Virago Tail Light on a Special?

[delagem]

Hello, I'm making an '83 XS650 Heritage Special into a cafe-style bike with my son.

Does anyone know if an early '90's Virago XV750 tail light will fit on an '80's XS650? I've only run across one reference here on the forum, and it was also someone wondering if it would fit.

The reason I ask is, while I like the look of the "Lucas Style" taillight, our intent is a minimalist look. Ideally the turnsignals will be incorporated into the tail light. On a Virago, this is easy; many companies sell an LED "integrator" panel to replace the bulbs in the tail light.

I'm concerned about the size of the housing being too big for the fender, and the curve not matching. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thank you!
Michael

 

[fredintoon]

Hello, I'm making an '83 XS650 Heritage Special into a cafe-style bike with my son.

Does anyone know if an early '90's Virago XV750 tail light will fit on an '80's XS650? I've only run across one reference here on the forum, and it was also someone wondering if it would fit.

The reason I ask is, while I like the look of the "Lucas Style" taillight, our intent is a minimalist look. Ideally the turnsignals will be incorporated into the tail light. On a Virago, this is easy; many companies sell an LED "integrator" panel to replace the bulbs in the tail light.

I'm concerned about the size of the housing being too big for the fender, and the curve not matching. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thank you!
Michael

[/QUOTE]

Hi Michael and welcome,
well, for sure that Virago tail light will bolt onto the bike's rear fender although it'd need a vibration-absorbing rubber block
like the one on the plate lamp/bracket combo to soak up the XS650's notorious vibrations but I dunno about the aesthetics of it.
You'd need to remove the stock crimson tombstone stop/tail light and the plate lamp/bracket combo to do the swap
which would leave a gap above the new lamp and extra bolt-holes below it.

 

[nj1639]

If the Virago tail light was a license holder too then it would be considerable, just swap the current holder out......but that flying brick leaves quite a gap when it's removed which leads onward to fixing that dilemma.

Those '80 and upward Specials are what they are, and any worthwhile aesthetic changes to the seat as in the '78/'79 Special hinged seats ( which are the apex) require a mindset of no return to stock.......easily, that is.

 

[CoconutPete]

If you are building a "cafe" style bike there should be much smaller / minimalistic options out there thanks to LED technology. I would look that route unless you insist on factory parts from other bikes.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi nj, Pete,
as Michael & son are going to café style that XS650 the bike's whole back end could be up for modification.
Me, I'd really want to keep the stock seat's base at least, because it's snap on/snap off key release attachment
is a really nice feature and the base can have it's sides cut away and be re-upholstered in as minimal a style as
the rebuilder fancied. (and be re-upholstered again a bit thicker when the rider's backside got to vote on it)

 

[delagem]

We considered keeping the stock seat pan and having it recovered, but we really don't like any of the options that use it. They drop down on the sides, messing up the lines of the bike. I asked Weston what our options were but never got a reply. I'll give him a call this week, I'm sure he's terribly busy this time of year.

Plan is to toss the stock seat, and fit a humped seat, something like this, only with fenders and a more graceful looking tail light:

Chris likes these style seats better:

But as he just today picked up a free Suzuki S40 Boulevard (aka Savage) I'm afraid we've lost him to the dark side. Finishing this one alone I may be...

Coconut Pete, or anyone else, can you recommend a better tail light? I chose the Virago because of the shape, but I don't have one handy to see how big it is, how it'd look. I'm afraid it'll be way too large too, but that's just a guess from looking at photos. Honestly, I like the Emgo Lucas tail light, but there isn't an LED integrator available for that, and I'd love to strip all the unnecessary running gear, especially the turn signals. I've got an interesting idea on modifying an LED headlight to incorporate turn signals too. Don't even know if it's possible, though.

I've done the homemade integrator mod too. Did my first one in 1993! (where you take a 5 to 4 wire trailer conversion box to power a two bulb taillight, making it into turn signals as well as brake and tail lights). But I think these LED models would be more reliable.

 

[delagem]

If only DimeCityCycles made this in LED, with turn signals integrated...

(Edit: I suppose anything is possible with a hacksaw and a hot glue gun)

 

[CoconutPete]

I have taillight ADD, so not sure you want to ask me. I am on my 4th one since I stated this build I think. I had the stocker, then I went oval and finaly I'm on a round one now. I discovered I like all round lights on this particular bike. Just search for "Miesha" and look at my build thread if you want to see them.

