My '85 XJ700 Bobber Chopper Build

Hello guys..

My name is Zach'Riah and I go by The Jewish Guy on other forums as well.
I have built some cars over the years from Targa Top VW Karmann Ghia,
- a one of a kind RX7
- a 1966 VW Bug with Maseratti Paint with Couio Interior


- a 1993 Toyota Hilux pick up


- a 1981 CB750F drag bike with rearset Rask pedals.

After building a VW Bug and a Toyota Old Skool pickup I now want to build a Bobber

Here now I have a 1985 XJ700 that my brother gave me and i plan on building a Bobber but more Chopper like look.



Hopefully it will look something like this without all the red details:


and at first i thought it might look like this one but now i want it nice and low with some 10 degree rake and apes


Started dismantling the bike to prep the frame for paint and sand down the tank and front fender[/b]









Well here goes the build...
Marking and tagging the wires so I will know where everthing goes back together




Removed the exhaust..cleaned them up.. used Ospho on the rust, went to Bikers and picked up these Harley pipes for $20.00 and 2 reducers at Advance Auto to mate them to the Yamaha headers:





here im about to weld the pipes.. I had to cut the reducers to fit[/b]









Ape hangers will replace the stock handlebars

 

cant wait to see how it turns out. does this bike run? it looks kinda crusty. love the beatle, very nice looking.

CN

 

The bike was running until my brother bought a Harley and then just left the bike at my house. Its been about a year since it was used... no problem at least it was running.. i will change the oil, plugs and charge up the battery...
I figure i will have her done in about 30 days or so

 

What an Itchy experience wrapping the headers !!!
Sheesh !!!$#*^$(()@#

Its a good thing i wore gloves..




and Here is the finished product..





I ordered a replacement Ignition switch for a XJ650 which is identical except for the bolt hole underneath that attaches to the headlight bucket but since i am using a different headlight bucket it will not matter.. my concern was the two main mounting bolt holes if they would line up and guess what ?
they are both exactly 50mm apart...

I got help from a friend at K&L supply so instead of paying $175.00 from the Yamaha dealer i was able to pick up the aftermarket EMGO 47M-82501-50-00 for $29.95 + Shipping

The original Yamaha Dealer is P/N: 42X-82501-50-00 at $175.00
Locksmith wanted $125.00 just to make the key !!

Here it is
https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1173861_10152294041148536_26352522_n.jpg[/img
]
[img]https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/1979493_10152294041108536_1181934658_n.jpg

 

Today Friday early morning I sandblasted the trees and primered with Imron FR Aircraft primer.. the best stuff to use over alloy metals and chrome even.. this stuff does not come off..

It will be painted black





Dismantling Carbs and accelerator / choke cables



Received 15" Apes from TC Bros Choppers...


Acid washed motor to remove debris and surface corrosion and other loose metal dirt then painted with Caliper paint to resist temps up to 700 degrees.


Heavy duty temp and pressure lines ... good to have just in case

 

Here is the headlight i will be using..
Includes chrome bottom mount bolt.
High/Low beam.
5.5" Glass Lens.
6-1/4" x 8-1/4" Overall
12V Halogen Bulb Included
Accepts standard DOT H4 bulbs
it is from Demonscycle.com for only $49.00 Free Shipping.



These are the Shorter shocks at 11" from Eye to Eye for $94.00 FREE SHIPPING



These are the Chrome Master Cylinder and Clutch Lever from China for $52.00

 

I have that headlight on my 700 with blue lens. Had to get a extension mount that was suggested to go with that light(the headlight bucket is longer towards the rear than the original), got mine from JPCycles.com.
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/310-127

 

What did you use to clean the motor and did you do it in the frame like that? Didn't eat any wiring or anything like that?

 

How many miles on the motor and did you do anything outrageous like maybe check your valve clearances before you painted it?

Or are you building a pretty grenade?

 

Here is what i have done so far to the bike... I will edit later

Stock shock 13" from eye to eye
Harley Davidson Sporster Progressive shock is 11" from eye to eye




This perch was about $30.00 with shipping so i made my own from 3/4" Aluminum stock.. $3.50





Driled a center hole for the lateral support on the perch for Headlight


Drilled and made my own tap by filing a groove on the M4 bolt i will use




Bolt up


Bolted and secured



Put on vise so i can drill hole for the other support bolt





Mocking up to see how it fits and make some adjustments








Now to trim the excess portion



Finished product but i have to wet sand and buff to a polished finish


Mocking up the rear fender to see where i need to cut and spot weld into place



Dont like the tank much.. a little too big...
Apes look good though

 

Hi. Not to offend you, but your headlight may be going to vibrate with this long arm. I just made a mounting bar of bent 8mm alu sheet, bolted under the brake distributor...

