Stevenjr93
XS650 Enthusiast
Hey folks, so this will be my official build thread. I'm brand new to motorcycles, this being my first bike I've ever owned and recently this year learnt how to ride. I have zero mechanical knowledge besides basic car maintenance; I'm learning as I go so bear with me when I ask lots of questions.
I bought an 83' xs650 from a fellow in Coquitlam, B.C. It had the tank removed, drag bars, and hadn't run in 5 years but was stored well in a dry garage. Picked it up for $1100; but unfortunately didn't take pictures. As soon as I got it I started to tear into it and started to plan my build. My inspiration:
So I immediately starting buying parts and lurking these forums on what to do to get it running. Luckily I've got a friend who's had 3 xs650's in the past and knows his stuff. I sent my carbs out to Carbsonics on here ( http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24570&highlight=carbsonics ) and no he didn't pay me to say this haha. He did a great job, they came back clean and shiny. Popped them on the bike, along with new spark plugs and it fired right up. Lucky for me, I could continue spending my money on parts!
Next I bought my Cafe seat, some random accessories and a rear seat loop. I started off by cutting off the rear end:
No going back now! Side note; I'm 19 years old building this in a 10x15ft space in my garage... parents weren't too thrilled when they saw parts of my bike being chopped off! For the greater good though...
All parts so far have been ordered from Dime City Cycles; apart from my exhaust(to come) from GordonScott on here. Next I ordered some clip-ons, speedometer, and some other small bits. I'll be taking alot more photos from now on to document progress.
From here, I left the bike alone for a month or so after running into car issues( bikes are alot simpler... so far.) After that month I ordered a straight pipe exhaust from GordonScott and my Cafe racer tank. I now regret the straight pipes, as they won't fit my final image of the bike so if your interested (preferable local) PM me. They are great quality though; shout out to xs650exhaust.com! Heres the bike mocked up:
And here we are today more or less. I've ditched the pipes, and will be figuring something out more cafe racer style ( and alot more quiet ). Just yesterday I borrowed a friends bike jack; and am stripping it down to the frame to figure out tank mounting, seat mounting, license plate, signals, lights, etc. Also contemplating a R6 fork swap to get a closer rendition of the first inspiration picture.
I'll be pulling the engine today and further cleaning up the rear end, mounts I wont be using etc, then getting a buddy to weld the rear hoop on once I figure out my seat.
I'll be adding to this thread as I progress and make changes; feel free to ask questions.. I know I'll be asking lots when I run into problems, start to rewire everything, etc.
Let me know what you think!
I bought an 83' xs650 from a fellow in Coquitlam, B.C. It had the tank removed, drag bars, and hadn't run in 5 years but was stored well in a dry garage. Picked it up for $1100; but unfortunately didn't take pictures. As soon as I got it I started to tear into it and started to plan my build. My inspiration:
So I immediately starting buying parts and lurking these forums on what to do to get it running. Luckily I've got a friend who's had 3 xs650's in the past and knows his stuff. I sent my carbs out to Carbsonics on here ( http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24570&highlight=carbsonics ) and no he didn't pay me to say this haha. He did a great job, they came back clean and shiny. Popped them on the bike, along with new spark plugs and it fired right up. Lucky for me, I could continue spending my money on parts!
Next I bought my Cafe seat, some random accessories and a rear seat loop. I started off by cutting off the rear end:
No going back now! Side note; I'm 19 years old building this in a 10x15ft space in my garage... parents weren't too thrilled when they saw parts of my bike being chopped off! For the greater good though...
All parts so far have been ordered from Dime City Cycles; apart from my exhaust(to come) from GordonScott on here. Next I ordered some clip-ons, speedometer, and some other small bits. I'll be taking alot more photos from now on to document progress.
From here, I left the bike alone for a month or so after running into car issues( bikes are alot simpler... so far.) After that month I ordered a straight pipe exhaust from GordonScott and my Cafe racer tank. I now regret the straight pipes, as they won't fit my final image of the bike so if your interested (preferable local) PM me. They are great quality though; shout out to xs650exhaust.com! Heres the bike mocked up:
And here we are today more or less. I've ditched the pipes, and will be figuring something out more cafe racer style ( and alot more quiet ). Just yesterday I borrowed a friends bike jack; and am stripping it down to the frame to figure out tank mounting, seat mounting, license plate, signals, lights, etc. Also contemplating a R6 fork swap to get a closer rendition of the first inspiration picture.
I'll be pulling the engine today and further cleaning up the rear end, mounts I wont be using etc, then getting a buddy to weld the rear hoop on once I figure out my seat.
I'll be adding to this thread as I progress and make changes; feel free to ask questions.. I know I'll be asking lots when I run into problems, start to rewire everything, etc.
Let me know what you think!