Cosmetic mods done

I ran mine a while back with some modified pods and my engine ran good. The pods were ugly so I didn't keep them on just wanted to see how it would run. I found a 750 tank to put on mine thanks to chacal. I painted mine black as a matter of fact everything on mine is black just about. I put a Drag Speciaties seat on and I have a rear fender off a Harley coming in a few days. I hope my vision of how I want it to look works out.

 

so no re jetting of the carbs when you put pods on? Did anyone see a loss or gain of power with the pods and no re jetting? Ive been about putting pods on but i dont want to change any of the jets on the carbs, i was also wondering if pods came i diffrent thicknes you know to let air pass though it but at diffrent pressures.

 

I personaly couldn't tell any differance. I'm sure there are those who say there is but as much as I ride (casual) I'm not concerned. I had the same thought about restricted pods but I've not seen anything like that. I was thinking about cutting some thin aluminum to cover part of the pod filter to restricted flow. I think re-jetting is a last resort.

 

Thanks for the info i think that i am going to at least try this mod.

 

There's a very slight sluggishness off the line, but I think a sync and colortune come spring will eliminate that.

 

I had to rejet my carbs when I put my pods on. I can give you exact rejetting sizes if you're curious and a great website that sells jets at amazing prices. My bike wouldn't even idle after I swapped th airbox for the pods. I also have unrestricted pipes so that was a factor as well.

 

Also bear in mind, I am at 7000 ft above sea level. Adding pods without changing jet size may have less of an effect at lower elevations.

 

Fongdingo your closer to the same elevation as I am in N.Georgia. I run open exhaust on mine. Here is one way to find out but I don't recomend doing it for very long and thats open your breather box remove the filter leave the top off take a short ride at high and low speed fast and slow take off a see how it goes.

 

cool i im going to try it its at least sunny out but mighty cold

 

Here's some crappy shots of some more stuff I've done. I think I'm pretty much finished up with everything... Until I get another idea.

 

I like the looks but I would be awfully scaird off leaving some personal parts I'm really partial to hung up on top of tank in a rapid stop (crash) 8O

 

I've been wondering about header wrapping on these XJ's for a while...
I can barely get my oil filter cover off around the 4-into-1 pipe now as it is, but I would love to wrap...
Is it next-to impossible to get the cover off? or have you converted to a spin on?, etc...

 

I actually haven't changed it since I've put the pipes back on, but it looks like I'll be able to squeeeeeeze it through there. I suppose it will also depend on how thick you put it on. Mine is 1/2 overlapped giving 2 layers. What you see took almost 50 feet of wrap.

 

I was thinking about having the oil filter cover taken down to round... I.E.


This one is on a CB750 built by carpy... But I was thinking, since I allready have an iol cooler, it may be cool on my SECA, and allow for header wrap.

 

Well, here's a few pics as it currently sits. I put the crash bars back on, and added highway pegs, and diffrent handlebars. Sorry for the huge pics.

 

Guess you won't be layin' up on your tank any time soon. Looks right cool Kevin. Enjoy the wind.

 

Guess no little kid's will be getting joy-rides, so ... in the long-run ... (Really stretchin'-it here ... ) it's a safety feature.
I guess that's good news.

The Oil Filter Case really looks quite nice.

However, the total area of cooling surface surrounding the filter cover is less.

I'd ride with a Stock Cooler Cover.
Show it off with the Bling-bling.

 

Very cool!

I love a nicely done rat bike!

Jim

 

Should have titled this thread "mods never done"....
Painted the bars black, changed the pipes to turndown/outs.
Pentagrams... You can never go wrong with pentagrams...

 

a pentagram on the tank? :?
Not for me but it fits the bike.

 

Alright, last post for a while. Went back to the struts, added a rear whitewall, stripped the black off of all the wheels.

 

A white wall?

 

And it sounds like this...


[video=480,360]http://www.70-71.com/Untitled_0001.wmv[/video]

 

Is that just strait exhaust? No mufler? How does that affect the acceleration of the bike?

Sounds fantastic. I might do the same this summer.

 

I thank you Kevin for putting a whitewall on to help me visualize what my bike would look like with one. I've been considering that for some time now but will probably wait to decide until I need tires. If you happen to be interested, I found a seller on ebay that is designing a forward-control set for the maxim and should have it posted in a few weeks. I'll add a link as soon as he lets me know when it is available.

 

Yeh, straight exhaust, no mufflers. I had some longer slashcuts on, then some baffled pipes, and finally arrived at these turnouts which I like very much. I havent had a noticable change in performance positive or negative with any of the 3 pipes. As for the whitewall... Well... it's a Metzeler with ranger tire paint on it. The paint is specialy formulated for tires with some elasticity to prevent chipping/cracking, and it's pretty cheap. Google Ranger tire paint and you'll find it for about $10 a can 12oz. and for some reason its a lot more expensive on ebay. I thought I'd try it and I'm pretty happy with the results. I hear it's pretty prevelent in the hot rod/rat rod circles. Thanks for everyones comments about my build, I'm just trying to make a bike that looks how I want and not spend my lifes savings on some overpriced, overhyped v-twin.

