November "Specials"only Stock and resto mod Contest

Great looking bikes, we need a Heritage special in here! No longer owned

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but there must be another one around here?
 
Thank you RetiredGentleman for nominating my 78'SE and jd750ace for seconding. It's great to be included in such a "Special" group. Here's a bit of background.

I found my Special on Mpls. Craig's List in June of 2011. It was a one owner bike with 5900 miles on it. My plan was to build a tracker but the bike was so clean that I couldn't bring myself to cut it up. So decided on a restoration instead.

The bike was totally disassembled, parts and pieces reconditioned or replaced as the reassembly took place. Partial list of upgrades would include:

Suspension lowered 1" 650 Central and Hugh's Handbuilt
Brembo M/C, Versa pads, SS lines 650 Central
Modified Stock Exhaust system
Rebuilt Stock Carbs, K&N filters 650 Central
17-32 sprockets w/530 O-ring 650 Central
Chrysler/Radio Shack reg/rec mod retiredgentleman
Daytona Bar 650 Central
EZ Pull Clutch 650 Central
Steering and Swingarm bearings 650 Central
Shinko 712 tires Dennis Kirk

The members of this forum, Mercury Morse, Hugh Owings, and my buddy Dave Schmalenberg of Schmalenberg Racing Services provided immeasurable assistance in this fun project.

roy
 

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gggGary it looks like we are almost there?!
An acceptance by XS cole should get us five.



Anyone notice any discrepancy in my numbers PLEASE post up. I may have missed the boat someplace.
Good Luck to the contestants.

Retiredgentleman
nominated post 5
second post 7
accept post 9

SSERES
nominated post 12
second post 13
accepted post 15

Blue900
nominated post 18
second post 24
accept post 28

Royboy
nominated post 37
second post 41
accepted post 47

XS Cole
nominated post 42
second post 43
 
Last edited:
Thanks for doing the legwork WER! Until he accepts there's room for more nominations!
 
Thanks for your consideration!
My bike is none to shiny I try and give it a good cleaning every spring.
If I take it apart I can't ride so I try and make repairs fast. I ride it mostly to work and back each day I can.
I got the bike from a friend at work in the spring of 2005, we got talking about bikes,
he said I could have his old one IF I would fix it, boy it needed some work and it was old, but only 12000 miles.
I came very close to NOT taking it.
I was not needing any new projects. But I wanted a bike you know midlife crises or something maybe, hadn't had a bike since High School.
Its been quite a ride, I've learned how to fix about everything on the bike and how to make some parts better than new with the help of this site (I haven't been in the motor yet).
The Stock Speedo just passed 40,000miles, I can add another 8,000 from when I had the cheep replacements from mikes, and a few more from in between while neither one was not working. Should be close to 50,000 miles total.
Its running really great. Still a bit rich I think getting 45-46mpg.
Some winter I would like to take it apart and clean it up.
The bars are from a 77xs400 I snagged some parts from. I tried really hard to like the stock bars but gave up this spring.
The Neighbors had some old xs750s I got the idea for the sissy bar from.
This bike has turned into an obsession.
I have included some pictures from a ride I went on with some buddys and strangers from work, a 390mile loop for me though Yellowstone and Grand Teton National park, I was awesome except they ride to fast to get many pictures.
The last picture is how it sits today with my cold weather riding setup. Aeostich removable hand warmers and 4wheeler bar mitts, makes riding down to 25degs doable .
You guys have some really sweet bikes that make me jealous.
 

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Yep uebe the bikes are out there and we still need one.
Other possibles Downeaster, Pamcopete and Wally(?)
 
Yeah Downeaster has chronicled his rescue of a special. Pamco Pete throw your hat in the ring, you should have a big built in fan base!!!! I love to hear from Wally and his adventures in the hinterlands of Australia.
 
First, let me say that I'm overwhelmed by the honor of having my little effort nominated in to such stellar company!

And, obviously, I accept. :laugh:

All the nitty-gritty details are in my build thread here, and I'll just add a couple of pictures and comments to flesh it out.

I bought a new TX650A in 1974, rode it for several years, and sold it as I moved on to other bikes. Never quite found another bike that fit me like that TX did.

35 years later, the urge to have another 650 got the best of me and I started cruising Craigslist and the local penny trader and finally came up with a '79 Special that met my mechanical and fiscal requirements.

xs650_2.jpg


In running condition, 11xxx miles and not all chopped to pieces by some 16 year old wannabe. Ugly, but worth saving.

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Here it is as of today. Essentially done mechanically with all the usual wear parts replaced and I put another 1500 miles on it this Summer. It's basically stock with a couple of upgrades:

1. PAMCO ignition. Wonderful, WONDERFUL stuff, that PAMCO.

2. Mike's Superbike Bars. Those awful stock Special bars hurt my wrists just looking at them.

3. Braided Stainless Brake Lines. 30+ year old rubber lines did NOT fill me with confidence.

4. Retro Tank Badges. The big honkin' plastic badges that were stock were just fugly.

5. New fuse block and blade fuses.

6. Voltmeter. New brushes and some buffing and tightening of wiring connections restored my charging system to full operation, but I've been had by Murphy often enough that I like to keep an eye on things.

7. The usual superfluous electronics (signal canceler, reserve lighting unit) removed.

8. Warning light cluster removed and blinker indicator replaced with an LED.

It's not world class gorgeous like the other nominations because I'm too lazy to buff and wax, and I'd rather ride anyway...:bike: As finances permit, I will have the tins bumped and painted, do the Minton mods on the forks, put new shocks on the rear, find a new (stock) front fender (mine was creased in a crash at some point), have the seat re-upholstered to get rid of that step and get some softer foam on it. For sure the engine will will be treated to a head re-torque this winter.
 
So if someone will second Downeaster's "accepted" nomination we have it. Or a different bike gets the process done.
 
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