1980 XJ Cafe Project (With Completed Pictures)

Hey everyone, I figured it was time to start sharing me project with you all.

First off, this bike is actually the first bike I ever learned to ride on when I was 15!!! My father has kept it for the past 12 years with plans of restoring it and completely redoing it. Well life happened and he never got to it, so after I graduated college and got to my new station I took possession of it.

Here it is as I got it from my dad's


After a few days, cleaning the crabs, all new fluids I finally got to ride her again!!!!


My initial though twas to keep the bike stock but after a week of riding I could not do that. I wanted something different and with the blessing of good ol' pop's I began researching parts to cafe this thing. Ive been into fabricating for years now and this is the first motorcycle I am doing. I figured it would be acceptable to dump some cash into this thing since it was a free well maintained running bike.

So parts began to fly!!!!


I wanted a different front end, something a bit sportier! I opted for a set of R6 Forks, you can see the write up I did earlier in the modification section about that.


Once the forks were on it was time to get a seat made.
Started with sheet Styrofoam from homedepot for like 7 bucks.

Shaping with a grinder and flies.

Covered with tape.

Then with aluminum foil and some release wax and then fiberglass.

Boom Seat!


After the seat was done it was frame time!

Ground smooth and sealed from the bottom with some 15ga steel. All the electronics will be mounted to this plate.

After that there is kinda a jump in pictures, I was just doing a lot of waiting for parts and test fitting. Here is the exhaust mocked up and then finished welded. The components are all from Cone Eng, they are the 12"X3" cones and I also got two of their 2into1 couplers to join the headers together.



After the exhaust came the rearsets. They are from Lossa Engineering, very good looking pieces and they happened to fit in the factory holes for the passenger pegs. just had to drill the holes a bit larger and they are in the perfect position!
Clutch Side

Brake Side
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-y2E5 ... AG1498.jpg

The gauge and headlight came from SpeedMotoCo. Just a standard 8" light with the Acewell gauge.


Once the lights were all mounted it was time for the wiring nightmare!!!! After comparing about 7 different schematics this is it about halfway done.


As it sits now, all the lights work, and it starts, I still need to hook up the new speed sensor, but that's tomorrow, for now its late and its time for bed!!!! I hope you enjoy this project, im open to all questions and comments. Have a great night.

I will post updates regularly from here on out, starting with tomorrow evening of the wiring.

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe

stellar job man. im up in the air about bobber or cafe and this makes me want cafe. i always wondered about the controls. like the rear sets. and the front end. and well.. the whole damn bike. cant wait to see the completed thing.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Really NICE!!!

skillet
btw One pic the exhaust looks supported in the rear and another pic it doesn't (yes or no?)...

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Wow! I'm was looking to bobber mine, but now i want that kind of front end!

Great job, thanks for sharing!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

really liking that exhaust!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

realllly liking where this is going!! keep it up!!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Thanks guys. Skillet, the exhuast as it sits right now is unsupported. I am going to make some hangers in the next few day and mount the cones to the frame.

For now though I am still trying to get her running. It ran fine yesterday for a bit of a test ride and now nothing. Although during the ride, from off idle to about 4k rpm it was just on its face stumbling then after 4K rpm its like a rocket ship. I think im going to go get some fresh plugs this morning and try again. I removed the carbs and for the third time completely tore them down and cleaned every passage again, still no start now. I know im getting air, i know im getting spark, but for some reason no fuel....

Im no carb expert so anyone got any tips? I have the free flowing exhaust and I also Jetted it with the stage three kit from DynoJet. I know its like a black art fixing these things but I figure I would try.

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Turns out all my valves are wildly out of spec! The worst one is an intake at .063 (spec.11-.15) and the closest is an exhaust at .165 (spec .16-.20) so yea all that needs to be fixed before I continue tuning.

Also while checking the shims I came across two that read 2,275, the others are are all compatible with the chart but what size are these?

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

use a micrometer if you have one. 275 is their size in mm.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Just check them with a mic and I will actually be able to reuse a few of them in other spots saving me a bit of cash. I will hopefully get the new shims before I have to go back to school. If not then Christmas break. While I wait I will be working on the seat and new tank.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

pm dave (hoggfiddles here on xjbikes) and he can hook you up with the shims you need.

he runs a shim pool, and for 8$ + a deposit, he'll mail you the shims you need, and then once you send him back the shims you replaced, he'll refund you back your deposit.

Its a super quick and super easy process that is a great way to save money!!

Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Yesterday was a serious test of patience, but in the end I am very happy.

I decided I wanted to try to make my own seat pad for the bike and here it is. There is still a bit to be done but for the most part it is complete. What do you think?

Started with a test piece to see how the pattern would look with different with pleats. Decided to go with the 1.5" pleats.


This is the base layer of foam that I just glued directly to the fiberglass. It is .5" thick high density closed cell foam. Very nice stuff.


Also did some custom piping out of the same type of vinyl.


After that I made a few templates out of paper and transferred them to vinyl.


And this is as it sat last night. Very close to being finished, just need to put the snap fasteners on the back and sew the front end together then is finished.