 

[fredintoon]

If only DimeCityCycles made this in LED, with turn signals integrated...

(Edit: I suppose anything is possible with a hacksaw and a hot glue gun)

Hi Michael,
wrong toolkit!
Remove the bulb holders with a screwdriver and put a red, white and amber LED bulb matrix plate there instead.
Then all you need is a "bro with electronics degree" to design a control device that'll work with the existing run, brake & turn switches.
Or ask DimeCityCycles if they'd want to add that option to their catalog

 

[fredintoon]

I have taillight ADD, so not sure you want to ask me. I am on my 4th one since I stated this build I think. I had the stocker, then I went oval and finaly I'm on a round one now. I discovered I like all round lights on this particular bike. Just search for "Miesha" and look at my build thread if you want to see them.

Hi Pete,
nah, if you had ADD you'd go to the bike shop to look at tail lights and come home with fancy hand grips.
What you got is tail light OCD.

 

[delagem]

Hi Michael,
wrong toolkit!
Remove the bulb holders with a screwdriver and put a red, white and amber LED bulb matrix plate there instead.
Then all you need is a "bro with electronics degree" to design a control device that'll work with the existing run, brake & turn switches.
Or ask DimeCityCycles if they'd want to add that option to their catalog

You're right, this is an option, adding an integrator myself; assuming this light has dual brake light bulbs.

As I mentioned, I have done this in the past; its just a trailer 5 to 4 wire converter; or even just a few diodes in the correct configuration. But I've never cared for the cobbed nature of the resultant wiring.

I was looking for something tidy and neat. That's how I came to the Virago idea. But it looks like that tail light is quite large. So I'm still lookng for ideas.

 

[CoconutPete]

You're right Fred. Taillight OCD!

 

[fredintoon]

- - - I was looking for something tidy and neat. That's how I came to the Virago idea. But it looks like that tail light is quite large. So I'm still lookng for ideas.

What we did on my son's XS750 was to remove the tail light to leave a bare fender and convert the rear signals to dual filament bulbs and red lenses.
That and a $20 trailer light converter from NAPA gave the bike a whole different look.
I am not sanguine that your proposed "all in one" tail light will give the average car driver understandable information.
With two tail lights that are a foot plus apart it's real easy to see which one is blinking.
These days we'd use LEDs instead of incandescent bulbs but the important thing is the separation.

 

[MaxPete]

Yup, I agree with Fred on this.

There’s no point in having the world’s coolest tail light if you get rear-ended and killed on your first ride by some phone-yakking numbnuts in an Escalade.

Besides, he probably bust the tail light when he runs you over.

 

[5twins]

Most States, maybe even the federal government, have mandates on turn signal separation. I know my U.S. spec MG LeMans came with different front turn signals (on short stalks) attached to the fairing because the original ones molded into it weren't far enough apart.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi 5twins,
to clarify matters to us ex-Brits muttering WTF? that's MG as in Moto Guzzi NOT as in Morris Garage?

 

[5twins]

Exactly .....

 

[MaxPete]

ahhhhh.....THAT is why the gentleman's name is 5Twins and his little tagline is "....and 4 Euro twins...."

...would you be willing to tell us what the other three Euro twins are...with some piccys please?

 

[5twins]

The rest are, or were, old BMWs - a /5, a /6, and a rather special R90/6/2 "conversion" .....

So, you may be wondering, just what the heck is a "conversion" and what makes it special? Well, it's a '60's vintage BMW frame with the leading link Earls front forks that has a later, bigger, more powerful '70's BMW motor swapped into it. In my case that motor is the 900 from a /6 .....

This is the ideal sidecar bike. The frame is made to carry a car and the fork has a separate sidecar position (different pivot for the arm). Moving the swingarm to the sidecar position changes the rake and trail to a setting more suitable for sidecar use.

But, I sold the /6 a couple summers ago. So, does this technically make me "4twins" now? Well, not really, I still have that Suzuki T500 twin on the back burner and now the $200 Special I'm working on. So actually, I guess I'm "6twins", lol.

 

[MaxPete]

Very nice!!