Plumber wrote:

my issue with strutts is'nt the lack of suspension, its the lack of commitment to going all the way with a real hardtail, they always just look so unfinished.

i agree to some extend but with all respect to all who have hardtail their xj's i think they look to short and the angle in most to is to aresive to me personally looks kid of wack and is a style tha does not fit with the style of an xj or the era .. all though 550's off all xj' would be the one to hard tail like a very nice one i saw here... is not what im looking for if i want a hardtail i want an xs 650....

( sorry) I agree to some extend but with all respect to all who have hardtail their xj's i think they look to short and the angle in most to is to aresive to me personally looks kid of wack.. and is a look that does not fit with the style of an xj .. all though 550's off all xj' would be the one to hard tail like a very nice one i saw here... is not what im looking for if i want a hardtail i want an xs 650....

I'll second both Bigfitz and Plumber. When running properly, your bike should go 70 or so mph. Then you have to shift to 3rd! Get a good rear tire on that and get the front caliper on and functioning before you ride it.

Also, don't keep the struts. Either hardtail it, or put shocks on it. I'm not just talking about looks, it's your bike and how it looks should only have to please you. I'm talking about safety. I had my bike strutted for about a season and a half before I decided to "commit" as Plumber said. When I disassembled the bike and hacked the rear portion of the frame off, I had the idea to use the stock tubing, upside down and side to side to build the hardtail, but ended up throwing it all away and buying new stuff when I blasted the paint off to discover several cracks on the stock portions of frame. The stock rear portion of an XJ frame is lighter tubing than the front section. It's not designed for taking hits from bumps or potholes without shocks to absorb them. I couldn't guess how much longer the frame would have lasted, but I'm much happier to say I didn't find out......

I love it! Looks sweet..

Rob