Through the Looking Glass - I Wonder What It'll Be

[BowWow]

Basically, I just want a place to keep track of my build. I bought a '77 XS sight unseen from an ad on Kijiji. I sent my wife to buy it for me, and ten days later I saw it in person for the first time. It looked a bit rough in the photos. In person, well, let's just say the old girl's seen better days (the bike, not my wife!).

So here's my list:

1, Front brake - no fluid in master cylinder, but a small pile of something is quietly residing in the bottom of the reservoir. Hmmm...

2. Needs new levers, grips, and a throttle tube.

3. Needs clutch cable - it's missing...

4. Fork seals - front is very bouncy, and clunks when it tops out. Right fork leg is caked with fork oil grunge...

5, Headset is loose - do the tapered roller bearing upgrade.

6. New paint.

7. Couple of dents in the tank need bondo.

8. Petcocks clogged - need cleaning/rebuild.

9. Fuel cap rubber gasket missing.

10. Carb cleaning - obviously!

11. Kick starter spring feels like it's installed backwards - pressure on the lever going the wrong way. Weird!

12. Rewiring

13. New lower bars

14. Left side bar switch needs to be replaced - turn signal switch broken off...

15. Remount the rear fender - I kinda like the bob look.

16. Rear shocks are shot - bouncy like Tigger! Do I replace with stock length, go longer, go shorter? Depends on where this build is going, and I don't exactly know yet...

17. New tires

18. New rear brake shoes.

19, Either lose the front fender entirely (install fork brace), or shorten/re-contour the stock unit.

20. New tail light and signal lights (led ftw!)

21. Mirrors

Now my dilemma. I've been looking at a LOT of builds, gathering ideas. I've picked up a few ideas that I'd like to try with this bike. I got started yesterday, and the farther into the project I get the more I think I'm just going to rat this baby out, at least for the time being. I just don't have the time or resources to do a frame-up restoration. I will in the future, but not right now.

So instead of polishing every bit of chrome and aluminum and chasing every thread and wire brushing every speck of rust, I'm going to leave it all there! I'll get her running, purring like a kitten, but the grunge stays, for now. Then when the time comes, I'll go through her bolt-by-bolt and get her ready for show.

So here's what I've done so far:

In The Beginning:

Before installing the first round of parts - tank sanded to bare metal...

New bars, levers, grips, headlight mounts, rear tire, carbs cleaned and remounted, forks dropped 3/4", front fender removed, new front tire to be installed tomorrow

The lower bars require a new, shorter front brake line from the master cylinder to the brake switch on the lower triple tree. I'll do it in braided steel, with braided steel line to the caliper as well.

Because of my work schedule, after Saturday I won't get a chance to work on her for another month. With the tank taken to bare metal, and going for the rat look, should I just let it rust, or should I slap a rattle-can paint job on it? I'm kind of leaning to the rust look...

Stay tuned!

 

[Q Tip]

I would skim that dent and primer the tank. Primer is a good look.

 

[hotdog]

I just clear coated my tank. Depends what you are going to do in the future & what look you are going for..?? If you are going to fix er up then prime it ready for paint later x 2

 

[BowWow]

New tires are mounted - 120/90 18 in the rear and 110/90 19 in the front. Shinko 712's.

Cut the front fender and contoured the rear, still need to trim the front. I think I'll just trim the corners like the trailing edge rather than do something more radical...

Popped the clutch cover off to fix the kickstart return spring and discovered a nice crack above the kickstarter. RATS! I'm not sure if I'll just JB it or replace the cover.

 

[ProSimex]

Major bummer dude, Looks good so far! I think Im gonna go the clear coated bare metal route myself!

 

[BowWow]

The bare metal look is really tempting... But I think I'm going to try paint for a while. If I don't like it it's very easy to go back to bare!

 

[retiredgentleman]

You've got your work cut out for you!

Is the compression of the engine acceptable? Don't forget about the ignition. The stock ignition coils were on the weak side, and points need fiddling. A single new dual output coil will give much stronger spark.

 

[BowWow]

Compression is good, pamco ignition is in the future. I want to get it running and tuned up before sinking too much money into it. Maybe I'll ice race it this winter! I have a dual coil in my toolbox that I'm planning on trying...

 

[BowWow]

Next wave coming up! Parts on order!

New rear shocks (el-cheapo e-bay units from China), an LED taillight and mini LED signal lights are waiting at home for me.

I've got bronze swingarm bushings, UNI pod filters, and tapered headset bearings coming from TC Bros, and front brake master cylinder, cam chain guide, piston rings, and some petcock screws and o-rings coming from Mikes. I also ordered a complete gasket set. This should all be waiting for me when I get home next week!

I'll be cracking into the motor next week to replace the cam chain guide, install new seals and gaskets, drop in a set of rings (after honing the cylinders), and slap a coat of hi-temp paint on the head and cylinders. I'm planning on polishing the edges of the fins on the head only, and not painting the cam cover or lower cases. I'll JB weld the clutch cover on the inside, and polish both covers (clutch and alternator), as well as the tappet and points covers on the head. And the sump filter will get the standard tin can repair.

