81 XS650 hard tail build thread

miketweedie

miketweedie

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Like many, I am building up a project and in lieu of asking multiple questions in multiple posts, I figured it is easiest to have a single thread.

Basic story, I wanted to build one of these for years and finally had one fall into my lap. I'm aware that cutting up a good bike would be unnecessary, but don't fret, this one came to me pre-cut, in hundreds of pieces, shrink wrapped to a pallet. The bike was originally an '81 special (I think), and like all of these projects it was "running fine when I took it apart". I don't have any real information as to when that was, but best guess was pre-2005. Based on the cracked tires, dry fork seals and rust/dust, that might be an optimistic guess.

I am not a mechanic, nor do I have a proper shop. I have built several vintage VW's over the years, and more recently a Buell cafe racer, all in my home garage with basic tools. I have a full time job, and a part-time consulting job, so the progress is painfully slow. Further, while I have spent some time riding motocross over the years, I do not actually have a motorcycle license and I have never owned a functioning bike. This is purely an exercise of me wanting to build something.

If you're looking for a fast-paced build with lots of great information, this is likely not the thread for you!
I'll post pics as I go along, and I'll have tons of questions. This forum has been a huge asset already, and I sincerely appreciate all of the good advice offered.

Stay tuned, this should be interesting...
 
Here is how it arrived. there were 4 boxes of parts, the tail is tacked in place, nothing is labelled and he included some parts like a new tank and some bars. everything else is literally just stuffed into boxes.

Nu3nwJK.jpg

vFm3Xgf.jpg

UKMwwGD.jpg
 
Finished welding the rear end, got the wheels on, and gave it some fresh oil and plugs. Pulled the float bowls and gave the carbs a very basic cleaning. They were much better than expected. I snagged a different tank from Lowbrow, filled it up with some clean gas. After sorting out the basic wiring mess, I hooked it up to power and gave it a shot. Pleasantly surprised! (not sure if the audio works, sorry)

AIxtABV.mp4
https://imgur.com/AIxtABV
 
Since then I've procured a bunch of parts including a solo seat, some riserless bars, a disc brake rear wheel, and a different exhaust, none of which are shown. next steps are foot controls, shave/lower the forks, figure out what wheels I want to run, tires, etc.
basic plan is a low, short chop with some spoked wheels and a funny paint job. It is hard to say if I will ever ride it, so it will be significantly more aesthetic than functional. At this time I'll be keeping the stock ignition etc. as reliability simply isn't a concern. If I can convince the better half, it will most likely end up in our living room.

More to come, slowly. I also have the buell to finish and a '59 beetle project.

XS pic.jpg
 
nj1639 said:
A disc brake rear could make finding a spoke rim to go with it an interesting challenge.
Click to expand...

Based on what I have heard (Thanks RustiePyles and others), it's fairly straight-forward to swap bearings on a HD wheel to make it work. I pulled the bearing specs on a basic lowbrow 21" spool and took them to my local bearing supplier. They have a replacement in stock that has the correct imperial OD with a metric ID, and the width is within spec. They are $11 each.

Spacers are easy enough to make, and there are sprockets out there. The brake setup would be infinitely easier using HD parts. There is also the option to convert to a HD front end, if all else fails, but that's just another expense I would rather avoid.

The mag wheels look good, but I am stuck on the idea that I want a 21" front which is a hang-up. I've seen 21" HD mags that are similar, but it won't be an actual match. If anyone has a suggestion there, I am all ears.
 
miketweedie said:
Based on what I have heard (Thanks RustiePyles and others), it's fairly straight-forward to swap bearings on a HD wheel to make it work. I pulled the bearing specs on a basic lowbrow 21" spool and took them to my local bearing supplier. They have a replacement in stock that has the correct imperial OD with a metric ID, and the width is within spec. They are $11 each.

Spacers are easy enough to make, and there are sprockets out there. The brake setup would be infinitely easier using HD parts. There is also the option to convert to a HD front end, if all else fails, but that's just another expense I would rather avoid.

The mag wheels look good, but I am stuck on the idea that I want a 21" front which is a hang-up. I've seen 21" HD mags that are similar, but it won't be an actual match. If anyone has a suggestion there, I am all ears.
Click to expand...
Getting a 21" front wheel mounted up in an XS front end is pretty straightforward, getting the brakes to match up is a different ball game. Lot of guys just forgo a front brake, which is inadvisable. If you're dead set on a 21" rim you're better off lacing one to an XS hub or swapping in a Sporty front end with 35mm tubes.
 
Last edited:
RustiePyles said:
Getting a 21" front wheel mounted up in an XS front end is pretty straightforward, getting the brakes to match up is a different ball game. Lot of guys just forgo a front brake, which is inadvisable. If you're dead set on a 21" rim you're better off lacing one to an XS hub or swapping in a Sporty front end with 35mm tubes.
Click to expand...
Yeah, plan is to ditch the front brake and shave the forks. I know it's highly unsafe, but again this won't be a daily machine.
 
Spent some time over the weekend cleaning up the forks. Shaved the tabs and got them lowered with a Hugh's kit. They're off to the lathe this week for proper smoothing out, and then I can rebuild them. Man, I wish welding was as easy as grinding, haha.
vJvFBAv.jpg


Also may have made another poor financial decision...
BNpcypV.jpg
 

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