Getting ready for the bobber...

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to tear apart my 82 XJ1100 and make a bobber. Basically, I'm going to lower the rear a bit but leave it a soft tail, replace the seat with a solo seat and pad for my lady, cut and wrap the pipes, straight bars, smaller single tach/speedo, and paint the whole thing black.

I need new tires and I'd like to go as big as will possibly fit. I need your advice here. Best brand/model for all around use. Where to buy?

Also, need suggestions for where to look for bobber parts. Seats, bars, speedo, tach, etc. I'd prefer black parts and I'd like to stay away from chrome.

Any other major points you'd like to add, advice, thoughts, etc. I would greatly appreciate anything anyone has to offer before I tear her apart.

I've been saving all winter and plan to start this weekend. You guys are ALWAYS a wealth of good information and I appreciate it!

Thanks!

Dave

 

Hey man,

I'm doing a similar project that I dove headfirst into a couple months ago so here are a few basic pointers, as my mechanical knowledge is limited.

1. Take pictures and label everything. Putting the bike back together is definitely a lot harder than tearing it down. Place everything in ziplock bags and write what it is with a sharpie. (bolts, nuts, anything!) When I undid any wiring I put painters tape on each end of the connection and wrote a number on it so I would know what connected to what.

2. Try and go piece by piece rather than tear the whole thing down at once. Makes the project seem a lot less overwhelming. Although I know a lot of people on here dive right in and still have success.

3. Overall I'd say just have fun with it and don't get too stressed. Wrenching on the bike is half the fun of owning it.

Also, a lot of custom parts can be ordered from mikesxs.net and tcbros.com. Ebay can also be your friend. And Chacal on this sight is great for stock parts.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

Thanks buddy! I appreciate the comments.

Anybody have any advice on tires? Need a new set and want a good, all-around tire. I only drive this 3-4 months (Minnesota) out of the year, so I'd prefer safety, quality, and comfort over long life. I'd even pay a bit more per tire for something good.

Anyone else have ideas where to pick up bobber parts? Bars, gauges, etc.?

Thanks and keep the comments coming.

 

Hey I look forward to seeing your project man! I've had pretty good luck finding parts on http://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/ and http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/. They both seem to have good service & quality from what I've ordered so far. TC bros. makes the only bolt-on forward controls for the XJ's that I've seen or heard of & they're pretty reasonable. http://jetsrus.com/ is a good source for jets & some other bits and if all else fails I go straight to ebay.

 

Thanks.

Is there a big difference in part fitment from an XJ650/XS650 and an XJ1100? Most of the sites reference the 650's.

Any thoughts on tires?

 

Well... it all depends on the part. Some things are interchangable like.. handlebars & controls should all be 7/8" diameter but if your doing a custom bobber there will definitely be some custom fabrication required for the seat, gauges, etc.

I got Pirelli Route tires from Bikebandit.com. Decent price & so far I'm happy with them but this is my first bike & first set of new skins so it's hard for me to give an opinion. If you do some searches on the forum here there are a couple of good threads out there where it's been almost beat to death. It all comes down to your riding style and the look you're going for. If I could do it again I would get some whitewalls (and probably will in a couple years when the Pirellis are toast).

To lower the rear I got a set of used shocks from a Suzuki Savage 650 & they work fine but might be a little weak if you're going to ride 2-up.

 

Thanks Ted,

I've looked at Perrelli's, Dunlop's, Michelins, etc I just don't know much about tires, load ratings, street feel, etc. I guess I'll just do more research and shoot from the hip.

I plan to change the bars and add a simple tach/speedo. I just don't know if there are specific equipment requirements when it comes to the tach and speedo or if anything will work?

As far as the rear, I'm probably not going to go much lower than the stock frame. Just removing the large 2up seat will make a huge difference. I'm going to add some beef to the fender and put a "pad" there from my girlfriend on the occasion she wants to ride with me. We don't plan to do long distances on the bike anyway.

 

To get rid to the XJ1100 gauges you will need to do some re-wiring do to the fact that the headlight is powered through the LCD display. (but you already knew that)

With the shaft drive you are not going to be able to go much bigger on the tire. I have Elite-II on mine that have raised lettering and the letters have rubbed off from the shaft drive (the size might be 140/90 but I will have to check) the stock tachometer is ran off the alternator so after market tachometer would require some re-wiring.

the square handle bars I believe can be removed including the mounting points and add risers to add different style of bars. It also is possible to swap out the top tree to a XS1100 Special tree to use 7/8 in bars, but I am not sure if the air presure balance piece (not sure what it is called) is affected.

 

Good info tcoop! Thanks!

As for the wiring, I did not know that. But, I have an aftermarket lamp on the front anyway so that shouldn't be an issue.

I don't need to go bigger on the tire. Just thought it might give it a more aggressive look.

Can't you buy an aftermarket tach that would run off the alternator?

I believe I can remove the square bars and add 7/8" straight bars on it. But, I'll tackle that when I get there.

Thank you all so much for the info. Any more tips and advice you can offer would be great!

 

I went with Dunlop 404's on my 750. Haven't had much use with them yet, but the PO had the same tires on the bike before and it rode nicely when I first got it.

