1975 Honda xl350 brat? tracker? project so far

Oh and I need to figure out where to het new bearings for the steering. When I took it apart the the curved races were bare still existent. I keep reading that the "all balls" bearing kit for this bike specifically doesn't fit and I actually may need to piece it together with some trial and error?
 
Call All Balls directly - they answer their phones and are always very helpful. They'll put a kit together for you.

https://www.allballsracing.com/
 
Got all the "smalls" painted....
 

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Did some assembly finally. Triples forks pegs brakes hubs etc. The kickstand was actually way more tricky to modify than I thought but turned out good. Still need wiring. I will def need help with that. I wanna find someone that can make sense of the wiring harness and make a new one from scratch since I eliminated most of the extra electrical. I also want the wires run down inside the backbone to the motor and the battery. Gotta get some new cables and I want some new lever perches. Not thrilled with the drag bar. Probably gonna use a supercross type bar with a slight rise. And wondering what to do with the pipe...
 

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oh man, that thing looks SO good! some supermoto bars would definitely look awesome. try z1, they have some nice ones at a real good price, like $17. and i think that pipe would look real pretty with a shorty reverse cone muffler! just my .02, though. well done!
 
Thank you! I'm dying to hear how it sounds with just the straight pipe. I like the simplicity of the straight pipe and if it needs to be quieter I would slide some baffles in. I like the metal look of the pipe but I know it'll just rust. So maybe wrap?
 
I never really trued the wheels yet.....anyone know how much to tighten the spokes? I'm afraid to strip one out. I would dread having to spoke that thing again. Pita.
 
Ohh, by saying you we're wondering what to do with the pipe I thought you meant like what would look good as far as mufflers. Straight pipes are cool too, though!! And yeah, some wrap would really button it up nice. I have a brand new roll of 50' of copper colored wrap just sitting at my place not getting used. If you're interested, contact me for more info!
 
Very cool man. I really like it (though... those tires... ;) ).

As far as your exhaust, you need baffles of some sort. Not only for noise (it will uncomfortably loud after awhile, I promise) but for proper engine performance. There are a couple write-ups here on DTT on how to make your own.
 
What's wrong with the tires? Yeah ill baffle it as needed. Y would you bother making baffles when the slide in ones are like 10 bux?
 
Trued up the wheels today. Still need to make a small bracket for near the end of the exhaust and need to modify the headlight brackets to keep the light tight to the forks.
 
there's a '74 xl350 with the blue/silver paint scheme for sale 20 minutess from me for $950, and i can't stop thinking about it, especially with your build helping me see what it could potentially become!
 
I'm at about the same point with my xl250 and need some wiring ideas. I have seen some 6v vs. 12v and CDI conversions, have you gotten far with your wiring yet? If you could post pictures it would be great.
 
drum brakes aside, I absolutely LOVE this build! Regarding the bars, if you want a fairly low-rise, wide bar, go to your local moto shop that carries MSR gear and get one of the MSRHP carbon steel bars. they are about $25 per bar, 7/8" clamp, roughly 30-31" wide, what feels like a fairly comfortable bend, welded in crossbar, very easily removable crossbar pad, and are powder-coated black everywhere except where the throttle tube will sit. take the crossbar pad off and it would certainly look the part on this build!
 
Finally! pretty much done!....wiring was tricky!! especially not knowing anything about how bike wiring works...def had some trial and error moments....got most of the wires and switches hidden and think I accomplished the minimalistic look....

I may still wrap the exhaust and make the headlight have an oldschool yellow tint...

Man this thing is fast in my opinion! plenty of power and speed for me! definitely loud but sounds burly! starts first kick everytime!....ended up ditching the stock carb and went with a mikuni 36vm single cable and it cleans up the look nicely!...

I must say I never thought it would have turned out this nice...I honestly thought it was just gonna be an ugly beater that I would ride to the store every once in a while...but I seriously love riding this thing and everyone that hops on it is blown away how nice it rides! bike week here in AZ starts tomorrow and just driving this thing around town today I was getting so many compliments and such! much more than my friends Harley lol

If anyone has any questions or pic requests feel free to ask cuz theres no way I could have finished this thing with out the help of ppl on here that helped me with all the questions I had.. Thank you!
 

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