New project in the midst

Today has presented me an opportunity. I have stumbled upon an 82 XJ550. And it is as close to mint condition as one can find.




Here is my issue. Do I seriously want to get this bike in this condition to tear it apart for a bobber?

Some quick feedback would be great!

The bobber bug has bitten :twisted:

 

I vote for not cutting it up. Recommission it and sell it for a whole gob of cash then buy and cut up a less pristine bike.

 

The thought had crossed my mind. I wouldnt have a clue what to ask for a bike like this of this age.

Forgot to mention my other current project is a 93 Suzuki gs500e. Its getting a facelift and some plastic surgery.

 

Yeah i'd clean it up and sell it for a profit in the spring, with the money you can buy a few less pristine bikes, cuz once you cut it, there goes most of the value.

 

What would be a fair asking price? Its only got 12K on the clock.

 

here I go

dont feel bad about cutting up an over produced japanese bike that doesnt really have a cult following. chopping up a nice bike in my opinion is the same as chopping up a dirtier bike. because,
1. you'll have less headaches getting it running and sorting out all the neglect and abuse that it has taken.
2. if it's in nice shape, and you're building a bobber, you're going to be taking off the most expensive and desired parts, that tank, side covers, exhaust, fenders, they all can go to someone with a crappy bike for big money, i probably parted out the stuff on my bike for around 400 smacks and still have a running riding bike.

3.and you have a 550 chain, where you can go to TCBros get a universal weld on hardtail, and have some real fun, so you can sell off your whole back end, buy an xs650 spoke rear rim, and an xs650 front end or an xs650 drum brake and run it. right now im attempting get my hands on a gt750 8" drum front brake and out it on my bike with a virago rear wheel, just waiting for the paycheck.

just do it, it's a bike that cost pocket change, it's winter, and it's YOUR bike. make it how you like it.

 

How about keep this one just like it is, its getting hard to find then in good original condition. Find another bike to build your bobber from, you can find a runner with title real cheap. That way you can have two bikes, ride either one depending on your mood for the day.

 

AMEN.

 

I'm no purist, but I'd try to get a value on the bike before I did anything. It looks to be in very nice condition. Check EBAY for parts. Get a running total of what parts you would be able to sell online and what you could get for them if you were to bob it out. Search for similar bikes on Craigslist and/or EBAY. That should give you some value of what 30 year old Jap bikes go for. List the bike on Craigs and price it on the high end of old Jap bikes. If someone bites, great. If not, wait a few days and lower the price some more. When the price drops to middle of the pack for old Jap bikes, you'll realize nobody really cares how great of condition it is in, and you won't lose sleep over chopping it and you'll make a few bucks putting parts on EBAY. But if someone does buy it for a good price, then you can buy a cheaper bike on CL and still sell parts on EBAY when you bob it.

Of course, the other plan is to have one of the guys yelling "it's too nice to chop" to give you a "nice" price for it and problem solved. Oh, none of those guys want to buy it? Guess it really isn't that nice afterall.

 

Just do what you want. It would be a hard one for me to figure out to. It would be nice to have a nice restored xj, but if you bobbed it you would have less issues with having to fix anything on the way. In my opinion, I wouldn't cut it, but then again..

 

I am a 'back to stock' guy, but I would love to do a choppity, bobbity, thing, it would have to something that hasn't been done a zillion times before.
You have the chain drive, which gives you loads of options, do like old Schoot' says & sell off all the 'bling' happy chopping. Wiz.

 

Stock restoration would be easy on that one but Your right when you say its in good shape and you wouldn't have to sort out a bunch of problems. Go either way its a coin toss.
Personaly I would find a bobbed one already that needs little or nothing. There is a real nice one our friend PainterD made and its very solid mechanical wise. Also for what he is asking you couldn't do what he has done for the money. Check his ad under the for sale section.

 

That is a hard call on the one hand you have a fairly low mileage engine and the PO took excellent care of the outside and probably the inside as well. Then you have a pristine bike that would take gobs of hours and money to get most 30 year old bikes to look this nice. To me it would be a shame to cut this one up when there are so many out there with low mileage that would suit your purpose just as well.

