Hodaka tank cafe build

[Bob Kelly III]

Nice looking bike BarnCat !
very nice intake manifold as a final product ! well done ! I am a fan of single carbs on twins because there are less things to go wrong
Never had one that had more performance that duel carbs though, so your combination is a good one !
I really like the stripped down XS this way... I wish you could weigh it and tell us how much it weighs ! in My view the XS650 is way too frigging heavy, it should never have been manufactured that heavy, but they did and now we all suffer because of the excessive weight issue.
.... But I do love my electric starter ! and wouldn't part with it ! I had to laugh to myself with the upside down handle bars as I tried that 50 years ago on a small bike and it worked quite well ! I found them a bit too low however and just went with a straight pipe and used that for years.
.....
Bob...........

 

[barncat]

My guess would be about 350-360lbs Bob. The motor, frame and forks are givens... the only place to shave a bit more weight is wheels and tires, but i like the mags on this one. Next build is getting 21"/19" MX wheels. Manufacturers didn't care much about weight back in the 70's...

I'd find straight handlebars very uncomfortable. They need to sweep back toward you and angle downward a couple degrees. I modified the clamps to make the upside down bars clear the fork tops.

 

[Bob Kelly III]

Kool Thanks !
....
Bob.......

 

[barncat]

Went all old school and reused the OEM regulator and rectifier with the stock rotor and stator. It works. Guys like RetiredGentleman will be happy . Need to slap on a small aluminum cover plate to hide wires.

I've burned up several chinese stators with DIY PMA setups... Also wasted a day on the nylon screw mod with a new chinese reg /rec that refused to work.

Now that battery will charge i can get farther out for testing. Plugs were too rich so a bit of tweaking required.

 

[barncat]

FWIW, here's how you wire charging system from scratch. Rectifier needs to bolted to a good frame ground btw...

 

[Bob Kelly III]

Thanks Barncat ! that is bound to be handy having that pic of your wiring ! thank you !!!!
......
Bob......

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

FWIW, here's how you wire charging system from scratch. Rectifier needs to bolted to a good frame ground btw...

FYI2, on the early bikes, there's only a singular black wire between the reg and stator brush, grounding provided by the stator frame. Not sure about later bikes...

 

[barncat]

Yes, i should have specified this applies to XS2, TX and TXA according to the Clymer schematics.

 

[barncat]

It's done.

Have about 25 miles on it for testing. Didn't register it since it's up for sale. I have a lot of bikes...

It's a visceral torque monster- very smooth unique deep exhaust note with the single flatslide. Probably gives up 3-4% off the very top end but gets you there quicker. Rock solid handling.

I went with a 180 main jet instead of 190, and air screw is out 1. All other carb settings the same. Any tendency to get lurchy on low speed decel can be largely mitigated with careful throttle control.

Turned out well. Another XS back from the dead and in fighting trim. For sale now in Ithaca NY area with transferable registration. Too old for a Title in N.Y.

 

[CoconutPete]

Came out great!