New project in the midst

Yet another update. Decided to take the engine out to do some frame work. And clean everything as well as repaint the frame. Here she sits.

BTW I've got to shorten the kick stand.

 

You could have sold the airbox if you hadn't cut it up, there is a demand for stock airboxes from people dumping the pods when they can't get the thing to run right.
I agree about the colour & perhaps they could bob Schumacher's legs.

 

hey, Elizabeth, if you want to avoid the cookie cutter bike, just stretching the STOCK swingarm 3" is like using a broken cookie cutter to make misshapen cookies.

build a whole new rear swingarm, cut off the stock uhh, i dont know what it's called, its the thing with the bearings that swivels on the swingarm bolt, and weld some curved bar to it like in an oval shape, weld an axle plate in the rear, but cut the rear ends of the bar so it comes to a point, i drew a rough pic. if you dont have means to bend the bars like so, I imagine a steel shop or body shop could get the bars, bend, and tack it together for around 150 smacks. remember to cut slots in the bars for the axle plates to slide in for extra strength

 

oh ya, get some xs650 spokes

 

WOW!!! That just hit me out of the blue... My Swing arm issues are over. I have a whole second Chassis for a Suzuki GS500E.

Anybody interested is seeing an XJ get mono shocked?! can even ditch the mono and go dual shocks yet.

The Swing arms are about 3 inches different and a whole 1/8 of an inch too wide. at the swing arm mount. No big deal.

Check this out...

 

What something like this XS ?

 

Groovey, do er up guy, thats gonna be cool. Gonna swap for a gixxer or r1 front too now right

 

see, now that's cool, mono shock it up

 

D'oh (Homer)

 

Too much work for me.

Id rather be riding.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. :|

It'll be ready for the first show / cruise-in in the spring.

 

thats because you're in oklahoma bill, he's in ohio, where it gets nippy and it snows

 

Looks like you made the right decision to bob it look what happened after a few days in your garage it just fell apart. Mono shock idea is looking promising.

 

I know, and that was damn near a 10mm 1/4" drive dream. I didn't hit 1 bolt that didn't come easy. What are the odds? Normally for the age you've got bolts rusted so bad they just snap off. The PO definitely took pretty good care of this ride.


Curiosity has me wondering....

What fuel tanks will fit this old girl?

 

well since you are bob/chopping it, ANY tank will fit with some modifications. Find the one you like/afford and make it happen

 

I was trying to avoid cutting of a tank or triple rail. But, very true.

 

Well all I'm short an airbox cover, windshield and highway pegs. They have been bought and are on their way to their new owners.

 

OK after reviewing all the parts and checking the looks I really want to keep my stock springs. They just add a little something to the rear that's missing with the mono shock. However I'm going to have to build some mounting plates and I think they will be stepped so that I can adjust the rear up or down by simply unbolting the lower bolts and moving holes.

The GS500E swing arm is a nice fit. I'm sending it with a friend to have a little machining done to match the pivot tube width. Since he's a machinist I'll let him handle that one. The axle bolt from the Suzuki was the same diameter ans the XJ and the spacers were even correct. I will have to do some engineering for the brake. But, appears to be doable once the swing arm is mounted in its position. Before it goes in the frame it'll get cleaned up and have all the excess Suzuki mounts removed.

I played with eBay today and won a drag bar for $14 and chrome bar end mirrors for $18. Both including shipping. Awesome for me. I'm currently winning an old steel Indian seat pan (11x13) for $10 + shipping. Needs recovered but I can handle that. Can't be any worse than making jet ski seat covers.

I think the lights are going LED. Yeah that means some more electrical conversion. but I found the coolest dual cat-eye tail light with integrated turn signals. naturally it'll be disassembled and have one on either side of the frame but how cool is an all in one tail light. Like going old school modern.

 

booo

these stock shocks suck, and mono shocks are awesome.

 

OMG I just won a brand new drag specialties solo seat on ebay for $35.00. Woohoo!!!

 

However I'm going to have to build some mounting plates and I think they will be stepped so that I can adjust the rear up or down by simply unbolting the lower bolts and moving holes. <quote>

At last a novel idea )

 

Hater :lol:

 

What's that, then?

 

In the matter of 2 days I've picked up the following...

Drag bar
Bar end mirrors
Solo seat
Pods

All new and I have about a hundred bucks in all of it.

