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Radian, XJ/FJ600 cafe racer/resto-mod build thread.

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by AndyH64, Apr 1, 2023.

  1. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    Hello all.

    In 2020 I bought a 600 Radian as project, this however has evolved into two separate projects.
    This is what I bought, not too pretty in my opinion.
    F218F3C6-B114-4F55-A9DD-FD632ED7AC70.jpeg 99F0ACD9-3285-47C6-9C22-391937235DCA.jpeg
    My intention was to restore it to as near stock as possible, however once I got it stripped down it became apparent that the frame had been chopped down by a PO. So with that in mind I decided to look for a frame that hadn't been attacked with a hacksaw or angle grinder, in due course a suitable frame was obtained.

    The Radian so far with a stock frame.
    7CCA0F7D-1D96-439D-8AE5-C09078CC6A6E.jpeg 9ACD7307-A7ED-4BCC-A528-043CDFF97C56.jpeg

    I still have loads to do with it, but it runs. For whatever reason a PO changed the engine for a XJ/FJ600 lump, not sure why.

    So on to the subject of this thread. I decided I wanted to build a cafe racer style bike with the left over frame. Rather than use the original Radian wheels I decided I wanted to use more modern 17 inch wheels, along with beefier front forks and a swing arm, but not too extreme as I'm not the best engineer nor do I have deep pockets and wanting to do the bulk of the modifications myself, I'm a big believer in the "built not bought" ethos.
    I decided on Suzuki GSX600F (Katana) wheels and front forks, along with a swing from Suzuki GS500 as it resembles the the standard Radian swing arm. These items have been purchased for little money, the swing arm was actually gifted to me, however the s/a is little too wide at the pivot point 18mm or 3/4 inch, so after much measuring and marking, checking and rechecking the excess material was removed with the aid of a reciprocating saw and angle grinder, I will need to file it down by hand to get the pivot point down to the desired witdth.

    A quick hash up.
    BE767BCD-16C3-4C78-A923-C54EE5260E2B.jpeg 317B3E38-A498-4537-8CA1-280CFC322B4F.jpeg 5932C875-4822-4CF6-A149-699CE10BC1E2.jpeg 09CA64D4-2FFF-44A5-AB81-720C631F98DE.jpeg 65189B06-1473-4647-BB7E-CDC970870C3D.jpeg

    It looks better than I thought it would, that's just my opinion, you guy's may have a different perspective.

    I am looking forward hearing any ideas or criticism, constructive or otherwise from the community.

    Cheers Andy
     
  2. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    Wow you’re essentially building a bike from scratch. Are you going with twin shocks or monoshock rear suspension?
     
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  3. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    @Simmy Yeah pretty much from scratch, never thought of it that way. I thought of monoshock, but I would like use an air box of some sort and there won't be enough room for both the shock absorber and air box, so it will be a twin shock build and I think twin shock will suit the style of the bike.
    I have started to fabricate an air box out of scrap 3mm aluminium plate, here in the UK the road sign plates are made of 3mm aluminium plate and I have a source for the ones that get replaced.

    13695525-E027-4D8C-83EC-3602E8877742.jpeg 96D2915A-852C-444D-9B42-4CD5D70471FE.jpeg

    I also started cleaning the GS500 swing arm with an electrolysis bath.
    8504557C-6EF1-40D0-8FA8-3E1E3ACD23A0.jpeg 114EFBFD-6F47-458E-890B-F13117A8A838.jpeg E6F15608-9562-46BF-90D7-52CD87247DD7.jpeg
    It seemscto removing aclot of krud and rust, see how it goes. I used the same process to clean the inside of my Radian fuel tank with good success.
    More to follow...

    Cheers Andy
     
  4. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    Please excuse the typos in the post above, a combination of big fat sausage fingers and iPad keyboard are a recipe for disaster.
    It should say "It seems to be removing a lot of krud and rust, see how it goes. I used this process to clean the inside of my Radian fuel tank with good success"

    Cheers Andy
     
  5. tobar

    tobar Member

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    Hi,..had some password issues but im on board..
     
