Steber's 81 XJ550 Bobber

Yes, I've been thinking on going to ones the mount on the forks, similar to this.



Also, I really like the idea of the cluster in the headlight also like pictured in my example. Just trying to track down ones that will work is the bugger.


I've seen a few on ebay.. but finding a reliable one, one that will work, is the question. I like how many have the idiot lights built it, to me thats important. My tach never really worked except when i was syncing the carbs, and I dont think i'll miss it if i step down to something like this.

Theirs models like this that are around the $100 mark... I prefer the daytona of these two i think
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Daytona-Vel...6d86e5c&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=272576114586

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Spe...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Theirs also models that are much cheaper, im around the $30 price range.. such as this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-M...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

 

Seems that what I've come to find it that the bucket I'm looking for is made by Daytona which makes the gauges along with the bucket. Only problem is I'm having trouble finding a vendor state side instead of across the pond. Pics attached seem to feature the same bucket, any leads state side would be appreciated.

 

While I sort out my silly left side right side headlight lens issue I welcome the mail call today. Got my wiring and colored shrink wrap. Still waiting on a few connectors I ordered, but patience is a virtue. Should be enough colors not to get myself too confused.

Oh, and the red and blue aren't doubles, one set is a striped wire.

 

Wow, lots going on. Now that the bike is back home I can tinker nearly every free second. While trying to beat the heat I set out to polish up a few things on my buffer. Much cooler in my basement, although my buffer needs some new pads. Still got the job done, it's aluminum it'll need to be polished again before this thing is done anyways. So I didn't try to hard. Very happy that I found a better idea for mounting the battery, Fab should be interesting. Also looking to find dual filament lights to fit under the seat in the posts. Kind of like bar ends, but project out. Anyways, any progress is good progress.



Any ideas for that welcome. Thanks for reading

 

Looking good!

 

The heats got things on hold. Can't walk outside without sweating buckets. Just finishing up design of battery box. Think I've got it all figured out besides mounting to the bike. Once I've got it in steel I can start welding brackets and such. Still looking for lights under the seat, been talking with Len, need shorter brake cables and a few gaskets. Once I get the battery box installed I can start wiring,I guess. Still in the air how Minimal I want to go and what idiot lights to keep.

 

I've decide I don't want to bend/weld my own, and have been working closely with a company that will tig weld one up out of steel, to whatever i want and use mechanical fasteners to keep the battery in. They currently don't make them for deltran batteries, but they seemed very willing to work with me. I'm going to get some final measurments over, and maybe make one side bigger to be able to weld it to the bike. If my measurments are right, you'll be able to access the battery with the terminals facing the back, it'll all depend on how i mount it honestly. will give more details when i have them, but i want to get this box on before i start any sort of wiring.

And yes, i should have thought about this when the bike was apart, but the problem with that was the bike was apart. I would have never known how far forward towards the engine i could place the box until the engine was in the bike. So yes, one step forward and two steps back. But its still progress!

My template is just for me to address fitment issues, i have to toss the chain back on and account for cleararance, consider a better thicker shield on that side. I dunno yet, but Im very happy with the placement, it'll keep the look i was going for without being a huge box.

 

It's been a long few days of massaging the harness to work on this frame. Hindsight I could have probably wired it from scratch to save time, but things seem to be working well by moving bits here and there.

I wired in a blade fuse box today, not to mention starting pulling all the slack out of the harness. Everything seems to have a home, and im hoping theirs no gremlins as I have not modified anything but the position of the relays. The starting solenoid got a custom bracket, i didnt really now where to put it and didn't want to run heavy gauge all over the bike. I'm fairly happy with the mount, it should work in the end.

slow and steady wins the race, still waiting on a battery box, but I haven't gotten to the bottom half electronics yet, won't have much time to work on it until next week at this point.

 

Would you consider photo 2 to be a completed harness? Didn't know you were making a rat(nest) rod!

 

That's mid chaos, top picture is the most recent.. but boy the way it was wired from factory, all xjs are rat(nest) rods!

 

Just working through final design of the box. With a sample of a similar style, following the K.I.S.S. guidelines for this, strictly business.

 

New ignition came in, obvious 4 wire vs 3 wire needs to be wired up correctly, but seems easy enough. As for quality, well, my original switch has seen better days, and i don't thing the locking mech ever worked. so I'm happy to get rid of it. I'm surprised how small this really is.



