Rock&Roll: My xs650 brat bike

pablohoney

Don't Call Me Shirley.
So, I got my first bike about a year and a half ago, a 1979 xs650 special, I gave it a mild cafe treatment but couldn't really pull it off with the seat, and the general lines of the bike, so I rode it for a few months and tried to rebuild it and I am hoping to have it running well soon. I have it totally torn down now and I am going to paint the frame and everything else. But enough writing, here are some pics:
When I first got it:
Motorcycle3.jpg


How it was before the tear down:
P5080010.jpg

And this is what it will look like, I am going to put on different bars but I am not good enough to do on photoshop:
 

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Finished paint the frame & wheels. I think that I am going to make a new battery box out of a paint can. Get an empty one from Home Depot, paint the inside with truck bed liner, weld up some brackets and I will be made in the shade. Only problem is that it will ruin the paint, but I wanted the paint a bit redder anyway. What the hell.

What do you think of the wheels? I painted them red by accident after priming, not sure if I like it.
 

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putting anymore red, white, or other bright color would kill it.

I think it would only work if everything else was black.
 
I didn't really like it yesterday, but I think that with the curing of the paint, it darkened up a bit, less orange, more red, I like it. If they don't look good with the white tank, I'll paint the black. Not sure about the paint can battery box though, maybe I'll do one like this:
honda_cb750_cafe_racer1-500x333.jpg
 

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Re: Rock&Roll: My xs650 brat bike: Starter switch relocating.

I am going to loose the paint can, and do a battery box like the wrenchmonkee's one. I have an electrical question though. I wanted to put a starter switch somewhere not on the handlebars, maybe near the battery box, and ditch the starter solenoid and just put a heavy toggle switch there instead. My question is this: has anyone put a starter switch not on the handlebars, and is it annoying?
 
I put my starter switch in almost exactly the place youre talking about and it works great.
 
You need a started solenoid if you have a starter.

"A starter solenoid (or starter relay) is the part of an automobile/motorcycle which relays a large electric current to the starter motor, which in turn sets the engine in motion. In many vehicles the solenoid also engages the starter pinion with the ring gear of the engine."
 
VonYinzer said:
You need a started solenoid if you have a starter.

"A starter solenoid (or starter relay) is the part of an automobile/motorcycle which relays a large electric current to the starter motor, which in turn sets the engine in motion. In many vehicles the solenoid also engages the starter pinion with the ring gear of the engine."

Hot exaclty true... Hook a starter directly to a battery. It''ll work... the relay on most bikes is simply a heavy-duty switch that alows a smaller "signal" switch to be remotely located (on the handle -bars), without having to run 0 gauge wire all the way up there. Allowing 18 gauge instead. the "throw on most M.C. starters is automatic.
 
That is what I though Louie, so if I had a heavy duty toggle switch connected straight from the battery to the starter, I could bypass the solenoid. From what I could see, there were just two wires going to the starter button and one wire to the battery and one to the starter.
 
pablohoney said:
That is what I though Louie, so if I had a heavy duty toggle switch connected straight from the battery to the starter, I could bypass the solenoid. From what I could see, there were just two wires going to the starter button and one wire to the battery and one to the starter.

Ya ... Most toggles are rated by there Amperage capacity. I'd get one that was a little over rated, and use a inline fuse that is rated @ what the starter actually draws.
 
Swapmeet Louie said:
Ya ... Most toggles are rated by there Amperage capacity. I'd get one that was a little over rated, and use a inline fuse that is rated @ what the starter actually draws.
Ok cool, I just saw another wire that goes from the solenoid to the safety relay. What do I do about that?
 
pablohoney said:
Ok cool, I just saw another wire that goes from the solenoid to the safety relay. What do I do about that?

Im not positive, but I think it needs to be shorted..? Some body chime in If I'm wrong. I would Delete the safety relay too?

I dont ever run starters. But I do know they work with out a solenoid.
 
I really want to put some kind of a cool kill switch on there. I would like to do a toggle switch with a safety guard so when you slap down the cover it kills the bike but I don't know where to put it. I want it somewhere I could get to it quickly if I had to. Either that or some other nifty kill switch. Can't seem to find any custom ones online though, anyone have one?
 
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