rushes
Well-known member
Fun stuff! :thumbsup:
Thanks!
Thanks!
An XS Odyssey and props to MadMike!
- Thread starter Silent
- Start date
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Niehart
Pie Smuggler
Thanks for taking us along. You have some good skills, my friend.
Big Shasta
Well-known member
Awesome Job...You have inspired me. Even the wife agreed a couple months ago that a project bike would be fun for me to tinker with.....Gotta hit ebay and see what's around.
madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
This has been a GREAT project to follow.
:clapping: :clapping: Good job, Ray! :clapping: :clapping:
Post some pictures once you get the new tank and cafe fairing installed.
In case you need or intend to repaint the new tank and fairing, I used generic metallic black from Kragen's when I painted the fairing and the lid covers. It needs a couple of coats of clear but it looks pretty good.
:clapping: :clapping: Good job, Ray! :clapping: :clapping:
Post some pictures once you get the new tank and cafe fairing installed.
In case you need or intend to repaint the new tank and fairing, I used generic metallic black from Kragen's when I painted the fairing and the lid covers. It needs a couple of coats of clear but it looks pretty good.
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
Thanks for the info Mike, and you KNOW there's more pics to come in this thread B)
The tank is coming in with the 1978 factory black paint. It should be here any day.
Viper Café fairing is on the way as well. Probably a week or so out tho.
I've been debating whether to paint or not, and if I do, what color. I'm kinda leaning twards a forest green if I decide to repaint. Most of the XS's on the road are either Maroon or Black. I'm going to wait awhile on that tho, and see how things turn out as is.
The tank is coming in with the 1978 factory black paint. It should be here any day.
Viper Café fairing is on the way as well. Probably a week or so out tho.
I've been debating whether to paint or not, and if I do, what color. I'm kinda leaning twards a forest green if I decide to repaint. Most of the XS's on the road are either Maroon or Black. I'm going to wait awhile on that tho, and see how things turn out as is.
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Khunajawdge
Toto El Mundo!
Very interesting project Ray! I enjoyed reading it from beginning to the end (so far).
It reminded me of an article I ran across recently entitled; "Shop Class as Soul Craft" by Matthew B. Crawford
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications...ss-as-soulcraft
Like your project with the XS, Crawford explains how he re-booted his life's passion by working on a motorcycle which led him to opening a motorcycle repair shop.
cheers,
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
Yay team! My new tank arrived today! :yahoo: :yahoo:
After checking it over closely, it's not the factory paint, it's a Macho Maroon tank that's been repainted. They did a decent job on the repaint, but it's chipped in several places, so an actual repaint of the bike may be in order down the road. So I decided to install the tank, even tho my Standard seat is shot. I pulled off the Octy and replaced the fuel lines and vacuum lines to fit the new tank. I laid the old standard seat up on the bike and took a good look at it. I don't like it. The seat doesn't follow the line of the side panels, and the rear cowl sits a lot higher than I'd like. I might see if I can get a stock Special seat and grab rail instead.
But for now, I've got the King/Queen seat fitted up and working as it should. The seat is comfy enough, there's just a lot of real estate at the back of the seat. Thats fine on a dressed rig, but I think it looks a tad out of place on a naked/café.
Originally the bike looked like this
More to come later down the line. I think the café fairing is due to come in Friday B)
After checking it over closely, it's not the factory paint, it's a Macho Maroon tank that's been repainted. They did a decent job on the repaint, but it's chipped in several places, so an actual repaint of the bike may be in order down the road. So I decided to install the tank, even tho my Standard seat is shot. I pulled off the Octy and replaced the fuel lines and vacuum lines to fit the new tank. I laid the old standard seat up on the bike and took a good look at it. I don't like it. The seat doesn't follow the line of the side panels, and the rear cowl sits a lot higher than I'd like. I might see if I can get a stock Special seat and grab rail instead.
But for now, I've got the King/Queen seat fitted up and working as it should. The seat is comfy enough, there's just a lot of real estate at the back of the seat. Thats fine on a dressed rig, but I think it looks a tad out of place on a naked/café.