I pulled her out in the sun yesterday and set the pressure washer loose on the frame. We broke 60 here so it was probably my last good day to do it. So now its all clean and I can start removing all those little brackets that don't have a use anymore. Then I'm going to have to repaint the frame. Worked for about and hour with the fender spoons taking 1 small gent out of the lower front of the tank. I don't mind filler where filler is due but repair what you can.

I'm now on the hunt for the small speedometer with the 4 indicator lights. Best price I can get so far is bout $85. Beauty is I have till next spring and can watch for a deal.

I spent a little time in the garage this morning and got my swing arm all bolted in. Not sure but I should start seeing parts tomorrow.

 

Nice. Looking good.

 

After mush anticipation the Swing Arm is finished and it got its first coat of high gloss black today.

 

looks good you are the first person i know with a popcorn maker it his garage lol

 

Nice work.

 

I love kettle corn. And if you add a little sugar during popping it taste just like it. :lol:

 

On a side note. While The frame was curing I tossed the tank for my GS500E up there and got it painted since it's going black as well and I still had half a gun left.

Bad news is I've gotta go get more black. Kinda knew that was going to happen. But, I've got 2 more coats to go on the frame. The last 2 are in implement paint. That stuff is hard as crap when it dries.

 

The frame is all painted and it's back on it's wheels. Long way to go on this Brat.



Heres the rest of the new toys that are going on the XJ...



The tank is not going to be black! How about Firethorn Red Pearl

 

Looks good!

I have been looking at tail lights and signals on ebay recently for my project. The ones that you have there look nice. Are they the ones with the integrated turns in them? Have you tried them out for brightness?

They are the right size and shape of what I am looking for I am just a little reluctant to purchace them without seeing how much light they emit.

-Steve

 

Here's some reference for ya'

 

Sweet, thanks! I think I'll get me a set. Site says that they are not DOT approved, only a problem if they catch me! (Which would be pretty easy right now).

 

Thought a little progress was worth posting...




Take a good look cause tomorrow its getting turned into a hardtail.

 

Know were talking hardtailin it and while your hardtailin it make it a single backbone and put a mustang tank on it.

 

I like the tank. And a few drinks later here's the mock up...

 

lol that didnt take you long!
cant wait to see it all welded up!

 

Yeah, couldn't fight the urge to do it. Figure while I was convinced that I wanted to do it I might as well take it to the point of no return.

I got the new steel tubes welded in today and man it looks great. I'll get some pics up soon.

 

pics or it didnt happen!

 

Oh, I'm telling you this happened. Here is the proof

 

have to say,looks soooooo much better as a hardtail.just curious as to why u decided to go that way? did u stick with the stock swinger because the tubing matched the frame better? or because u wanted to keep the wheelbase shorter? or because the gs one is going back from where it came?
my xj has a square swinger like the gs,could you let me have the dimensions of it please,coz i would like a longer swingarm in it.if the gs is longer than mine,it may just fit the bill.assuming it wont take too much adapting to fit in my frame.

 

damn dude, looks alot better! nice job

 

Looks so much better good work.

 

Thanks all.

Went back to the stock swing arm as a fluke actually. I took the gs arm off and was finishing shock mounts and kept working on the XJ. Last night when I decided to do this the mounting points were spot on to get the right angles. I had her all set up and was sitting on it to get a feel and it just didn't fit me like I wanted. Even had to have the wife come look it over for an opinion. When I removed one shock and cranked it down with a ratchet strap the height was great the look was awesome. I didn't want to do hard bars from shock mounts so, I broke out the tubing cutter and today she became a hard tail.

 

What all do you need measured. This was off of a spare frame. My GS still is assembled. I still have the mono shock and the mounts. I could always start building another GS from parts. Nah, cheap bike; just buy it whole.

 

hi,the measurements i wd like are: width of swingarm at the mounting point,and the rear(inside to inside) , both spindle diameters,and the length from swingarm spindle to wheel spindle.
thanks very much.
neil

 

jut to be a right royal pain in the butt,could i also have the same dimensions for the standard swingarm.and the diameter and length of the front forks.sorry and thanks.
neil

 

Put the other swingarm back on. Everyone here (including myself years ago) has been hardtailing these bikes. The other swingarm looked better and was different. More original and a better ride. Whatever though. Build your bike. It still looks good, just... Similar.

 

I concidered it before making the tail. In order to keep the line of the bike it lifted the rear end. So the stock arm won this round.

However, I do see a future project to build a hard tail look soft tail. would consist of cutting the upper rails and putting shocks between the upper rail and the tank cross. Still have the hard tail look and stance with a softer rear end. Maybe a next bike or next winter project.