I got the inspiration to try this from the Young Guns youtube videos. They walk you through the process of making pleats and even piping. Im just glad my sewing machine held up through all this. Let me know what you think.

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Dang, that's awesome! Nice work!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

LOOKIN' GOOD! Seat is lookin' better and better!!!

skillet
btw NICE skills with the sewing machine...

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Well here it is, all the sewing is complete. I am extremely happy with how this came out for my first time ever doing this type of sewing. Also happy my sewing machine did not crap out on me! Anyways on to pics!

Figuring out these side pieces was a total game, and for a while the seat cover was winning... But alas, persistence and patience payed off!


Once the sides were finished it was test fit time!!!!!


Ohhhh yea!!!!!! It it not final glued to the fiberglass, I need to finish the body work on the seat pan before I can call this completely done. (That's why it looks a bit loose)


And just a different angle.


Hopefully i get the engine valve shims and gaskets tomorrow in the mail so I can ride this thing!!!!

Not much left, just gotta get a few loose ends tied up and paint the bare spots on the frame, and for now just rattle can the tank in a close color. Might try my hand at some pin striping gold also... we shall see.

Have a great day everyone!!!
-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

bitchin!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Thanks man I appreciate all the comments! I was rather impressed with myself also.

I got her running again also tonight. The new valve shims got here in about two days and she has never sounded better. I made a manometer tonight and will sync the carbs tomorrow morning!!!

Then I will ride!!!

Oh and one last note... Go Navy, Beat Army!!!! (Sorry if anyone's in the Army)

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

The carb sync should make it even that much better...

skillet

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Carb sync went well after a bit of playing. It idles like a champ now, sounds perfect and even responds to a slight twist of the throttle.

Still having an issue with the lower powerband though. From probably about 2-4k it stumbles, no matter what gear, neutral too. I know that the pilot circuit covers that portion but what part of it? The pilot fuel jet or the air jet? Other than that it is perfect. I have yet to play with the fuel mixtures though, so maybe that is it. I know that's the last step to tuning these things, I was gonna buy a colortune plug, any other suggestions?

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

That's a start, but it really only works at idle.

Pod filters?

You've probably got some re-jetting to do, especially with the changes to the exhaust system. Are you 100% sure that all of the float levels are 100% as accurate as they can possibly be?

You said something about a DynoJet kit. What's been changed, and to what?

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Do you have a wiring diagram that you used on this build?
I am at a similar stage but rectifying my ignition woes is proving difficult.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Bigfitz, yes to the pod filters. I did do a dynojet stage three kit. New needles and a 118 main jet. As for the floats, yes, I checked them and they are all the same. One issue I think me be cauing a problem is that the bowls are no longer sitting level. Since I installed the R6 forks the back of the bowl is higher than the front, thus the fuel level is not level with the bowl but more tilted if that makes sense. I think the pilot may just be a touch out of the fuel, which is not good and may be causing this issue.

Hoopsuk, to get the bike running I followed the "minimum wiring diagram" but I completely gutted everything stock. I only reused the connectors on some things but ran all my own wires to three new relays. I wish I could compile what I did to show you but I was looking at about 7 different schematics to get it all to work correctly. If your just trying to get it running look and follow that minimum diagram, it is correct.

Im off to go clean the new tank and do some exhaust tabs today. Have a good day everyone.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH ok so lesson learned... always double check everything! In this case ensure the float's in the boals are not upside down... After much head scratching and cleaning everything again I realized that they were upside down!!!!! So I threw the wiring back on the bike, put the carbs back on and holy shit!!!! It screams through the entire RPM range just as I had hoped!!! No all I need to do is paint the rear frame and put some primer on the tail section and boom she is ready to ride!!!!

One question though, does anyone know the thread size for the oil drain bolt? The last goober that changed the oil ripped all but three threads out of the hole some how and now I have a slow leak... I was just gonna helicoil it, any other suggestions?

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Got a bit more done today. The rear of the frame finally got some much needed paint attention before the rust started to take over.







Tomorrow I finalize all the wiring and wrap/seal everything then a decent rest ride while I wait for the color tune plug!!! I may check the sync again now that it will actually rev correctly.

So close!!!!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Great job! I gotta say I am most impressed with the sewing. Of all things I would never even attempt that!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

That seat is awesome. Good job!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Lookin' better and better...

skillet

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

going to be nice I think, :wink: :wink: :lol: well done

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Well, I got it good enough to ride a bit today!!! Cleaned out the tank, tightened every bolt I could find, twice... and made it to the gas station without any hickups!!! So far so good!



Thanks for all the compliments, I will be wrapping the seat in a few days. More pics to follow!

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Dude, where is your battery?

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

The battery is under the rear hump. It is a very small, LiIon battery, I think it weighs about 1.5 lbs if that.

Also for a heads up, if your going to do the front end conversion make sure the levers are not holding the brakes on... even the slightest bit. Tonight on a second test ride the front end locked up on me. The cheap-o e-bay shorty levers are incorrectly drilled for the R6 master cylinder. The pin that sticks out was being pushed in and not allowing all the fluid to be bled back into the reservoir... so needless to say the brakes heated up to the point of smoking and proceeded to gradually stick themselves to the rotors!!! I managed to get it to the side of the road, let it cool down, it unlocked, rode it a block to a mechanic shop, and after a bit of talking took the lever off and rode home no incident.

