1977 XS750 to XS885D - For sale for real this time

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750D to XS885D - Down to the wiring

Thanks. It's a K&L Metric Engine stand. It was perfect for the engine rebuild.

The bike is still in progress. I dropped it off with a pro to finish the wiring and I'm supposed to have it back in 2 weeks. It's been a long haul. Attached is a pic of a first draft of the wiring diagram.

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750D to XS885D - It's Alive

Matt at howtomotorcyclerepair.com has been doing the wiring work on the bike and fired her up for the first time last night. I can't tell you how gratifying it is to hear it turn over for the first time after two+ years of work. Awesome work Matt!

http://www.howtomotorcyclerepair.com/77-xs750-first-start-up/

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS885D - 2.5 Years of Perseverance - DONE - With Pics!

I picked up the bike from Matt at howtomotorcyclerepair this morning. He finished up the wiring, tuned the carbs, and tied up the last few loose ends. I've been working on this bike since November 2010, so nothing felt better than riding it back the 14 miles back from Mt Prospect to Evanston. There is a list of things I'd like to tweak, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy her. I've had a lot of help along the way. Thanks to Matt B, Matt J, Todd P, Clay S, and Colby F for lending a hand or a welder when I needed it most.

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

After taking the bike home, it died on the next ride, then would not start. We bought a house in July, so it took me all summer to finally get the bike sorted. It needed two fixes, a new ignition control unit, and a wiring fix. The M-Unit originally had the battery routed through it directly. It had a small draw and was draining the small racing battery in a day. It is now rerouted through a beefier ignition switch, so that there is no micro-draw. Originally I had a cheap Emgo switch, but it now has a beefier and higher quality Lowbrow Customs ignition.

With those two fixes, the bike is finally running reliably. It can be a bitch to start though. It's kickstart only, but I think I've finally gotten a technique down. Even so, the pain of getting it started discourages casual riding. I only put about 100 miles on this summer, and now the winter is coming.

For the winter, I've only got one goal: put the electric start back in. This will mean fabricating a new battery box, rebuilding the starter and starter clutch, and wiring the starter. I'll post my progress.

For the winter

 

[98kellrs]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Only just read through your build thread just now, you sir have built a beautiful machine. I love the attention to detail, and I also like how you've gone down the exact colour schemes I was hoping to do..and it looks fantastic!

One question I did have though, when you did the engine rebuild did you replace all the crank bearings? I'm about to start my rebuild next week and was planning on just doing the head (already reconditioned by PO, and the head gaskets along with the usual checks of valve clearances etc.

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

I did. I went hogwild on the engine. Some of the parts were pretty hard to track down, but I replaced all wear items. I have several extra bearings, as I had to order a few different sets to get the clearances right. I have a thread on the triples site with more details. Here is a rundown of the work I did on the engine:

- Completely stripped it down to the last nut and bolt
- Rebuilt the head
- Replaced all bearings, including ball bearings. Plastigauged crank and rod bearings to ensure proper clearance
- Replaced all seals
- Replaced all Circlips
- New Wiseco pistons
- Bored out the cylinders to accept Wiseco XS1100 pistons
- Replaced the oil view window
- Replaced the primary chain
- Replaced the cam chain
- Sent the transmission to Fast By Gast for undercutting
- Stainless bolts on the outer covers
- Painted the cases and jugs with VHT engine paint
- Powdercoated all outer covers and the cam cover gloss black
- Installed a Pro-One oil cooler and Lockhart cooler plate
- Replaced clutch

... I'm sure I'm missing many details. I spent a couple of hours a week over 8 months slowly rebuilding the engine, but it runs great and doesn't leak a drop.

 

[burnicarus]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Fucking gorgeous man. You're killing it

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Winter isn't here yet. Today was beautiful. Hopefully I can get a few more rides in before the long winter.

 

[Zookrocker]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Ooo-la-la

 

[98kellrs]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Agreed, enjoy the riding while you can! The more ride time the more idea's you'll have for improvements over winter! Have you got any videos of it running with that 3-1 exhaust?

