1982 XJ 650 Project ( New To Forum )

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I just bought this bike and I love it. I have been riding a 82 Honda GL500 for about a year now. I can't believe what a difference between the two. WOW!!! Anyway, I really wanted a new harley sportster iron 883. But, harley turned me down. Now, crushed by my horrible credit score, I decided I wanted to attempt to chop and bob. Alas, now I face another dilemma. Bobbers are one seater rides and I occasionally pick up my daughter on my bike and I also love to ride with my woman. So I decided to make a soft tail bobber/ sportster / xj hybrid. This is what I've done so far. I still have some wiring issues to workout but all and all she runs great. The head light was stuck on high beam but I fixed it and now it switches but only when the bike isn't running. When the bike is running now it is just on regular beam. Also the tail light is on but doesn't react to the brakes being pushed. I have checked the sensor and it is fine but I have discovered the front brake is missing the sensor. I do know the yellow wire on the tail light isnt getting any juice right now. Someone really screwed with the wiring on this bike. I have a found a wiring diagram and am slowly working through it. I am looking for drag bars. I did some minor chopping and installed a sportster seat today. I moved the rear fender into a more sporty position. I don't know if I will change the rear fender but it will work for now. I want to lower it a bit & put a single speedo in the middle of the bars. I was also thinking about removing the air box and installing cone filters. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Wiring is always (to me) is one of life's GREAT MYSTERIES! IMHO not crazy about the blacked out engine. BTW WELCOME...

skillet
another BTW for drag bars you'll need some risers (at least 1") to keep from hitting the tank...

 

One of the things that will take the "mystery" out of it...DON'T USE WIRE NUTS. I go for weather proof butt-splices and connectors. The cold-weld connection is good electrically, and the heat shrink shroud has a bit of silicone grease which both protects against moisture and provides the mechanical connection to prevent stress on the electrical connection. I had so creative PO wiring involving turn signals, but all the stock wires were there, he just didn't know how to wire up the flasher relay (plug it in duh!).

Also, your brake light should also come on when the rear brake is depressed. If you brake light is on (and that's why it does get any brighter), check that sensor too. I think the headlight is only supposed to come on when running for some xj's (it sucks tuning when it stays on and drains your battery :roll: )

Welcome!

 

skillet,

Thanks for the input on the drag bars. I am not thrilled about the blacked out motor either. I might polish some parts and leave other parts blacked out. I don't know what the guy I got this from was thinking. He had about 5 quarts of oil in it. It was spitting oil out the air box. I bought it 2 hours away from my house and had to drive her home like that. What a mess. Thankfully it didn't seem to cause any damage. He is probably the one who messed up the wiring too. He is going to MMI a motorcycle school in Orlando. SCARY!!!!

 

Do a search for a simplified wiring diagram, pretty straight forward and eliminates the BS. I would definately invest in a soldering iron and heat shrink tube.

 

Might want to check the carb float levels before assuming he put 5 quarts of oil in it. What you describe can also be caused from too high of float levels causing excess fuel to end up in the crankcase. If your oil was thin & smelled like gasoline when you changed it, that might be a clue. Something to ponder...

 

ski84's got a point. Also the float needles might not have seated, as well as the petcock's vacuum actuated valve failed (or he left it on PRI). Or the float doesn't "float." Actually, w/e you do...check/set the float height the right way! (clear tube method)

 

I kinda dig it blacked out with the sportster seat. The only thing I would change is the turn signals, I'd do some small bullets. Welcome to the site bro.

 

Shouldn't take too long to figure out that painting the inner fork tubes was a boo-boo, but the rest of the bike actually looks quite decent. Enjoy the ride!

 

I think that was "I just ran out of masking tape...."
:lol:

 

the bike looks nice, if you wanna spice up the look and sound look around for a cheap/used pair of screaming egale pipes from harley davidson, the pipes fit just instead of the normal sides they go on aka right on right left on left, you can put right on left and left on right, and flip them upside down they should fit, i think it would look great on your bike and def make her sound like a beast and roar like one too.

 

Be very careful if your going to pog it out (cone filters) Alot of the inlines require rejetting to run right this way.

