NX650 Urban Dual Sport

flip_rip

New Member
Hey Guys!

I'm new to this posting, but have been poking around here for a while now. I've started a build on a somewhat unique 1988 Honda NX650. I've had it since May, and is now going under the knife to make it exactly what I want.

Some cool background/specs.
-Bought in West Hollywood for $1000 - yup $1k for a running motorcycle
-Ex-Stunt bike for a James Bond film (this is what the previous owner told me, I haven't been able to find evidence of it in any film)
-Spent most of its life boxed up in Big Bear - Only 17k original miles
-Dropped on both sides off road

So thats where it started! The plastics were really beat up, along with dents in the tank. I knew that think bike was destined for a better life. And thats where I came in!

Originally wanted to just swap the plastics out for a headlight and new tank plus a custom seat and call it done, but after a few turns in life, the winds of change have lead me to tear it all apart and build something special.

Here are photos of its transformation:
-The start of it all
-Taking it off road
-The first attempt at a "build"
-Diving in deep and doing it the proper way

I'm doing all the work at Lucky Wheels Garage in LA, hands down one of the best DIY shops in the world. This being my first build, I know I'll make a ton of mistakes but I'm excited to take it on.

I like to take a bunch of photos, so this might just turn into a weird flip book thing. But at least now I have documentation on the internet!

Thanks!
Philip
 

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Its got a long ways to go, but here are the things I've changed that will stay the same moving forward:

-Black wheels
-Shinko 804/805 tires - Actucally much better than expected. We took it off road at Hungry Valley and it did really well!
-Renthal Bars
-Tank from a '78 XL500
-Braided brake line + HH pads
-ODI grips/Throttle tube
-Baja LED lights (one for high beam (spot beam) one for low (flood beam)
-Cycra supermoto front fender
-Did X ring chain/ new sprockets - stock gearing 15/41
-Smog kit removal

Mods to come:
-41 FCR MX upgrade - woo woo!
-Custom seat and rear end
-Custom cleaned up dash
-Clean wiring harness

The idea I have in my head is an Urban Dual sport with supermoto and scrambler influences....if that even makes sense haha. I pretty much want to jump curbs, wheelie around the city, and never have an excuse not to take the long way home, even if it takes me to Baja. This isnt meant to be a show bike...I really want to rally this thing!
 

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Im diggin it ma man
Was looking at a NX650 just yesterday and was thinking about getting my hands on one

Nice is all I can say
Cheers
 
Thanks so much guys! I appreciate the support! Its an interesting bike, but I like how its coming along so far. Cleared a few of the main hurdles yesterday, the main one being learning how to weld haha! The guys at Lucky Wheels were amazing and walked me through the steps to being a good MIG welder, and 5 hours later I had part of a subframe attached!!

Pics below!

Next up is adding the horizontal supports, then adding the battery mount and electronics box. One thing we did, was reinforce the frame where the subframe attached, so its a super solid connection, and should add quite a bit of durability.
 

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Alright. Made some solid progress last night. Not much to show, but it was getting a whole bunch of little stuff done to make my life easier down the road.

I decided to pull the motor. I was hoping to avoid it...cause I'm lazy...but decided to just do it. Made welding the frame reinforcements much easier, and now I'll probably end up cleaning and painting the motor.

I'm still working on my welding skills, so I ended up grinding most of them smooth because they looked awful haha, but I was able to get good FUSION OF METALS! haha. I really do like welding, I'm excited to do way more of it.

I measured and started cutting the horizontal braces for the rear subframe, but had to get home before I was able to finish. I'm hoping to knock that out tonight, then I can start tacking in seat mounting points, exhaust mounting points, battery box locations and such.

I think I'm gonna paint the motor a nice bright silver color. Then do the in the same color it is stock. I might add touches of red and black to the motor to make it pop a bit. Then on the case covers, I'm planning to do a slightly more gold color than the current Honda bronze. I just did a valve clearance check before I did the subframe, and a compression check on the motor. Everything is super solid there, and with only 17k miles on it, I don't feel the need to tear into it. The new carb should give it plenty of kick, plus after everything I've hacked off, it'll be quite a bit lighter.

Alright...onto more photos! Also take it easy on my welding/grinding skills...still working on that..haha
 

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Also! got some cool stuff in the mail. I plan on cleaning up the wiring on this bike. I cant stand wires just hanging out everywhere, but I do want this to be street legal.

I found this nifty controller that is MotoGP'-esque and has all the functions I need, but in a lower profile package compared to what is currently on the bike. Also the current controls are faded, so its a win-win. In the photo it looks a little bit, but its actually really nice and compact.
 

