occam22
XS650 Addict
day one. 1978 special
Starting the work
Starting the work
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occam22
XS650 Addict
Have sawzall will travel
occam22
XS650 Addict
Added dual front brakes
occam22
XS650 Addict
New bars with the gauges all ripped out. I think Ill keep the stock light
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occam22
XS650 Addict
ripping the back up to fit the new fender
occam22
XS650 Addict
thats about right
occam22
XS650 Addict
starting to take shape.. Im stuck on this seat I got. Im not sure I like it. It reminds me of a giant wing on a 4 door accord with a fart can muffler.
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occam22
XS650 Addict
put an old flat seat on it for test. I think this seat looks better. But the other seat is more comfy and feels safer. I like how much of the fender this seat exposes. I might have to cut the frame to drop the top rail once I relocate all the electrical.
New gauges are installed
New gauges are installed
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occam22
XS650 Addict
the comfier seat looks ok with a tool roll behind it.
occam22
XS650 Addict
almost done
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occam22
XS650 Addict
list of mods and work done/to be done:
Parts list:
New handlebars
New mini gauges
New rear turn signals
New rear shocks
New seat
New front brake master cylinder
New side mount license plate and tail light mount
New mufflers
Labor:
Cut, reshaped, sanded, painted and mounted rear fender
Stripped and bobbed rear frame
Closed up and welded frame ends
Fabricated and welded mounting tabs for rear turn signals
Cut and relocated battery box and mounting tabs to make battery flush with top rails. Sanded and painted.
Cut and re-welded kickstand to shorten
Cut off all extra frame mounting tabs, ground down and smoothed out and repainted back of frame
Mount new seat
Mount mini gauges and rewire for indicator lights
Mount new handlebars and switches
Mount master cylinder
Mount license plate and tail light (Sand and paint bracket)
Rewire rear turn signals and brake light
Added dual front disc rotors, calipers, pads and extra line. Bleed brakes
Cut old mufflers off, welded new shorty mufflers and wrapped headers
Sanded and painted both wheels
Lowered front end 2 inches
Relocate electrical
Parts list:
New handlebars
New mini gauges
New rear turn signals
New rear shocks
New seat
New front brake master cylinder
New side mount license plate and tail light mount
New mufflers
Labor:
Cut, reshaped, sanded, painted and mounted rear fender
Stripped and bobbed rear frame
Closed up and welded frame ends
Fabricated and welded mounting tabs for rear turn signals
Cut and relocated battery box and mounting tabs to make battery flush with top rails. Sanded and painted.
Cut and re-welded kickstand to shorten
Cut off all extra frame mounting tabs, ground down and smoothed out and repainted back of frame
Mount new seat
Mount mini gauges and rewire for indicator lights
Mount new handlebars and switches
Mount master cylinder
Mount license plate and tail light (Sand and paint bracket)
Rewire rear turn signals and brake light
Added dual front disc rotors, calipers, pads and extra line. Bleed brakes
Cut old mufflers off, welded new shorty mufflers and wrapped headers
Sanded and painted both wheels
Lowered front end 2 inches
Relocate electrical
crashcourse
XS650 Addict
Looks good! How long did this all take you?
occam22
XS650 Addict
Thanks. Actually there has been a time clock running on it. So far there is 14 hours total across about 3 weeks. i expect the time to stretch out a lot when i tackle the wiring.
Good stuff...speaking of wiring I thought this guy' build blog post was helpful:
http://xs400flattracker.blogspot.com/2011/08/lectrics.html
http://xs400flattracker.blogspot.com/2011/08/lectrics.html
OctoberNotice
XS650 Enthusiast
Anybody still on this posting?
I'm super new but love the work done to this bike! It seems like something fairly affordable and looks killer.
What actual parts/labor are needed to get the seat, fender, and rear frame from stock to where this one is?
Thanks guys!
I'm super new but love the work done to this bike! It seems like something fairly affordable and looks killer.
What actual parts/labor are needed to get the seat, fender, and rear frame from stock to where this one is?
Thanks guys!
occam22
XS650 Addict
update the ride
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OctoberNotice
XS650 Enthusiast
This is the epitome of exactly how I want my bike to look after I play around with it!
I'm gonna go over my frame, suspension and fenders tomorrow to see if this is something I could tackle on my own with a college budget.
That's a good looking ride man.
I'm gonna go over my frame, suspension and fenders tomorrow to see if this is something I could tackle on my own with a college budget.
That's a good looking ride man.
occam22
XS650 Addict
Chop off the seat loop with a sawzall. The fender is the factory fender cut down and shaped with a dremmel. The shocks are 10.5" which drops the rear. In order to make room and clean stuff up.... pull out all this stuff to get access to the battery box. Its actually pretty easy even if it looks daunting.
tah dah.. batter box
cut off all battery box bits to make some room in the rear. All that is left now is the open box where much of the electrical is located. Eventually I will relocate the remaining electrical to put velocity stack on the carbs. For now Im using the stock air box so I dont have to rejet.
Weld in a new plate for the battery.
location of the plate and a better idea of where the sawzall attacked.
Other than that... there really isnt much to get to this point. Everything else is just to change how it looks.. i.e. smaller gauges. Its mostly bolt on.
occam22
XS650 Addict
Thx... Im very happy with it. A local 650 chopper builder did all the heavy work and welding. Its great to have a mentor.. but honestly these bikes are very easy to work with. this site answers all my questions... like why my turn signals dont blink.
In the fall I will tackle the velocity stacks. I also plan to cut the top rails to drop them an inch and move the shock mounts forward inside the frame's triangle to clean up the lines.
I purchased everything new from ebay. The seat was the most expensive from redtail. But you can find seats all day for less than half that. The shocks next.. they are burly brand at $160.00. Had to make some bushing to fit the factory shock mounts out of steel tubing. These shocks are for a harley and the mounts are too big.
Total time involved was 17 hours. Total cost for everything was around $1000.00 in parts.
In the fall I will tackle the velocity stacks. I also plan to cut the top rails to drop them an inch and move the shock mounts forward inside the frame's triangle to clean up the lines.
I purchased everything new from ebay. The seat was the most expensive from redtail. But you can find seats all day for less than half that. The shocks next.. they are burly brand at $160.00. Had to make some bushing to fit the factory shock mounts out of steel tubing. These shocks are for a harley and the mounts are too big.
Total time involved was 17 hours. Total cost for everything was around $1000.00 in parts.
tonyc
XS650 Guru
I am not a big fan of the xs 650 Special. Of all the Specials the 78 is my favorite. I am not a purists when it comes to customizing, but it sure hurt when you cut into that fine looking bike. Good luck with your project and enjoy.
