with Scott from Gordonscottengineering to build my exhaust. I chose to go with him bc I don't have access to a tubing bender. I sent him some pictures and several emails later he got to work. Turnaround time was relatively quick. Here's the pics I sent him.

Here's what I got. Not perfect but I'm Ok with it. The 16'' from the lowest motor mount to center of the bends is spot on. So that means the upswept portion of the exhaust being further back than in the picture is my fault, shoulda made cardboard templates to get my dimensions. If you look though, the angle of the upswept portion does not match the tubing on the frame like I noted in the exhaust plan drawing. I think I'm ok with it for now, but its not as aggressive looking as I wanted. If I get a tubing bender in the future, I will probably chop them up and try to get them just like the drawing. If not, I may just shorten the lower straight runs of the exhaust.

At this point, I bolted up my carbs and ran fuel lines, filled her w gas and oil, flipped the switch and started kicking.. a bunch.. nothing..
Wasn't getting any spark at the plugs.
Since I know little to nothing abt the electrical systems on these bikes, much less a highly modified system like mine(Pamco Ultimate, Hughs PMA and capacitor, no battery) I started researching what do next on this site. I ended up hooking the battery from the forklift to my ignition just to make sure the ignition was working. Few more kicks.. nothing still. I flip my kill switch to what I think is "off" and say to myself, "hmm... maybe.." Two kicks and she lights up, way up. RPM's through the roof. I kill it as quickly as possible, look down at my hands to see them shaking.. HAHA, partly from the fact that she started and partly bc I just got the shit scared out of me. HAHAHA.

So, I think this means I've got a major vaccuum leak and I suspect my factory carb boots since they are hard as rocks and look like shit. I started a thread abt my troubles, check it out here: http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21117. Now I've just been waiting on JBM boots to get here, thus the long period w no updates.
I ordered them over a month ago but they were out of stock and the guys said it wouldn't be till Sept 7th-8th that they would get the raw material in for the boots, then they have to make a batch, then they have to ship them to me. So, I'm not expecting them for at least another two weeks. Then I can start moving again.

Once I have the RPM's Under control, I can start trying to figure out why I'm not getting spark at the plugs from the PMA and capacitor.

 

[Rexxis]

Lester, I don"t remember what the switch came off of but I know it was old, one of the older bike at the salvage place I mentioned earlier. Everything mid seventies and up seemed to use a plastic bodied switch.. No Thanks. Steel is real.

The 750 kit is from Mikesxs. I just looked and it's currently $700.

I've been putting the seat off bc I can't decide what I want to do to it. I don't wanna over-do it with a bunch of gaudy designs all over the place. I want it to be simple and clean, slightly minimal but classic. I just cant figure it out. I really like this seat. It's just your basic western style scrollwork.

Check out his seat suspension, valves and valve springs. I've heard valve springs work excellently for seats. This guys seat setup is fuggin' sick. Makes me want to do mine like this, I wish I had ran across this picture sooner.

 

[Rexxis]

I'm fussin' with seat mount right now, how do those mounts feel? Is the seat solid? Springs don't bounce around?

With the springs I've got in the previous pictures, the seat barely budges when I sit on it. Kinda wondering what that will be like on the road.. May end up with different springs. The spring mounts feel really solid, the seat doesn't wiggle around at all, no side-to-side or back-n-forth movement whatsoever. I've got the springs bolted to the bottom of the seat and just resting on the bungs that are on the frame.

 

[Rexxis]

I wonder if those are just the valve guides he's got welded to his frame. That would be super simple if so..

 

[cleoncleon]

I hearrr that! I always though just the bunged spring seats with no thread to lock em down would rattle and shake alot.. but I guess even with just a clips and hole and some rubber/leather for bushing, you can snugg the bastard down reguardless...

That valve spring idea is awesome. Makes me want to stop catelouging parts and just make the SHIT out of em'. haha

 

[Lester]

Lester, I don"t remember what the switch came off of but I know it was old, one of the older bike at the salvage place I mentioned earlier. Everything mid seventies and up seemed to use a plastic bodied switch.. No Thanks. Steel is real.

The 750 kit is from Mikesxs. I just looked and it's currently $700.

I've been putting the seat off bc I can't decide what I want to do to it. I don't wanna over-do it with a bunch of gaudy designs all over the place. I want it to be simple and clean, slightly minimal but classic. I just cant figure it out. I really like this seat. It's just your basic western style scrollwork.

Check out his seat suspension, valves and valve springs. I've heard valve springs work excellently for seats. This guys seat setup is fuggin' sick. Makes me want to do mine like this, I wish I had ran across this picture sooner.

Thanks for sharing the info on the 750kit... out of reach for me at the moment.

I really liked the valve and spring set up... if he is running tight fit guides I think they will bind quit fast.... Either the valves on the seat need to be attched to a pivot OR the "Guides" pivot, if not they will bind when springing up and down.
Not much more work and a really cool touch. Hats off the the guys that made it.

Nice pipes Rexxis! Keep up the hard work... almost there!

 

[Lester]

Ehh... after some more day dreaming I'm pretty sure the seat and Guide both need to pivot to work..... unless you have a real sloppy fit on the "guide".

Hey Rexxis.... how think is that Neopran you used for the seat. I have been E-bay checking and the sheets available are huge. I just need enought for two seats.