New(to me) XS, Frame Questions

[JonSnevets]

I was recently talked into getting a bike by some of my close friends and decided to cave in. I traded my old 86 Jeep Comanche project for a 79 XS that is already hardtailed and seems to have had an odd mixture of work done to it by a PO at some point. I'm mostly curious about two different things:

1. What hardtail kit does the bike appear to have?

2. What are the different reasons it sits as insanely low as it does?
-I want the bike to sit "lower" persay, but having it scrape coming in and out of my garage seems nowhere near practical for me.
I'm brand new to the bike scene, but I've built numerous jeeps and worked on plenty of cars. I'm attempting to learn as much as I can at a younger age so I can grow into bikes more quickly. I'll attach some photos in the next post, and I thank anyone who offers any assistance ahead of time!

 

[JonSnevets]

Here's the pictures I have for now

 

[ippytattoo]

Judging by the pictures it looks as though it may be a David Bird looped style hardtail because of the gusset arrangement right by your exhaust and it also looks like the forks may have been lowered. Take a measurement from the bottom of the lower triple tree to the top of the rubber dust cover on the top of the forks, post it up and we should be able to tell you how much the front end has been lowered.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Jon and welcome,
I'm with ippy, it looks much like the DB hardtail my son put on his bike.
(OK he HAD to go hardtail because he's rebuilding a scrap-pile-salvaged bike that had a crushed rear frame)
I'd suppose that your bike was modified to drag it's arse because most hardtailers favor style over substance.
But the first thing I'd do is look in the list's want ads for a rear brake caliper, m/c etc., your rear disk looks lonely without one.
[edit] Check out the photos in Jap901's '72 XS650 E-start or K-start thread to see what your rear disk is missing.

 

[JonSnevets]

So I took multiple measurements both for myself while doing more research and to give you guys more information since you'll all be far more knowledgeable than myself. Here's what I got:

 

[hard_y_rd]

Looks like a 3 inch drop on the front.

 

[JonSnevets]

So what's the best way to go up 2.5 inches, so I'd have about a half an inch of a drop?

 

[jtrip72]

Sell those dropped forks and buy ya some stockers.

 

[hard_y_rd]

Or you can pull them apart and take the 3 inch spacers out but you'll need new springs.

 

[JonSnevets]

From my quick online search, it looks like buying a full set of factory forks is cheaper than the springs for some reason. Also, bargain tearing apart the smaller parts of the engine to see what kind of shape it's in and I take the stator side cover off to find out it has a PMA kit already installed! Such a relief

 

[retiredgentleman]

From my quick online search, it looks like buying a full set of factory forks is cheaper than the springs for some reason. Also, bargain tearing apart the smaller parts of the engine to see what kind of shape it's in and I take the stator side cover off to find out it has a PMA kit already installed! Such a relief

Yeah, it would be horrible if it had a stock alternator

 

[fredintoon]

Or you can pull them apart and take the 3 inch spacers out but you'll need new springs.

Hi hard_y_rd,
OK, how does that work? The fork tubes are too short, right? HTF will removing spacers make them any longer?

 

[ippytattoo]

The fork tubes are still the same length as the stockers, it is just the internals that are messed with to drop the front end. There is a spacer that moves the fork tube lower into the lower leg to get the drop.

 

[hard_y_rd]

Hi hard_y_rd,
OK, how does that work? The fork tubes are too short, right? HTF will removing spacers make them any longer?

Fred, read this thread from Hugh's blog on Chopcult on fork lowering:
http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7330

 

[chizler62]

Fred, read this thread from Hugh's blog on Chopcult on fork lowering:
http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7330

Keep the seal on the tube tho, The was it's shown in that thread will most time end up in cut seals.

 

[fredintoon]

Fred, read this thread from Hugh's blog on Chopcult on fork lowering:
http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7330

Hi hard_y_rd,
that's a great write-up, thanks for posting it.
So, Jon has to reverse that procedure, remove the sleeve and replace the sawn-off fork springs to get the forks back to the stock length?
BTW Jon, if new springs ain't in your budget you can space up the shortened springs with lengths of plastic plumber's drain pipe from the hardware store.
But back to Jon's big problem, never mind the fork height, where's the rear brake caliper, eh?

 

[650Skull]

But the first thing I'd do is look in the list's want ads for a rear brake caliper, m/c etc., your rear disk looks lonely without one.
[edit] Check out the photos in Jap901's '72 XS650 E-start or K-start thread to see what your rear disk is missing.

to Jon's big problem, never mind the fork height, where's the rear brake caliper, eh?

Give it a rest Fred. Every hard tail thread you jump in about brakes. weather the bike has them or not.

Sound like a born again, or reformed smoker, who has to tell everyone about this.............

Front brakes is 70% of the braking power. Don't bother to answer me and justify your consistent, unwanted advice on this

 

[angus67]

To me, it looks like the frame is about to taco, the middle looks odd.
Tough day skull?

 

[fredintoon]

- - - Front brakes is 70% of the braking power. - - -

Gee Captain Obvious,
Perhaps you shouldn't carp on at me about that fact?
Mebbe draw it to the attention of those who remove them?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

... Front brakes is 70% of the braking power...

Yeah, that's a pretty low number.
Probably explains why some folks remove the front brake.


That way, the rear brake achieves 100% of the braking power...