A Scottish XJ550 Cafe/streetfighter'ish racer...

Not much done to the XJ in the past two weeks unfortunately with being busy at work then having a wee hoilday with the family but back at it tonight.
Dressed up most of the previous welds on the frame & welded in some frame bracing & put in a bracket for a steering damper.



Forgot to take a photo of the steering damper bracket.. D oh!!!
I'll get that tomorrow along with the modified lower yoke.

Cheers

Col.

 

Paint removed from frame now with wire brush attachement to grinder.
A new frame brace welded in to replace the split lower rear one where the centre stand used to live.
Paint removed from the fork lowers, the top yoke & the front brake caliper which was actually anodised black underneath?????? Why it was painted(badly) I don't know??? :roll:
Split the rear shock & wire brushed the body of it removing all the rust & years of crap that has built up on it. Will have the spring powdercoated next week hopefully as that is a difficult one to clean up & look good.

It will be polishing of the fork lowers & top yoke once again tomorrow I think & prepping the frame & swing arm for primer & if I get a chance possibly degrease the engine too.. Probably fit the new fork seals once they lowers are polished too.
Get it all ready for paint next week hopefully.

Cheers

Col.

 

Been dodging in between paint stripping & painting today.
Paint stripping the petrol tank & the painting of the rear shock, engine & tacho mounts.

Here's the tank with a coat of stripper on it.. Turned out like it has had a wee bash & has been repainted properly with the correct decals fitted a one time in it's life. A wee bit of filler was on the left hand side where your knee would be..





Ground of the plates for the tank badges as I want a smooth finish to the tank there. First coat of filler is already in there now too.
Be rubbing down tomorrow... the joys..

Cheers

Col.

 

Thought I'd put up some photos of the bitties I've been giving a lick of paint these past few days.
The major part was the engine. I would've really liked to have stripped the motor completey for this but I'm hoping to eventually put in a tuned 600 at some point in the future so this one has had a wee clean up & some engine enamel for now. Still to polish the casings & expose the fin edges.


May well have the frame done this weekend if not Monday, see how it goes.

Cheers
Col.

 

Been a bit busier today with a mate turning down the spacer I needed for the front disc. Thanks Gordon. One more bit done making it all closer to completion.

Once that was done I was back to painting the frame which I decided to paint in the back garden seeing it was a nice sunny warm day. 8)
Used Simoniz Tough Black enamel which I'm well impressed with giving a really shiny flowing finish in deep black gloss.


Hoping to have it as a rolling chassis for the weekend with the engine in place so I can move it around as I will be receiving a Suzuki T20 race bike for the weekend 11/12 June to race at the Bob Macintyre trophy meeting at East Fortune.
The T20 needs a bit of space so the XJ has to be rolling to give me enough room in my garage.

Cheers

Col.

 

Excellent work. I really like the mono-shock mod, I want to covert my Maxim some day seeing that I'm not a fan of exposed rear shocks.
BTW my last name is Craig, so its nice to see a fellow Scott doing so well! :wink:

 

Cheers O-B

Yeh, we Scots seem to be everywhere :wink:

Col.

 

I now have a rolling chassis with the engine in & I am starting to try & figure out the rats nest of wiring that has to be done to try & make it all look tidy.
Been cutting out all the excess wires that I won't require. It has come to halt this week as I am sorting out the Suzuku T20 racer that I will hopefully be racing this weekend at East Fortune.

Here is how it is at the moment...




Cheers
Col.

 

So are you just going to run a rev counter? Or is it just a mock up for a single speedo?

 

"Piggin Nora" that's a fine we beasty that you have been fabricating. Hope the wiring does not become the bain of the project.
Cheers, on a job well done.....so far.


Graham

 

Cheers Graham,
Your reading my thoughts on the wiring I tell you. I'm a bit apprehensive about it all but it has to be done so I'll dive in like I have with the rest of it. The regulator & igniter are already bolted up underneath the seat & their wiring needs drastically shortened to make them look neater. The starter relay is the real bugbear at the moment but I think I know where that will go now.
It's trying to make it all look neat & tidy thats the real hassle. :roll:

That is all next weeks worry as I'm sorting out a T20 to race this weekend so busy with that.

