Ok, here it is...

Here it is for those of you who have followed the progress since last year...

Let me know what you think.

 

Very nice, you do good work. Old school kind of appeal

 

i LOVE the exhaust...

ive never cared for the 4-2 (by the same token i dont like V-twins running a 2-1) and yours is too sweet...

d

 

Thanks guys!

I want to replace the bars, as to me they look kind of out of place. Any recommendations?

Also, I still have some slight work to do around the seat and gas tank area.

The exhaust was all custom by me, lots of grinding and welding and more grinding lol.

 

Looks great. It would look better if you lowered the rear a bit, so you wouldn't see so much room between the tire and the fender in the rear.
I have handlebars from a Honda Goldwing and I really like them. They don't come back as far as yours do and are very comfortable. I wanted them even with my shoulders, so I added some homemade 4" risers to bring them up more. They have a 10" rise, so now they are 14" with the risers.

Here's a pic:

 

Thanks PainterD!

When I sit on it it gets much lower and looks much better (thats because I am 6'1" and 220lbs lol. I am afraid if I lower it, then hit a bump, the fender will hit the wheel which would tear all the wiring behind the fender.

For the handle bars I don't want them too high, I was actually thinking about getting some with a lower more 'slick look'.

 

Gorgeous bike, Anthony! Very nice work.

If you're looking to change out the bars I think some flat drag-bars would look very bad-ass, but to be honest I kinda look of them as-is. They suit the style of the bike to my eye. I have to agree with PainterD though; some shorties on the back would improve the look. Just get some nice stiff ones that you won't bottom out. I just put some Suzuki Savage shocks on a bike and I was surprised how stiff they are. HD shocks should be nice and stiff too.

 

Thanks MaximumX

Alright, well it seems that I need to shop for some shocks, how "long" should they be? I have never bought shocks for a bike before, and so how do I know I am not just going to buy some that are the same length?

 

Here is what sticks out to me...the guages are waay too big for the stripped down look you are going for. (buy some from Mike's XS or JC Whitney) The front blinkers are HUGE and uneven. Ditch the sidecovers and make some of your own out of leather or aluminum, etc. But I really like the effort you made and it is really unique. To me, the bars are a perfect fit. And BTW the paint on the swingarm could easily be touched up by masking with some newspaper and dusting a few light sprays of paint on there...just a minor thing that would make a huge difference...NICE JOB.

 

Thanks dwcopple, I hear ya, I am looking for some new gauges and want new indicators but am unsure what to get.

I was thinking these would make a nice upgrade.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... :IT&ih=012

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=9011.html

I put a pic of some shocks on pg2 of this thread. Shows stock vs. Suzuki Savage vs. some aftermarkets off a HD. The Suzuki's are an easier fit and lower. I haven't ridden with them yet so I can't speak to their performance, but they feel nice and stiff.

 

I think you might want to put your forks a bit further back through your triples - it looks like they're about to fall out of the top clamp in the third photo.

 

I have them perfectly flush with the top, I thought that that is the way they should be, is it?

 

The forks should be flush, not the rubber cap. You need another 1/4" or so to be correct. The cap should be above the top of the tree.

 

As long as you have at least 1/2" of the forks clamped tight in the upper tree, you'll be fine. They won't be going anywhere if all the clamps are tight (where can they go? They can't fall out)
I like the exhaust idea. That's a first here. It gives it an "old school" twist. It's nice to see those who think outside the box.

 

Thanks guys.

As for the forks, I don't have a cap in there, thats the top of the fork itself, but I guess I can raise em 1/4"

 

The triples are designed to have the fork all the way through. If you don't, the upper part of the pinch area can compress further than the bottom. This can put lateral pressure on the pinch bolts, which can make them snap.

It may not happen right away (and it may not happen at all), but why would you risk it? We're not talking about an exhaust clamp or something else that you wouldn't notice if it fell off - were talking about the front end of the bike failing....

 

Your right!
Now that I think about it, I have clip rings that come up against the tree on the top of my forks, so the air valve lines up correctly with the valve on the tree. The top caps are level with the top of the treetop. (treetop? That doesn't sound right) Anyway, I guess I didn't think those were down that far to make a difference if there was no air valves to consider.

 

did you switch that to chain drive? your's is the first ive scene with it

 

550's have the chain. 650's and up are shaft drive

 

Looks excellent.
Nice and clean.

 

Thanks Ease!

I have some new indicators one the way for the front that should make it look a little better.