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

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

So it's been a little cold here.. -10 degrees C or for those in the US about 14 degrees F...so you can see why nothin's been really happening... the garage is cold as heck... but i managed to do some Mod'n...

next on the list is making a jig for the axle... but ran into a snag.. the welder i've got wont plug into my 220 outlet..so i gotta figure out some electical wiring this week...

anyway here are some pics...

 

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

awesome job dude!!

 

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

Dude, I am just loving this thread, thanks for posting! I have recently bought my XJ400 - it's 1992, four cyl and kind of a "white fly" - yu don't see many around (link to thread below my signature).
What caught my attention in the picture was the bike wooden stand you are working on. I am 56, not the sporting kind so my back kills me after half an hour working on my rebuild. Did you do this stand yourself? If so, got the plans?
"Modern" (90's) XJs have a totally different frame, with two curved pipes going around the fuel tank. I am considering replacing them with a single steel backbone, using a harley sportster tank and lowering its ass a little.
First thing though is to get her motor running again. Lucky me, shims are on their way right now.
Ride on!
Aharon, from sunny Israel

 

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

Hey Aharon,
thanks for the comment... I haven't seen very many 400's with anything spectacular done to them...so i wanted to challenge that... everyone just "hardtails" it buy replacing the mono shock with square tubing and that's it.. nothing special... i've got a few awesome plans for this baby...

It's my FIRST bike and my FIRST build.. i have very little experience in building anything..so it's going to be a bit of a challenge..especially putting it all back together... but i'm sure it's going to be amazing!

as for the stand.. i build it myself with no plans... super easy to build..all you need :
9 - 2"x4"s
1- sheet of plywod (got home depot to cut it in half for me) so it's 2'x8 feet
16 - bolts,(2 washers per bolt) and nuts
6 - castor wheels (each rated for 100lbs) if you buy all of them that swivel you should make sure they have locks on them.
4 eye hooks
and about 100- 3 1/2" screws should do it..

Here's a better pic so you can see how i braced it on the bottom.. same goes for the top...



I made it easy for cutting and measuring...

length is 8 feet - no cutting... 4 of them
height of each leg is 2 feet - 8 all together (bolt these)
cross braces - 10 of them all together (screw these in)

the braces underneath were a bit shorter since you have to take into consideration the width of the long 2x4's ..

I haven't built the ramp to get the bike down for it yet.. but when i need to i will...

it definitely saves the back... it'll help me weld those awkward spots too.. the best part is.. i can wheel it around when i need to park my jeep inside or closer to my outlets of further away if i'm cutting stuff.. and it cost me about $40 bucks to build..

I've read your thred... lots of work i see... I was fortunate enough that mine was working great... we'll see how it runs when i get it all back together... i've got to clean the carbs and sync the valves too..so i'm definitely relying on the guys on here to help since my experience in this is like i said..very limited!... but it's a learning experience and i'll be so pround when it's all done and i get to show it off!

good luck!

 

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

BareFoot, you're a hero!
Amazing how the attitude of everybody here is so straightforward, humble, friendly, patient, generous.
I will build myself a stand now that I know how to.
I guess you saw how the frame "embraces" the tank from underneat in the "newer" XJs... straight, single steel backbone it will be!
Thanks man - and once again, congrats on your project.
Ride on!
Aharon, from sunny Israel

 

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

Woo Hoo!! I've now got power!... to weld i should say.. hooked up a new jack and breaker for my MIG... so should be good to go for the weekend.. gonna build my jig this weekend... got my axle plates come'n... just need some DOM tubing and make history... the frame is retarded... so i'm going to have to cut even more off... it's basically gonna need to be revamped completely... but it's gonna be awesome.. that is the plan for the next couple weeks... then i'll need a lot of help put'n it back together...

and to figure out how to extend my brakes and stuff to accomodate the stretch...

i'll be posting pics of progress when i get a chance...

to be continued...

 

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

I did a complete hardtail on my 400 maxim. if you want, i'll post pics. it's just the frame right now, but you'll get the idea

 

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

yeah man please do.. i've been looking through a million pics for one... nothng really that i like...

 

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

hey..
do you have a 400j (xj) or an xs400.. in the bottom on your signature you've got your bike as an xs... they're different...

mine's got a mono shock and the xs has dual suspension in the rear.. plus the frame is a lot easier to build off of on an xs..

either way post up some pics... you got a thread somewhere?
would love to see the progress man!

 

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

actually BAREfoot, you have an XS400J if it is a maxim or XS400R if it is a seca XJ400's are 4-bangers

 

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?

 

what is the problem? I've wired several from scratch... PM me

 

Deff followin this!

 

It's been way too long since I updated this...

anyway like i wrote it the last post.. I've been stopped dead in my tracks with this build since last summer... too much went on.. moved to ontario, moved to Calgary, got married, dog died, went back to school to get a Masters degree.. bla bla bla..

But I have done so much since the last time..

the bike has been powder coated, and is running..took it out for a 6km ride last summer.. woo hoo!... now i'm going back into it to make it look all nice and perdy....

right now i'm working on the battery box - gonna look like an old wooden peach box - almost done

designing a new solo seat, gotta get it CNC'd this week..see what it looks like...

painting the fender and tank in the next couple weeks...

just wanna get this thing on the road...

I am looking for a front and rear fender.. a metal one from anywhere online that sells nice ones...

I JUST WANNA RIDE IT!!!

 

I have been followin this since last year. was glad to check back in and see you posted again.

I just joined so I could post but glad to know you got it done or are close to it.

how about postin some new picts of the final product

 

I read 6 pages only to find a dead end!! I was all excited to see what you did. Hope all is well and that we get some closure on this thread! Looking forward to pics

 

yeup.... forum threads ain't like a book, where you KNOW there's an end! That's why I always cheat and go to the last post and work my way back... no disappointment that way!

 

yes, but it was still an interesting read, and being new to building was very informative. Never woulda thought to fiberglass a tank to even her out (<-- by new I mean my first bike to actually work on is hopefully on its way lol )