  6. tobar

    tobar Member

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    ive used electrolysis on petrol tank insides followed by filling them with some awesome citrus stuff thats eco friendly but does the job of derusting...of course ive forgotten the name of it so i'll have to look it up..lol
     
  7. tobar

    tobar Member

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    Deox C
    compared to what it was like this was pretty successful
    20220916_101952.jpg 20220916_101952.jpg
     
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  8. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    @tobar good to see you here mate, I had similar results as you with my Radian tank, I couldn't get that bit at the bottom either.
    Before
    EC060EC6-2667-4D6A-B75C-9027EEA75E72.jpeg F6DA3903-D610-4853-AA12-409402D4002C.jpeg
    And after
    A65A6C86-B285-4B72-B747-C47F037CADF3.jpeg 22A084AD-300E-4762-A449-B8F10E5F9DA1.jpeg
    I used POR15 as a sealer to line my tank.
    On the subject of fuel tanks I would like to use a XJ550 (Seca) tank on my build as Radian tanks are a bit thin on the ground and really expensive, also I don't think a Radian tank will suit my build so much.
    Or if I can't get old of a XJ550 tank I may use a XJ/FJ600 tank, however I am open to suggestions.

    Cheers Andy
     
  9. tobar

    tobar Member

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    yeah because of that scab at the bottom of the tank i used 8oz tin of kbs sealer when the weather was warm last year..didnt use all the tin...prob 90% of it and it worked well

    xj600 tanks all seem to be rotten...i got one for 50 quid that looked mint but id not spotted minute pinholes, but on the rhs towards the back...i got them brazed up but lost the decent paint in the process...
    another had rot on the left side where the bike leans which when provoked turned into a big hole so that was binned
    and my main one is the one pictured above, no holes and now lined

    whereas the xj550 frame project i mounted an xj650 seca to tank that i purchased of ebay was fine and probably wont need lining...xj650 seca is the best looking imo
     
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  10. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    XJ650 tanks do look good, not many about though. There is an XJ550 tank on eBay for £55 but the description says it has pin holes in it, maybe not worth the hassle.

    I'm not seeing a picture

    Cheers Andy
     
  11. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    A little off subject as this post involves my Radian's carburetors.
    A PO had somehow managed to snap one of the float mounts off number 4 carb and attempted to glue back on (wtf). A replacement carb was sourced and duely arrived. It needed bit of cleaning up, I have blasting equipment but I decided sand would be too harsh to clean the aforementioned carb, so I thought I would try using soda crystals as a softer option to sand and I am very happy with the results.
    20230429_134041_Original.jpeg 20230429_132600_Original.jpeg 20230429_134035_Original.jpeg 20230429_132555_Original.jpeg 20230429_134030_Original.jpeg
    The soda crystals I used where purchased from a super market, £2.00 for a 1 kilo bag, what's more I didn't use that much. I'm not sure what name soda crystals go under for the rotw. I used a blasting gun similar to this. IMG_0096.jpeg

    More soon, cheers
     
  12. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    On this side of the pond we can (sometimes) get Arm & Hammer baking soda in 8# bags in the swimming pool areas of the dreaded WalMart. It works well in one of the cheap, plastic blasting guns.
     
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  13. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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  14. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    @AndyH64 Well, cool! That sounds like some pretty useful stuff. I wonder what we have that is similar. Amazon MUST have it. I just checked some stuff we have called "Bar Keeper's Friend" that I thought might be similar but in very brief research it is not. Good stuff but not even close.
    Thanks for the info though.
    John
     
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  15. Dave in Ireland

    Dave in Ireland Well-Known Member

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    Sodium Bicarbonate is cheaply available nearly everywhere - it isn't Baking Soda, which has something extra in it, salt and tartare or somesuch, and it is a lot more costly than simple Sod Bicarb.
    Sodium Carbonate is also dirt cheap and available widely as Washing Soda - there are two types, the hydrated and the dehydrated. The hydrated is the most common, simply because it's harder to keep the water out of it, and if you really need the dehydrated version, it's easy to dry it in the oven.

    Never mix up the above with Sodium Hydroxide. It will eat your dirt, your skin, your eyes, and your carburettor.
     
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  16. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    @Dave in Ireland thanks for the useful info.
    @Fuller56 as Dave in Ireland suggests try sodium bicarbonate, there is loads of information on the web, the soda crystals I use is the same chemical compound as sodium bicarbonate.
    This is what I use IMG_0097.png

    Cheers Andy
     
  17. Dave in Ireland

    Dave in Ireland Well-Known Member

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    That's Washing Soda, but if it works, it works.
    Soda Bic is far, far cheaper in bulk.
     
  18. AndyH64

    AndyH64 Member

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    My mistake, I got confused with carbonate and bicarbonate.
    Na₂CO₃ is the formula for sodium carbonate. (Soda crystals)
    NaHCO₃ is the formula for sodium bicarbonate. (Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda)
    Let's hope any further confusion can be avoided and nobody gets injured and the desired results can be achieved.

    Cheers Andy
     
  19. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    All good info and useful info at that. Thank you all. But what is a little hydrogen between friends?
     
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  20. tobar

    tobar Member

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    where are you at with this project?
     

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