1982 xj650 complete engine rebuild and bobber conversion

On another note, I'm in the process of copper plating the shock springs. I haven't mentioned it yet, but the theme for this bike is going to be copper and flat black.

 

funny. was actually going for a copper look myself. looks awsome so far! jealous of the fork x(

 

Lol yeah it's definitely a work in progress, hopefully I'll have it on two wheels on the ground sometime next week.

 

Hadn't thought of those two together before but ya that makes sense, nice combo colors, can't wait to see it...

 

Machine shop didn't call me today. They'll probably call me tomorrow.

 

Gonna pick up the frame on Friday! I'll post pics then with the front end all together.

 

Can someone give me the specs for the max cylinder diameter? Max out of round, max taper, etc? I want to measure the sleeves and see if they're worn out, and I need to buy new pistons and machine the sleeves.

 

Well here she is all installed. Don't ever let someone tell you something can't be done. f*** that! I'm living proof!

 

That looks sharp.

 

Looks great! Are you putting a dust cap over the upper bearing?

 

all 650cc:

Standard bore: 63.00mm
Limit before boring required: 63.10mm
Taper limit: 0.05mm
Out-of-round limit: 0.01mm
Oversizes: plus .25mm, .50mm, .75mm, 1.00mm

Piston-to-wall clearance: 0.03 - 0.05mm
Max. clearance: 0.10mm

 

I'm just gonna use the stock cap as it fits perfectly, I'll need to get another one for the bottom though!

 

Damnit, I just measured one of the Pistons and I'm getting like 62.75....so what's a .25 oversize piston kit gonna cost me?

 

Hey fellas, I was thinking of doing a totally different intake set up than what you're used to seeing. I know there's probably a lot of math involved in terms of air flow, but I was wondering what you guys think.

Since we all know the stock air box is huge, bulky, and doesn't look good. As well, the pod filters can give you a flat spot in your power curve. I was thinking of fabing up an air intake manifold made out of aluminum. Kind of like an exhaust manifold I guess you could say, and then install one large air filter on the right side of the bike. Maybe in the same spot where Harley's have them?

I guess the purpose of this would be to allow a better amount of vacuum going into the engine, but with a cool look to it cause let's face it, the stock box is ugly and the pods can be a pain the ass to tune your engine from what I've read.

The only thing I can't really decide on is the size of piping. I was thinking maybe 2 inches max, but what kind of constrictions would I be running up against? Is 2 inches enough? Too much? I was kind of hoping one of our members is an engineer and can give me some pointers lol.

 

Do a search. There are several people who have made custom intake manifolds for the XJ series.

 

You think I could make this work?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/1982-82-Yamah...Manifold-S003475-40C-/272199908442?nav=SEARCH

 

Sure, but it doesn't meet all of your criteria. The turbo intake is uglier than the aitbox you have. It's also more restrictive without having the turbo to pressurize it under load.

 

Hmm it was just an idea

 

Not a bad one. The airbox is cheap enough that you could give it a try (without modifying it) and if it dosen't work sell it and get your money back.

 

Nah I think I'm just gonna fab up a two inch aluminum pipe, tig weld it, throw on a big Harley style air filter and let her buck.

 

'ckin loads of money - if you can even source them. Better off looking at some better jugs/pistons off ebay and maybe spring for some new rings, they'll be about 200 USD though I would think, rings that is..

 

Yeah, I'm looking at $1400 CND just for Pistons and rings, that's absolutely insane. But people are claiming that the parts are unavailable, and that's why there's such a high cost. I call bs, cause obviously people can still get them, and so can I, but like $300 a piston? Really? I'd expect that for a car, not a bike

 

They really and truly are no longer available from Yamaha. The factory supply for oversize pistons and rings dried up years ago, so everything you are finding is from someone's NOS stash, or from a manufacturer like Weisco. It doesn't matter what the piston is for, production costs are nearly the same, and short runs have to recoup setup and tooling costs faster than long runs do. Lack of demand really does drive up the price.
You can try http://japan.webike.net. They tend to carry more parts for older japanese bikes, but you'll have a big shipping cost. You could also try a Japanese or German auction site. The XJ series still has a large following in both countries.

 

Gave that site a try, and no dice

 

Well I haven't had much time lately to play around, but I found some cool stuff that I think I'm gonna install on the bike.

First, this neat little gadget.
http://motogadget.com/en/electrics/rfid-ignition-lock-m-lock/m-lock-rfid-zundschloss.html

And I'm contemplating doing up this little unit as well.
http://motogadget.com/en/electrics/...m-unit-digit-tastersteuerung-u-sicherung.html

I also thought these turn signals were pretty cool. Might as well go all motogadget for electrical lol.

 

Yay my goodies finally showed up! Here they are!

 

So what ya think boys?

 

I think it's great looking and super cool that you are assembling it in your kitchen............!

 

Yeah I didn't wanna be in the garage tonight haha. I sent you a pm, did you get it?

 

Forgot to put this pic up

 

Well, it is still winter there.

 

Naaaaah, it'll be a balmy 75 today

 

That was the overnight low here

 

Love the look so far! That copper looks good. Are you going to keep the tank unpainted like that? I like the way it looks.

 

Haha ya ya, this isn't the desert here.

 

Well the tank is bare metal right now, so no I can't leave it unpainted haha. I haven't decided on what I'm gonna do with the tank yet as far as colour goes. I was thinking of going all black with just some copper notes here and there. I dunno, we'll see as it comes more and more together!

 

So I finally finished copper plating the springs, not quite a match with the front end. I'll probably polish them and see how they turn out. If not, I might just scrap the whole idea and go to these below instead.

 

You may need to electroplate at a higher current.

 

Why's that?

 

You get a thicker, shinier coating.

 

This is true, I'm just trying it out to see how it looks. Once it's all sort of together, I'll make the decision then whether or not to keep em. I was just super bored lol.

 

Look what we inherited boys....a gem that's been sitting for 15 years.

 

I love inheriting cool things. Family stuff is the best for passing down.



That bicycle on the wall needs a motor on it

 

Haha it's not mine, it belongs to my roommates gramps. We're gonna fix it up, and he gets to keep the heirloom. It's an xs 850, 3 cyl. The 3 cyl just keeps weirding me out....

 

That bike is way too small for my daughter now lol. I don't even know why I still have it.

 

I do. My son's pedal bikes are in the shed. Grandkids (hopefully) will get them someday.