TX500 build

Need any parts? I basically have another XS500 minus the frame. The frame and engine look identical from what I can see in your pics.
 
sweet color scheme, I like that youre keeping the side covers too... so are those black air fents just for looks?? looked to be solid plastic in the paint pics.
 
- Darmstro: YES I NEED PARTS!!! whoever my buddy pissed off before i got the bike from him took a baseball bat to the pike... i need a new speedo set up, levers, throttle side bar controls... and mufflers... I was planning on using my stock harley mufflers though and making some brackets to hang them... if you have anything for this sucker that would BE AWESOME!!!!!

- Mate: Ya i like the covers... in all honesty i dont want to tear this sucker down to the frame, i just want to ride it... i have 2 other builds going on right now... the black on them is solid plastic, i am going to air brush that section black and then put some polished screens in there for the look... i was going to actually cut that out once i figure out how i will run my air cleaner... thanks guys!

As far as shooting the rims and spokes, not the hubs and nipples... I can do the nipples but i am not going to tear the wheels down for powder on this one... i am going to shoot them with an epoxy paint... super tuff and will hold up to anything that the road thows at them... so i have to do the spokes the same color as the hubs... (just way to much taping if I dont)
keep the ideas coming guys!!! thanks!
 
JRK5892 said:
... i am going to shoot them with an epoxy paint... super tuff and will hold up to anything that the road thows at them... so i have to do the spokes the same color as the hubs... (just way to much taping if I dont)
keep the ideas coming guys!!! thanks!

Appliance epoxy rattle can paint is the best! I use it all the time too...
It will even hold up to spilled gas if cleaned up quickly enough...
 
ok... so got alot done tonight... after 3 FAILED attempts at molding a seat... I stopped trying to learn how to do it and i just tried it as if i was making a sub enclosure... made the pan out of plywood, ran tubes on the sides of the plywood to allow for a smooth roll in the seat after it is formed to wrap the frame (idealy... i also covered it all in masking tape so i can save the mold in case it works out well)... covered the seat in STUFF (expandable foam)... from here used a clay cutting tool, sanding block, file, and hack saw... just cut it out... got the shape i wanted... wrapped it up in foil, and masking tape again... tomorrow i will go get some fleece and pull that around it.. then just fiberglass it all in...
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since i did not have any fleece to keep going on that... i fixed some of the shat body work i did the first time.. got that true and strait on the tank... wet sanded EVERYTHING... PERFECT no imperfections at all... when it warms up a bit tomorrow the tins/plastics... will all get another coat of epoxy white... this way next weekend i can lay out the paint sceme, shoot it, and clear it all up... tomorrow got a few buddies coming over to give me a hand and i will finally get my shop together!!! working in this cluster is a pain in the ass! once that is done i will lift the bike up and get rolling on the wheels and polish... just a few crap camera phone pics... ya i know it is halloween... i really want to ride this sucker before the salt gets laid down on the roads out here

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Nice ride man - I'm sure the seat will turn out great. The rest of it has so far - keepit up and keep the pictures coming!

Way to go with a big you dont see everyday ;)

Byrd
 
well as i said i was making this like i was doing a sub enclosure... today i streatched fleace across the mold after i layed down foil... this will give you smooth lines to start with...
used tape on the corners to pull it tight then make some rubber band straps to puill the fleece real tight, simply cut up a hanger, and grabbed a few of the girls hair ties... works great
after i got the fleece good and soaked wiht glass i layed down the pre cut portions i layed out earlier... let that dry.. 2 hours later put on another coat... now i will just let htat dry and cut it out to the shape i need.. glass fill and light weight bondo... then prime and paint... going well.. should have the bike up on the lift later tongiht so i can pull the forks as well as the wheels
pics...

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foil:
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Band straps
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band straps in use
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Pre cut:
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1st layer:
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2nd layer:
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girls costume last night:
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was bored so while it was drying played wiht a air brush i just got:
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I've build a pile of sub enclosures like that, works quite well, don't know why it wouldn't be awesome for a seat base too.

Nice looking girl too...
 
still got to trim the excess but not to bad!
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tonight i busted my ass to get my garage/shop in order... still a long way to go but at least it is not such a cluster fu_ _ any more... did not get the lifts for the bikes over yet either.... one step at a time
BEFORE:
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WORK IN PROGRESS:
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ok so i got the rought cut done... still needs to be finalized and remeasured then get the final cut and sand... before i went any further i wanted to ask some help... what is the next step to get this rough finish to look like a smooth cafe seat? looking for some help.. on sub boxes this is the part where i jsut sand down high spots and wrap in leather... that is not the plan for this one... i need some help!?
how do i take it from here... i think i would sand down a bit with some 400 grit... then use fiberglass bondo filler... once that is smooth, get some light weight bondo to fill in any pin holes... then prime and shoot? am i missing anything.. any pointers?
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well i got a bit more done again tonight... I was finally able to get the bike up on the lift...
first i knew i was not going to put duel rotors on the front so there is no point in keeping the mounts for it... cut them off... ground that down, then polished the slider... shortly after that i polished the other slider as well... Now that that was done i did a bit of 80 grit sanding on the cafe seat... then i decided it was time to paint... i have been preping the body work all week long so i shot the last coat of racing white (with epoxy paint)... after that drys in a week i will lay out the design and shoot the red...
I also did a few small things the front end while i tore it down like:
put in new wheel bearings, trued the wheel, replaced the front brake pads, lubed the speedo cable
well here are the pics

Mount tab cut 1 of 2:
(before) hit it with the wire wheel so i could get the saws all to bite strait and clean with the cut)
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Ground down: (i run a wood doll rod thought he axel holes cause it will allow me to hold the forks in place iwht my knees but also allow me to move it back and forth if i need to)
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polished up side that had tabs cut off:
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Polished other side (pics do not do it justice):
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Gas tank (had two huge dents one on eihter side and a big dent in the front of the tank as well):
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side covers and headlight bucket:
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new wheel bearings:
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This is coming along nicely; I was NOT expecting you to perform surgery on the fork leg! The wart removal was clearly a success; the fork leg looks like it came from the factory that way. Your broomstick / dowel trick is one I'm going to remember...

