Ryan's XS750 Cafe Brat - Now with Henry Abe 900cc kit!

98kellrs

Been Around the Block
So, the thread title aptly describes my project and I quite well I think. I'm Ryan, 26 from Western Australia and I've always loved watching bikes. Born and raised on the Isle of Man motorcycling has always lurked in my DNA somewhere and only once I moved out of home and bought my own place have I had the chance to buy a bike.

I've had two modern bikes to date; a Hyosung 250 (biggest mistake ever) and a CBR600RR which I turned into a track weapon and raced for a little while.

This brings me to my third bike which is my current project; a '78 Yamaha XS750. I've only just picked her up so no real progress yet. Here's what she looked like when I found her:



The previous owner was planning on turning her into a chopper, hence the ridiculous long forks. Thankfully I have a set of original forks which I fitted as soon as I got her home!

Basically she's already been pulled apart and I have 3 boxes full of parts. The engine turns over which is good, and comes with a complete spare 750 engine with a reconditioned head, a spare set of 850cc heads, and freshly refurbed carbs.

Given she's already pretty well stripped I decided to continue that trend and strip the frame. My current plan is to de-tab the frame, strip apart and get powder coated, then start building her back up from the frame. Most of the parts are in pretty bad condition, all brake calipers will need a refurbish, the handlebar controls are all rusted and seized and there currently is no fuel tank, petcocks or headlight.

Here's my progress so far, I stripped the remaining parts from the frame to give me a rolling chassis, next up I'll start de-tabbing and getting stuck in.


My whole ethos is going to be lighten and improve performance and most importantly to LEARN! I have a manual and I'm already on the Yamaha Triples forums but aside from that I have no formal training and no-one to help out either. I've already scored some decent rear shocks from a W800 and I'll be stripping and reconditioning the forks with progressive springs too. In the future I'd love to do an R1 front end conversion but time (and money will tell on that one..)

Anyway, way too much rambling from me, I'll try and stick to pictures to describe my progress from now on ;)
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Hello Ryan! Welcome to DTT!
Looks like you've done well already.

Lovely tank she was wearing when you got her. Since it is not the right one for your Yammy, what are you going to do with it?
Being you're in Oz and I'm a Yank, I might be interested if you want to part with it.
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Thanks Hoosier, yeah was a beautiful tank but not the look Im after so I sold it a few days ago unfortunately. The cash is going towards those W800 shocks which I hope will be a decent upgrade. :)
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Figures, I am looking at buying the same model BSA it came from and it would have been nice to find an original tank.
Still trying to figure out the title of this thread though, seems like your're smart enough Mate.
Bike is looking good. ;D
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Is that the A65? Nice bikes, wish I had the space to store it but a small shed means space is at a premium!

Just wait until I try and rebuild the engine, may as well give an ape a hammer, result will likely be similar..
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

ManxieRacer said:
Is that the A65? Nice bikes, wish I had the space to store it but a small shed means space is at a premium!

Just wait until I try and rebuild the engine, may as well give an ape a hammer, result will likely be similar..
Nah, I picked up a Goldie style tank for the A65, I got a lead on a B44 that originally used that tank.
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

A small bit of progress from the last few days; I have managed to locate a tank, although the shocks that I was hoping to get seem to have fallen through so it looks like I'll need aftermarket ones.

Today I mocked up the tank, and raised the rear suspension to the desired height. I'd like to lower the front a tad, but the chrome has rusted on the tubes and no amount of twisting or banging was getting them further up the (also rusted) triple clamps....first lesson, eliminate all rust pronto!!

For my future reference, 335mm is the perfect height for the new shocks, and the rear of the frame measures 1" diameter and almost exactly 8" from centre-to centre.

I also chopped the rear in preparation for the loop which I will arrive in the next couple of weeks hopefully. I rested the old seat on to give an idea as to what the riding position might feel like. My next decision will be which bars to go for..I think clubman's will be too low for the stock peg locations (and I cant move them until I get it licensed), so I'm thinking about low rise superbike bars instead.

My next items to see to are:

-Get the mounting kit for the tank so finalise it's position
-Make a seat pan using the base of the tank as a guide.
-Sort out the new suspension.
- Fit new frame loop when it arrives.
- Fix the rust on the fork tubes, and lower as (if) required.
- Completely disassemble and prep parts for powder coating.

So here are the pics from today:





 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Grabbed a few hours yesterday morning to detab the frame..it was my first time using an angle grinder but I'm pretty happy with the finish all things considered! I used a 125mm grinding disc to grind the tabs off and get them close to flush, then finished it off with a sandpaper flap disc to smooth it all out. While I was at it I took off some of the worst patches of surface rust as it will be a few weeks before I can afford to get it powder coated. I guess I am past the point of no return now!! :D

Hopefully I can get a few hours on Sunday morning to pull the swingarm off and triple trees off, after that I'll start to gather together the other parts I need powder coating (wheels, brake calipers etc). Then I can get the frame loop welded on (My gf's father is a master welder) and then I get send all the parts off for to the powder coater.







