New project in the midst

Today has presented me an opportunity. I have stumbled upon an 82 XJ550. And it is as close to mint condition as one can find.




Here is my issue. Do I seriously want to get this bike in this condition to tear it apart for a bobber?

Some quick feedback would be great!

The bobber bug has bitten :twisted:

 

I vote for not cutting it up. Recommission it and sell it for a whole gob of cash then buy and cut up a less pristine bike.

 

The thought had crossed my mind. I wouldnt have a clue what to ask for a bike like this of this age.

Forgot to mention my other current project is a 93 Suzuki gs500e. Its getting a facelift and some plastic surgery.

 

Yeah i'd clean it up and sell it for a profit in the spring, with the money you can buy a few less pristine bikes, cuz once you cut it, there goes most of the value.

 

What would be a fair asking price? Its only got 12K on the clock.

 

here I go

dont feel bad about cutting up an over produced japanese bike that doesnt really have a cult following. chopping up a nice bike in my opinion is the same as chopping up a dirtier bike. because,
1. you'll have less headaches getting it running and sorting out all the neglect and abuse that it has taken.
2. if it's in nice shape, and you're building a bobber, you're going to be taking off the most expensive and desired parts, that tank, side covers, exhaust, fenders, they all can go to someone with a crappy bike for big money, i probably parted out the stuff on my bike for around 400 smacks and still have a running riding bike.

3.and you have a 550 chain, where you can go to TCBros get a universal weld on hardtail, and have some real fun, so you can sell off your whole back end, buy an xs650 spoke rear rim, and an xs650 front end or an xs650 drum brake and run it. right now im attempting get my hands on a gt750 8" drum front brake and out it on my bike with a virago rear wheel, just waiting for the paycheck.

just do it, it's a bike that cost pocket change, it's winter, and it's YOUR bike. make it how you like it.

 

How about keep this one just like it is, its getting hard to find then in good original condition. Find another bike to build your bobber from, you can find a runner with title real cheap. That way you can have two bikes, ride either one depending on your mood for the day.

 

AMEN.

 

I'm no purist, but I'd try to get a value on the bike before I did anything. It looks to be in very nice condition. Check EBAY for parts. Get a running total of what parts you would be able to sell online and what you could get for them if you were to bob it out. Search for similar bikes on Craigslist and/or EBAY. That should give you some value of what 30 year old Jap bikes go for. List the bike on Craigs and price it on the high end of old Jap bikes. If someone bites, great. If not, wait a few days and lower the price some more. When the price drops to middle of the pack for old Jap bikes, you'll realize nobody really cares how great of condition it is in, and you won't lose sleep over chopping it and you'll make a few bucks putting parts on EBAY. But if someone does buy it for a good price, then you can buy a cheaper bike on CL and still sell parts on EBAY when you bob it.

Of course, the other plan is to have one of the guys yelling "it's too nice to chop" to give you a "nice" price for it and problem solved. Oh, none of those guys want to buy it? Guess it really isn't that nice afterall.

 

Just do what you want. It would be a hard one for me to figure out to. It would be nice to have a nice restored xj, but if you bobbed it you would have less issues with having to fix anything on the way. In my opinion, I wouldn't cut it, but then again..

 

I am a 'back to stock' guy, but I would love to do a choppity, bobbity, thing, it would have to something that hasn't been done a zillion times before.
You have the chain drive, which gives you loads of options, do like old Schoot' says & sell off all the 'bling' happy chopping. Wiz.

 

Stock restoration would be easy on that one but Your right when you say its in good shape and you wouldn't have to sort out a bunch of problems. Go either way its a coin toss.
Personaly I would find a bobbed one already that needs little or nothing. There is a real nice one our friend PainterD made and its very solid mechanical wise. Also for what he is asking you couldn't do what he has done for the money. Check his ad under the for sale section.

