Any luck installing forward controls an a xj650?

Other than spending the $170 or so for the kit to do it, myself, is there a cheaper workaround. I saw the post for the 750 further down, but am not sure if that would work on a 650.

 

The 650 and 750 are pretty much the same bike when it comes to fabricating forward controls (I have both)
You can make a pair of brackets that bolt to the engine mounts in the front. I found that 1/4" mild steel works well for making mounts out of, but I had to also make a brace attached to the brake/shifter mounts, or thye would bend ever so slightly and I wanted them to be solid.
Having a bike salvage yard close by helped me find the parts I needed to fabricate my shifter and brake peddles. I takes some trial and error to make things work properly, but it's worth it in my opinion. I am so much more comfortable now with m legs out in front of me instead of cramped under me. >PD<

 

im from fayetteville also with a 83 xj650 maxim. i have a patern for forward controls, if you want a copy e-mail me. im working on mine now

 

I live over in the strickland bridge road area, sent you an email also bud.

 

nolimit - sent you an email

 

I built mine for around $50.

 

I built mine for about 25.00. Heres a couple of pics.

 

I made mine pretty much that same way as you see in XJJeffs post. Just fabricated a plate coming off the front engine mounts and go from there. The rods to the shifter and brake are best made with threads on one end so you can make adjustments later.

 

I like the look of forward control's but how comfortable are they?
PainterD- The paint on your bike looks really good BTW. I like how you didnt go overboard with the flames like most people do.

 

Gbambeck1,
Thanks for the compliment. I am planning on re-painting the entire bike this off season with something in a black/orange tribal theme. Who knows what it'll look like when I get'r done, but that's the fun part!
The forward controls are so much better than the stock location - I will never, ever go back to stock. I have a problem with sitting upright or forward and leaning onto the handlebars, that's my reason for making my forward controls. I have factory forward controls on my Honda VT1100 and can't say enough about the comfort when riding that bike. So I decided to basically copy the idea onto my Seca bobber project. It's been the most important modification I made so far, along with higher handlebars, (mini apes) which brings my arms straight out at shoulder height. I ride my Seca twice as much as I did before just because of the fact that chopping it made it lighter and a hell of alot more comfortable/fun to ride. Go for it!! >PD<

 

Mine are adjustable you just can't see them because of the chain accent. As far as comfortable - for me it's very comfortable because I can't go very long with my legs under me like most bikes are set up for.