XS650 No Theme Build

[halfmile]

Hi Gary. Sorry I missed you and lunch too. I should have just jumped into the truck and drove to KC. The chrome that was raw steel was finished, the parts that had to be electro stripped were not. Told them I`d just pick it all up on Mon. This will be 11 days since I dropped it off. I`ve never waited this long for chrome in my life. The Holiday`s have thrown a wrench in the works!

 

[halfmile]

Picked all the chrome up today. Very pleased! The Brake, shift, and kickstart levers and exhaust flanges all had to be stripped. They came out excellent.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Looks good, Phil.
Would you happen to know if that's good ol' hexavalent chrome, or the newer trivalent chrome?

https://ecfinc.com/2017/03/10/hexavalent-vs-trivalent-chrome-plating/

 

[halfmile]

Pretty sure it`s Hexavalent. Just old school plating.
Today I fitted new rubber covers on the start lever, shifter and kick stand and got the motor mounted and other chromed stuff too. Polish and rebuild calipers next. Then new carbs and all the electronics. I wasn`t sure about the TT pipes at first but now my only concern is that they might not be loud enough!

 

[MrBultaco]

Phil, I just saw this on BikeExif.com on a XR750 Street tracker. New and different bars: https://www.wakularacing.net/index.php/store/bars/vortex-7-8-bars-detail

 

[fredintoon]

Pretty sure it`s Hexavalent. Just old school plating.
Today I fitted new rubber covers on the start lever, shifter and kick stand and got the motor mounted and other chromed stuff too. Polish and rebuild calipers next. Then new carbs and all the electronics. I wasn`t sure about the TT pipes at first but now my only concern is that they might not be loud enough!
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Hi halfmile,
"dripping with chrome" eh? My old friend Stan had his Triumph Thunderbird's frame chromed and lamented that you couldn't chrome tires.
About the pipes:- the closest I ever came to owning a Vincent was reading an owner's manual.
What it said about prepping a Black Shadow for the track was, take the lights off and replace the muffler with a straight pipe of the same length.
Your pipes are too short. Extend 'em aft so they end up where the stock mufflers used to be. More chrome is a good thing.

 

[Jim]

Got an up close look at this build today. It looks even better in person.

 

[Mailman]

Dang Phil!
I just now saw your post with all the new photos and all I can say is WOW! I’m loving the look of that motor.
It’s gonna be another classy looking bike!

 

[halfmile]

Thanks Jim. After you left yesterday I went to work on this little "decorative" oil cooler? It`s a good thing I`ve got a lathe. .005 off the side of the mounting base and it fits the case.

 

[halfmile]

I found this NOS fork brace on eBait. Universal type, fits many different models. Except the XS650. So it`s weld up the holes, re drill in the right place, and re polish. I do like this type of fork brace and the price is less than half the modern clamp on style.

 

[Mailman]

I like that! I remember those from way back. It kinda looks like a heavier version of the brace that’s built into a standard front fender. Did you do your own heli arc? Nice work!

 

[halfmile]

Thanks Mailman. I do have a TIG but it`s out of gas so a friend welded this up for me this morning.

 

[X77S]

I have to agree. Phil's attention to detail is awesome. I drove 2 hours to pick up a box of parts and got to see his collection! Appreciate the great deal on your left overs and glad I got to meet you!

 

[halfmile]

Thanks David. It`s always great to meet other XS650 riders. Good luck with your build. Looks like your off to a great start.

 

[halfmile]

40 degree heat wave today! I re drilled the fork brace and polished and installed it. Also bead blasted and polished the Headlight mounting ears and installed the headlight.

 

[Superjet]

Looking great Halfmile! JC

 

[halfmile]

Today I installed these little fork tube protectors. Installation time was 5 whole days. 4 days, 23 hrs, 45 min for the shop to get warm enough and 15 min to install.

 

[X77S]

Should be pretty nice this weekend. Hoping to get a car fixed and maybe just maybe spend some time on the bike.

 

[rehar]

Very nice build! The Swingarm/suspension - really clever! Great job. Frame looks fantastic! Really nice.

 

[halfmile]

Thanks rehar. It`s not a coincidence that I`ve said the same exact words about your build too.