Wrapping up the XS transformation

[retaRD]

I've seen these and considered getting one.

 

[Roustabout]

I finally got the damned throttle action to work properly. Turns out the brass coupling in the cable splitter box was either poorly designed or poorly manufactured. The socket for the single cable end from the throttle was not centered causing the coupling to rock and bind in the splitter tube - thanks Motion Pro I modified things so now I can feather the throttle in the twisties . I took off the front wheel last night to get it trued up better(I noticed some vibration in the front end at certain speeds). The engine was making a little too much tickety-tappety noise so I adjusted the valve clearance and cam chain tensioner. That quieted things up nicely. I went out for a 4 hour tour to hit as many good riding roads as I could reach. County road 15 through Speyside south of Acton ( excellent curves!), Glen Williams to Terra Cotta, Forks of the Credit, Hockley Valley & Mono Mills area and up to Primrose on hwy 89 for Lunch. The bike ran great and nothing vibrated loose - except maybe a couple of my fillings :. I have discovered a few riding positions that help reduce fatigue on the highway. My body and the bike seem happiest at about 70mph crouched with my elbows leaning on my knees.

Speyside: Had to keep a heads up for packs of cyclists

Glen Williams - Credit River:

 

[Roustabout]

XS transformation - DEVOlution

My alloy tank developed a serious crack @ the steering stem area . Not enough vibration isolation. Unfortunately I lined the tank with a phenolic resin tank sealer because of all the weld repairs I had done and until I can get that crap out of the tank, I can't do a proper weld repair. That stuff is bullet-proof. I've tested Acetone and in the process of testing paint stripper. If I can't fix it I'll cut the belly out making a dummy tank that will give me a spot to hide the battery and electrics. I've also ordered a Reed Titan tank from Airtech but in the meantime I need to RIDE so I dug out the stock tank . It was pretty rough with no petcocks or cap so I made a couple of adapters to allow the use of my british style petcocks. I also monkeyed up my monza cap to work the tank and voila - vintage whip to rat bike in 2hrs . Oh .... I put some gaiters on the forks. I'm just waiting for the black primer to dry and I'm good to go

 

[xs650]

I milled out a set of petcock adapters like that,and had a bitch of a time sealing them with a flat gasket.
finally got them to stop dripping,and bought a pair of brit valves with reserve that look just like the one in your pic.
i even went sofar as tomill in some fins for show,and then realized they tucked up under the tank lip! oh wellthey work.......

 

[Roustabout]

I milled out a set of petcock adapters like that,and had a bitch of a time sealing them with a flat gasket.

I used Permatex form-a-gasket, the brown stuff that is gas resistant. I was going to use a cork gasket but ended up using just the goop. Put plenty in the mounting hole threads - no leaks so far. I was tidying up the garage tonight and I happened across 2 rebuilt XS petcocks :. I also found a brand-new 14 000 rpm Daytona electronic tach

 

[Roustabout]

When I originally received my clip ons, they were missing a bar. I had used some aluminum tube I had kicking but the wall was quite a bit thinner than what I would be comfortable with on a bike that vibrates like the XS....... so I used it on the clutch side - my logic being that if it did break I could still use my right hand to brake. After 1200 miles I decided to finally swap it out with the proper bar while I was installing my new throttle assembly and grand tourismo style grips. I was hoping to reduce some of the vibration being transfered to my hands. I decided to take the old girl out for good thrashing on the country roads to see how the grips worked. I was having a ball on one of my favourite twisty sections of side road 15 in the Milton area, when over a rise came a biker waving frantically at me pointing to the ground. I figured there was a cop up ahead so I slowed quickly - good thing - the road turned suddenly from pavement to thick freshly laid GRAVEL . There were no signs whatsoever and at that time of day you couldn't even tell that it was gravel No sweat, all those years of riding motocross paid off. I don't know how much of the road was torn up, but I got fed up after about 5km and turned off. That means there is going to be a beautiful section of twisties with fresh pavement ;D
by the way... the grips worked well - they cut down on vibration and I find the larger diameter more comfortable.