Ladicott96.. Yep . it's a BIG rev counter & probably a bicycle wireless speedo that I will use to know how fast or slow I am going.

Cheers
Col.

 

I didn't have a succesful weekend racing the Suzuki T20 unfortunately aswell as the crappie weather, it poured down from 8.00am, the bike popped a piston on the second practice session ending my weekends racing. Fast wee bike though & was feeling comfortable on it despite the conditions. Always next year I guess.

A bit more success came with the wiring of my XJ today as I now have it turning over on the button & have the lights & brake light working. Just need to get myself a horn & that will be something else ticked of the list.
Cut a good amount of the original wiring loom out of it & done away with the kickstand, clutch & all of the other safety switches that are on the loom taking up valuable space & adding weight :lol: ..

Cheers
Col.

 

It's a runner!!!!!!
Managed to have the XJ firing on all cylinders today & it sounds sweet with my modified Motad pipe too, Not too loud but fruity enough to know it's there.
Chuffed with it starting after changing the plugs & putting some fresh petrol down it's neck. I have changed the main jets but no tthe pilots which I think should be done before sorting out the balance of all four carbs. Once of the tickover it revs freely although I know well enough that may change once there is a load on the engine when I put the chain on it & ride it.

Pleased at the moment though.

Cheers
Col.

 

Nice one! Keep us posted.

 

I have a shiny new shock for the XJ now all painted & powdercoated.

My gear selector has been extended for the rearsets so I can engage gear & the front brake is ready to be bled then it is of for paint.

Cheers
Col.

 

that thing looks bloody good up on its feet dude.cant wait to see it all finished up.
u aint got a pic of yr sealey welder have you? i bought a welder a while ago and think its a sealey but was told it may be a clarke.its a sealey gun on it tho.

 

Cheers Grinder,
I will try & get a photo of my welder soon for you.

Front brake bled tonight which has a really nice feel to it so chuffed with that. Exup caliper & R1 master cylinder with a stainless line used there.
Changed the pilot jets & set all the air screws to 2 1/2 turns out as they were allover the place before & it ticks over nice & sweet now with a responsive throttle from idle. May need a fine tune once all together though.Still not put any load on it other than with testing the clutch out & making sure it's getting gears. Which it is..

Cheers
Col.

 

Quite a bit done today with the priming & first colour on the tank & top coat of black on the tail unit.
Cut the hole in my front number board for the headlight & mounted it all. Painted the rearsets a satin black.

Hoping to have the top coat of black on the tank tomorrow & the pinstripe of orange to match the front number board to compliment the hubs.



Cheers
Col.

 

Today I got the top coat colour on the tank & seat aswell as the pinstriping to the tank.


Once I had the stripe fitted I had to fit the lot onto the bike.. Minus the mudguard though..



I need to fit the Yamaha tuning fork logo to the tank then have it laquered in two pack to make it more hard wearing & resilient to the fuel spills if any.
A few jobs still to do once the bodywork is away to be laquered.

Cheers
Col.

 

Can't see from the pictures, but are you going with a "GP" shift configuration or just the regular street pattern?

 

Maxim,
You can't see it mate as I don't have the gear lever or brake lever on it in the photos. I have still to paint the extended linkage I made up for the gear lever but it will be the regular street change.

Cheers
Col.

 

Nice piece of work!
My brother tells me the only way to clean up / shorten wiring is to sit down on a rainy afternoon with plenty of beer and a good soldering iron!

 

Look's great, I really like the spoke rims. Good color choice. :wink:

 

Very nice work mate.