 

That is a hard call on the one hand you have a fairly low mileage engine and the PO took excellent care of the outside and probably the inside as well. Then you have a pristine bike that would take gobs of hours and money to get most 30 year old bikes to look this nice. To me it would be a shame to cut this one up when there are so many out there with low mileage that would suit your purpose just as well.

 

i agree a bike that nice shouldnt be hacked up. find a no so pristine one faded paint rust ect then bob it. soon as you bob it the value drops right into the dirt plus when you go to sell it people look at it like its been run hard and put away wet. but if you do chop it make it look different if you notice all the bobbers all look the same for the most part you need to do something that is different all your own but remember once you start there is no turning back i have been restoring bikes and reselling them for several years a clean stocker is worth much more then a molested bike. if you want it to be different clean up the even more then it is polish the wheels and every other aluminum piece really draws eyes to it then. look at designer mikes bike stock looking for the most part but all the parts have been tastefully done wich makes it a beutifull bike just my 2 cents

 

Well thank you to everyone for the input. I'm taking off tomorrow morning at 10:00 to pick her up and bring her to her new home.

I still haven't decided what direction I'm going but I know this one thing. She's all mine no matter what I do. So, I might as well like what I ride.

I've really never given a second thought about modifying a bike. I've owned several and they all had some part of me engraved in them. However, this being the first to go under the knife (or chop saw) I'm a little nervous.

 

Depending on how deep you go, there may be nothing to get nervous about. If you're just going to hack the frame rails behind the upper shock mounts and use lower shocks/springs or solid struts, modding and mounting the seat just may be the most challenging part of the mods. There's a few bikes on here like that and they look great. Getting a little deeper, you can eliminate the shocks/struts and weld tubing from frame rail to swing arm. Again, great looking bikes without much that can go wrong as long as a competent welder has layed down the beads. These bikes can look great with minimal effort. But there are quite a few floating around in the world seemingly all cut from the same cookie cutter: bobbed rear, shorter shocks, stock tank, clubman/drag bars (if other than stock), and of course flat black. You have what appears to be a well taken care of bike that is in great gondition for its age. That is rare. I would venture to guess that there are more cookie cutter can be finished in one weekend bobbers out there than great condition stockers. So if you are going to chop it, break the mold. You can't go wrong either way, the cookie cutters look great. But can the same mod done a thousand times really be "yours"? And if it can't be "yours" is it really worth chopping at all? But, the fact is, it is yours, and my opinion doesn't matter. That's just my thoughts. I have a feeling if the bike wasn't in that great of shape, you wouldn't be asking for advice on what to do with it, you'd already have saw ready to go. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

yep, i got tired of looking at flat black ,drag bar, budget piles, so i went to

thechopperunderground.com

they've been featured in The Horse, and wll still be, they have lots of talent over there, and they will be happy you're choping it

 

Well she is in the garage. For anybody that is wondering... I still dont know if shes going to get renamed Bob.

 

Ok I think I've rationalized this. I have a 28 year old bike that has no real value in the market compared to big v twins. Everything on it is currently in tip top shape. So very little work needs to be done to shove her down the driveway. I cant really enjoy riding till next year since its cold as crap right now.

It'll likely never increase in value and most people wont pay better than $600 for a bike like this round here.

The only way I will truly ever enjoy this bike is if I work on it. The mig is waiting the torches are full. I've got a brand new pack of blades so lets turn this into some thing entirely different.


I like a soft ride so the suspension stays. however it needs to be dropped in the rear. I'm considering a 2" stretch for the swing arm get that tire back there more and out of my butt. Now for the front. I'm thinking get those forks out a little more and rake the front.

Gauges need to be cut down to a speedo preferably a mini 0-140mph with led indicators.

Exhaust needs to be worked over and will require some more serious thought. But, I do see a wrap in its future.

As for the seat, I'm thinking Black plain and spring rear solo. I also want to incorporate a passenger pylon that is removable.

Possibly a different fuel tank. Thinner less contour but not a peanut. Totally depends on how it looks.