 

***ski84*** I did drain out about 5 quarts of oil. Arrrggg!!!! I haven't had a chance to clean the carbs yet I'm sure they are gunked up. The floats are probably sticking too. I do still have a very slight leak coming from the air box. I'm not sure if its because I haven't cleaned anything yet and its still blowing out what's left in there or I may have still put in a bit to much back in during the oil change. Its really close to the top line in the window. I do not smell any gas in the oil. Also, there is a slight leak coming from the valve cover. After a quick spark plug change it was running a ton better.***streetbrawler750*** As for the wiring, I figured out the tail light problem. The rear sensor was fine so I was just gonna run a wire straight from the battery to the sensor and WALLA!!! I discovered someone wrapped the wires coming from the sensor with electric tape. I unwrapped it and found the power wire was unplugged and just like magic the brake light worked. I found a cool looking red bullet shaped clearance light from advance auto for $4. I knew it would make a cool tail light but the only problem was its a mono filament bulb. So, I gutted my stock tail light for the electronics and made my $4 mono light into a dual filament light. Works Great and Looks Cool Too. I will post some pics of it soon. The head light problem is almost fixed. I finally got it to switch between regular and brights but it only switches now when the bike is not running. When its running now its stays on regular beam. (Sigh) I'm getting there. Someone really screwed with the wiring on this bike.***danno*** As for the paint. This is how I bought the bike The tank is painted with Rhino truck bed liner. It has a cool texture and looks pretty good. I was surprised. The rest was a quick rattle can spray job. My guess was to cover up the colors blue and orange that can be seen on areas that were missed. All and all I love this bike and it will be beautiful soon enough.***yammieboi*** I will look into the Harley pipes. I also wanna wrap the pipes. I am kinda torn on the blacked out motor. On one hand its cool but I also really love a polished motor. Any ideas on an easy way to get the black paint off so I can polish the motor? ***wheels84ss*** Oh yeah, about the cone filters. I know about the jetting so I am gonna wait on that. I just wonder if any one knows if the cones can become a problem if I have to ride in the rain often? I do live in FL after all. And this is my daily transport not a bar hopper. ***WesleyJN1975*** BTW I love the sportster seat. Thanks to everyone for the Kudos , Answers and Comments. I will keep updating as often as possible. Ride Safe

 

Glad you're getting a handle on the electrics. There have been some posts on cleaning a motor that's been painted ("search" maybe). I've seen painted motors that I liked a lot. The flat just doesn't do it for me (PO here). No personal experience here, have read where rain is a problem for pods. I know there seems to be some problems with pods but I sure hope to give 'em a try myself one day...

skillet

 

Well, Finally an update to my project. I ordered some parts from Mikes XS. Fast delivery and great products at great prices. I got a new speedo. Goodbye old cluster!!!! I really like the clean look now. I got drag bars but to my surprise I didn't like them so I stuck with the other ones I had. New shocks YAY!!! I got 11 1/2 inch and it looks a lot nicer now. I also mounted the ignition under the gas tank. I am thinking about getting a polished billet headlight. Now I am just trying to figure out what to do with all the wires if I get a new headlight. I'm really trying to get rid of so much black and add some shine. I really feel like I'm starting to get somewhere. I started to remove the black paint from the bottom half of the motor. It was apparently a really crappy paint job. All I used was gasoline and a old toothbrush. After a bit I decided to get a high temp flat black and re-spray all the bottom except the covers. I barely started to polish them and they look pretty good so far. I really wanted to polish the whole motor but this bike is my main transportation and needs to remain mobile. I have some sportster mufflers but the baffles were cut out so I'm gonna weld them back in before I install them. The guy I got them from did a good job of not destroying the baffles. I am waiting on some double filament red bullet lights from Ebay. I also found a trailer light converter so I can use them for turn signals & brake lights. I really need to find some rear fender strut mounts or fab some. I sold my 82 GL 500. She was a good old girl but it was time to move on. I think thats it for right now. I will update more as I go. After the sale of my other bike for $750 I have only spent about $550 out of pocket. I bought the XJ for $1000 and have spent about $300 in parts. And A lot of time. As usual comments and ideas are appreciated. Thanks

 

Oh yeah I will also be wrapping the headers really soon. I really love this project. Its the most fun I've had in a long time. And this forum kicks ass. You Guys Rock!!!!

