"Mod" from Austin, TX

Hello, all.

Austin, Texas, 2-stroke, small displacement single rider. Been wanting to get a bigger bike for some time. The time is now, so I will be on here asking a bunch of hopefully not stupid questions.

I'm looking at either an XS650 or a CB550.

Cheers.

Marcus "QWERTYMage" D.

Welcome.
Good choices, both.

I'd say go for a CB750 there seems to be a lot more bolt on parts available.

I have a 550 that I bought mainly because it was available!

Welcome Q, I'm living in the ATX as well. The XS is a great choice and Limey bikes is a great resource in Austin. He builds some sick XS's. One thing that's a kind of a negative in regards to the the XS is that their price in TX are stupid high compared to the rest of the country. I was looking that route before buying my 350F. My next build will probably be an XS, call Limey he'll spend the time to educate you but be he is a bit biased and really doesn't like the Honda's. This is his latest:

Thanks, guys. Pretty excited to get this going. Been trolling Craigslist like a kid with a JC Pennie's catalog at Thanksgiving. Besides Ebay, is there another good resource for finding a bike? I'm not afraid of a little drive to get a bike.

The 750 is a bit more grunt than what I want (or could likely handle). Just need something strong enough to haul my doughey butt faster than 60 (or 80).

I have a lead on a few things. I hope it works out.

(BTW, where do folks go to talk bikes and whatnot in ATX? I've seen a few here n there, but I'm surprised I haven't gotten a whiff of ton-up clubs or meetups.)

Peace.

Not a lot of stuff that I've found yet. This is about the best resource I've come across for Cafe stuff. Revival Bikes off Airport is a pretty cool shop. Can't vouch for their quality but the owner is a pretty cool head.

A quick update: I picked up an XS650. It's in Dallas until I can get my truck there to load it up. It's in need of oil and a battery before I can really get an idea of what it's doing, bit it's generally in good shape.

I will be hitting it hard asap.

nice. but you aren't a mod unless if you hang with the posh hipsters and ride an automatic scooter. small 2 stroke could still be manual.

I'm glad you've come to the cool side, the Rockers side; we dont have sweaters and posh scooters, but we have beer and the fun ladies appreciate leather and topping the ton more then reading passages from long novels.

Rocan said:

nice. but you aren't a mod unless if you hang with the posh hipsters and ride an automatic scooter. small 2 stroke could still be manual.

I'm glad you've come to the cool side, the Rockers side; we dont have sweaters and posh scooters, but we have beer and the fun ladies appreciate leather and topping the ton more then reading passages from long novels.

Click to expand...

Ignore everything Rocan says. Hes a self involved brat who has been "building" a cafe for about 5 years now. Hes under the impression that hes some badass "rocker", but in reality you cant be a "rocker" when you drive a free Lexus.

Welcome to DTT QWERTY. The XS is a hell of a bike. Take some time and read through Tims XS build. Its just about the nicest one on the road, and only getting better.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for yours.

Thanks to you both (The "Mod" label is truly tongue-in-cheek). Yes to the scooter being manual. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Calling myself a "Rocker" would be like calling myself an athlete: I played soccer when I was 6. You get the idea.

Finally got the bike home this week.

First on the agenda, oil and a fresh battery. Kick her over and see what her quirks are.

Then pull the engine and pass it off to the Limey for a PAMCO, a new set of gaskets and tuning, and a general cleanup.

While that's happening, a frame cleanup and paint, new bushings and bearings, odds and ends, and figuring out wiring. I want to delete the starter, install a permanent magnet alternator and swap the battery for a cap.

Then it's all about the saddle and a paint scheme. The Wrenchmonkey's Blue and raw XS http://wrenchmonkees.blogspot.com/2011/11/xs-for-paris_29.html
is where I'm headed. Gonna try to find a clean RS400 tank at some point.

This

VonYinzer said:

Take some time and read through Tims XS build. Its just about the nicest one on the road, and only getting better.

Click to expand...

You wouldn't happen to have a link to this Tim's XS build would you? Can't find it.

I might also add, my scooter club is throwing the Dallas Rockers V Mods that the ad is promoting over there... worth a visit.

Nice! You'll find Chris at Limey to be a great resource and really nice guy. We'll have to hook up once you get your bike on the road. I'm looking for mid Feb for mine to be road worthy.

QWERTYMage said:

This

Click to expand...

Looks like a good starting point, good luck to you and have fun with it I know my experience last summer with my first bike was a blast even if frustrating at times.

Yeah I'm at that frustrating point right now. Wiring. I'm a good wrench but god I'm an idiot when it comes to electronics. My tins will be back from paint in about 3 weeks, with any amount of luck I'll actually have my bike wired by then