 

[Roustabout]

Re: Revisiting the XS transformation

I finally got around to repairing the alloy tank. I had left the tank full of paint stripper for a couple of weeks and that totally cleaned out the lining material. I really dislike welding aluminum tanks - I have to hold my breath and hope that it doesn't end up a puddle on my feet. In hindsight I should have just painted the tank flat black All the work to get that glass like finish has to be done over again I Picked up several motors last week and gave them a bit of a shot of rim cleaner and a hose down today. The one which was a runner turned out near pristine The cases looked like new. I ordered all the crank bits I need for the re-phase so I'll be pulling some cranks out of motors this weekend. I'm debating on whether to do all of the crank press/weld work myself or getting someone to do it. If I do it myself I'll have to make up some jigs for the press. Does anyone know of a reputable outfit that does crank work in south western Ontario/GTA(I am a picky son of a bitch who verifies everything)?

 

[Roustabout]

Re: Revisiting the XS transformation

I received my fiberglass tank - Yeah baby - crash and burn! It's a rainy day so I figured I'd mock up the mounting and compare it to my old tank. It mounts like a norton tank with 2 dampers on the bottom at the front of the tank. I'll make a mounting bracket that bolts to the coil mounting points. I took some pictures for comparison. Which one looks better? Any opinions?

Old:

new:

old:

new: Check out the arm cutouts. Perfect if you have forearms like Popeye

 

[tobiism]

The bike looks great, I'm pretty impressed!
As far as tearing the cranks down, you could always use A big ass bolt and nut Placed between the crank cheeks 180degrees apart from each other. Crank the nut out on each bolt on each side and press the crank apart that way. Bob Bertaut showed that method on one of his webpages.

 

[philos1]

Seems like the bottom edge of the aluminum tank matches the seat better, but they both look fine to me.


Outstanding build BTW.

cheers.

 

[xs650joe]

I agree they both look nice. Let me know what you want for the one you decide NOT to use.

joe

 

[Speed2XS]

I agree they both look nice. Let me know what you want for the one you decide NOT to use.

joe

I like the black tank better, but only because it looks more original I guess. But both are awsome.

 

[Gordon]

Firstly, both tanks look good. But I vote for the black.

The black one seems more lower and has less clearance with the engine, which is why it looks better.
The white one is too wide near the seat, and seems out of place. Other than that, its shape is much cooler.

 

[coolatula]

I like the looks/shape of the black tank more than the white. The white tank looks more like a Moto Guzzi style tank,too..squarish...(and yes that's a REAL word). ;D

 

[Roustabout]

Thanks for the input guys. There's a lot of experimentation involved with tanks - it's tough to find a selection of race tanks(other than flat track) for an XS - you just got to buy something that looks right based on the seller's specs and hope it fits properly. Both of these tanks are intended for Brit bikes that have slightly different frame spine heights than the XS. Pretty much anything looks better than the stock teardrop style tank I do like the curves on the white tank, but I'll paint up both and see what happens.

 

[Speed2XS]

Pretty much anything looks better than the stock teardrop style tank I do like the curves on the white tank, but I'll paint up both and see what happens.

I wish I had your problems

Either will look great, I'm just looking forward to seeing the final product.

 

[Gordon]

Why don't you just keep both of them. Change them every alternate week or probably every alternate month That'd be cool!

 

[xs650]

I think they both look like crap,and should be sent to my address for disposal ;D

 

[Drewski]

I think they both look like crap,and should be sent to my address for disposal ;D

Ha, ha! Good one!! ;D

This is a really cool build! Good work Roustabout! ;D

You guys otta hear this thing howl! It's really great to see a quality project such as this, out on the street as much as this one is! ;D

Good on ya!

 

[Roustabout]

I think they both look like crap,and should be sent to my address for disposal ;D

The NAFTA paperwork for sending waste material over the border would prove difficult.... I guess I will have to keep them