83 SECA 650 Cafe Project

Thanks, Ease, for the pics and info. I found some 72 xs rear pegs that are a bit trimmer (same stud size and pitch) and I think I'll mess with them today. I'll let you know what I discover with different positions and get some pics posted.


RR

 

... Not an update on the bike, but I just wanted to post my opinion on something.

I changed my profile to contain a pic of my bike in every post, but this is an example of what I consider a decent size.

If anyone thinks it's too large or takes concentration away from their post please let me know and I'll remove it immediately.

 

Looks Good to me! 8)

 

*edit *

 

Thanks!

The picture is taken from the security booth at the Cabot garage.
(Worked security for the delta/mile one for a couple of years part time).

 

For some odd reason a lot of people like to modify SR500's to make them cafe racers too. They look cool but totally unrideable. I prefer to put spacers underneath the bars to raise them up so they are more comfortable. Besides, the first one doesn't even have any padding on the seat!

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9356 ... af5iv6.jpg
http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k256/ ... img424.jpg

 

Yeh, seriously unridable. Just look, there's no drink holder, cd player---and how am I supposed to light my cigarette? What about the seat too, I mean where's my wife gonna sit? Am I supposed to ride that thing ALONE??? What about all my gear?? There's not a storage bag in sight. I'd just throw it in the trash, totally a waste. By the time I got my Vetter fairing on it and tracked down some hard to find buckhorns, I'd have doubled it's value. Not to mention the time involved. NO THANKS. </sarcastic rant>

 

lol thats good

 

Why do you keep saying it's unrideable?

 

LOL


I think the first SR was a race/show/unfinished bike... for the street, probably unrideable (I like comfortable seats - as you can see from my bike).

The second one is dead sexy and looks plenty comfortable to ride!

I like the SR's for 1 reason above all else.
One Huge Piston. That's gotta be fun.

 

Ease, any info on how to fab that seat?

 

Hey again.
There's a page here on this site similar to the one on dotheton, but I think it has the exact same info.

 

good looking cafe. glad to see another out there. i guess we need to start a yamaha cafe site. kudos

 

Thanks man, this bike has been kickin around for quite a while.

There are lots of yamaha cafe's over on the other forum I frequent... dotheton.com... feel free to stop by and post up a pic.

You'll find that most of the yamaha's are XS, not XJ's. But there is a pretty cool maxim cafe over there too.

 

Very Very Nice work, I have a 82 650xj and I was going to sell it. But seeing what you've done to it brings a tear to my eyes, and I will no longer be selling. Can you please put togeather a parts list and where to get them, I've been looking for Cafe parts but no luck. Again Great job on the Bike!! Looking for how to's on how to change the front fork to a dual break disk setup, how to fab a seat, where to get wire Wheels. I'm new to the xj 650 but love it. Please someone post up How to's.

Thanks

 

Thanks to you too! Good to hear you're keeping the bike.

I don't really know where to start with the parts list... I guess the only place I shopped from was e-bay, so each part came from somewhere different (in most cases).

My clubmans probably came from speedmotoco on e-bay... Just search Clubman handlebars, or just put in the words "cafe racer" and you should be able to pull up at least 20 different places to get them (they have to be 7.8" of course, not 1")

The clip-on's that I have on there now (instead of the clubmans) I got from Jim Hinshaw... great guy with an up and coming buisness (also sells rearsets and other things). I bought the Low Rise model.

If you're switching to this type of Clipon (Tarozzi), you'll need to replace the master cylinder to fit as well. I swapped mine out for a master cylinder from an 04 R6. It's a straight swap if you use your old Banjo bolt. But you might want to go all the way and use the R6 Banjo and have 2 separate lines instead of the stock collector under the lower tripple.

I opted to go for stainless lines in my case for performance and appearance... Which I also had made up locally at the toy box here in St. John's NL. http://www.thetoybox.cn... Lots of other places to get this done. Apparent'y there's a guy on e-bay that does em cheap too... I have no info on that though.

The taillight I found on e-bay... not sure off of who, same with the LED, but just search cateye taillight (or, again, just "cafe racer") and you should come up with something.

The decals I just drew up and brought it to a sign maker to have it made into a digital image to be cut out of white vinly - so I don't have a reference for that either (unless you live in my town, St. John's NL... they still have the pics on file at the shop) same thing goes for the checkers.

I ordered the "Cafe Racer" decals on the side covers from Carpy over at http://www.cb750cafe.com

Also, I got the "Rockers" decal on the 2-up seat from the ace cafe in london, England. I picked it up in person but you may be able to grab it at http://www.ace-cafe-london.com (which by the way is your new holy ground, provided you are making a cafe racer).

The seat, unfortunately, I can't be much help with. I ordered a generic cafe hump, which didn't fit... So I cut it up and used what was left of it and a seatpan I got off e-bay, combined with a lot of fiberglass work, to make the seat you see on my bike.

Not sure that any of this will help... If not try having a poke through my thread or heading over to the caferacer site to see the DIY how to's (http://www.dotheton.com)


Oh...
You say you have an '82 XJ650 and you don't have dual disc brakes?
So you have a maxim?

If that's the case I suggest getting a seca tank and forks / front end.
That way you get the dual discs and the cafe-looks of the seca 650 tank.

 

Adding a couple of topics that I think should be sticky:

Pictures of changing handlebars:

What to do when your flashers stop flashing:

 

sweet bike.

 

Thanks!

 

Has anyone ever stripped off an XJ650 Turbo? GOt rid of the faring, changed the tank to a normal one? I was thinking of it actually..