I got very lucky tonight, and thankfully nothing bad happened to me or the bike. I will be drilling the hole deeper tomorrow and re-bleeding the entire system again. So if your thinking about ordering the cheap ebay levers jsut double check the fitment... lesson learned. time to order new pads.

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Fantastic! Thanks for the heads up.
I'm trying to keep mine clean and stock as far as it goes, but I've already buggered up some parts relating to the anti-dives in the forks, making them obsolete.
I'm thinking your conversion is the way to go for the next modification...

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Erman, I wish you were not in Norway as I have two complete sets of front forks just sitting in my garage!!! I hope your able to fix them, if not then look the my other thread about the fork conversion and put a sport bike front end on it!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

However, should the lottery kick in tomorrow, I may just relieve you of one

I've blocked off the Anti-dives, and trust that the two fork oil passage resistors (to call them that) are made obsolete. We'll see come spring.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Ok gang, been busy over the break and here is what has been done to close this chapter...

started with all the body work. I got lucky with this tank and there were only a few minor dents and imperfections.

Setting up the make shift garage paint booth. Plastic drop cloths stapled to the ceiling, a fan at one end with filters taped over it... Actually worked very well!!!

First coat of the maroon/red color on the tank. So far so good.

The tail section out in the sun, no clear yet.

The initial graphic layout, son covered in gold.

And after the tape was removed from shooting the gold... Not to bad!!!

And after three coats of clear


And the day after, out in the cloudy weather... The engine still needs to be painted...

And last but not least... Tonight's work, painted a 2K Ceramic Coating on the entire motor, gonna sand down the edges of the cooling fins tomorrow and reinstall it in the frame Monday.


After that just waiting on a new oil filter assembly and then she is complete and ready to ride.

Thanks for looking.
-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Damn fine paint job.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Paint job do look NICE!!!

skillet

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Getting closer, I have the lower pan getting a helicoil put in it for the new drain bolt at a machine shop, hopefully done by Friday... No pics...

Got the motor put back in the frame and dressed up the lettering with a bit of One Shot lettering enamel. Should hold just fine and its a pretty close match for the forks and the paint.


Also on my way home today I stopped by the local upholstery shop and talked to the owner and he was so impressed with the sewing I did that he glued it to the tail section for me for free as I helped him!!!!!! After he even gave me some pointers on how to better my next one! Awesome guy!


I could not wait to get it home and look at it on the bike! Just a few things left before I get to ride her!


Soon I will do some glamor shots of it all finished and cleaned up.

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Very nice results. It has a clean looking finish.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

DAMN! Looks NICE!!!

skillet

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Great job on the seat, can't wait to see the final pics.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Thanks guys, I will be doing glamor shots once it is complete and has been through the paces for a few rides. So don't worry more motorcycle pron is on the way!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Unless I missed it (very possible), any plans for rear fender? Pods sure don't like gettin' wet...

skillet

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Nope, you did not miss anything. I have yet to make one up and for now this will only be a fair weather bike. I am still working on how to fully seal off the electronics under the seat also. I know they would get wet some how if I did ride in the rain so for now I'm hoping I never get caught in the drizzle!!!

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Might be a bit late with this, but Helicoils aren't ideal for threads that see a lot of action. It could hold through many services so check it every time and use minimal torque. Not sure if these use an o-ring or washer to seal, o-ring would be preferable.

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Sorry Dudeman, I decided to go with the helicoil. I was going to use one of those steel insert things but the kit alone was over 100 bucks for the correct size. Got the local machine shop to do it for 40 buck in an afternoon.

So the bike was running very well up until the other day... So my girlfriend has been itching to ride this thing (yes she can ride, done a few track days) and i go to put her on it, she clicks it in gear, starts to let the clutch out and it dies. We try to start it in gear with the clutch pulled in and it tried to start but spinning a lot slower. I put it in neutral and it fires right up. Click first gear, try to take off and dies.... So I pulled the clutch in and tried to roll back to the driveway and it feels as though the clutch is dragging. I click to neutral and it rolls smooth...

What do you guys think? Clutch friction plates? I doubt the clutch has been changed in a long time, but it was working perfectly before...

What about the cable? I know its the original one, maybe its stretching and its not actually disengaging the clutch when its in gear and i pull the lever?

Those are about the only two things I can think of, what else do you guys have for me?

-Chris

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

I had a problem with chain oil and road dirt making the safety switch beside the small engine sprocket under the cover cause the engine to cut out when riding. On my Seca it will not turn over in gear. May not be your fix but a good idea to keep that aarea nad the swith under the side stand clean and sealed with silicone just in case

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

lol - aarea = area, nad = and swith = switch - not drinking honest lol

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

Yeah, I'd say it's a good idea to keep your nads clean...

 

Re: 1980 XJ Cafe Project

So any updates?