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Alright alright. I hit a milestone over the weekend....subframe is DONE! Man that was a tall mountain to climb and I'm glad its finished. Turned out miles better than I ever imagined. Also gave me the skill set to execute the rest of the build. Also a bit of gloating here....the subframe is level side to side and fore aft, and perfectly lines up with the tank. Man, it was so freaking tedious, but 100% worth it. It feels good to have the level bubble be right in the middle (or as one of my old bosses would say "on the nuts" haha).

Now all the fine details come in, seat pan, exhaust, all the electrical work, frame/tank paint, engine prep/pain/reinstall....and all those goodies.

In the mean time, here are a bunch of photos from the last push on the subframe. Learned how to notch tubes, bend metal, weld, reinforce a frame, and cut clearance for the new carb. Oh and I was able to remount the tank in its new position! Boom! Progress!....yet so much to go....
 

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Hey Perry!

I set the static (non sag) seat height at 33in. So after suspension sag and a foam buildup it should be right about 34in.
 
Dang it has been way too long since I updated this. Lots of things have happened!

1. New seat pan installed. Big step here. Hardest part was matching the bends of the tank while maintain the angle down to the front portion of the seat. I got real familiar with the anvil and a hammer haha. But it all worked out! Then welded on some nuts to the top and made a tab for underneath. Now it'll just slide in and bolt down with 2 bolts from the back. Its super sturdy and should give a pretty clean look.

2. Cleaned/Painted/re-installed the motor. I pulled the case covers and painted them this sweet metallic black - which should look stellar in the light. But during the painting and cleaning process, I was dumb and forgot to order new gaskets, so now everything is waiting on those to get in...ugh. On the bright side (literally), the motor looks incredible and should give the finished bike that nice polished and finished look.

3. Made a quick little battery box. I decided to go with a lithium ion battery. It saves weight and fits much better in the frame. This will sit right behind the carb and will act as a pseudo barrier for the pod filter.

So at this point everything is mounted up and good to go. As I took things apart, I made sure to clean and fix anything along the way. 99% was just getting all the 20yr old dirt off this thing. I made a little box for the fuse box and other misc electrical bits. After I get the battery sorted and mounted, I'll start going through to tidy up the rest of it.

Next on the list is seat upholstery. I added a quick photoshop of what my direction is. I want to do more of a moto style seat with some cool perforated black leather panels. Exhaust is also high on the list of NEED TO GET DONE. If anyone out there in LA has a good exhaust tube bender please let me know! I'm planning to use the stock headers, and use 2 mufflers to exit from below/side of the seat. It should be close to stock positions, but with the new mufflers it'll be a bit cleaner.

I think that covers it. I was hoping to have more done by now, but its all the little things that add up. Still stoked on how its turning out, but at this point I'm way too deep in this to take shortcuts.

aaaaanddd here are all the photos haha!
 

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Looks good man. How thoroughly did you clean the engine cases before spraying that paint on, just curious because I am closing to painting the engine for my SL175 enduro project. Also, that's a pretty sweet little shop man, is that all just yours?
 
Thanks guys! Hopefully upholstery is done this week and it'll look more put together haha.

Luugo86, I scrubbed the crap out of it. I started by taping off all the seams and ports. Then scrubbed with soap and water. Then used a light degreaser, and scrubbed some more. Finally, I used some brake cleaner and iso alcohol to clean it all and make sure there was no residue left. Just be careful on where you're spraying, that was the hardest part.

I sanded a few parts of the case covers that were rough and beat up as well.

I found some good cleaning brushes at pep boys and just went to town. I spent probably 4 hours cleaning and prepping the engine. Painting was the easy part haha! But once most of the grease was soaked it started to come off much easier.

And the shop is a DIY garage in DTLA called Lucky Wheels. I sure wish I could call it mine! But its a community shop, and I'm just a member. It helps me get access to tools that I normally wouldn't buy on my own, and a wealth of member knowledge.
 
Seat is finished! Dropped off the seatpan at the upholstery guy, and by some miracle it came back the next day and it is INCREDIBLE! I am over the moon with their thing. It's really coming together. I also made another battery box (1st one wasn't that cool) and got the tiny battery to fit.

Biggest next thing to check off is the exhaust. Not sure what I want to do here...if you guys have any ideas , I'm totally open. I was either thinking a moto style FMF, with a 2 into 1 setup. Or a flat track style 2 into 2. Or maybe an under seat arrangement. Still not sure. Either way, it's the last little bit that I need!

Photossssss......
 

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