gps2
XS650 Enthusiast
From a pile of parts...to her first ride tonight! This is my first XS and the first bike I've put together from a pile of parts. It was supposed to be plug & play but it wasn't quite like that 
This project began back in September when I was given a frame and a bucket of parts by a neighbor who needed the space. I picked up a motor for $100 and was on my way. Everything that could wear out was replaced. The priority was to make the bike run reliably for as little money as possible. All bearings, seals, pistons (OEM 1st over), electrical, etc. were replaced with new.
The motor was bored to 1st over and the pistons replaced with new old stock from NW Vintage. They also provided new clutch plates. The ringsets came from Speed & Sport. The valves were cut & reseated so the motor's more or less fresh.
The carbs are Mike's Keihin PWK and the headers are OEM and pretty nice for their age! The mufflers are stock harley cans I found at the swap meet and they sound nice. Not obnoxious, but good and mean
The points have been replaced with Pamco and the coil is a dual high-output from Mike's. The wiring harness came from Mike's but was full of mistakes, so I had to learn the whole thing and remove/create quite a few circuits. I had originally planned to use the electric starter but it seems too much of a hassle to get it working with that enormous stock battery, so it's no longer connected. She's kick only now! I got a 5ah battery from Radio shack and tucked it into the tail section, which I also found at the swap meet. It may have come off a KZ1000 but I don't know for sure.
The seat is just some foam wrapped over 1/8" plywood but it's way too stiff. Another project for later
Brakes have all new seals and the lines are steel. The rear line was used on my RC51 racebike a few years back so now I can brag about my 650's racing pedigree. The signals are from an '08 Ninja 250 that were lying around here, while the tail light was a Princess Auto unit that just seemed to fit.
The suspension is fresh but I already know I'll be upgrading it soon. I'd like to stiffen up the front and add some emulators to give it some adjustability. I'd also like to get some decent shocks for the back that are adjustable.
I don't know what year the wheels are from and I've put some Dunlop D414's on them. I suspect I'll be swapping them out sooner or later but I wanted to get a feel for the bike first. The rear drum swingarm has had a tab added so that the rear disk brake can be used.
The rearsets are from a GSXR 1000 (left) and an R6 (right) and the simple mounting plates were made using 1/4" steel plate, a drill press and an angle grinder. I also cut in some exhaust hangers and they work well. I'm sure I'll be changing this up again too but it's a good baseline to start from.
The paint is all cheapo rattle can but it turned out well, considering it was only a few bucks.
A lot of misc. parts came from Mike's and I have to hand it to them; their service was great. Here in Canada, they're not that far away and I came to expect my orders to arrive the day after ordering. Without Mike's, there's no way this project would have come to fruition.
I still have to tidy up a few wires but it's rideable!
Thanks to everyone for answering my questions here. I am grateful for your help! My buddy is building his right next to mine and is nearly done also. I'll put up a thread about it when she's ready!
Someone told me that this bike vibrates a lot but nothing could have prepared me for just how much it vibrates!
Posted via Mobile
This project began back in September when I was given a frame and a bucket of parts by a neighbor who needed the space. I picked up a motor for $100 and was on my way. Everything that could wear out was replaced. The priority was to make the bike run reliably for as little money as possible. All bearings, seals, pistons (OEM 1st over), electrical, etc. were replaced with new.
The motor was bored to 1st over and the pistons replaced with new old stock from NW Vintage. They also provided new clutch plates. The ringsets came from Speed & Sport. The valves were cut & reseated so the motor's more or less fresh.
The carbs are Mike's Keihin PWK and the headers are OEM and pretty nice for their age! The mufflers are stock harley cans I found at the swap meet and they sound nice. Not obnoxious, but good and mean
The points have been replaced with Pamco and the coil is a dual high-output from Mike's. The wiring harness came from Mike's but was full of mistakes, so I had to learn the whole thing and remove/create quite a few circuits. I had originally planned to use the electric starter but it seems too much of a hassle to get it working with that enormous stock battery, so it's no longer connected. She's kick only now! I got a 5ah battery from Radio shack and tucked it into the tail section, which I also found at the swap meet. It may have come off a KZ1000 but I don't know for sure.
The seat is just some foam wrapped over 1/8" plywood but it's way too stiff. Another project for later
Brakes have all new seals and the lines are steel. The rear line was used on my RC51 racebike a few years back so now I can brag about my 650's racing pedigree. The signals are from an '08 Ninja 250 that were lying around here, while the tail light was a Princess Auto unit that just seemed to fit.
The suspension is fresh but I already know I'll be upgrading it soon. I'd like to stiffen up the front and add some emulators to give it some adjustability. I'd also like to get some decent shocks for the back that are adjustable.
I don't know what year the wheels are from and I've put some Dunlop D414's on them. I suspect I'll be swapping them out sooner or later but I wanted to get a feel for the bike first. The rear drum swingarm has had a tab added so that the rear disk brake can be used.
The rearsets are from a GSXR 1000 (left) and an R6 (right) and the simple mounting plates were made using 1/4" steel plate, a drill press and an angle grinder. I also cut in some exhaust hangers and they work well. I'm sure I'll be changing this up again too but it's a good baseline to start from.
The paint is all cheapo rattle can but it turned out well, considering it was only a few bucks.
A lot of misc. parts came from Mike's and I have to hand it to them; their service was great. Here in Canada, they're not that far away and I came to expect my orders to arrive the day after ordering. Without Mike's, there's no way this project would have come to fruition.
I still have to tidy up a few wires but it's rideable!
Thanks to everyone for answering my questions here. I am grateful for your help! My buddy is building his right next to mine and is nearly done also. I'll put up a thread about it when she's ready!
Someone told me that this bike vibrates a lot but nothing could have prepared me for just how much it vibrates!
Posted via Mobile
and would like to build something like it out of my '77. Also did u handmake your harness or buy one? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