 

yeah baby!!its not about how much you spend.its about making it yours.
you truly did that.the bike looks great!!!!

 

What sort of handlebars are those? I like em.

 

Stock, heated and bent.

 

Where'd you get your speedometer at? Also what did you do with all the other electronics? Did you just cut them cut them out/remove all the wiring?

 

I ordered the speedo/tach online, there's a link somewhere in this post I think. The company is called Electrosport, I have the 2800 model. I built a custom wiring harness eliminating all of the un needed wiring. I don't know what you mean by "all the other electronics", other than the relays and some safety switches, nothing was eliminated.

 

Thought I'd post a few of the XJ in its current condition. Since the previous pics, I put the struts back on, and went to clip on bars. I had some inverted euro bars on for a while and liked them. I bought clip-ons for the KAw project but they didnt work as well as I hoped, but they are killer on the XJ. I love the riding position. I'm planning on a rework of this bike over the winter, debating a color change. We'll see.

 

I'd like to see a rider in the saddle to help comprehend the rider position with either handlebars or clip-ons.
How is that Electrosport combo unit working?

Steve

 

The gauge is pretty good, i like it. The tach is kind of hard to see, but i'm not a big tach user anyways. It looks great at night.

 

Definitely looking rad. I'm not a huge fan of diamond-plate, but that's just what happens when you grow up with rednecks and 4x4's being the 'in' thing.

The clip-on bars LOOK really rad. They don't look like they'd be comfortable for me, but without riding it it's hard to tell. Might be way nicer than it seems like I'm sure though. I'm going to be switching to flat bars on my bike soon, and I think rather than putting risers on it to keep it from hitting the tank, I'm just going to flip the mount the other way to put the bars farther forward. I think it'll clear the tank, and it'll give me a longer reach for the handlebars, which will be nice especially once I modify the seat.

I definitely like the speedo as well -- I've been eyeing one of the mini ones on mikesxs.com with the built-in indicator lights. I'm just going to eliminate the tach altogether. I think I'll be able to use the handlebar clamp and tuck it down in between the handlebar mounts so it doesn't stick out at all. I rarely use my speedometer either honestly... just flow with traffic. I considered eliminating it altogether, but I like having an odometer for long trips so I don't hit reserve.

I'm rambling because I just woke up. Summary: Your bike is rad.

 

Thanks. I also come from a redneck/4x4 infested area, but grew up before any of that type of living was "cool". My affection for diamondplate comes from the trucking industry, my parents owned a fleet of coal trucks and the trailers are mostly made of diamondplate. As much as I hate(d) that area and all that went with it, some of it is still in my blood.

I love the clip-ons. They take a little bit to get used to, but they're not nearly as uncomfortable as clubmans. I had to mod the stop so they don't hit the tank. I'm in the middle of making forward controls, that'll help the comfort too, i think. In about 4 hrs I got them probably 65% finished. They are mounted, and the right(brake) side is done except for linkage. I need to add a second mounting point and do the shifter side, and I'll be done. I'm thinking another 6hrs and I'll be rolling. Pics when I get there.

 

How are you doing the forward controls? Mine didn't take nearly that long even with me messing up and having to make a few trips to the hardware store, haha. Mine are pretty simple though, and I only had half an hour or so a day to work on the, so it was an off and on project (meaning I rode with one forward control and one regular for about three days before getting a chance to work on it again...)

 

hey man, nice custom work. I take it you just used aircraft stripper on the wheels? tell me about how it went...thanks

 

Nice looking for sure, looks much better once you got the newer pics up also.

 

Yes, aircraft remover. I used the aerosol type and sprayed it on all over, and the black prettymuch fell off. A little work on the tight spots, but it all came off incredibly quick and easy.

 

Here's my forward controls. I took a 30ish mile ride and they seem to work well, and are realy comfortable. I have some paint to apply, but they're pretty much there.

 

Nice. I modified mine so that they're mounted on my engine mount. Quite a bit farther forward than stock, but not quite that far forward. I'd like mine to be a little farther forward like that, but having them mounted on the engine mount makes it look less bolted-on I think, so I kind of like the appearance of it. I'm going for a super-simple no-extras look though.

 

I got cought up in other things through the winter, so here's my "spring" project.

 

As a sportbike fan, the clip-ons look great. I love where the bike is going. keep up the good work, and pics.

 

hey that looks like my frame
I cant wait to see what you do with this one

 

Also, where did you get the clip-ons? How much is it lowered?

 

It's lowered 3 1/2 inches, the clip-ons came from ebay for about $70

 

I have a 550. Are the forks the same diameter?

 

I really don't know. I would venture to say yes, but don't take my word.

 

Hey, got a few more questions for ya. Did you re-jet after the pods and pipes? I got started tonight taking the bike down to do the mods I want, and now I just need suggestions on where to cut. I was thinking just in front of the big bracket that ties the rails together. Is that where you cut yours?
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee30 ... /xj001.jpg