Originally the bike looked like this
More to come later down the line. I think the café fairing is due to come in Friday B)
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
Ohh yea, Forgot to mention that I pulled the gas cap off the new tank and re-keyed it so my original key works on it B)
wheatonFJR
...
I love that photo!! 1979 Special...that ROCKS! :yahoo:
I guess that's enough of an update for now, I hope you've enjoyed the trip so far :drinks:
madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
Wouldn't it be cool (notice I am planning more project for you).....
.....to find a pilot seat you could recover and some kind of tail piece (along the lines of the pillion cover some are using on their FJR).
Sporty and racy looking plus some locking storage. Oh...the possibilities!
And, yes....Metallic Forest Green!
.....to find a pilot seat you could recover and some kind of tail piece (along the lines of the pillion cover some are using on their FJR).
Sporty and racy looking plus some locking storage. Oh...the possibilities!
And, yes....Metallic Forest Green!
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
The thought of a solo seat and smuggler had crossed my mind Mike
h34r: I'm not that good in the fab department tho. I might try Aiertech Streamlinings vintage series in the future tho.
I'll have to wrap my head around that one at a later time. For now, the front brake pads are in and ready to install, and I've got new oil cooler lines, and a shift shaft seal to install as well B)
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
When it rains.... it pours....
This kiddies, is a broken rear sub frame. And since this is a one piece frame... It's a broken frame I noticed it when I went to put the bike on the center stand, the rear rack moved in ways it shouldn't have been able to move.
The only thing I can guess is that the vibrations from the rack caused a chain failure. The break point was probably weakened when I rolled the bike over onto it's back, and broke the rest of the way because the weight of the rack and backrest and the vibrations. One of the tabs on the rack, on the other side from the break, broke off as well. Clean break.
All I've gotta say about this is... It's a damn good thing I know how to weld B)
Might not be the prettiest welds you've ever seen, but there's penetration, and it'll hold just fine B)
Currently, I'm waiting for the rear frame to cool enough for me to paint the new welds. Glad I saw this before it got any worse. I think I'll leave the rear rack off now, and let the new welds just hold the fender up awhile.
This kiddies, is a broken rear sub frame. And since this is a one piece frame... It's a broken frame
I noticed it when I went to put the bike on the center stand, the rear rack moved in ways it shouldn't have been able to move.
The only thing I can guess is that the vibrations from the rack caused a chain failure. The break point was probably weakened when I rolled the bike over onto it's back, and broke the rest of the way because the weight of the rack and backrest and the vibrations. One of the tabs on the rack, on the other side from the break, broke off as well. Clean break.
All I've gotta say about this is... It's a damn good thing I know how to weld B)
Might not be the prettiest welds you've ever seen, but there's penetration, and it'll hold just fine B)
Currently, I'm waiting for the rear frame to cool enough for me to paint the new welds. Glad I saw this before it got any worse. I think I'll leave the rear rack off now, and let the new welds just hold the fender up awhile.
FJRONAMISSION
Flying at the speed of smell ;))
Good catch Ray !!..... MCGYVER in the house......
B
B
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
I welded it up with a couple paper clips and a AAA battery
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
WooHoo! The Café fairing showed up last night :yahoo: so I got to spend the evening tilting back adult beverages and modifying the fairing to my liking. This Viper Café fairing was listed as being able to fit an XS1100, as well as about 100 different bikes. I don't know what they used for sizing, but it didn't fit the XS as a bolt on application. I guess that's to be expected since the fairing's heritage is 'race fairing'. There are no blinkers on race bikes All of the hardware was there and in great shape considering it was an eBay find, but there were NO instructions provided at all.
