Inspired by a 'sick' bike!

Alright, not really but I thought this looked pretty funny. I've been struggling with a smoking issue after an engine rebuild. Finally tracked it down to oil in the header and muffler. Apperently the doner bike that I got the pipes from had been rear-ended and spent some time on its side, oil leaked into the exhaust and I never bothered checking when I put them on.

I put these on just to see if the smoke was indeed coming from the pipes and if not, I could pinpoint it to which cylinder was smoking. Turns out its an easy fix, thank God, I could use one at this point!

 

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NOt sure how to get the vieo to show up. I just figured out the pictures and thats enough for me for one day!

 

I think you mean this link.
http://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/stevestrom/project%20bike/?action=view¤t=P1020601.mp4

The bike looks and sounds great!

 

Looks nice and sounds good.

 

Man, that's a clean looking bike!

 

what size machine is it? i just noticed the rear disc.

 

Thanks guys! I got the bike about 9 months ago ('82 XJ1100) for free as a non-runner and have completely torn it apart and put it back together in that time.
The bike had been sitting unloved for around the past nine years so it wasn't in the best shape. I've got $1275 total into it at this point.

Here's a before and after pic

 

That looks AWESOME!!! I want to paint mine the EXACT same color. Did you recover the seat to make if look like a fender?

 

There's an old saying that goes something like this, "You get out, what you put in". That's probably not an accurate quote, but man, for the money you have invested (because the sweat, blood and tears can't have a value put on them) that is one nice looking bike!
Nice work.

 

Those shocks look familiar...and not in a good way. How are they? I had a cheap set that looked like those on my seca 750. The posting on ebay said they were "stiff" but I noticed on my bike that the lower (progressive) coils would fully compress when I sat on it, leaving the upper coils to do all the "work."

You may want to invest a little more if you notice they are too stiff.

 

Well thanks again! I've been getting some 'not so enthusiastic' response on the side covers since they don't really follow the lines of the bike anymore. I may have to look into changing those.

Yeah, the rear portion of the seat is unchanged from the stock version. I actually picked out the marine grade vinyl that I wanted to use for the seat and then began searching for a paint that would be the best match. I wanted the ability to still use it for 2-up but have the look of a single seater.

I am already thinking about another project. I really like the looks of the old flat tracker bikes, but I think I'll have to start reno'ing the house first or I may be divorced before our first year anniversary!

 

They are cheap shocks. I have them set at the highest preload right now and it is pretty damn stiff. For just myself I am actually going to turn them down a bit. I have removed quite a bit of weight from the back of the bike and shifted some forward in the riding stance. I haven't taken the wife out on this one yet since it has no back footrests yet so I may change my mind on the shocks still.

 

Preload only affects the load that the shocks start responding, it won't affect spring rate or damping. The shocks still compress a certain length for a certain force. 100 pounds of pre-load means that the shocks don't start moving until you put 100 pounds on them, but then move at the same spring rate after that point. It will affect the stance.

The problem with those shocks is that they are actually wound too soft, such that the lower coils will completely compress and bind when you sit on it. That leaves only the upper coils to compress, and less coils means STIFFER springs (which is a little counter-intuitive)

They would be better if they had a single coil running the whole length. You'd probably have to remove HUNDREDS of pounds to make them work properly, or they might just be poorly designed.

 

got more pics of the after?

 

Yeah, sounds like I have the same crappy shocks you had manbot. I may upgrade in the future; or I could just carry around a big fat chick on the back all the time!

MOre pics

 

kinda looks like yamaha's take on the cb1100f

 

Wow! Looks fantastic, definitely worth some inspiration! However...

I would definitely agree, it will take your bike up a whole new level.

 

Very nice build! That does not look like the same tank as in the before shot. What bodywork did you swap/modify (outside of the seat)?

 

Great build!
Looking forward to the next one.

 

The tank is from an XS1100. It sits further forward on the frame so I didn't need the frame cover anymore and the reflectors also had to go. It mounted right up to the front hangers but the rear needed a mount made.

The tank was rusty inside (very rusty around recessed cap) and the cap was gone. Rather than fiddle with it I cut the cap area out which allowed me to media blast the inside of the tank (exposing a whole bunch of holes). Brazed those holes up and cut the filler off the XJ tank and welded it to the XS tank, bondo'd it up and painted it. Looks pretty good now, I am pretty sure it will confuse somebody one day.

Apperently my side covers have to be changed too but not any time soon.

Aside from that:

lowered forks
clip ons
rear sets
4-1 header (still working on muffler)
Automatic cam chain tensioner from a Venture
tach from an XS1100
LED's all around
rear fender - gone
Brake master from XS1100 (got rid of linked brake system)
Stripped wiring harness
removed centerstand
Pods w/PVC intake (jury's still out on this one)