Roustabout
Been Around the Block
I picked up a couple of XS650's in March for a project I could ride two-up on. I made a seat pan and sent it out to get upholstered in white (going to try something different 
). I'm using 39mm Showa forks from a Sportster. I used the triple tree from an FZ750 to get a wider fork spacing. The XS steering column is so long that with the sportster forks and the FZ trees, the forks would hit the bottom triple clamp before bottoming - not something I want happening while hot in a corner. To get the front lowered enough and maintaining some fork travel I pressed the steering stem out of the lower triple clamp and flipped it upside down. Went with Red Wing shocks like what I have on the cafe bike but 1/2" shorter than stock. I took the frame and wheels into work and shot them with epoxy paint. Up front there is an FZR1000 disc and FZR600 caliper to get the rig stopped with two people on it. I'm going to fit-up and FZR caliper on rear. For a slightly relaxed riding position, I'm using a stock '77 tank and clip-ons with a 1" rise. The previous owner was trying to make a street tracker out of the bike and had cut off the passenger pegs so I had to fab up a new set of brackets.
Before... sort of
Mocked up with a 17" Yamaha mag on the front.... I ended up going with the stock 19" rim because it looked better with the forks and I couldn't get the classic tire I wanted in a 17".
). I'm using 39mm Showa forks from a Sportster. I used the triple tree from an FZ750 to get a wider fork spacing. The XS steering column is so long that with the sportster forks and the FZ trees, the forks would hit the bottom triple clamp before bottoming - not something I want happening while hot in a corner. To get the front lowered enough and maintaining some fork travel I pressed the steering stem out of the lower triple clamp and flipped it upside down. Went with Red Wing shocks like what I have on the cafe bike but 1/2" shorter than stock. I took the frame and wheels into work and shot them with epoxy paint. Up front there is an FZR1000 disc and FZR600 caliper to get the rig stopped with two people on it. I'm going to fit-up and FZR caliper on rear. For a slightly relaxed riding position, I'm using a stock '77 tank and clip-ons with a 1" rise. The previous owner was trying to make a street tracker out of the bike and had cut off the passenger pegs so I had to fab up a new set of brackets. Before... sort of
Mocked up with a 17" Yamaha mag on the front.... I ended up going with the stock 19" rim because it looked better with the forks and I couldn't get the classic tire I wanted in a 17".