 

something that will brighten up the engine and is easy sand the fins down on the head and cyl that will break up the black a bit more. welcome aboard

 

Re: 1982 XJ 650 Project (UPDATE) more pics

Here is my somewhat weekly update. I got my bullet brake lights. For right now I am keeping my single bullet brake light also. The way its wired right now it only lights when the brake is activated. It seems to really get the cagers attention. I got rid of the stock air box. I found a thread awhile ago that showed someone made an air intake out of pvc so..... I kinda stole the idea and put my own take on it. I think it looks pretty cool. What you see on the top half of the filter is a piece of stainless I had laying around that fit perfectly. I put it there mostly because of my concern about Florida's notorious spontaneous rain storms I wanted pods but I couldn't afford the pods or all the other stuff like re-jetting that goes with it. It runs beautiful without a re-jet. It may have actually gave me a little of a performance boost & sounds kinda cool. This design cost me $60 with filters, pvc, boots, paint & all. I touched up the paint all over. I finally got my baffles welded back in to the harley mufflers I got. I hope to put them on this weekend. Still trying to find the time to wrap the headers. I also ordered some mini 10" apes. I am gonna try them out and see if I like em. I might even look into forward controls. IDK. This bike just makes me want to kick back and cruise. I'm still thinking about chopping the frame a bit under the seat to sit lower and maybe push the seat back a tad. Or I might just take off the sporty passenger seat and put on a solo. I will just make it so I can swap out seats as I need to considering I ride solo 95% of the time. I also saw another member with Virago spoke rims on his xj650. He said they are a perfect fit. That would be so sweet. Well here ya go. Let me know what you think.

 

hey man,
i have project that incredibly close to yours. i was going to go with a solo seat, but mainly for looks until i saw your sportster seat. i really wanted passenger capabilities and i think the seat looks great on these bikes. just picked one up today on ebay. ii know they are supposed to fit easily, but what, if anything, did you do to get it on there? also, i am thinking about going with the same speedo. was it also pretty plug and play? what did you do with your tach hole in the engine, just fill it with a plug or something? i'd like to have a tach, but i want to downsize the front of the bike, way too messy up there for me. here is a pic of my bike as of today. just put the engine back in and mounted the freshly wrapped headers. should hopefully have everything back together in a week or so.

and i agree, this bike has been a ton of fun. although, i am ready to cruise instead of working in my driveway.

 

midnightsun,

The seat fit pretty easy. I did have to take the staples out of the bottom front of the seat and cut a bit into the plastic folds of the seat pan so it would fit closer to the tank. I also had to bend down the front seat bracket. I also moved the fender back. Here is a pic of that.



I also cut off the bracket that was under the old passenger seat



As for the speedometer it's very cool and it was very easy to install. It comes with a wire chart. I just cut and spliced as I went. Removing the tachometer wasn't a problem at all. I bought the cap ($5) for the cable hole from Mikes XS but to my surprise I didn't need it. My tach didn't have a cable it was just wired. Now I'm kinda glad I didn't get the tach because I would have gotten the wrong one. I love the way the bike looks without that cluster up front. And I don't miss the tach at all. I figured I will just keep the old one for tuning purposes. I'll just plug it in when I need it. Its also super easy to move the key ignition if that suits you.



I really like the seat but I think I'm gonna make my own solo. I figure I will just get one of the stick on passenger seats for when I need it. I barely ever have a passenger and I love the way these bikes look with a solo. I hope that helps you out. The sportster seat is great but it does seem to make you sit a bit further up than the stock. I'm 5'8 so it wasn't a big deal for me but you might want to check into that. I just wrapped my pipes (will post pics soon) and am still waiting on my mini 12" apes. Mikes XS is a great store. Check them out first.

 

Re: 1982 XJ 650 Project ( New Pics )

Finally wrapped the pipes. It took a little over 6' for each pipe using 2" wrap & 1/4" overlap. I also just put on my 12" mini apes. The stock cables all just made it. The brake line did too but its really close so I will get a longer one when I get the chance. Let me know what you think.... I also finally named her. Her name is "Zoey" LOL.

 

Where did you get that 2up seat from or did you carve down the old one. I am looking for something like that for a project of mine. Thanks for the help Awesome looking bike bud.

 

I was going to ask the same question about the seat.

I'm hesitant to tamper with the rear mud guard too much, what you've done looks like a good compromise.

Did changing the lights give you any grief?