 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Must be nice having a "Master Welder" available! I'm taking a MIG Welding class at a local shop. The awesome part is that I can use their shop during "practice hours" to work on my build! It's about 130 bucks but it's worth it if you ask me. Subscribed. Keep it up!
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Thanks! Yeah welding is something I've been really keen to learn, but at this stage I'm just getting used to basic power tools and can't afford to invest in welders or lessons. Hopefully he'll be willing to show me a few things and maybe I'll be able to fabricate the battery tray myself!

Very much trying to go for the "Built not bought" philosophy as much as I can. :)
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

Well it was a public holiday here in WA yesterday (that's Western Australia - Not Washington for the American readers ;) ) so I got a few more hours on the bike, finished the last of the detabbing and pulled the swingarm, and front suspension. Didn't have a tool for the castle nut on the triple tree so will have to order one of those and then I can finish stripping the frame of all bearings in preparation for powder coating.

Need to come up with a colour scheme soon I guess!

Went over the final gear assembly with a wire brush and cordless drill, came out ok for a 5 min attempt. Will continue this when I figure out how to get the driveshaft spline out of the wingarm!!



The stubborn driveshaft spline...somehow need to pull this off without damaging the teeth..


30 year old swingarm goop


Everything's in pieces!
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

nice! You're already further than I am. I'm curious to see what kind of color your going to choose for your frame. I haven't done the cutting of my frame yet...not sure if I need to cut closer to the shocks or farther away...especially since I'll be taking my GF around town sometimes.
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

I cut further so I could always trim back once I get the frame loop. Either way it won't make much difference as most loops have fairly long straight sections. No way of getting my partner on the back of this one so I'll keep mine fairly short without looking too "stumpy".

This is going to be a brat style, so I'm toying with either regular semi-gloss black, or a dark charcoal grey. I want to powder coat the whole engine black though (with polished stainless bolts and polished head fins) so I think a black frame, black wheels and black engine might be a bit too much..

Do you have a build thread? If not why not?? ;)
 
Re: Ryan's XS750 Brat Build

I love seeing another triple. Powdercoating is generally not recommended on an aircooled engine because it acts like an insulator, trapping heat in. Sand blasting also runs the risk of getting sand in the oil channels. I would suggest powder coating the side covers and possibly the cam cover, then use engine paint on the cases and barrels.
 
Re: An idiot trying to learn

ManxieRacer said:
I cut further so I could always trim back once I get the frame loop. Either way it won't make much difference as most loops have fairly long straight sections. No way of getting my partner on the back of this one so I'll keep mine fairly short without looking too "stumpy".

This is going to be a brat style, so I'm toying with either regular semi-gloss black, or a dark charcoal grey. I want to powder coat the whole engine black though (with polished stainless bolts and polished head fins) so I think a black frame, black wheels and black engine might be a bit too much..

Do you have a build thread? If not why not?? ;)

I've been lurking the forums and this site for a while...I guess I should start a thread since I'm still working on it. I'll take some pictures this weekend and start one. Keep an eye open for my CB750!

CHeers!
 
Re: Re: Ryan's XS750 Brat Build

Beldrueger said:
I love seeing another triple. Powdercoating is generally not recommended on an aircooled engine because it acts like an insulator, trapping heat in. Sand blasting also runs the risk of getting sand in the oil channels. I would suggest powder coating the side covers and possibly the cam cover, then use engine paint on the cases and barrels.

Thanks for the tips, I had heard about the issues with sandblasting engines so I was either going to sodablast or use a glass bead type medium if possible. Definitely planning to sandblast the frame though.

I did hear some concerns about powder coating the heads but the consensus was that so long as it wasn't too thick, and the edges of the fins polished it would be ok...I'll have a rethink on that one..thanks!
 
Re: Ryan's XS750 Brat Build

I've heard the same thing about the powder coating from someone that does professional powder coating as well. Yet I see so many people that powder coat their engines. Maybe they just lightly spray on a thin layer then polish the edges of the fins like ManxieRacer said. I dunno.
 
Re: Ryan's XS750 Brat Build

Yeah not sure on that one either...I have a good couple of months to decide on that though, funds are dwindling at the moment so I'm stuck to the cheaper parts of the build for the time being. It wouldn't be any hassle to spray the heads myself if it came to it, I just want to make sure that it doesn't flake off after a season!

Need to try and source a gasket kit cam chain and a few other bits n' bobs too. I'm very seriously considering going kick-start only so I'll look some more into that too.
 
Re: Ryan's XS750 Brat Build

Some funds finally arrived in my bank account so that very day I ordered an engine gasket kit, stainless steel engine bolt kit, frame loop, oil filter and new cam chain.

Whilst they arrive I will continue the frame teardown and get all the parts ready for powder, mostly just bearings to wrestle with.

Big decision time though... Boring Black, or some kind of metallic charcoal/dark grey...
 
Back
Top Bottom