Artie's Custom 400 True Hard Tail Bobber...

Re: Artie's 82' XJ 400 bobber project...research then build...

ahh thats what i meant...thank you!

 

Re: Artie's 82' XJ 400 bobber project...research then build.

I had time to work on my bike this weekend! finally.. even though it was freezing outside..i ended up wearing 2 hoodies and my welding jacket and was warm enough to play around...

so here's where i ended off last time... cut the frame back... but i noticed i wasn't happy with where thing would connect..especially at the bottom... so i contined to cut!




My axle plates came in! so stoked.. I built a jig for it a measured it all off... It's going to have a 5 inch stretch i believe... those laser levels and digital angle finder are awesome to find out the center line for my jig...





with the jig in place and bolted down it was time to put on my axle plates... measured and spaced them out exactly... used a string to make sure they were also the right distance apart from the downtube...





now with everythin in place it's time to make the rails..



I messed up with the first tube.. one of the issues was that the backbone has a weird angle to it so it was hard to measure up to it... i ended up welding up some flat 5/16 plate to the frame to help line up the tube to the frame so it was flat... this helped with the second rail i bent up... soooo much easier the line up... now it's a LOT stronger too since the backbone is maybe an 1/8th thick...



i then welded a flat plate to the frame for strength but also to get my seat post to attach to something.. i was also thinking of mounting the gastank to it somehow... i ended up cutting the old tank mount and bending it to fit and attached it... worked perfect! i didn't get to making the seat posts..gotta pick up some small tubing tomorrow for it...


please don't judge my welds.. this is the first time i've ever welded so they're a bit messy... i was more concerned about penetration of the weld then looks.. preheating the thicker stuff really helped a lot.. i found that lowering the amperage and the feed speed allowed to stay in the area longer to get the heat needed but without burn through...


so here's where i go to today... almost done the top just need the seat post and cross bar for the solo springs and fender posts too.. then onto the bottom.. gotta get my buddy to bend the bottom rails for me since i don't have a mandrel tube bender and need it close to a 95 degree bend (which would be bent flat with my bender..not good!) so that's come up this week!..
hopefully it'll be done by next weekend so i can move on to make brackets and stuff..then off to get painted!...


the tanks not done in this pic.. got some fun stuff to do on it still.. but that'll be later on!

so that's it for now.. gotta get a couple more pieces of tubing since i messed up the first one...and on to the bottom this week...

can anyone let me know some important brackets and stuff to weld on if i forget any.. Here are the brackets i was thinking so far:

drum brake bracket
exhaust "
tail light and signal "
fender "
battery box
Where could i attach the (i think it's a) CDI unit?
chain tensioner (since i only have one hole in the axle plate)
ignition

i think thats all..


Thoughts on anything so far.....

 

Re: Artie's 82' XJ 400 bobber project...research then build.

I like your axle plates. Where did you get them or did you make them?

 

Re: Artie's 82' XJ 400 bobber project...research then build...

I drew them up and my buddy made them for me... the theme of my bike is gonna be based on a snake tattoo that i drew up (which is also going to be on the tank)

 

Huge updates... after getting back from a recent business trip (about a week and a half ago) i came back to what you see in the pics in my other post ( just the backbone and top rails on the anxle plates)... lets just say it's not what i wanted to do with it completely.. soooooo... i chopped it apart again... started from scratch 8O .. but good news.. i got the frame all finished..just glass blasted it yesteday and hoping to get it powder coated by the weekend.. :lol:
the things that took the longest was figuring out all the small things like brackets and engine mounts.. but it was fun to do for sure... i've got a bunch of pics but not on my comp yet.. so i'll just post what i've got... will post more hopefully when i get it painted and put more or less back together... i do have a couple questions though...

1) there are 3 wires coming out of the left side by the shifter.. i assume it's for the magnito, neutral sensor and unsure of what the other one is.. can someone help me out.. i'll post it in a pic all numbered.

2)mine's a 400 so i only have the 2 carbs. i am switching to pods..just wondering where the line goes to near the foot brake pedal? do i need to put a smaller air filter on it?

3) i want to paint the engine, are there any areas to be extremely careful to do or avoid in its entirety? i'm thinking that i'll leave the carbs alone...anything else though?


here's it getting starter again... i ended up cutting the backbone right off to fit in a 2" square tube to weld to instead.. easier to get the angles right and level..


bit of a side view before any mounts or brackets yet


a lil rear action


got the engine in and square..it's really nice considering i eyeballed the angels of the downtube and the distance from the steering head..i had a freak out after i got the frame on at about 8pm one night and ended going back into the garage to put the motor in to see if i had room for it.. lucky me!

ok here are the pics for my 2 questions... sorry about the pics i know they don't tell you much since the PO did NOT maintain this ride.. i swear that most of the dirt a grime was from 20 years ago cut it actually petrified on there... degreaser, brake cleaner, wire brush and it still is on there a bit (no pic of it a the point it's at now) but at least there's one of it a little cleaner.. maybe get one tomorrow...


this is even a bit cleaner than when i got it


a little more clean..but still not great


this little guy?

 

Hard to tell with all the gunk but #1 looks like it goes to the pickup coil, #2 and #3 go to the stator and brushes. The hose you have marked used to go to the airbox. You can put a small filter on it.

 

Yep. It's the crankcase breather tube; you'll find what you're looking for referred to as a "breather filter." You should be able to find one to match the pods; plus they come in different colors, etc.

 

Barefoot, I have a question out of curiosity: have you increased the distance between the bike's axles, or are my eyes playing jokes on me?
Thanks,
Aharon

 

awesome.. thanks guys.. yeah i'll post a better pic maybe today when i get home... i think the electrical is going to be ther hardest part about building this bike.. i got a minimal wiring diagram as well as the original wiring diagram to refer to... we'll see what happens!...



as for the distance between the axles.. yeah it's been stretched and lowered.. i don't know exactly how long or low i made it.. just kinda put the axles where i felt would look good and give me lots of room.. i hope i can find a brake rod long enough.. probably 10inches longer than the original brake rod... it's around 33 inches from the rear of the engine to the back of the axle...

 

Thanks Barefoot. Two cylinders and stretched frame, it's looking real mean and slick. I really look forward to see you project completed.
Way to go!

 

anyone got any input on painting the engine? do's and don'ts? :?:

I'll get that pick up tomorrow for the wires.. been busy cleaning out the rear hub and glass blasting all day.. so much to clean.. frig i've never seen such carelessness in my life... 8O

 

That is why me and my brazilian cycling friends always called the primary transmission sprocket area "the bike's a**hole". Yuk!

 

it's finally coming to an end... just brought it home from paint.. hopefully put back together by the weekend..

 

update?

 

sorry a bit behind.. building came to a hault since i moved to Ontario from BC last week.. all i gotta figure out is the wiring pretty much and some final touches like skinning the seat and last paint on the tank.. i've got no garage now so i gotta wait till it stops pissing rain outside.. cuz Ontario sucks right now.. miss British Columbia swo much right now!

 

Lemme know if I can help with the wiring. I've wired several from scratch. Simplified or nothing at all I say.

 

Where in Ontario are you? May be able to suggest someone for recovering the seat.

 

What type of welder did you use for your frame? how many amps? Bike looks fantastic btw.

 

yeah i'll need a lil help with the wiring for sure...

i'm in the orangeville area just north of brampton

the welder i used was a Century 180... i welded it with a low feed speed and lower amperage (setting B or C usually) really liked this welder!...

 

so close but so far... cant figure out the elsectical for it.. grrr.. anyone in Ontario around to help?