Do you have any photos of the rear end without the new seat on?

cheers for the updates, its looking sweet.

J

 

Xplicit XJ, Its a stock sportster seat I picked up for $50 at a local chopper shop. I found those places are the best for finding almost brand new harley stuff for dirt cheap. They are always pulling off stock stuff and sticking it in the back room.

jonathon, The lights were no prob at all. Just make sure they are dual filament. And if you want them to work as blinkers as well as brake/tail lights just get a trailer light converter from advance auto parts for $12. I will take some pics of the seat off in the next couple of days. I just got a king peanut tank I will be attempting to fit on this weekend. I'm in the process of sanding and painting it now.

Thanks for the Props Everyone

 

The polishing of the engine parts is looking good. Think I've said this before but I'm REALLY not against blacking out engine parts, I think it's just the FLAT finish. IMHO SEMI looks better on engines. Me LIKEY your new speedo, have only seen digital from Mikes XS. Thumbs up for new position of ignition...

skillet

 

jonathon,

Here is the pics of the rear end without the seat.


And here she is with the peanut tank. She still needs some fitting but it will work for now.


I chose the # 42 because its the answer to the ultimate question. The answer to life the universe and everything. If you you cant tell, I'm a hitchhikers guide fan.

 

Transformations

 

Did you need the trailer converter because you were using tail lights as blinkers? Couldn't you have simply picked up some bullet blinker lights and plugged them into the existing system?

Its looking sweet, the little bit of polishing has helped heaps, but I actually think I prefer the previous riser bars, but that's just me.

Get out there and ride.

J

 

I haven't hooked up the trailer converter yet. But yeah its to use the bullet lights as blinkers as well as tail/brake lights. You have to use the trailer converter to ad blinkers because the converter alternates the signal. So you can brake and flash at the same time. Otherwise it wouldn't blink when your braking.

 

I love the seat. My opinion...and only my opinion, is you need a little more rear fender under that great seat.

 

Well, I put the stock tank back on but put on the #42 8) . It was worth a shot just wasn't exactly what I expected. It looked a lot better in the pics & from a distance.

 

Checking out your thread again it's weird how much my bike is turning out like yours I just ordered the 2up sportster seat yesterday. I also have 15" apes from TCBros and round headlight to go on along with the 750 maxim tank I picked up and am going to use over the sporty tank. I also got some forward controls from TCBros.

This bike is going to be sick. Yours is an inspiratioin. Thanks

 

Dud, you really need to get cracken on those fins, brake out the sand paper and do the edgess of the fins. Yeah i think mine looks real cool with the glossy black paint that i chose to go with, wich is all i did to make my fins pop. Good luck man the bike really coming around :idea:

 

I know its been awhile since I've posted anything but finally I have had time to do something. I put those HD mufflers on today. I am in EMT school and I barley have time to eat now a days. I will definitely hit those fins up with sand paper the sec I get another chance to touch the bike. At least I get to ride it back and forth to school every day. Thanks for all the complements.

 

Man the mufflers are looking sweet dude, be nice if you could make a Youtube video so we can here them :idea:

 

You ask and you shall receive. Here is a video. Hope the sound came out clear enough. This link should bring you to the video on youtube. My 1982 XJ 650 w/ HD Soft Tail Mufflers

 

"She's a little cold." Aren't they ALL!!! (LOL) Sounds nice...

skillet

 

Seems as though the PVC manny is working out pretty well for ya, thought about doin something with the stock airbox on mine, with a pod or two.

 

Hey, a local. Got any info on that Virago spoke rims swap? Also, your build on the intake you made. I am not sure if I want to do a pvc intake or not, but I would like an alternative to 4 pods.

 

Man....mine is turning out to look a LOT like yours. I have 15" apes, forward controls, the 750 Maxim tank, the sporty seat, and just got some screamin eagle pipes in the mail that need to go on I Do you have any close ups and a little more detail on how you did the sporty seat?

 

I'm glad I found this post (again).
I also eventually want the flat black engine type look. I'm not sure I'd paint everything black, but now I have some ideas what it will look like on an XJ

 

great thread and great looking bike!
edit: do you know which year/model of sportster your seat is from? Thanks!

 

One of the few older posts where I can still see the photos. I was also curious about the sportster seat. Fitment, year etc. It actually looks pretty good on the XJ.