82 xj650 Bobber Build-Could use some advice-Thanks

I just purchased an 82 xj650. - My lack of experience has me wondering about a few things. ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I am in NY and get 7 mo a year tops, to ride, so im looking foreward for the weather to break soon.We got 3 inches of snow yesterday. I was told this bike being a 4cyl,would not sound like the xs650's i had cut and bobbed in the past,and i was worried. But after cutting the pipes a bit,and more to come,i know it will be a great sounding bike.
-My First concern is the pods.What if any,problems could they give me and how much of a pain is it to fix if they do give me problems? I dont want to keep the factory air box and want to get rid of as much as possible. Any un needed wieght or bulky look has got to go.
-So that leads me to my second question. Can the cast alluminum pieces that hold the rear pegs and attach to the frame be removed without jepordising any ridgigity or safety in the bike? Most guys remove these quick,so im sure its ok, but i had to ask here,where the real knowledge seems to be.
-Third. My cluster is driving me crazy along with all the wiring and cables that go along with it all.What options do i have as far as cleaning that all up? Can i simply remove the speedo cable and cluster? if so where would i cut the wires as to be able to re-sell the cluster to someone who may be looking for one,or is there a factory connection far back i can get to?
-Fourth. The bars and exaust. Can i cut even further up and remove the pipe between the two as easy as i cut the pipes the 1st time? and painting them flat black is my plan,what is a good paint? The bars have to go eventually ,but i want to really simplify the whole area. Will i need new clutch cable and new wiring to do this? Thanks to anyone willing to take a minute to answer any of my many questions. Sorry it was so long. I recently got some time to do these little things i want to do, and am just looking for some knowledgable advice. Thanks again.

-Benny

 

#1 Pods. putting pods on your bike will require you to rejet, tune, rejet, tune til you get it right. There is no exact science to it. Just need to be patient and figure it out. I have pods and a stage 3 jet kit on mine and it runs great(after a LOT of trial and error.)
#2 The rear pegs only hold the pegs and the bracket for the mufflers. If the mufflers are gone or going, and you wont have a passenger, take em off.
#3 DON'T CUT ANYTHING. The speedo cable detaches from the front wheel and the tach can be disconnected inside the headlight(where the squirrels nest is.)
#4 Don't cut the collector pipe that runs under the bike between the pipes. This is crucial for a good running XJ. You can cut further up but don't go too far. Cutting ANY muffler or pipe will give you no back pressure and tuning rejetting experimentation will have to be done again. As for bars, it depends on where you go with it. Most apes will be too high for the existing cables and drag bars will leave too much slack. there are others with better experience with this and hopefully they will chime in. Good luck and keep us posted. We love pictures, too.

I will also let the other XJers fill you in on safety procedures and what to look for. I'm more of a "ride it like you stole it" kinda guy. There are some who will give you grief for even mentioning pods. Don't mind them. Or do. I don't care. Maybe it's just the bikes personality. Some Xjs like pods, some don't. Or maybe it's the owners. I haven't figured that out yet.

 

Theres a minimal wiring diagram around here.

 

Thanks Hesh. I appreciate that. I dont want to do too much jetting so ill avoid pods and getting rid of that center cross pipe for the exaust. The bars i hope to get just have less of a rise and bend than the stocks. Not apes and not drag bar. Kinda just up a bit then out. Maybe ill get lucky and not have to replace much. I will deffinatly not CUT any of the wires, and i am aware of the speedo cable. But what about a tach hole plug? will i need that? Thanks again Buddy.

-Benny

 

Thanks wj750. I found it.

 

Hey HESH, i tried uploading photos on the Forum and even after dropping my 14mp camera to 2 mp it sais they are too big. I DID however get 2 pics up on my profile page if you want to take a look at the bike. Pics are where its at for sure. I hear ya there. I love seeing the other projects going on all over.

Let me know what you think.

 

HESH-there under photo gallery man. There an album there if you can access it.

 

I have a electric tach. You should as well. The secas have a mechanical tach that feeds in to the front of the motor. where does yours end up? Saw the pics. Good looking starter. Your pipes are cut in the same spot as mine.

 

You can see my bars in my gallery. I used seca cables to take up some of the slack. They actually put the master cylinder pretty flat. $50 shipped off Ebay

 

I am not sure where it ends up actually,ill check that first thing tommorow. That digital sounds great. How much did that guy run ya? I am going to check out your bars now,and the bike or bikes you have posted photos of. I didnt realize that there was a link to the members gallery thru the forum,or that the pm was personal message. Haha. Im not use to this style of layout and have never really been in a forum or chat room type setup before. This one i like. And again i appreciate your time. I want a safe bike, while being as simple of a bobber as possible.I would even go hard tail but my ridgid days may be over. My back has been a problem of mine for over 22 years now,and lately worse than ever. Wish i could though .Darn , im multitasking and forgot what was next. Um, Oh yeah, the cable you said for the clutch was on ebay too and lessoned and length that may cause a not so nice look, or even posibly a problem with it working right? That and a small speedo would be great. Ill check your bike(s) out and be back. Thanks Hesh.