 

That's defo "The Dogs Bollocks" Col.
Good thing you race, you might loose your licence once you get out on the street. :roll: :roll:
That's a bonny wee Hooligan you've got there man! 8O

 

im not sold on the disc around the headlight thing personally,but apart from that,i think that thing looks the dogs danglys.i bet its gunna b an absolute hoot to ride.....AND I WANT ONE PLEASE MR CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

Orange & Black, I thought you may like my choice of colours for some reason . :lol:
Maxim, yeh I'm looking forward to blasting around the local lanes on it, I hope it goes aswell as it looks.
Grinder, the wife isof a similar opinion to yourself regarding the numebr board around theheadlight. She reckons it looks like a dog that has been to the vet & come away with one of those cones around it's neck .. :lol: ....
"AND I WANT ONE PLEASE MR CHRISTMAS!!!!"
That could be arranged. :wink: I know where there are another 3 XJ550's lying in a barn & could be mine... I'll get my order book open shall I????.. :lol:

Bodywork now at the painters for it's 2 pack lacquer so should be well shiny by the end of the week.. 8)

Cheers
Col .

 

That looks amazing. Tell you've done some racing as theres nothing extra on the xj that doesnt need to be there.

Your ingenuity and quality of work is top notch.

 

amazing job! right on!

 

Hey Col, don't know if they have any Buell Blast's, the little ones over there, but they have this small cut down fairing that might look good on the bike. However you would have to go to a bit bigger headlight or use something to fill in the opening. Found this pic using Google, looks like it might carry the lines of the bike alright.


Here's a couple with it mounted on the bike



Just a thought, seeing as you are running a single gauge off the top yoke.

 

Cheers Maxim,
That does look like a neat little headlight cowling but I was thinking more of the manx style of number plate come screen if I was going to fit anything different from what I already have on there. Going to see how it goes first before anymore modifcations at the moment.

Bike now ready for a MOT.. Should have it done on Tuesday night I hope now that I have my rear brake all sorted & working.
Thought I would put the XJ on the scales to see how much weight I've managed to lose of the little heffer.
From what I have found on the net the original bike weighed a masive 204 kg/449.7lbs :roll: Weighing my now anorexic XJ550 with basic bathroom scales initially under the front wheel then the rear I had a weight of 81.5(189.2lbs)/79.5kg(182.6lbs) front/rear giving me 161kg(371.8lbs) with oil & a round a gallon of fuel in it... :shock: 43kg lossed???? Wow!!
Now that should help the power to weight ratio I would think... :lol:

I thought of making a list of the parts used..

Honda NS125 handlebars (35mm)
Yamaha SR125 front hub
Yamaha XT550 rear hub
Double butted stainless spokes(Central Wheel Components)
Yamaha LC250/350 shock
Kawasaki GPX600 rear sets
Vespa T5 rear brake cable
Aprilia RS125 front disc
Yamaha Exup front caliper
Yamah Exup brake master cylinder(may change this)
Chinese supermoto wheel rims 2.5 front/3.00 rear(Ebay purchase @ £100 pair for the complete wheels)
Yamaha FZR400 seat (extended to suit)
Kawasaki 5 position steering damper
4 1/2 inch chrom headlight
Cateye large rear light
Sava Racer H rated tyres 100/80x17 front, 130/70x17 rear.
520 chain conversion using XT550 sprockets.

Cheers
Col.

 

So, when you do pass the M.O.T. will it be listed as an XJ 550 or a "550 Bitsa"? :roll: :wink: :wink:

 

Wow you have done a great job with that 550 man, hats of to you and your great work. What jetting are you running with that exhaust and K&Ns?
Thanks Al

 

Hey Maxim,
it's a XJ550 of course.. ;-)..

Al, at the moment I haven't run it on the road so the jetting may change but it has 125 mains & 35 pilots. Revs cleanly in neutral but as you will know it means nothing until there is a load on it throughout the rev range. I will report back once I have it all legal.
Going to be modifying a mates Motad for his GS1000S after he liked what I have done with my one. Major weight saving that was...

Cheers
Col.

 

Thanks Guys,

MOT done now & insured so only waiting on the V5 paperwork to come through from DVLA so I can get out for a wee blast to see how it goes..
Future plans will be to fit a tuned XJ/FZ600 motor & possibly FZR400/600 forks. :wink:

Cheers
Col.