 

Not offended at all.
Constructive criticism is always good plus everything I have learned in my various builds I have learned or been motivated by the content found in the forums.

I would like for you to respond by posting a photo of how and where you bolted yours under the brake distributor.
I want to see your setup.

Hurry please post a photo..

 

You'll like that tank when you start riding, you may wish it was bigger. Good job on the headlight bracket. What ideas do have for the tail light? Couldn't wait to replace mine, thought it was the ugliest thing ever made. LOL

 

Here is the perch that i made for the headlight...
It is made of 3/4" stock aluminum x 4" long.
I sanded it with 2000 grit paper then buffed with the white paste.

 

Hey so are you going to post a photo or not ?

 

Mine vibrated a little, but not enough to be a problem. In fact, it probably got me noticed better in traffic.

 

Let me see photos of your headlight bracket and installed so i can get a better idea.

 

I only have one pic that shows the mount and it's too dark. It's mounted like yours though. If you look through the (my build) thread in my signature, you'll see the light mounted on the bike on the later pages(8-10).

 

So use your cell phone, , take a pic... upload to your Facebook account. . Then right click the image with your mouse.... select " copy image location"
... then click on the img button... ctrl+v to paste the link. .. press Enter and you're done.

 

I'll dig out my camera. No smart phone or facebook.

 

Time to make the dull aluminum shine

I wet sanded the pieces and buffed white stick







Quite a difference ... before and after






I received the chrome levers from a US Seller on ebay for $47.00 free shipping
so i went ahead and mocked everything up so i can do the electricals and add some length to the wires.

 

I believe that this set of forward controls can work on my bike...
I think that i can make it work
$229.00 FREE SHIPPING

 

Why not tc bros forward controls? They are cheaper and proven to fit the 700. The ones for the xj650 are the ones I used.

 

Their kit is $174.00 plus $49.99 for the rods

 

Which is $225

Also the rods pictured in the set you posted may not work as one rod end is merely threaded instead of having the necessary rod end.

 

I can't blame the guy for picking something he likes the look of rather than going for the one aftermarket accessory made for XJs that basically every XJ owner has (myself included). Especially if the difference is a few bucks and a little handiwork.

 

To Each his own on the forwards. however imho the tc bros look a little more bobberish so to speak. im just not into the whole pro street west coast orange county chopper style.

 

Thanks
I do want something different because everyone has the tcbros.
I found a set Kuryakyn Motorcycle Forward Control Extension Kit Honda VTX1800C 2008
If it doesnt match the bolt holes then i will make a backing plate out of 3/8 Aluminum flat stock which is simple to drill.
This kit is on clearance for $98.00 FREE SHIPPING and it comes with the rods

 

I never liked Orange County Choppers.. I prefer Jesse James / West Coast Choppers and guys like Indian Larry or Eddie Trotta.. these guys built real bikes

Jesse James


Eddie Trotta
This was built by Eddie

 

dont misunderstand me, i wasnt saying that to be derogatory. I just meant that in my eyes something that flashy kinda takes away from the bobbers look. just figured i would throw my opinion out there, didnt mean to offend...

 

Just my guess, but I don't think any of us have been offended in this thread. We've just all been talking about what we like.

I think Joker hit on a difference that I think I see, too. I would say bobbers and cafés are the same treatment to two styles of bike: cruiser and sport, respectively. And I would describe that treatment as taking away anything that doesn't make the bike move forward, but otherwise staying pretty much stock or at least looking like it could have been stock. While the TC Bros controls are an addition, I would say their style is very simple and look like something you might see roll off an assembly line bike.

I think Jewishguy's pick differs from that, hitting a decidedly more "custom" note. I'm not satisfied with the word "custom" to describe this style, but its all I've got for now. But I also agree that I see a difference between OCC, West Coast, and Eddie. We need to find the right word for these bikes.

And of course, as noted earlier, this isn't to say any style is better or worse than another. We all have our preferences.

Sorry guys, my college days were spent studying art history, analyzing stylistic differences and similarities, and critiquing art projects. It was bound to come spewing forth in a long-winded post at some point.

 

Baldwonder, i feel you man...
If you check my other builds from my signature below i suppose you can see my style.

Take for instance my vw bug...
I test drove for a month a 2012 Maseratti Gran Turismo and i loved the ride, the rich blue oceano paint complemented by the Couio leather interior..so i bought the high dollar paint and had the interior done in the same scheme as the 140k Maseratti.

