Snapped a couple pics on this morning's ride...

I'm really loving the Napoleon mirrors




And the recontoured and "up-foamed" seat (by Sargent's.)

 

Very nice

 

mmhmm looks like your traditional michigan murky river.


was gonna go for a nice long ride today, but spent from 5 am yesterday to 2 am lAst night working and am doing the same today... but i actualy get an hour off from lunch...

 

That is the always lovely Belle River where it runs through the park in equally lovely Memphis, MI. (Actually Memphis is a cute little old town with some really neat old houses. It's also where I found the '81.)

Here's another that really shows the turn signals and the black rear brake...

 

Looks as good as the Advertising Poster.

Personally, I think that Bike deserves a page or two in the Motorcycle Magazines.

Simply, ... Magnificent!

 

Incredible!
What condition was it in before cosmetic restoration?

 

It had only 7100 miles on it but it had sat and sat. All of the original clear lacquer had turned to yellow residue, which had staining running down it. Carbs gummed solid; all of the cast metal was stained and/or corroded. The rear brake was delaminated; the original gas tank covered in small but nasty dents, because--

The bike had taken some sort of HARD fall on its right side (but not a crash) causing the brake lever to punch through the clutch cover and BEND the clutch basket. The right muffler was wrecked in the fall; the headpipes were rusted. Right side cover missing, of course.

It took more work and parts to get this one back up than it did my '81, which was at least marginally operational when I got it.

The restoration was more than cosmetic; it has a new clutch, new tires, completely new upgraded brakes, new shocks and fork springs, new just about everything else that dries out corrodes or crumbles away. The chain was rusted internally so it has a new chain and both sprockets. Along the way I modernized it and powder coated some things I thought should have been black to begin with. Plus added a couple of personal touches like the fork boots and sport rack, low bars and upgraded seat. All of the bright nickel in the headlight/handlebar area was replated with black nickel, and it has a 150mph speedo.

It rips! I love it.

 

Good looking bike love the custom license plate!!!!

 

hey fitz, that is one nice looking ride. clean and very tidy, good job mate

 

That is one good looking bike. How you get all the nooks and crannies polished so well always impresses me.

 

Q-tips. Lots of Q-tips.

 

Beautiful.... loving the mirrors, definatey look great

 

Fitz, gotta ask...do you keep track of how much $ you put into a bike? or just get what you need and do it?

All in, plated and on the road, figure I have $2600.00 (including the $500 to buy the bike) into my '82 XJ 650 which includes a whack of new, used parts, tires, paint etc etc and labour for the stuff I didn't want to attempt.

I'm giddy with the way it turned out...but if our bikes we're side by side...mine would be the "weird third cousin" no one talks about

Like your mirrors...still tring to source some round/chrome ones for mine.

 

Hey Fitz,........when are you going to make a copy the sport rack on that bike and sell it to me? Just change the color to white.

Please!

 

+1 Beautiful

 

RangerG, sent him a PM asking the same thing bout that rack...exactly what I'm after

Do they make any after market back-rack type things for the XJ's?