Sakura the Sake Rocket

Looks way cushy'er than mine man.

I sure thought it would be ok but damn.......

Well, I'm sure your "proportions" r a little harder on the foam than I'd be... Ha!

.....what'r ya tryin' ta say there peewee? I can't help it if I'm the only normal sized guy in a herd of shorties......HAHAHA!

yeah I'm sure that has something to do with it. I've been working pretty hard to get back into shape and it's finally starting to show but even at 'Lean' proportions (for me that's an index of 12% with the sixxer starting to show) I still go 6'1" and 240......mom always said I'd be stocky. hehe

looking good so far brother dig the seat

That is a very cool looking seat Brother! I tested and used the Gorilla wood glue on my wood seat as well after a recommendation from a cabinet maker Brother of mine and man is it strong! The two test pieces I used the Gorilla wood glue on bonded like they were screwed togethor!

Swagger said:

Thanks Joey, me too.....it's like a clean slate with nothin but potential. I dug out my old frame jig for the next project but I'm missing a few pieces..nothing I can't make though. I've got a spare XS850 engine that's begging for a Reynolds 517 trellis frame..

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Give me your 850 engine. You don't need it.

Much as I'd love to........no can do amigo. These three-pots and I have a long history.

Like the way that seat is going, any updates?

Nothing to report yet, took the weekend off...

Swagger said:

Nothing to report yet, took the weekend off...

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Ya lazy no-good-nick

Yes! I'm gonna put that one the first Homage t-shirt!

Ill watch looks interesting.

Thank you good sir, I hope it's enjoyable to watch. Had some decent progress today, so I'll have a bit to post soon.

well hurry up and post it up sucka.....

Sorry all, been wrapped up in life shit and haven't had a moment until just today.
So quick update.....

The engine is in the frame again, kinda starting to imply 'motorcycle' again.
This is a ~3000mile lump, when i opened it up the cams look brand new and the cylinders still show a nice crisp crosshatching. I just couldn't bring myself to tear it apart so I scrubbed it down and painted the side covers and head with Eastwood's wrinkle black, came out really nice looking. I left the rest of it bare as it's got a very light patina that's kind of grown on me, lends a little authenticity (for lack of a better term). I'm going to steal a couple hours and finish my aluminum engine mounts, they'll match some of the other finned pieces I've machined for the bike. I have a sparkly pile of fresh stainless fasteners for the engine and major frame elements so that'll dress up nicely too. The carb is just slotted in for visual effect, but when the time comes I'll be machining the parts to bolt the two together in a 'rack' so they'll be better mounted than simply hung by the rubber manifolds.

The tank is just propped on it at the moment to get the lay of the land as it were.
I have my mounts figured out for it and the rear will be raised enough to level it with the front as it's now sitting. With that, there will be plenty of room under the tank for ALL the electrics and *possibly* a pair of small gell batteries wired in parallel too! It would be nice to get it all under there.

Still haven't decided what I'll do for coils, but I want them(it?) to be a visual element so either old style oil filled cylinder bodies (Bosch 12v VW) or one of Accell's neato Harley coils, hung out front...though I'm not sure that'll go with the overall style of the bike. I'm also trying to decide on whether or not to swap out to the electronic ignition I have for this, or run the points as triggers for an external, either the Hondaman or a Dyna booster. If I keep the points I'll rework my finned cover to have a clear viewing window so the points can be seen in action.

Thoughts from the masses?

So far so good. What about sleeving the coils ala BTC/Willow and dressing said sleeves to be part of the look. Level tank is a must, looks like ass at a slant so that will be better once done. Motor looks great with the paint on it. Keep it up she should be a pretty nice rocket when finished!

Maritime

http://www.z1enterprises.com/Ignition-Coil--Universal--12-Volt-4139.aspx

Old school coils should you care to take a gander.

They have an aluminum body, can polish or paint or HIDE as you like. Work great I put a set on my 360 and they make a fat enough spark to put your arm to sleep for an hour. Guess how I know that one. I did manage to make them fit under my tank in the stock place with just some nuts, bolts, hose clamps, and scrap aluminum angle stock.

Can add the plug wires of your choice. Look at http://www.cb450ignition.com/ from pamco for the ignition, he's been building them for XS's for a while and now that same tech is set up for 450-500t and 350ts. They are CHEAP compared to Dyna and get rid of the points all together since Hondaman still uses them. There are several active threads over on Honda Twins about it now. Not to point off DTT but info is info.

I love that tank, I can't wait to find a 450-500 t to screw with.

Maritime: Yeah I'll do something nice with the coils, kinda have a plan....sorta....heh.
Hopefully the tank's final fitment will be less ass-like too..

frogman: Yeah I've got a full dyna setup ready to go in, and I love the Pamco stuff, ran one on an XS650 that worked a treat. I still might run the electronic setup bit I am kinda liking the idea of seeing the points gear whizzing along. We'll see what finally happens..
Definitely grab yourself a 450/500T if you get the chance; neat bikes, great engines!

Motor looks great, Lee. And that tank definitely is the business. I can dig it.