Topic: XS650 project thread - April 2011 - Getting set for 2nd season :)

[sinister902]

I LOVE that tank and seat combo on there.......FANTASTIC looking bike!

[Tim.]

This is what she looks like from the side.  Looking forward to spring!

Looks great Tinny, but what's up with those pipes mate? They look too low, and it kind of spoils the professional look of the rest of the bike a bit?

The Italians got it right many years ago, here's a pic of my 1972 Laverda SF1 750, the "Conti" pipes aren't swept up real high like some bikes you see, just a nice subtle up turn at the rear. Can you "tweak" your headers slightly mate? Just my opinion of course, I've been waiting for you to finish that beauty with bated breath since you started!    

We're far from done - the exhaust is likely going to be completely replaced.  This is a stop-gap system for the moment.

I might have a custom setup made.  I would love to have swept-back headers like on an old Triton.

One of the members on my DO THE TON forum makes stainless steel exhausts from scratch   Might be going that route.

[Tim.]

So the DO THE TON crew decided to participate as a club at the North American International Motorcycle Super show (that's a mouthful) in Toronto last week.  My bike was there and got a ton of positive feedback, and a few constructive 'suggestions'

Noel and Paul discussing the finer points of turning gas tanks into bump seats



A few of the 16 or so bikes we hauled to the show



One of Paul's in-progress custom bike jobs (www.dutracustoms.com)



The vintage bike hall we were a part of (show was 7 halls, about 500,000 sq ft) - we had the entire back wall, about 100 feet long



My bike under the freshly minted DO THE TON show banner.  12 x 3 feet.  Made up of almost 400 individual photos from the site

[KB02]

[Tim.]

Just a little update - I'm VERY close to putting the bike on the road.  No foolin this time

I also picked up the cherry for the sundae.  Drove 7+ hours return trip for it and am happy to have done it.  Got it all for a good price (not free, but probably 30-40% less than what it would fetch on eBay)

Will be doing some polishing and assembly ASAP, and then selling off the current front wheel to cover some of the costs.  Now I need another WM3 36 hole Borrani for my rear wheel.  Even though they look exactly like my stock Yamaha rims, I'd like to have matching Borrani's front and rear

Suzuki GT750 Water Buffalo 4LS front drum brake
Buchanan stainless steel spoke/nipples
Borrani shouldered alloy rim 18" WM3 - exact match for the rims I'm running now
NOS Suzuki brake cables
Suzuki GT750 brake lever

[Tim.]

tic toc tic toc... 

[hoodellyhoo]

You're killing us with the anticipation

[Tim.]

March 25, 2010.  1091 days - a few days short of 3 years into the project, and it's on the road!

Officially I rode the bike last week Friday, but just up and down the lane and around the block.  Today was the first ride legally on the street with the bike running well enough to make it a bit of a distance reliably.

Rode it to my 40th birthday shindig put on by the local crew here at the Black Dice Cafe (www.blackdicecafe.com)  Good food, awesome cakes and I got to ride my bike!

Froze my arse off.  It's -1 celsius at the moment, and I just rolled in.  Hands are just recovering.

Here's a crap low-light iPhone pic - proof!

The carbs need some more tuning, and I gotta adjust the valves a wee bit, etc. etc. but it's running and fun to ride.

[bryanj]

Well done mate, nice to see it get there! Enjoy it and dont look for another project for a while

[Tim.]

Lemme see... what do I have waiting in the wings...

1966 Honda CA95
1978 Yamaha SR500
1975 Yamaha XS650...

Three more projects waiting.  The 2nd XS650 is slated to be a bobber, with a girder front end (already have that) but plans may change.  The SR500 may get the cafe bits off this just-finished XS650, to make what I originally wanted, a Norton Manx look-alike.  Given the SR500 is a 500 single, it's much better suited to be like a Manx.

Then this XS650 may get the bobber treatment with the girder front end, longer swingarm, short shrouded shocks etc.

[bryanj]

Had an SR for a while, nothing like a manx---It started easy and was reliable!!!!

Strange to say they are not easy to do head work on as the inlet tract is the wrong shape and too big in one direction

[Tim.]

Well I'm a ways off from doing any headwork on any bikes - maybe one day I'll do up a fresh head for the 650 and try my hand at porting, but I think you gotta understand the basic principles first, which I don't

I'm still playing with jetting the carbs trying to find the magic combination.  I plan on going for a nice long ride this Friday - it's forecast to reach 28 celsius here!  Summer temps!  Will spend this evening and tomorrow afternoon playing with carb jetting and seeing if I can get it running not too rich.

Bike is running now, idling nicely, but when you crack the throttle too quickly it dies.  I think that means too rich?  Can't remember.

[Sam Green Racing]

Well done Timmy and a happy belated 40th birthday, ya just need the swept backs now and a set of Goldie type Dunstall silencers, it's crowning glory.

Sam.

[Tim.]

Been contemplating the swept back headers, but the XS650 engine case is pretty wide, and the headers would end up in really the wrong spots.  Hoping to spot a Triton around somewhere that I can have a closer look at.

Just going now to pick up some #180 mains to fiddle with.  I have 180, 190, 200 and 210 mains, and 22.5, 25, 27.5 pilots.  Somewhere in there is the magic combination.  I've read the Boyer ignition runs hot, and needs a bit of a richer mix.  Some guys run 22.5 / 180, others 27.5/200's.  No standard recipe, that's for sure.

I'm sooooo glad this thing is on the road.  Like a big weight been lifted off my shoulders that's been there for 3 years.  Now it's all about fun!

[Tim.]

Took the bike up to Forks of the Credit today - great riding and the bike ran perfect.  Scraped the pipes a bit in some turns - need to replace the exhaust with something more upswept for more ground clearance.

[Tim.]

So in the last 3 weeks I've spruced things up a bit and have got the Suzuki 4LS wheel all settled in.  Took it for another long ride today - fun times!

[Roach Carver]

how much improvement can you tell with the new front brake??

[Carbine]

TT, really nice job on your Special, and thanks for sharing it with us. Looks and sounds great, you must get a lot of looks while on the road!
Cheers buddy,   

[Tim.]

It's night and day compared to the Yamaha 2LS brake.  The Suzuki 4LS is as good as my BMW R75/6 front disc I'd say.

It's the difference between not feeling totally safe on the bike and feeling like I can brake effectively now.  Big difference.

Mounting a steering damper in the next week or so.  Just waiting on a clamp to mount to the frame.

[greenjeans]

Just stumble on this thread searching for 19" shouldered rims that I could lace my 4LS Suzuki brake to..

Fantastic looking bike.   Really, clean.   

Are you running an 18" front rim ?    Looks like it from the photo, but just wanted to make sure.   I might go to an 18" rim but would like a 19.

[Tim.]

Been a while - lots of fun since the first rides - including hauling the bike down to Alabama last October to Barber's.  Hit Deals Gap on the way home

[Tim.]

For this spring I've added a tail light with integrated signals (same as my old light, just with the signals inside) as well as a trick 7" headlight bucket with amber LED's embedded in it for front signals.  17 LED's on each side of the headlight, inside the lens.  So no more signal lights sticking out from my sides.