Wharfcreek
Near 50 Yrs of Experience
I've had a '79 XS650 sitting out in my driveway for the past few years; a 'project' bike that someone has done some significant frame modifications to. As the bike sits, it's basically just an engine in a frame cradle, with the swing arm still intact, but the upper rear section has been hacked off and the rear upper shock mounts have been re-welded to the down-tube area of the frame. I'm sure pics would help, and I'll try to get some, but in the meantime, hopefully my questions here can get addressed.
So while surfing my local facebook marketplace ads, I came across an ad for a rolling XS frame, complete with a front end, mag wheels, and what appeared to be a rear disc brake swing arm. For $100, I jumped on it thinking that if nothing else, the front end would go on my '79 frame and I could go from there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the trip up to go gather this up and bring it home due to having come down 'positive' for Covid. So, I enlisted the help of my girlfriend's son, who for another $100 made the trip a State away to drag the thing home for me. When it got here he parked my truck and headed home so he'd avoid any contact with me or Covid. So, I dragged the frame out of my truck and immeadiately noted some 'differences'. The short story is: It's an XS400, not a 650.
Now faced with this reality, the question is: How much (if any) of this will work on my 650 frame? I know that in swapping swing arms to get the rear disc set-up that my brake lever would have to be modified and a master cylinder installed. But, will those 400 wheels work, or are they actually 'smaller' than the 650 wheels? And, what about the front end? Assuming that nothing else will work, does anyone know if the front end off the 400 is basically the same as the 650, and if it will 'interchange' without any major problems?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated, and many thanks!!
Tom D.
So while surfing my local facebook marketplace ads, I came across an ad for a rolling XS frame, complete with a front end, mag wheels, and what appeared to be a rear disc brake swing arm. For $100, I jumped on it thinking that if nothing else, the front end would go on my '79 frame and I could go from there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the trip up to go gather this up and bring it home due to having come down 'positive' for Covid. So, I enlisted the help of my girlfriend's son, who for another $100 made the trip a State away to drag the thing home for me. When it got here he parked my truck and headed home so he'd avoid any contact with me or Covid. So, I dragged the frame out of my truck and immeadiately noted some 'differences'. The short story is: It's an XS400, not a 650.
Now faced with this reality, the question is: How much (if any) of this will work on my 650 frame? I know that in swapping swing arms to get the rear disc set-up that my brake lever would have to be modified and a master cylinder installed. But, will those 400 wheels work, or are they actually 'smaller' than the 650 wheels? And, what about the front end? Assuming that nothing else will work, does anyone know if the front end off the 400 is basically the same as the 650, and if it will 'interchange' without any major problems?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated, and many thanks!!
Tom D.