I really like your polished middle gear, really pops out nicely and breaks up the black of the engine/swingarm.

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

I got in another ride today, but filled her up and added fuel stabilizer at the end of ther ride.

ManxieRacer - Below two videos of her running, right after startup and at the end of the ride. I realize now that I should have given it a little more throttle, the videos don't show off the sound too well:

http://youtu.be/VqxRpbAhrCQ
http://youtu.be/iVd-rKlblnU

 

[Moto Noob]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

wow, just wow... well at least now i know where to come for any questions with my xs750, amazing job

 

[Mapster]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Very nice job! Could you possibly give some measurements of the seat, especially the overall length and the thickness? I'm converting my triple to something similar, but can't seem to get the proportions right. Thanks!

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Very nice job! Could you possibly give some measurements of the seat, especially the overall length and the thickness? I'm converting my triple to something similar, but can't seem to get the proportions right. Thanks!

Sorry for the slow response. The bike is in winter hibernation. Below are some pics. There is a slight taper all the way around, so keep that in mind. The top width maxes at about 8 inches, but the bottom is slightly wider.

Padding depth: 1.5 inches
Maximum width: 8 inches
Total length: 21.5 inches
Top of pad length: 20.75 inches (tapered)

 

[Mapster]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - The Northern Winter

Sorry for the slow response. The bike is in winter hibernation. Below are some pics. There is a slight taper all the way around, so keep that in mind. The top width maxes at about 8 inches, but the bottom is slightly wider.

Padding depth: 1.5 inches
Maximum width: 8 inches
Total length: 21.5 inches
Top of pad length: 20.75 inches (tapered)

No problem, things are going slow here as well, too cold in the shed

Thanks a lot for the measurements, this will help me a lot. If mine turns out
half as good as yours, I'll be very happy!

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - What's it worth? Looking to sell.

I accepted an offer for a job out in Seattle, and given how much I have to worry about before the move, I'm debating selling the bike. I have no idea what a reasonable price for it is. I probably have >$5k in it at this point, but I don't know if I can get that out. Thoughts?

 

[Moto Noob]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - What's it worth? Looking to sell.

I would easily pay $5,000 for that bike... if I had $5,000 I wouldn't even be writing this, I would be on my way to your place pulling a trailer.

 

[Frankenfries]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - What's it worth? Looking to sell.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I started it up today for the first time since fall. I didn't have the time to actually ride it, as I was on kid duty, but just hearing it fire up and idling made me second guess whether or not I could bring myself to sell it.

 

[Moto Noob]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - What's it worth? Looking to sell.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I started it up today for the first time since fall. I didn't have the time to actually ride it, as I was on kid duty, but just hearing it fire up and idling made me second guess whether or not I could bring myself to sell it.

I am so close to cranking up my xs750... i can't wait. But yea, your attention to detail is insane. I would definitely hold onto it until someone offered an outrageous offer... definitely would not just settle and hand it off.

 

[midnightcafe]

Re: 1977 XS750 to XS885D - What's it worth? Looking to sell.

Maybe I'm the only one here to offer a dissenting opinion, but I've seen friends part with their beloved projects for much less than what they put into them. It's sad, but understandably that's how it goes most of the time. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to shell out decent money for a modified Yamaha XS750 since-let's face it, they're not a popular or rare bike. I've got $2 grand in my Suzuki GS750L resto-mod, and if I were to sell it, I might get half that the way it sits. But I knew this in the beginning and had a fun time putting it together, as I'm sure you did too.

If you are serious about selling, eBay is your friend. Maybe you'll find an XS750 nut like all of us on this thread willing to write the check but for the general masses on Craigslist, you'll get a lot of lowball offers (ask me how I know!). If I were you, I'd hold onto it. She means more than just a dollar figure to you. It sounds like you're only selling it to help ease your move to another location, and you don't have your back against the wall. Take her out for a spin and you'll change your mind!