The old skool '93 Toyota Hilux, static dropped with white and blue pearl mix and the centerline wheels and the way i did the motor with an efan from a '93 Mercury Sable.

My 2nd gen RX7 vert...

I'm not mainstream.. I dont want to go with the flow.. TC Bros has a nice simple effortless setup but again i would have to go with the flow and be like Mikey... Oy vey! Its not me

We will see how it turns out..

I'm semi retired so its a hobby project that i want to complete and the i will ride the bike for a while.. Sell it and then get me another project.

Shabbat Shalom,

Zach' Riah

 

I merely mentioned them as most aren't aware that the 650 setup work on the 700 (as they don't have a listing for them)

I like the tc bros style but I'm also not a big fan of chrome.

 

What did you use to clean your motor before paint? I'm having a time getting mine to come clean.

 

Sorry, haven't been in this topic anymore 'till now. I'll get one for you...

 

Here you go. I actually wanted my headlight to drop into the space between the fork legs. So the bracket is bent backwards. It is 8mm aluminum sheet, triangle shaped, with a sleeve welded on it where the headlight bolt goes through. Simply fasten it under the brake pressure distrubutor. On the pictures, the lamp actually hangs down a bit, it still needs to be fastened well.

Before this, I made a bracket like you did, withouth the long horizontal part though. But the headlight was vibrating while driving...

 

Looks good Henkies
Sure would have liked to have seen the bracket but its ok... I'll make a wing of it.

 

I am not a welder but i bought a welder from Harbor freight tools and i know my welding sucks but i dont care because im not looking to enter any shows.. So its a build then i can sell it and get the bike i really want.





I had to secure it here also with some M6 Bolts because mine is an XJ700 and its different than an XJ650 where i could have used the frame to support the rear fender



It looks like quite a bit of clearance but its suspended on the center stand and once i put it on the road and sat on it it was nice... Just wonder how it will be when my tiny wife sits on the cushion

 

Not to gripe, but how much weight is that sheet metal rated for? Without a stiffening rib (or two) underneath to carry some load, your tiny wife is going to be peeling that tire out of her cooch after a couple of railroad tracks.

 

I am adding the stiffeners tomorrow...
I bought the fender from TC Bros Choppers.
My wife may want to ride sometime on a short ride and we don't have train tracks like in the country.. out here they are steel deck smooth... she weighs less than 100 lbs..

Here we are at a Masquerade party for Purim
I was the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) and my wife was Cleopatra
I made the costume to be an exact replica of what the high priest would have worn over 2000 years ago

 

Some nice work going on!
What did / do you use to "strengther/seal" older headers, collector and pipes?
I've got an '82 Seca 550 that should have some love applied before it's too late.

 

You're almost tempting me to post my costume pictures, but I try to play to the crowd and I'm sure there's not too many anime fans in here.

 

I used OSPHO on the rust
Clamps from Advance Auto
Reducers from Advance Auto
Muffler pipes are from a dyna superglide Harley Davidson
Tomorrow im going to cut the stock collector because the pipes come off to the side at an angle and I want a straighter look to them like Baldwonder's bike.

 

I was gonna say " Uncle Fester"

 

No Uncle Fester to date, but I've been Mr. Clean.

That's what I did.

 

I was going to say Mr. Clean bc Fester is from my time era

 

Freshly rebuilt carbs...
I dabbed a little silver paint on the parts of the carb that show.



They were a bitch to put on.. i used a soapy solution and then went for the silicone spray... had the bike on the center stand but each time i pushed to put the carbs on the bike would roll off the center stand so i jammed the front wheel to the house exterior wall.

Bike is starting to take shape




Grinded the sides of the motor and also wet sanded the engine covers and buffed them with a yellow buffing wheel and #5 green stone for Aluminum




The Harley Davidson Dyna Superglide muffler fit nicely underneath but the center stand gets in the way so i have to remove the center stand.






These Solo seat hair pin springs are much better than the previous springs





I fabricated these straps to secure the mufflers are and keep them from coming off the bike
Just have to take them off ... wet sand and then buff them.




This is the block of aluminum that i tapped to use on the front of the solo seat.

 

A Selfie

 

That is one sweet ride there bubba! What year is that Beetle. I love a lowered beetle with a little chrome. Just classic! Your bike is looking great as well. I am also in the process of building a bobber and am having trouble locating a #4 carb, I have two sets of carbs 1, 2, and 3 but both #4 are broke. Go figure that! Off to Chacal I go!