Thankfully, being the kinda guy that I am, I saw how it was suppose to mount. The brackets were designed to replace the blinker pods that are holding the headlight in. They even included replacement bolts to hold the headlight and bracket in. Unfortunately, I did not want to relocate the blinkers. So instead, I had to do some serious modifications to the mounting brackets to get them to conform to the shape of the fairing while avoiding the blinker pods. Since I left the pods on, I also had to cut the fairing a bit to allow the fairing to sit all the way back against the headlight, and clear the blinker pods. Once the fairing was installed, it was time to add the shield. And of course, the holes didn't line up. So out came the Dremel yet again to drill a few new holes and get things to line up proper. After all everything was said and done, I looked at the fairing and ... Damn, it's crooked! SO I flexed it a bit and was able to get it straight, but as soon as I let go, it popped back to where it was Necessity being the mother of invention, I grabbed the Dremel yet again, and an old motorcycle license plate out of my scrap bin and fabricated a retaining bracket B) It's tucked into the fairing from one of the windshield mounting bolts to the tach mounting bolt. Holds it nice and straight! All in all, the installation took about 2 hours, but I think it came out well B)
After I got everything back together, I took the bike out on the freeway for a bit of speed testing. The first thing I noticed is that there is a small smooth air pocket. If I tuck 1/2 way, I'm in the pocket. There's less air on my chest while sitting up than without a fairing, but tons more air than a fully faired bike like the FJR. I slipped onto the freeway and ran her up the gears. The fairing is rock solid at 80, with a nice pocket if I tuck, so I'm happy with it B) I'll give her a good test later.
:drinks:
All of the hardware was there and in great shape considering it was an eBay find, but there were NO instructions provided at all.
Thankfully, being the kinda guy that I am, I saw how it was suppose to mount. The brackets were designed to replace the blinker pods that are holding the headlight in. They even included replacement bolts to hold the headlight and bracket in. Unfortunately, I did not want to relocate the blinkers. So instead, I had to do some serious modifications to the mounting brackets to get them to conform to the shape of the fairing while avoiding the blinker pods. Since I left the pods on, I also had to cut the fairing a bit to allow the fairing to sit all the way back against the headlight, and clear the blinker pods. Once the fairing was installed, it was time to add the shield. And of course, the holes didn't line up. So out came the Dremel yet again to drill a few new holes and get things to line up proper. After all everything was said and done, I looked at the fairing and ... Damn, it's crooked! SO I flexed it a bit and was able to get it straight, but as soon as I let go, it popped back to where it was
Necessity being the mother of invention, I grabbed the Dremel yet again, and an old motorcycle license plate out of my scrap bin and fabricated a retaining bracket B) It's tucked into the fairing from one of the windshield mounting bolts to the tach mounting bolt. Holds it nice and straight! All in all, the installation took about 2 hours, but I think it came out well B)
After I got everything back together, I took the bike out on the freeway for a bit of speed testing. The first thing I noticed is that there is a small smooth air pocket. If I tuck 1/2 way, I'm in the pocket. There's less air on my chest while sitting up than without a fairing, but tons more air than a fully faired bike like the FJR. I slipped onto the freeway and ran her up the gears. The fairing is rock solid at 80, with a nice pocket if I tuck, so I'm happy with it B) I'll give her a good test later.
:drinks:
madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
:yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:
Now.....for the "smuggler" and solo seat! :blink:
Now.....for the "smuggler" and solo seat! :blink:
rushes
Well-known member
Looks great! :thumbsup:
One suggestion. You might consider a lower profile bar. I'm thinking the 'superbike' bend would bring you into the air pocket without being uncomfortable. Again, just a thought.
One suggestion. You might consider a lower profile bar. I'm thinking the 'superbike' bend would bring you into the air pocket without being uncomfortable. Again, just a thought.
wheatonFJR
...
Looks great!
:yahoo: :yahoo:
You are the man....now we just need jdog to film you! :clapping:
:yahoo: :yahoo:
You are the man....now we just need jdog to film you! :clapping:
dcarver
Well-known member
Damn, Silent, that cafe fairing looks great! Perfect shape for the front end, and the OEM blinkers remaining make the bike look of the period. Nicely done, great read, and I see your canine amigo agrees too!
Silent
Who said FJR's don't do dirt?
Thank you for all the great responses B) There's still a couple things to do to the fairing. Mainly tweak it a bit, and paint the fasteners black so they hide better. I'm also planning on a set of Café style handle bars. I don't want to go so extreme as clip-ons, but something lower and a bit forward. But for now, I've got to 'run what ya brung' for awhile.
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