Paint looks like a black frame since it's already spotless. the tank and what rear fender there is done in gloss black base coat. Then fire up the air brush and mix some metallic blue in with the black and do some detail work that will just ghost away. Highlight with some blue tinted white(very little highlighting)

Wheels???? I gotta find some spokes.

Well that's the plan. Everyone meet Bob!

 

Indecision is a b***h :lol: ! Glad you got a plan...

skillet

 

This is the part of the program where the anti-choppers who told you the bike is too pristine to chop step up and put their money where their mouths are. Make an offer. Prove your point. Show reajcox exactly how nice this bike is.

The silence is deafening...

Chop away, young man!

BTW, Schoot, The Horse Mag rules. Have you ever seen the XJ550 that XS Speed built a few years back. Sweet bike he built for under $1000.

 

nope havent subscribed yet, only bought the mags with TCU members in it. you should go to thechopperunderground.com 16ozbud, they will love your bike

 

Im on the fence about mine too. (have to put some pics up) Its in relatively good shape for its years with the only scratches on it visible when you remove the seat(on the tank under the seat). Though After thinking about it I will more then likely go the caffee way.

 

A clean low mileage 550 like that can bring $1200-$1800 in the spring, depending on where you are and how well it runs.

I guess it really all depends on if you want to RIDE the bike or work on it all the time. And of course, if you do plan to ride it, HOW you plan to ride it. I have a couple of cafe-racer type buddies who have no problem making fun of my comfortable up-foamed seat, but the shoe goes onto the other foot at about the 200-mile mark... "your bike really is comfortable isn't it?..."

 

Oooooooh ahhhhhhhhh I just found my colors. Gloss black no metallic and bronze marbled scallops.

 

i have a skirtster seat on mine only complaint is my mid controls, my 6'2" body doesnt like them for 200 miles plus

 

I'd ride it as is for one season and find out if you like it that way. You may not like the seating position or peg location for long rides or it may fit you perfect, who knows. The handlebars may be in just the right place. The only way to find out is to ride it.

In my case, I found I couldn't get comfortable on my 750 Seca, no matter what I did to it. I installed a full (Vetter) fairing on it for better early-morning rides to work, but I still could not see riding it any farther than that with the seating position. Once I decided I hated the ride, and the looks of the Seca in it's tock form...I decided, that's that.
I did some reaserch and got some ideas on how I wanted the bike to look, and what I needed to do to make it comfortable for me to ride long distances. Let the cutting begin!!

I took my time and transformed my XJ into something that sits better (for me) and looks better (my personal taste) It took a few years of trial and error. I swapped different parts when I found better ones. I changed the seats 4 times to get one I liked and looked good. I changed the handlebar/riser arrangement 3 times to get ones I finally liked. I did three rear fender changes along the way when I found others I liked better. I re-painted when I felt the need. I swapped the turn signals a few times when I found ones liked better from swap meets and scratch & dent stores or garage sales. I found that in some instances, it's better to make my own part than to buy it. I like to cut, drill, weld and fabricate things, so this project was right up my alley.

The point is, I found the mods to be very enjoyable thruout the whole process and kept me busy learning better ways to do things.
And most of all, this forum has given me the knowledge to go ahead and do things I may have never done or attempted on a bike.

As long as you remember to make sure all the bolts are tight, your welds are strong enough to hold and your lights are doing what they're intended to do, there is no end to the magic of fabrication or mods.
Most of my parts/mods are either fabricated by me or from other makes and models of bikes that were not intended for my bike. If I like the part, I make it fit.
It's like race cars, hunting or any other past time...it gets into your blood!

If your not handy with tools, leave it stock and ride it or go find a bike that fits you better.

 

OK maybe I better clarify a few things here.

My first bike was a GS500E that got T-boned. The second was a GSF600 that eventually got sold. The third was a GS550L that became more rat than stock. Then came a Vulcan 500 that got instantly repainted and bobbed. After the vulcan was a 200cc 3/4 chopper that was well modified to hit 85+mph and street legal. Then came a SECAII (didn't last long). Found my first bike all over again another GS500E which I'm currently still working on and is being made to my wishes. I stumbled upon this XJ550 and decided I could always use another project.

