Wondering about front end replacement and possible upgrade

82xsHeritage

82xsHeritage

XS650 Member
Messages
17
Reaction score
2
Points
3
Location
Northern Michigan
So, I made the mistake of letting my friend rip my bike in a parking lot and he ended up in the bushes after about 10 seconds of glory.

I've uploaded some photos of the damage, but as far as I can tell the lower front forks are toast, gas tank is obviously dented, and front fender is bent.

I don't know if I can get away with just replacing the lower part of the forks or if I should be worried about the whole front assembly. Any input would be appreciated. I'm just looking to figure out what parts I would need to rebuild this bent portion of the front end. I'm also wondering if while I'm messing with it there are any upgrades worth considering. Again, any input would be appreciated. I have been looking into swapping out the handlebars to something with more of a rise and less of a pullback. Would this be a good time to tackle something like this? I haven't found many handlebars that fit the 7/8 xs setup. Is there a conversion I could do in order to make my tree compatible with more handlebars? Thanks in advance.
IMG_5732.JPG
IMG_5734.JPG
IMG_5736.JPG
IMG_5737.JPG
 
Get her in a garage on the service stand. Support under the front of the engine to get the front wheel off the ground and start disassembling from the wheel up. Once you start taking hings apart you'll know what's damaged and what has to be replaced. Sometimes.....sometimes things get tweaked and aren't as bad as they look. It's a start. Get a new friend, that one sucks.....FFS.
 
PS he was only a friend if he's paying for all damages, if not, he's an ASS! Well he's an ass either way...
 
Fixed a lot of front end prangs like that back in the day. Doesn't look too bad.

Forks can be slid out and straightened, without disassembling. The bend is usually concentrated to just below the bottom triple clamp, not within the seal slide area.. Need to find a shop that straightens forks, using hydraulic press and radius dies.

The steering stop is probably bent and cracked. Needs to be straightened and welded...
 
7/8" handlebars are pretty much the standard of the industry. You won't find any other sizes more plentiful. What isn't very common or desirable by most is that silly buckhorn style bend you have. I'd crash too riding with those things, lol.
 
Hahah very accurate video, xjwmx. I will get to tearing things down tonight. He will be paying for new parts haha. I will probably use this as an excuse to get rid of the silly handlebars too.
 
Handlebars.
I swapped out my rototiller Special bars on my '78 and '83 for the 4" rise stock Standards. Good bars with weighted ends to help damp the vibes and positioned to where you can lean into the wind comfortably when you're cranking her out.....function over form to enjoy the ride.
Forks.
On my '83, I swapped out the stock 35mm forks for early model xs750 36mm forks, which give the front an inch and three quarter rise......note- it ain't a direct swap. Also lowered the rear shocks about an inch and three quarter......so, front up, rear down and the sidestand still functions like it should. Now I need to get some bars with a two inch rise to keep from getting wind buffeted......working the function into the form.
Letting others ride.
An old Eskimo saying..."lend out dog, dog comes back and misbehaves. Lend out rife, rifle comes back and doesn't shoot straight. Lend out sled, sled comes back broken. Lend out wife, wife comes back better."
I'll lend my time, that's about it. Wife's plenty good as she is..........
 
Last edited:
nj1639 said:
Handlebars.
I swapped out my rototiller Special bars on my '78 and '83 for the 4" rise stock Standards. Good bars with weighted ends to help damp the vibes and positioned to where you can lean into the wind comfortably when you're cranking her out.....function over form to enjoy the ride.
Forks.
On my '83, I swapped out the stock 35mm forks for early model xs750 36mm forks, which give the front an inch and three quarter rise......note- it ain't a direct swap. Also lowered the rear shocks about an inch and three quarter......so, front up, rear down and the sidestand still functions like it should. Now I need to get some bars with a two inch rise to keep from getting wind buffeted......working the function into the form.
Letting others ride.
An old Eskimo saying..."lend out dog, dog comes back and misbehaves. Lend out rife, rifle comes back and doesn't shoot straight. Lend out sled, sled comes back broken. Lend out wife, wife comes back better."
I'll lend my time, that's about it. Wife's plenty good as she is..........
Click to expand...
According to the spec's published for EMGO bars, the Euro model has 2" rise.
 
I just got done tearing her down and it looks like my forks are actually fine. It seems it was just the bent fender that was throwing my alignment off. The steering stop was dangling, so I'll have to work on getting that reattached. Might just throw some JB weld on it for the time being. Looking now for handlebars to order. Happy that the repairs are gonna be minimal!
 
Don't do any welding on the bike unless you disconnect the TCI box......heck, I think I'd unplug the stator, pickup and regulator/rectifier too.......might even pull the rotor......
 

Similar threads

750triples
Xs750 Rear Shocks Replacement
Replies
1
Views
168
jetmechmarty
jetmechmarty
jetmechmarty
Flummoxed! XS650SK Front Fork Alignment.
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
Jim
Jim
bul_racer
Front Brake
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
4K
bul_racer
bul_racer
Walters_Gallery
Harley front end on xs750
Replies
6
Views
696
Walters_Gallery
Walters_Gallery
Flash1977
+4 front forks opinions wanted
Replies
3
Views
717
jpdevol
jpdevol
Back
Top