I toyed around with some mounting ideas.. I keep any sort of 'usable' metal when i can, and I had the original tank mount from the xv250 tank im using that I cut off. Low and behold it fit perfect, needs some trimming to mount a little better, but its an option. My original thought was at the horn mount and relocate the horn, i still may relocate the horn. Its starting to get 'busy' at the tank line on this side. I could also put the ignition switch on the other side of the tank as theirs two mounts that I was planning to trim off.

I'll stop rambling, any input on all this is appreciated. I love the ideas that get tossed around here, so thanks in advance!

 

Battery box is done. It's easy to lose a mm or two in measuring the clearance. The box is super close to some clearance issues. Less than a quarter inch from the chain, and tht other side is going to ride 1/8 inch away from the brake pivot.

A piece of flat stock will be riveted to the box so the box is removable, if need be. So I'll weld tht flat stock to frame which will hold tht box in place. Need a second set of hands to get this job done. Needs to align perfect so theirs no issues. Glad the box is done, jus wish I had a hand to get it in.

 

That turned out really nice! Seeing that bar across the top where it's close to the terminals makes me recommend doing something to insulate that bar so it can't possibly short out the connections. Maybe just using a piece of bicycle innertube.

 

That's a good idea. I was thinking up a few ideas on how to insulate. Laminate it with a tube might be a good idea. Or come up with a better cross bar that's non conductive could do the trick too.

All in all, I'm a bit stressed for time and patience on this project. This seems to be one of the last big hurdles for me to get over to get The bike to a point where it'll run and drive. I think at that point once I know the bike runs and is sound I'll consider it "done" for the year, As I've been working to that point for nearly two summers now.

It's been a long stressful journey, mostly due to my time constraints. The bike is truly far from done, and I've come to terms it'll take a few phases to get the bike to where I really want it for fit and finish. If I can take this bike around the block before theirs snow on the ground, that's a huge win for me personally.

 

a couple of layers of heatshrink the kind that is lined with glue may do the trick

 

I like this heat shrink idea. I forgot they made it that size. It would shrink to fit very nicely and then trim at the ends where the holes are.

 

Pretty excited about these little gems. They're dual color so inner band is red while the outer edge is amber.


So I'll have the red as the tail (in addition to my side mount taillight/brake) and the amber will be set to the turns.

I wanted the dual colors so that the turns will hopefully be able to be distinguished better with the lights being so close together. Granted it's not the best of ideas for visibility, but it'll get the job done.

 

well.. turns out I assumed wrong about these.. which is my own fault, and obvious by the colors of the wires hanging from the light itself. I was under the impression the lights were grounded from the bolt, and the two leads were positive for the red and one for the amber, but they share a common positive. I was able to pull them apart, and its a single board that runs these lights, so separating the positive from them is impossible. I am considering adding my own red leds into the housing somehow and just using the shown leads for the turns.

That or finding a set that is set up and wired as i actually want them to be. In all honesty, i got them off flea bay for $4.00 shipped to test the idea of them even fitting. I wired similar lights and they used the bolt as the ground on a single color, so late night ordering got the best of me on this one. I'm alright with a total loss on these for under five bucks. Maybe I can figure out a way to add another board, or i'll just junk them.

 

Looks like if I double my investment I can combine the two with a bit of filling, grinding, and soldering to make what I'm looking for.



The one was actually broke upon arrival, so I'm contacting the vendor about that issue. Seeing how I already tore them apart to make mine, I'm not expecting much.

Here's the end result with a quick video. Still need to modify the case a bit to make everything fit but it looks like it'll work.

https://goo.gl/photos/m8Y9RTy19UfqntVd6

 

I got the battery box in place today. A tight fit is beyond anything that can be said about it. I'm hugging the right side of the bike by the pivot point for the brake by a 1/16 of an inch. I wanted to put it as far right as possible, as the other side is the chain, I seem to have nearly a half inch of clearance on the chain side which i'm comfortable with. The battery can slide in and out without having to remove the box, and I riveted the box to the bike because:

A) only have one set of hands to do the work
B) Wasn't sure (because of A) that I would have it aligned correctly
C) Want the box to be removable as I think it needs to come out to remove the engine (which hopefully I won't have to do for many years, but i like to think ahead)

I'm sure its not as strong as welds, but im confident its not going anywhere. Obviously I still need to insulate the top bar so it doesn't short the terminals, its still on the list, as its not mounted to the bike i can address that at some point in the future. Just need to find out where to find heat shrink that size.

