78 xs750 special build

[Mr.Wilde]

hey guys. fairly new to this site and this is my first post. i picked up a 78 xs750 special 2 months ago for $150. its a barn find, not running, been sitting for 10 years. its in alright shape, not to much pitting. got enough parts with it to build another bike. 2D seat and tank, front end, rear end, engine, carbs, petcocks, pipes, and a bunch of stuff i haven't even gone through yet. has a 79 engine in it, that has had the 2nd gear issue dealt with. haven't quite desided what to do with it yet. i'm thinking a cross between a cafe and a bobber, but time will tell. right now i'm just focusing on getting it running before i spend to much money on it. so it will be a bit ratty the first time around the block. got the carbs ultrasonic cleaned, new kits, pod filters, tank sealed up, petcocks modded from vaccum to manual, but am waiting on 3 over priced floats to arrive in the mail. so in the mean time, i'v rebuild the breaks, cleaned up the pipes, and have sorted out the few wirering problems. this is my first project bike and i'm loving learning while getting my hands dirty.

 

[AzHonda]

Nice! I just picked up a 79 XS 750 myself. Look forward to seeing the build you have going.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

right on. do you have a thread yet? would be nice to see some pictures and text of your progress too.

 

[AzHonda]

No thread yet. I am just finishing up my CB360 and then will be starting my XL250 and probably mess with the Xs750 on the side.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

well the floats came sooner then expected, so i blew off my friend and spent the night working in the garage. going to be painting the tank and side panels rattle can white, and getting a small hole on the exhuaste welded this week.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

put the pipes on just for a few snap shots. but need to get a crack on the equalizer pipe insert welded. hopefully this weekend.working with what i got and making it work.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

well, not much to report. my brother bough himself a BMW GSA and has evicted me off the lift. the family garage is getting a bit cramped. things have been slow on the build but fast paced everywhere else. gave my pipes to my crazy neighbor, who runs his own welding shop, 12 days ago. i'm impatiently waiting for them......., beer is a good price though.the pipes are the only thing thats keeping me from kicking this thing over for the first time. i put the last coat of paint on the gas tank and side pannels. the pear is looking mighty fine. other then that, i have just been cleanin, tinkering, sourcing parts, and toying with "budget" mod ideas.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

well, i'm just waiting for the clear coat to cure. the paint went on so goopy , has that orange peel finish. but i put on a think clear coat to work with. just waiting for it to fully cure, before taking some 2000 paper to it. i should be able to knock off the high parts, then buff it up for a nice smooth finish.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

finally got my pipes back this weekend. slapped them on and fired her up. first time in 10 years. nice big cloud of rust dust. idling a bit high and rough. after it warmed up, i played with the carbs alittle and is sounding way better. not perfect though. they are pretty quiet, but i guess its to be expected from stock pipes. i'll be putting on a 3-1 header down the road, so i'm just excited to hear it run. tested the gears, all seem fine. getting new rubber latter this week. i'll be ripping the wheels off and cleaning them up. should be test riding it next week sometime.

 

[dyerdown]

Are you going to be using a MAC 3-1 system? And any chance on a video?

 

[Mr.Wilde]

You know what, I'm not sure what the 3-1 header is I have. The first photo of the bike has the rusted out header in it. Need to patch a hole on the bottom, wrap it with heat tape and find fit a slipon muffler. I'll get some photos this week. Need to head out to the family farm were all my parts are.

Got new rubber and have tested them up and down the driveway. Pretty sure I need to adjust the valves and tighten the chain. Haven't had much time to wrench lately, due to school, gf, money maken, and the band. But haven't given up hope. Iv learned that making deadlines for a build it's wise. Best not to have any so I don't get dissapointed haha.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

well, haven't had lots of time to work on the bike. but i'v had a couple of late nights and work on some things. cracked open the valve head cover and adjusted the shims, still waiting for a gasket. gave the tac a good cleaning, and finished up the gas tank. once the valve head gasket gets in, all i have to do is tune the carbs, and thoretically it should be road worthy.

was out at the family farm resently, doing some yard work. its where i stash my parts. in an old milk house. tons of shit. thats the tank, seat, and header i will be putting on sometime soon. maybe lower the seat a little. i'm pretty sure theres still life to be had from the header. you can patch those holes? right? paint them, and/or wrap them after.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

pipes

 

[Cloyd]

Whats up with the blue and silver 750 tank? wanna sell it? I need one....

 

[Mr.Wilde]

i'm going to be fixing the dents and cleaning the rust out of it this summer. The special tank was my practice round. It's not going to be on for long. I'm putting the standard (blue and silver) tank on, with a different seat and the 3-1 headers on the bike soon. Sorry cloyd. I really want to track down a uk one.

 

[teabowl13]

That header looks pretty gnarly, but who knows? it might be useful. Be sure to check it for thin spots in the metal, not just the holes. As long as you're not expecting them to be pretty, they might just work; al least for a while. Wrapping them will certainly cover their ugliness with a whole new layer of intentional ugliness!!

 

[Mr.Wilde]

Ya, iv jabbed at it with a flat head. Seem to be alright... Besides the holes and rust and "ugliness". I happen to like the look of wrapped pipes. But to each their own.

 

[Mr.Wilde]

well just my luck, 3 days before my planned first weekend out i snaped a rear shock stud off the frame. i blame the torque wrench and old fatigued metal hahaha. but whatever. it's fixed now.

phase one complete. it's road worthy for sure. but isn't finied yet. the summer months will bring on some more changes. standard tank, modified standard seat, clubmans, bar end mirrors, new turn signals, different exhaust, and a few other things.

 

[dyerdown]

lookin' good sir!

 

[Mr.Wilde]

lookin' good sir!

Thanks man. Yours is coming along nicely aswell! Still a little more cruzer then I would like. But I really wanted to have it on the road. It's a riding project. Iv already started to dig into the standard tank and I'm eyeing up some custom mods.