While the motor's out I'll trim unnecessary brackets from the frame, then paint it. I saw a post from a guy who painted his frame with that rubberized truck bed liner, which intrigues me. I don't know if I'll do that, or just rattle-can gloss black it.

Fork lowers will get polished. I'll probably cut the fender mount ears off before polishing. I'm trying to decide whether to paint the wheels or polish them. And if I paint, should they be black - or white? I think I'll polish the rear brake backing plate rather than paint it. I also need to trim the rear fender and mount it, and finish trimming the front fender.

I pulled most of one dent out of the tank, so I'll bondo the little stuff and paint the tank. I'm seriously considering scrubbing up the chrome rear fender and painting it to match the tank. I'm gonna do the tank in flat white, see what it looks like. I'm considering a 6" wide ribbed copper rear fender from 7 Metal West, but it's kinda on the expensive side. We'll see what happens...

How do you guys do your seats? I think I'd like to expose the frame tubes and keep the seat between the rails, as it were. I need a bit of extra length, as I'd like to double up every now and then. Do you just cut down the stock seatpan? How do you attach the upholstery? I'd like to use large copper rivets along the edge, which would require a bend in the seatpan to give me something to rivet to. Any ideas?

Pix to follow as I go...

 

[ProSimex]

I would recommend keeping the front fender mounts and installing a fork brace instead. I know lots of people poke around with no fender or brace but if your gonna ride that baby hard you might experiance some fail. Horrible, horrible, high speed head-impacts-with-curb-explodes-like-ripe-water-melon fail.

Or Im wrong entirely. But looks like you've got some direction in your build. As for your seat, I would just grab a construction sign or other easily available piece of sheet metal and cut/bend to shape. Layer up some foam and shave to desired shape.

 

[BowWow]

Thanks Simex! I like the idea of using an old construction sign for a seatpan. I actually have access to several old signs!

The fender mounts I was referring to are the little tabs at the bottom of the fork lowers where the fender braces attach, not the larger castings where the fender itself bolts. I actually have a fork brace in mind, but I kind of like the shorty fender I'm working on. We'll see how it evolves...

 

[ProSimex]

ah cool, sounds good then.

 

[BowWow]

Well. My 14 day vacation got shortened to 6, two of which were travel days. I managed to pick up most of the parts I ordered and spend one day working on the bike. I pulled the swingarm and rear brake stay, wire brushed them to bare metal (no sandblaster - yet) and shot them with a nice thick coat of flat black. Flat black by default, because it was the only flavor of black I had! And actually, I kind of like it. My plan is to go flat white with the tank, so the flat black will complement it, I think.

Next I installed the brass swingarm bushings. Getting the fiber originals out was a bit tricky. I had to resort to heat for the second one. The headset bearing races came out a LOT easier, and the tapered bearings went in with a minimum of wrestling. New bearings tightened things up quite nicely! I really look forward to riding this thing! While I had the triple trees apart I shot the bottom with flat black. I'll address the top later. I'm not sure if I'll remove the paint and do a brushed aluminum look, or just shoot it flat black. We'll see.

The rear shocks are cheap e-bay Chinese things that looked different in the online photo, but they work a LOT better than the stockers! We'll see how the garish gold looks against the finished bike - there may still be paint in their future!

I then removed the front tire, brake disc, chrome cover opposite the disc, and the speedometer gear, cleaned up the front wheel, and shot it with a can of flat white. I was holding my breath as to what it would look like, but I think I kind of like it! I wire brushed the chrome cover and the speedo gear box, cleaned the disc and shot the center with a coat of flat black, then wire brushed the edges of the disc center mount and the tops of the bolts. Look pretty good, I think! When the wheel dried I remounted the tire (pinching the dang tube in the process - #@*&$%!), bolted the disc back on, and tossed the wheel back on the bike.

I took a few minutes to grind the corners off the front fender. I'll probably do more shaping next time around.

Oh, I also bought an angle grinder for $30 that works like a charm! I cut the rear signal light mounts and the center stand grab handle off the rear frame loop. There are more mounting tabs that'll come off, I'm just not sure which ones yet. But that grinder is aces!

As I was pulling out of the driveway to head back north to work I shot a final photo of my progress so far:

The next kick at the cat won't be for probably 6 weeks. I'll paint the rear wheel flat white, polish the rear brake backing plate, bondo and paint the tank, and hopefully get something done seat-wise. I have foam and upholstery material, just need a seat pan - the stocker is way too rusty to use as a base.

Depending on my time, I'll get the wiring harness built, clean and paint the frame, pull the motor for bench work (new rings, cam chain guide, seals and gaskets, and JB Weld that cracked side cover). Hi-temp flat black paint for the jugs and head, polish the shiny bits, wrap the pipes (I'm leaning towards tan, but may go black), and decide on mufflers (Ascott? Cherry Bombs? Nothing at all?).

Lots of fun ahead for the winter! Wonder if my wife would mind if I brought the bike into the house. The back bedroom isn't being used much lately... *wink!*