 

i agree a bike that nice shouldnt be hacked up. find a no so pristine one faded paint rust ect then bob it. soon as you bob it the value drops right into the dirt plus when you go to sell it people look at it like its been run hard and put away wet. but if you do chop it make it look different if you notice all the bobbers all look the same for the most part you need to do something that is different all your own but remember once you start there is no turning back i have been restoring bikes and reselling them for several years a clean stocker is worth much more then a molested bike. if you want it to be different clean up the even more then it is polish the wheels and every other aluminum piece really draws eyes to it then. look at designer mikes bike stock looking for the most part but all the parts have been tastefully done wich makes it a beutifull bike just my 2 cents

 

Well thank you to everyone for the input. I'm taking off tomorrow morning at 10:00 to pick her up and bring her to her new home.

I still haven't decided what direction I'm going but I know this one thing. She's all mine no matter what I do. So, I might as well like what I ride.

I've really never given a second thought about modifying a bike. I've owned several and they all had some part of me engraved in them. However, this being the first to go under the knife (or chop saw) I'm a little nervous.

 

Depending on how deep you go, there may be nothing to get nervous about. If you're just going to hack the frame rails behind the upper shock mounts and use lower shocks/springs or solid struts, modding and mounting the seat just may be the most challenging part of the mods. There's a few bikes on here like that and they look great. Getting a little deeper, you can eliminate the shocks/struts and weld tubing from frame rail to swing arm. Again, great looking bikes without much that can go wrong as long as a competent welder has layed down the beads. These bikes can look great with minimal effort. But there are quite a few floating around in the world seemingly all cut from the same cookie cutter: bobbed rear, shorter shocks, stock tank, clubman/drag bars (if other than stock), and of course flat black. You have what appears to be a well taken care of bike that is in great gondition for its age. That is rare. I would venture to guess that there are more cookie cutter can be finished in one weekend bobbers out there than great condition stockers. So if you are going to chop it, break the mold. You can't go wrong either way, the cookie cutters look great. But can the same mod done a thousand times really be "yours"? And if it can't be "yours" is it really worth chopping at all? But, the fact is, it is yours, and my opinion doesn't matter. That's just my thoughts. I have a feeling if the bike wasn't in that great of shape, you wouldn't be asking for advice on what to do with it, you'd already have saw ready to go. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

yep, i got tired of looking at flat black ,drag bar, budget piles, so i went to

thechopperunderground.com

they've been featured in The Horse, and wll still be, they have lots of talent over there, and they will be happy you're choping it

 

Well she is in the garage. For anybody that is wondering... I still dont know if shes going to get renamed Bob.

 

Ok I think I've rationalized this. I have a 28 year old bike that has no real value in the market compared to big v twins. Everything on it is currently in tip top shape. So very little work needs to be done to shove her down the driveway. I cant really enjoy riding till next year since its cold as crap right now.

It'll likely never increase in value and most people wont pay better than $600 for a bike like this round here.

The only way I will truly ever enjoy this bike is if I work on it. The mig is waiting the torches are full. I've got a brand new pack of blades so lets turn this into some thing entirely different.


I like a soft ride so the suspension stays. however it needs to be dropped in the rear. I'm considering a 2" stretch for the swing arm get that tire back there more and out of my butt. Now for the front. I'm thinking get those forks out a little more and rake the front.

Gauges need to be cut down to a speedo preferably a mini 0-140mph with led indicators.

Exhaust needs to be worked over and will require some more serious thought. But, I do see a wrap in its future.

As for the seat, I'm thinking Black plain and spring rear solo. I also want to incorporate a passenger pylon that is removable.

Possibly a different fuel tank. Thinner less contour but not a peanut. Totally depends on how it looks.

Paint looks like a black frame since it's already spotless. the tank and what rear fender there is done in gloss black base coat. Then fire up the air brush and mix some metallic blue in with the black and do some detail work that will just ghost away. Highlight with some blue tinted white(very little highlighting)

Wheels???? I gotta find some spokes.

Well that's the plan. Everyone meet Bob!

 

Indecision is a b***h :lol: ! Glad you got a plan...

skillet