Just an FYI, in response to an earlier question you had; you can use a tube of "spot putty" to fill in any minor imperfections on your 'glass work, you don't need to mix any more Bondo. Spot putty (you've seen it on the shelves in the auto parts stores; it comes in a tube similar to toothpaste) is used to fill pinholes and other divots, which allows you to avoid wrestling with the Bondo during finish work. Just apply a small amount where needed, then use a single-edge razor blade to remove the excess, similar to the way you'd use a squeegee when cleaning a windshield. Let it dry, then wet-sand it to get everything smooth and level, and you'll be ready for paint.

Of course, you use the spot putty the same way on the tank and sidecovers; best of all, NO MIXING REQUIRED! Just apply it and treat it like Bondo... Keep punching man, I'm really enjoying this build...
 
Hey man, nice to know that I've contributed some helpful advice to your project...

Forgot to mention, spot putty is also generically known as "glazing compound", just so you'll know what you're looking for when you get to the store. In fact, it might even be sold under other names, so if you can't find it right away, ask the sales staff, and they'll point you in the right direction. There might even be a similar product sold specifically for use with fiberglass, so keep your eyes peeled while shopping. If you live near a boatyard or ship's chandlery, you'll probably find a whole lot of stuff to help you get great results with fiberglass; a chandler's shop would have just about everything you'd need to build a 'glass boat from scratch... and don't overlook any shop that repairs surfboards; you just never know what you'll find available that could help you.

Swing for the fences man; like a lot of our DTT brethren, I'm following both of your threads...
 
GREAT IDEA AGAIN!!! I have a boaters world right up the street that would have what i need i am sure! i have used glazing puddy before had to redo the whole tank... had all these big ol dents in it
 
ok... so tonights mission was the front wheel... i was able to wash it real well wiht simple green, then i hit the whole wheel with a wire wheel (ultra fine) then i sanded it all with 400 grit... from here i wrapped that sucker up in tape, taped each nipple cause after i cleaned it i realized that it has BRASS NIPPLES ON IT!!!!! after i got it all taped up i then wiped it down with alchole... then painted it wiht black epoxy paint... will have to wait till tomorrow to unwrap it to see what i got!
i was able to polish out all the chrome on the outer rim! came out SICK!!!!
here are the pics!:

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OK, could you explain why you had to tape off the brass nipples? Is it because you want people to be able to see the brass color? Or is it because the paint won't stick to brass? Or is there some other reason I'm not aware of? I don't understand why you didn't paint the nipples... BTW, the wheel looks GREAT; I sure wish some of you talented guys lived in my neighborhood, or at least, within a reasonable riding / driving distance...

Please tell me which brand and type of paint you're using; I THINK you're using Dupli-Color appliance paint in a spray bomb, but please correct me if I'm wrong...
 
I really only trust one rattle can for wheels and forks and frames... Rustoleum Epoxy appliance paint... it ROCKS!!! crazy tuff stuff but a bit tricky to work with... i wrapped the nipples because getting a clean line around the bottom of the nipple on the rim would have been IMPOSSIBLE!!! i was able to do a clean line at the top of the nipple... the paint will stick to brass as long as the prep is done right (sanded and cleaned) i do not use primers with this paint... it works better without it, when you use a primer with it for some reason it never REALLY hardens right... i do prime tanks and tins when i use it but that is mostly for body work to make sure the lines are smooth... then i will give 2 coats of the epoxy (with AT LEAST a week between coats) only reason i did not toss this stuff in the oven and powder it is i just do not want to tear down the wheel and lace and true it... not this one... i will prob powder a few things tongiht... we will see how it goes... just got a bunch of new powders in today that do not require media blasting they will etch to what ever you shoot htem on... GREAT for cheap frame jobs (my media blaster BARELY fits a rim) so on cheap frames i can not just hit it wiht this and it will be tuff as nails! had a buddy try it on his quad frame and it looks awesome!
anyway... got up this morning and unwrapped my little present (very carefully as the paint has not cured) realized tht i must have been just really tired last night cause the nipples are just metal NO BRASS, but have a cool weather to them so i like the contrast beween the fresh black and BLING of the rim...
in a week i will REALLY polish up the chrome i just want to let the paint set up strong
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Thanks for the explanation about the spoke nipples; I'm going to use the same Rustoleum paint for a gas tank, because I think it will be more gas-resistant than other paints. If you have a different suggestion, I'm willing to listen. Since I have to use spray-bombs to do the painting, I will use a Rustoleum primer before I spray the epoxy / appliance paint. If that causes problems, I'll just wet-sand it down and spray it again... I don't have any money, but I seem to have plenty of time...

FWIW, I really like the way the wheel turned out; though I'm not a big fan of chrome rims, there are times when they are more appropriate than alloys, and I think that this build will look pretty damn good with chrome wheels...
 
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