I think I've went through enough bikes to find the points I like and don't like.

I grew up the son of a welder / fabricator / equipment operator. (had to learn the trade. Nuff said) Then I spent 13 years working as a mechanic.

I have no fear of this project!!! If I don't like it it can be changed.

 

It has begun!!!!!!!!!!! :twisted:

 

will you sell me the wind sheild?

 

id also pay up for the highway pegs

 

Keeping the highway pegs they may go back on in the end but the windshield sure. Make me an offer.

 

Now totally committed. Not really I could still slug the tail and weld her back on.

 

Since you have the skills, I have two words for ya:

Stretch it!

 

Have you got a plan you want to share?

 

Yeah the plan is a page back.

I like a soft ride so the suspension stays. however it needs to be dropped in the rear. I'm considering a 2" stretch for the swing arm get that tire back there more and out of my butt.

Gauges need to be cut down to a speedo preferably a mini 0-140mph with led indicators.

Exhaust needs to be worked over and will require some more serious thought. But, I do see a wrap in its future.

As for the seat, I'm thinking Black plain and spring rear solo. I also want to incorporate a passenger pylon that is removable.

Possibly a different fuel tank. Thinner less contour but not a peanut. Totally depends on how it looks.

Paint looks like a black frame since it's already spotless. the tank and what rear fender there is done in gloss black base coat and bronze airbrush work.

Wheels???? I gotta find some spokes if I do anything.

 

I do like the spokes myself. Did you see the post on fitting a rear wheel on the front to get a wider tire on there? Are you going to remove center stand? One of the things I have thought about was to hide all the electrics in part of the fuel tank battery tci regulator basically all the junk under the seat would be gone.

 

More of the same, then?

 

Center stand is going away but will be in the garage to get the bike up for service. I'm thinking or building a battery tray and an electronics can under the seat.

 

What do you think of this one?

 

More of the same, then?[/quote]

Ouch harsh!

I haven't seen too many with a stretched swing arm or airbrush work. Majority I see are a chopped frame lowered rear and a solo and flat fricken black.

What I'm looking for is a stretched soft tail bobber.

 

What one you sent the link to garage company's web page.

 

You might want to open the garage door and turn on a fan when your going choppity chop there reajcox

 

And why would I want to do that? It's 70 Degrees in the garage and 40 outside. Besides I'm using a porta band chop saw. No Fumes! But, good lookin' out.

God bless power tools!!!!!!

Pods got ordered tonight. Found them for $18.00 + shipping. I'll go steal the Mikuni jet kit this spring from a friend and jet my jets all synced up.

For future reference ya'll can just call me "Ry". It's short for Ryan. reajcox stands for Ryan Elizabeth Adrianna Jen Cox.

 

BTW who the hell put an air box in that you have to remove the engine to get out?

I can honestly say it didn't put up much of a fight to the blade. :lol:

 

Anyone out there know the size tubing used at the swing arm?. Not really vitally important but good to know so I can order it before I cut the thing in two. It will be getting 3 inches of length added and the whole section and will have a steel slug run through it. 3 inch (or max depth) on either side of the extension. I'm looking at 9" of solid to e brace the swing arms guts.

Ain't seen that in a cookie cutter!!!

 

Elizabeth, what sort of a haircut you got there?
Go to the bottom of the page I sent:
Garage Company builds California bobber for Michael Schumacher.

 

Love the tank! The tires are perfect for the build along with the wires. The exhaust needs to be lower. Springers are just sweet. The color is awful and way to much of it. Looks like they should have taken his height into consideration.

Elizabeth is my daughter. And I'm going for the Joe Dirt mullet. :lol: Not!!!

 

Well the air box is out the wiring harness is a mess. Trying to figure out what to do with wiring and battery.

Carbs are back on. Waiting for my pods.