The 'leftovers' project - XS650

[doc_rot]

Looks awesome. i dig the fork shrouds.

 

[irk miller]

Such a great leap. There was a point where I was getting a bit worried you would offload this bike.

 

[JerryAssburger]

This is looking SO GREAT. Nice job on it!

 

[Maritime]

Levi is the man for the job. Looks great!

 

[Rider52]

Super job guys! @Tim Look at skate board wheels for the tank blocks. Not my idea but one I stole from a friend. He cut skate board wheels in half and used them to raise his tank on a frame with a similar backbone.

 

[Tim]

Super job guys! @Tim Look at skate board wheels for the tank blocks. Not my idea but one I stole from a friend. He cut skate board wheels in half and used them to raise his tank on a frame with a similar backbone.

We used some threaded bungs on top of the frame to provide a bit of lift, and make the fabrication easier. Originally the plan was to drill the frame tube and use these skinny blind bungs, but getting the position and angle exactly right would have been a challenge and once you drill the frame, it's drilled. These could be ground off if needed in the future.

Anyhow - so I have 3/4" or so high threaded bungs on the frame and I'll get some rubber like tank mounts or something, drill them to match the bung and shape them to mate with the curved tank tabs. Then cinch it all down with the bolts and maybe a dab of blue Loctite.

One of the next challenges is finding a matching kickstand for this weld-on mount. The one I had turned out to not be a match, and we think it's likely a Harley mount. I have a line on a cheap stand that I hope will fit but if anyone has a kickstand around with a 1/2" clevis top on it, let me know

 

[Maritime]

you should have just had Levi make you one LOL.

 

[Hurco550]

you should have just had Levi make you one LOL.

we were running out of time lol we went hard for a couple days to get done what we did haha

 

[Maritime]

we were running out of time lol we went hard for a couple days to get done what we did haha

I imagine you guys did, that's a lot of progress in a few days

 

[Tim]

To deal with the flex in the forks and provide a mount for the front fender, I've decided to go with a tried and true fork brace. I think with a few small tabs welded on and some bungs on the fender like we added to the rear fender, it should be just about right. Some stays from the brake mount to the rear bottom of the fender should help with vibration and maybe a set to the front depending on how long I leave it.

 

[Luugo86]

I like the brace design, simple and clean looking

 

[crazypj]

Is that a Mikes XS fork brace?
I stared an XS project about the same time as you but got caught up playing with CB360's and never got back to it. Now, it's going to need new tyres again after standing 20 years

 

[Tim]

Is that a Mikes XS fork brace?
I stared an XS project about the same time as you but got caught up playing with CB360's and never got back to it. Now, it's going to need new tyres again after standing 20 years

Yep - MikesXS. For the money it's hardly worth trying to build one and this one fit like a glove. Same as I ran on my first XS project.

It's a little high for a stock 19" front wheel but with the 21" I'm running it's a nice fit and leaves enough room for my fender. Going to head to the garage and see how it looks.

FWIW the AVON tyres I have on this ridgid have been on the rims for 10 years. Figure I'll run them for a while before replacing them.

 

[Tim]

Yup - a few tabs welded to the brace, some 1/2" threaded bungs welded to the fender and I think we're in business.

 

[Maritime]

wow it's almost a motorsickle

 

[Tim]

wow it's almost a motorsickle

The kickstarter even clears the peg, brake pedal and exhaust . I left the lever at home by accident when I took it to Levi's so there was a bit of eyeballing involved.

The exhaust needs some tweaking as it needs to be tucked in a bit to the frame and be level with the frame rails. It will likely be cut and welded back together.

 

[Hurco550]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again.

 

[Brodie]

Nice, very tight by the looks.

 

[Tim]

Spent a bit more time with the bike this weekend. I realized I messed up a bit with the rear wheel alignment which resulted in us mounting the rear fender about 1/4" off centre, which was a mistake. Nothing that will slow the work down, but until the mounts are moved to the left, it will look a little funny with the wheel and fender not perfectly aligned.

Need to get a few socket cap bolts for the engine covers to lock the engine down and fill it with oil and start work on the rear brake setup. Tank is bolted down with some rubber isolation blocks, petcocks wrenched in and fuel line fit. One thing I've never liked about Mikuni carbs is the short barbs for the fuel line - it never feels quite as secure as it could so I'll toss some small clamps on the carb end of the line. I still need to test the tank for leaks now that the petcocks (1/4" NPT tapered thread) are installed.

The plan is to move the seat forward an inch by drilling out the spare mounting plate I have for it.

 

[Hurco550]

Glad to see progress continue to happen on this thing. Such a sweet machine.