Well, as i said getting this is was one of the last hurdles. I can move forward with the wiring when i find the time. I don't know why I had it in my head that the rectifier would fit down under there too. This leaves me with having to find a home. Once again, asking for some suggestions in placement. Is it paintable? Its finned so i assume it has a fair amount of heat to it. I'd imagine I'd want to place it in some place that sees some air flow? Off to research/stare at the bike/hope i find an answer.

 

Here's an idea, not sure on logistics, but it's what popped in my head. As got ground clearance it's still above bottom of exhaust and should fair well. Just an idea, looking for some input. Thanks

 

I might mount it flat (upside down) with the fins going forward and back on the bike (in the direction of airflow, if it matters). Then the leads would be to the side and not likely to get caught on anything. I'd bring the leads to the "not chain" side.

 

nice location

 

dkavanagh, I def agree that would be optimal. The problem then becomes that it's longer than the battery box. I'm ultimately trying to keep this footprint as small as possible. A challenge I already feel I missed, but i agree that would be better.

This bike should be called necessary evil, or bad idea, or stupid sacrifices, or jalopy bike. I know I've butchered this bike up, some days I'm happy with it, others I wonder why I even decided to do this! All I know is I truly love all my bikes, especially the XJ. Regrets or not I'll push forward to at least finish. (Then look for a stock XJ to add to the stable for a full RESTORE)

At any rate, the argument could be made it'll never see airflow regardless of orientation. Also considering it was mounted under the side cover originally it never saw airflow to begin with. I'm also just keeping an eye out for another spot where it can see the fins orientated in a way to see flow.

 

Yea, I know the airflow argument was a weak one!
but, somehow, that's the "faster" orientation. ha!
the regulator is "taller" that the battery? wow. Could you simply mount it on the battery hold-down strap? That puts it effectively behind the battery on the bike, but a little higher off the ground. Are you thinking of any kind of protective plastic over this area? I've used Kydex on some projects and that stuff is tough and can be heat formed. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kydex)

 

I could mount it on the tie down, another idea I was toying with. Kydex seems great! I have been thinking how to shield this area from the elements and that looks like a good idea. I'll definitely keep that in mind, thank you. Looks like I could get a nice tight protection without sacrificing space

 

It can be flexed into an arc to an extent. Tighter and more permanent bends can be done w/ a heat gun.

 

Did some internal wiring through the frame for the turns and tail combo. Placed an order for another set of blinkers to customize into my custom blinkers. Wiring seems never ending, even though I feel like I'm close to done I easily spend a few hours here and there. The harness going down the back is thick. No where to hide it except keeping it wrapped close to the frame. Wiring it internally through the frame would have been a good idea, but I also want this nightmare to end at some point. Or maybe I just love to complain while I work, whistling is so over rated. I really just want to turn the key and start seeing if these circuits are going to work. I've been super diligent with the wiring, which means if something is wrong I'm really going to be at a loss. Anyways, one day at a time is the best I can do.

 

One word of caution. My wife's uncle had a 2002 Harley that he put some new LED tail lights on. They are really small. I was riding behind him a few weeks ago and in the daylight, I could barely see the brake lights. Please make sure what you are using is bright enough to get noticed in sunlight. It's for your own good!

 

Absolutely, these are not my brake lights. They are my turns and secondary taillight. I'm installing a TC Bros side mount plate that is my main brake/taillight. Yes, they are my turns, yes I envision the turns being somewhat difficult to see in the back. Luckily, I'm more concerned with being seen from the front for turns, which I retrofit lollipops off of a Yamaha raider. So I'll have no problem being seen from the front turning at intersections...

On to bigger and better news... I couldn't take much more waiting. I slapped the battery in to test circuits.

Confirmed working:
Electronic flasher relay
Turn signals
Idiot lights (atleast kickstand, neutral, turning)
Starter
Coils are throwing spark
Horn

I think that's all I could test without starting the bike. Some weight lifted off my shoulders for sure. I need to make new fuel lines for the new tank and hopefully then I can start the bike. It felt good to hit the starter and here her turn a little bit. No fuses popped, a loose ground gave a small spark but easy to fix.


Fuel lines.. using original petcock, just need longer lines, which won't be 'formed' anymore but I'm okay with that. Guess I'm off to research what size I'll need, feel free to chime in if anyone knows the size.

Totally feeling stoked right now though. Maybe the end is actually in sight?

