my xj 650

ive had her basically done all summer, except the seat pan and a few other odds n ends, but shes runnin rood, rode all summer. only paid $400, put around $600 in it. so for a $1000 i ended up with apretty good cruiser. lots of rewiring done LOTS lol. enjoy the pics

 

Looks sweet, love the bars

 

I like what you've done. That last picture is kind of ironic. The sportie looks more cafe-crotch rocket than the XJ, HA!!!

After looking at the first few pics of where you made the initial cut and re-weld I thought you went a different route. At first I thought that you moved the 2 rear vertical frame rails forward to meet the the seat rails. I then noticed the new angle of the seat rails so obviously you moved them down in the back.

Back to my original thought of moving to rear 2 forward: After looking at the pics and pondering the idea a little more, why not. In my head, it is the perfect solution, or maybe even do both. If a guy was to hack a couple of inches off the seat rails, angle them down in the back, and then move the rear rails forward, in theory, it would lower the rear end as well as the seat and also give the backbone a more aggressive angle. Sounds good to me!

Of course, it will change the handling and, yes, it will probably not leave room for the air box causing need for pods. Perhaps I am overlooking some things? Anyone else ever see it attempted?

 

My bad pimp. I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I do really like where you went with the bike. It looks great. Please excuse my enthusiasm. It kind of felt like some sort of epiphany, for me at least....

 

Look's great.

 

Looks NICE! After 1st couple of pics I was worried about the stress you would put on the frame where you cut the seat rails and moved them down. Glad it worked for you...

skillet

 

ha, just noticed the mufflers too. I used the same ones and chopped the old at the same place.

Also, I wanted to inquire about the new fenders. The front looks great sitting so close to the tire. Where did you find it and how much did it set you back? I've also been hunting for a new rear fender as well. The one you used looks similar to a few tractor fenders I have been exploring? I just chopped and moved the original fender forward. Since it gives little coverage, I sometimes get wheel spay(dirty water) on my back. Your fender has a couple more inches so I was wondering if you ever ran into this?

 

Sorry, i havent been on here much lately. thanks for the comments, its the first motorcycle ive owned (rode many).for the frame, i had doubts about cutting it in the begingin but i couldnt stand the way it looked factory, i made some brackets that i welded into that area that helped strengthen it up, and i put allot of weld in there. i rode it all summer, mostly back country roads so the frame got a beating, and theres no stress cracks in the paint or bondo or anything, even put her donw once at a low speed, no issue at all.yea got the sporty mufflers at a swap meet for $20, handlebars for $10, air pods for $5, headlight for $5 and tailight for $35, swap meets are goldmines. the front fender is a sporty fender, its actually the exact fender thats on the sportster in the last pic, except mines only about 1/8" away from the wheel, had to drill some new holes in the bracket to make it fit right since the harleys axle is centered in the front forks, and the XJ's axle is placed forward, but i like the way it came out. got it from j&p cycles for like $30 new, back fender is just a trailer fender i picked up at tractor supply. think it was $25. i got most of my aftermarket parts and tires from j&p cycles and JC whitney. i get a lil splater on my back in the rain, but nothing the leather cant handle lol

 

Sorry, i havent been on here much lately. thanks for the comments, its the first motorcycle ive owned (rode many).for the frame, i had doubts about cutting it in the begingin but i couldnt stand the way it looked factory, i made some brackets that i welded into that area that helped strengthen it up, and i put allot of weld in there. i rode it all summer, mostly back country roads so the frame got a beating, and theres no stress cracks in the paint or bondo or anything, even put her donw once at a low speed, no issue at all.yea got the sporty mufflers at a swap meet for $20, handlebars for $10, air pods for $5, headlight for $5 and tailight for $35, swap meets are goldmines. the front fender is a sporty fender, its actually the exact fender thats on the sportster in the last pic, except mines only about 1/8" away from the wheel, had to drill some new holes in the bracket to make it fit right since the harleys axle is centered in the front forks, and the XJ's axle is placed forward, but i like the way it came out. got it from j&p cycles for like $30 new, back fender is just a trailer fender i picked up at tractor supply. think it was $25. i got most of my aftermarket parts and tires from j&p cycles and JC whitney. i get a lil splater on my back in the rain, but nothing the leather cant handle lol