 

I got my drag bars ans solo seat from lowbrow customs also. Got a good deal on some 10.5 inch burly sportster shocks for the rear on ebay. Just ordered new tires from motorcyclesuperstore.com. 150 bucks total for front and rear shinko 777 whitewalls. Exhaust wrap from amazon.com and new muffler from oldbikebarn.com. I shop around for deals. When I get around to new gauges I'm thinking mikesxs.com, although I think dimecitycycles carries the same ones so I will compare prices. Hope this helps.

 

The bobber project tear down should be starting soon. I just bought some new Dunlop D404's (front and rear), Bikemaster Daytona bars, new carb boots, new 54mm pod filters, and a solo seat with springs.

I need to figure out how much exhaust wrap I need to wrap all four pipes. Anyone have any idea how many feet?

I'm also looking for a black headlight bucket with an upgraded bulb for better lighting. If anyone has any ideas here, I'm all ears.

The gauges are proving to be an issue too. Nothing seems to "fit" or "work" with my bike without re-inventing the wheel..... The only thing I've found that might work is here:

http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-c ... 53-bk.html

It's a bit more than I wanted to spend, but I'm getting frustrated and just want to get this project moving. Nothing else seems to work on these XJ's.

 

Quick questions for you XJ Bobber Guru's.....

1. What did you use for exhaust? I want it small, simple, not too loud, but with a NICE low rumble. My XJ is an 1100 so it's a pretty big engine. I don't want it sounding like a Japanese weed whacker........

2. I plan for it to be a "single seat" bike.....most of the time. However, I'd like to have the option to take my girlfriend for a ride now and then. But, I don't want to have two seats permanently mounted. Any thoughts here?

3. I will be ditching a lot of the stock parts; speedo cluster, stock seat, stock bars, etc. Does anyone need anything? Let me know.

If anyone has any advice, ideas, or warnings before I tear it apart, please feel free to chyme in anytime. I welcome ALL ideas and advice!

Thanks! You guys are great!

 

I built a "custom" housing for my speedo. I used an old bearing and gently cut out the old lip and glass. The glass has that cracked look from age but I like it so I kept it. I really need to post my 1100 build but Im waiting until its finished although knowing me it'll never be finished.

Also if you need help with the wiring theres a min wiring diagram on here that helped me. If you need any help feel free to pm me.

http://imgur.com/jtyCWo1

 

1. I got these: http://www.oldbikebarn.com/MUFFLER-SHOR ... ry=3224599 they definitely fit the description & have a pretty nice tone. Maybe I can try to get a video up here for you later if you like. They do have removable baffles so you can adjust the sound a little by removing them or wrapping them with more/different material. I ended up actually leaving the baffles in because it sounds a little fatter but might try re-wrapping them at some point. I've read elsewhere that it tightens up the exhaust tone a little.

2. This is a common conundrum and not an easy one to solve. A lot of it depends on your rear fender setup and how big your girlfriend is. :lol: This could be a good option: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUCTION-SEAT-PI ... 2691wt_855. There's a few different styles out there too, of course. This is just the first one that popped up for me. I'd like to get one too but my rear fender has basically no support so I need to rethink the design to ride 2 up.

3. Nope

Otherwise my only suggestion would be this: you mentioned that you're keeping the softail frame (good choice, me too!) and you have a solo seat with springs. I always think bikes look really awkward with shocks and seat springs. Especially if you're not doing much modification to lower the seat area of the frame. It just rides way too high and looks goofy but just my opinion. Everyone has their own tastes, right? I have no seat springs & 10.5" shocks from a little Suzuki Savage 650 & the ride is just fine. To be honest though.. I'm still trying to talk myself out of hardtailing the frame & getting a different solo seat with some springs. 8)

 

Oh yeah, exhaust wrap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121114267099?ss ... 2500wt_855

I bought 2 of these 50 foot rolls but I could have definitely gotten away with 1 and I wrapped all the way down almost to the end of my shorty mufflers. I did end up tapping into the 2nd roll because of some stupid rookie mistakes (first time ). If I was to do it again (which I might) I would probably go with a narrower wrap, maybe 1" wide instead of 2", because it was impossible to wrap the angles on the exhuast collector without getting some ugly wrinkles & folds.

 

Thanks Ted! Good info.

If you're able to get a quick video of the bike running with those shorty pipes, that would be great! From your description, it sounds like what I'm looking for as far as exhaust.

I've thought about a removable pillion pad, but never saw one with suction cups! Crazy! Not sure how that would work, but it's worth looking into as an option. The frame extends far enough back to the fender to support a rider, so that just might work. But, PLEASE keep the ideas coming for the "occasional" two seater....

I goofed up. I am NOT keeping the soft tail AND adding a spring seat. I'm keeping the soft tail and adding a single "non-spring" solo seat. Sorry for the confusion. I think they look funny together too!

Dumb question: How does the exhaust wrap stay in place? I know you use stainless zip ties, but how many??? Does it slide around or bunch up after a while? I'm considering just painting the exhaust black and calling it a day.

Thanks again for all the good info. I love this forum and the wealth of knowledge from the members inside!

 

You only need to secure the exhaust wrap at either end of the pipes. You actually wet the wrap and wrap it as tight as you can get it, and it keeps itself in place.

 

OK, now the choice. Should I wrap or just paint the pipes? I've heard that wrapping can speed up the corrosion process?

Any other ideas for the occasional "two up" bike? I would say 80-90% of the time I'll be riding solo. But, it would be nice to be able to take her for a spin now and then. Ideas?

 

OK I got a couple quick vids up, hope this helps! I just threw links up on my build page here:

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... tml#383195