my budget build, xj650, rat

So here is my bike a bit more put back together. So far I have tried to spend as little as possible where able while still achieving the look I want. If I were to spend a lot I think it would still look as it does, just the duct tape would be real duct tape rather than the knock off brand, I dunno.

It’s been made in to a hard tail, the struts are 11” now, a 2 inch drop (I think). Three pieces of ¼ flat stock.

The guts and air box have been removed with pods and diamond plate taking their place. Since this is a budget process, and I have no welder, I decided on pop rivets. Using rivets saves weight…. Until you use ¼ diamond plate…. Someone told me that once.

The handle bars came from some old Harley stuff a friend had laying around. I bought the left side switches, decided they cost too much, and then made the right side. Right side has been made out of a beer can, jb weld, and three switches.

I chose flat black as, 1) it’s easy to maintain, 2) I think chrome or shinny anything on a bike is a turn off, at least on a budget bike like this, and 3) high heat colors never turn out how you want them.

The tank happened from using Airplane stripper and an accident. On the second coat the paint still didn’t come all the way off. I had to stop so I tossed it one the bike and came back to it later. Upon coming back I fell in love with it, so I clear coated it and called it done.

The seat is some old foam and a sheet of steel. Cut it, bent it, attached it to a door hinge and then wrapped it in duct tape. I think it cost me $12 if I remember correctly. Still need a springs for the back though.

Tail lights will be here soon, I couldn’t stand that ugly monster on the back of the bike so. I ordered a bunch of led’s. I’ll wire them up and have a light show coming off the rear of the bike. I was worried about the resistance thing but it looks like I may achieve enough through the LEDS to make the flashers, lucky me.

Oh yea there is a bike in the background (not the xs650 off the the left), it’s an xj550. That will be the next project to get up and running; the bikes came as a pair. Let me know what you guys think, or maybe curse at me for hacking a perfectly good bike.
cheers

 

I think I'm leaning a bit more to this side :?

 

I think that rat bikes like this definitely have a place in the biking world. I like them. I just believe that there are enough thrashed bikes to do this to instead of hacking up a quality specimen like the one you started out with.

You could have sold that bike for a tidy profit, and bought a rough bike to "rat" out, and you would not only have money left over, but you would have saved a nice, OEM bike for someone who likes them that way.

My bike is kind of a rat. It was dropped and rough when I bought it and I've kept the "Mad Max" look on it and I like it that way. I wouldn't take a museum piece and rat it out though.

Just my .02.

 

I suppose everyone is entitled, to there .02 cents. I accept pay pal you know.

The bike when bought wasn't exactly perfect, the can "was" in the process of being repainted, lots of deep gouges in paint. as for the handle bars, the xj550 apparently got laid down from PO, so the 650's became donor parts.
as did the seat and sissy bar. I chose the biggest bike that I had to hack.
Neither of them ran either.

I suppose if I worked hard enough everything could be put back save the rear portion of frame that holds the light. Like I said before nothing is welded. I even saved all the little plastic innards for the XJ550 project.

which will be put back together stock and sold.

 

the seat bothers me, i'd like to see camo duct tape there
come to think of it a camo wrap on the forks might set it off

 

Trax, pray for forgiveness.

 

I love to see custom bikes but there is a certain level of reality that must be observed...you may get tired of feeling like your balls are in a paint shaker (vibration from the seat you have on there) and your back may start to protest from leaning forward so much, but DO NOT let anyone deter you from your project, just remember your the one who has to ride it

S!

 

mad max :twisted: there was one honda in that movie and the rest were KZ900/1000's i believe ...i love that movie and would LOVE to have the bike goose was riding

S!

 

Trax,

It's good that you can put it back if you wanted to. Enjoy the bike.

 

If you put a good seat on it I would like it.

 

Polock's got an eye for style. I like the camo idea.

 

I like it. I've always wanted to do a rat bike, even toyed with it for my Maxim. Just couldn't bring myself to tear it up, so I'm going the cafe racer direction. I see nothing wrong with turning a bike into what you want no matter what it looks like to start. Riding a bike is a lifestyle, you gotta make yours suit it.

 

that seat reminds me of the "kilos of dope" they always have in movies wrapped in foil with red tape.

anwyay, have fun with the bike.

 

I say rawk it! Whatever puts a smile on your face.

 

any updated photo's???

 

Things to add:
Barbed wire, anywhere.
poison control sticker, etc,
Some road kill, a racoon skull maybe. A real one.
A night stick, if allowed. the "you toucha my bike" sticker.
home made, mismatched grips, running boards made from a sprocket.

 

holy shit you want to build it for me I love your ideas. There will hopefully be a skull (the type from a biology class) with leds set in for my brake and turn, the skeleton hands will also hold my plate behind my wheel. hopefully.

sorry no updated photos, had very little time to work on bike this weekend. Did rewire fuses, and fab the rest of the portion below the seat to hold the battery and such. I also wrapped my exhaust, fiberglass all over you is fun

I'll try and get around to getting some decent pics of everything.

 

So after a two week vacation from the bike I returned this evening. I decided to wrap my exhaust, as I was putting everything back together a stud snapped. gaaa. So now it comes apart again, and has to go to the shop. I guess I'll just laugh it off.

I figured some things out as far as my leds go. They seem to lack quiet a lot. the only solution o have found is a "pulser". It runs around 100 hz at a set voltage, ideally higher then what is recommended for my UFO led's it's around 9-11 volts. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone, would it work?