 

Congratulations on passing the m.o.t

Would be nice to have a couple of pics with that stunning Scottish scenery.

 

Col..........
Congrats on passing the MOT...... Always nice when things get that far on something that has had as much work put into it as yer bike........G-50 / Manx cowl you say?........Me thinks that would fit right in......Tuned 600 lump????....Really like the path this is going down...They really are never " finished"....always is another level to reach for..........Then ya raise the bar! :wink:

 

Hey Col, just out of curiosity, what classes could you run in if you were to "Trackify" it?
Reason I ask, is we had one chap show up at the V.R.R.A. race witha bone stock KH 400, he'd litterally ride it there. Once there he'd unbolt all unnessecary bits, race for the day and then put it back together and ride home.
I can still remember him going down the front straight at Mosport and somehow he got past tech and stiil had his rear licence plate on, that got a few laughs for the spectators as well as the pits!!!!

 

Maxim,
The bike would qualify for the post classic class at my local track/club. If I had it still twin shock it could go out in Earlystocks which is for twinshock aircooled bikes but I would need to travel for that. I have a track only 6 miles from my house which makes it handy ..
Here's a RD that I used to race & still own.. being rebuilt now as the crank blew out..

The last time I race it it looked like this...


Cheers.
Col.

 

Oh how I miss those days, (sigh)...

 

Maxim!!!
Somebody has went & put a Honda badge on yer tank!!!!!! 8O :lol:
Couple of good photos there mate..

Col.

 

Hiya maxim..th number of th beast is 6x3, but what numbers are you sitting on there, on th black honda..

To quote Pink Floyd '..th thoughts of a man in his old age are th deeds of a man in his prime..' and i have some as well. Not so much track as distance

 

I initially requested that number because the other series I competed in was 999. Racers, being as thrifty as possible meant turning my numbers upside down, so, no extra costs for plates. Besides, after I got to know the corner workers they said that they would know who I was which ever way I ended up!

 

Just like Nicky Hayden with 69 Maxim..
I normally race with 66 hence the 66 in my name I use. Although the numbers on the RD aren't that. That was due to racing with another club who allocate you a number instaed of you choosing one. :-(
Is it a K4??? 250/350??
Col.

 

That RD brings back memories! If you won the £166,000,000 the other night, maybe you wouldn't miss the RD....? LOL

 

Markie,
I wouldnt need to win a tenth of that to have a shed/factory unit full of two strokes amongst many other bikes cars etc....
My carbon footprint would be MASSIVE!!!!!! :lol:

Col.

 

Any updates on this?
Al

 

Finally after 8 weeks of phone calls & hassling of the dvla I now have a tax disc for the XJ. :cheers:
Had it's maiden voyage last night upto East Fortune race track which went ok & pleased on how it handles. Already thinking of a few changes as I thin k the master cylinder needs changed & it is running a tad hot. I'l be chucking in some bigger main jets to try & sort that out. It does rev easily & gets along at a reasonable rate of knots
Had a good response from folk at East Fortune today when i was up watching the racing although the bike seems not to be chargign the battery????? Bump starting only now which is a bit of a pain.
All small teething problems I guess which I'll sort out in due course.

Cheers
Col.

 

Good to hear from ya Col..........

Happy to see ya have the bike out & about

Was wondering how the Brake/rotor/Master combo would work out.......have a R1 monoblock & 320mm rotor here for an update later if needed but not real sure about the master, or how well it would work with the 35mm Seca forks


My thoughts were a master for a pair of floating 2 pots should be about right for a solid 4 pot, and that would be the 5/8 Bandit unit on the shelf


Interested to see what yer going to change to.

 

great work Scotty - greetings from over the water lol - MacLeod 1776 - MacPhee 1806 to British North America - Skye and Colonsay off Mull - have a great riding season - probably another 4 to 6 weeks before weather improves enough here in Ontario - take care brother