 

Well, with all good news comes bad news. I was able to get the bike running today with the carbs on. Looks like the carbs took some damage from setting for that long. the T off the fuel line is leaking heavily, and I assume that means the rack has to be broken down to replace this. I'm not very happy about having the break the rack down because of the 'black voodoo magic' thats inside that has my pods functioning properly. The floats may also be sticking but their was enough fuel coming out of the T that it was running down the sides of the carbs closest to the kick stand so i can't confirm that. At this point, i guess I need to look into rebuilding the carbs again. It's been about 4 years, maybe even longer at this point I cant quiet remember. Also, im a bad boy and I lost my JIS screw driver when i moved many moons ago. This was not in the plans, sadly. Just another delay in the project. But lets focus on the positive that she actually started in the first place.

 

Fuel leaks been fixed. Received parts needed to finish the rear signals. Here's a quick pic and video to show them.




Video: https://goo.gl/photos/EL8FUfLoUX5cqdTt9

 

Just when you think you're fine you snap your chain oring retention clip. Go figure.. well guess I'll wait another day before test riding.

 

Nice build

 

Finally have a new chain on the way.. then it's time for a test ride!! Can't wait. I'll hook up the camera for the first test run.

 

Well, I finally got to take her out for a test ride. Everything seems to be functioning. The engine really loved the quick jog around the blocks. Now that I shock up all the bolts I'm going to fix a few quick things, nothing major. I'm still impressed how much this engine just wants to scream, with all the weight off from the chop it was really light on its toes.

At this point I want to just enjoy her a bit before fall sneaks up on us, over winter I'm thinking fenders, possibly a cowl, and to fix the damn dent thats in the tank! If all goes right, I hope to have her in paint as soon as I can spray clear in the spring?

 

back up a few pictures, the tire doesn't look like it's in the center.....?

 

Wow, yeah it doesn't in that picture. So, the xt250 top that's attached to the stock xj550 swing arm was asymmetrical. I think this was do to chain clearance? I guess this, along with the angle in that picture is what causes it to appear off center.

 

i read somewhere that if the wheel aren't in the same plane |
...................................................................................................|
it would take a expert rider on a track to tell, they were talking a 1/2 inch. but |
.............................................................................................................................. / this is very noticeable

 

that didn't work, sort of fixed

 

gold chain real nice touch

 

Thanks xj550. When I paint her blue the chain should really pop.

Polock, I took some more pictures. I'm still fairly certain it's straight and centered as the lower part of the swing arm is uncut. I'll keep a close eye on it for sure. I've come to live with the asymmetrical look.. not much I can do about it. I have myself convinced it's from the xt250 chain path clearance.

 

i'm hope it's all good for ya but hang on to the old sprocket, it might be the spacer you might need

 

For reasons I'd embarrassed about, my rectifier took a hit; Dragged it along the road. You live you learn, but where can I pay for my lesson? As in, get a 'new' rectifier? Any aftermarket ones that are plug and play?

 

Do you think the internals of it were damaged by it bouncing on the pavement? Otherwise judging by the pic, I'd be inclined to do some careful solder repair on the wires and see where you end up. It may work it may not but at least you'd only be out some solder, heat shrink, and a little time

 

+1 to that

 

Winters finally letting go of it's grasp here and just in time I'm getting the bike back up and running.. I'll upload my progress on the battery box when I'm at a computer .. here she is as she sits now, was a breezy test ride this morning.

 

Bike was trailing horrible in the turns.. I knew this may have been a problem with how much I lowered the front. I decided to flip the bars down under the top tree and pull the fork tubes back down the tree in increase the rake. Made a huge difference and handles much better now.

Shakin down the bike a few miles at a time and bringing it back to check nearly every bolt. It's going to take a long time to get used to and trust the bike. So far she's doing well and will keep increasing my radius I'm riding as the days go by.

Phase two seems like it'll wait for now. I'm happy it's a a rideable stage right now and all electronics are functioning well.

 

just another update.. well I've been test riding it for a while and everythings running good. Decided to find the stock mirrors, then i remembered that I had my raider mirrors laying around and sure enough the bolted right up and I actually like the fit. Gotta love free parts! Also threw the front fender back on for now.. Need to think if i want to metal work the stock fender or go with something different. Ultimately, I want something shorter and closer to the wheel.. The rear will need to be something from scratch for sure. Looking at possibly rebuilding the clutch in the very near future since we're now on the 'other side' of the hump I'm willing to maybe invest a little more into it, I know my last post said phase two will wait, maybe i just mean phase 3.. tires are another issue i need to address, and i think i'll be going with Avon roadmasters front and back, as i like the look and think they'll handle the best in the twisties. Might take it over to the first local car/bike show of the year tonight.. Im definitely enjoying riding the XJ again.