Finally time to make a first post.

It's a little late but life has slowed down enough I can finally be social so I figured I first needed to finally say think you all for the fantastic resource you have created here. Sorry this got a bit long. but I want to do justice to situation.

Back a few years ago I picked up 3 basket case XJs, 2 650's, and one 550 for $500 titles included and set my sights on restoring one as a shop project.

I will say it now I was way over my head teaching myself how to run a restoration shop based on the logic Dad and I used to build airplanes from scratch how hard could it be? The correct answer was very hard but to be fair that was mostly my fault.

I was just starting to try and launch a 3d scanning and parts replication business. My newly built shop in theory could make nearly anything. So I reasoned it would be a great learning experience if I had a rule. If it wasn't safety critical and I could make it myself I wasn't allowed to buy it. This was a bad idea I was just getting started and had no background beyond helping assemble aircraft designed before WW2 with my father.

To put it bluntly I was an idiot. I was so far out of my depth the fish had lights on their heads. I wasn't even a good mechanic yet and I was attempting my first solo restoration while trying to learn 3d scanning, reverse, engineering, 3d printing, CNC operation, welding, and fabrication all at once.

I spent half a summer and a whole winter cursing that decision. I was eventually able to get it running properly and that launched a major part of my business.

So now we come to the important part while I've never posted here. This bike only runs because of the fantastic documentation made by all you wonderful forum members. Seriously thank you all for your work. The dedication of this community has to making guides with detailed explanations of every problem one could encounter along with the pitfalls that could hamper a restoration on meant I never needed a manual and halts were only because I needed to make something.

Before I show the bike there is one thing I did end up cheating on. The carbs that came on it had been ruined well before I got hold of the bike. As far as I could tell the previous owner spiked them into the ground. Likely after drilling holes in the after market exhaust and destroying the entire front of the airbox so he could run pod filters. I had a very bad run of luck trying to get original carbs for this bike my timing was poor. I could find neither carbs nor airbox no matter where I looked for over a month. My girlfriend decided this meant I wasn't going to find them by riding season and surprised me with a set of Murry's carbs.

So here she is freshly removed from the brush the day I found her.



The end of the first year taken from the only angle the rust didn't detract from her looks


After year 2 I learned to paint and do upholstery, The rust forced me to strip and wrap her pipes so I themed her around the color of the pipe wrap.



Now I have a few other bikes restored it's time to come back around. With a 550 up on the healing bench I figured it was as good a time as any to finally say hello and thanks for all the guides. I'm sorry I didn't have time to jump on and talk before.

 

Well done, welcome and what an introductory post.
More pics of your workshop needed, and reports on how those Murray carbs are working needed.

 

Yes, welcome. Glad to have you and thank you for saving at least 1 (or 2 or 3) XJ's from the scrap yard. Where in the USA are you located? As @Minimutly said we would love to see your shop so that we can all be jealous.

 

I'm up near Erie Pennsylvania in an old shop that still has the tin on the ceiling. I wouldn't call the space pretty but it's big, the heaters work well, and most importantly as of now I own it outright. I just need to start putting money into the building instead of more equipment.

I guess I should do a report on the Murry's carbs before the 4 photo shop tour so it won't get lost under the photos.

With my setup the low end is hot garbage. Rev it out to 3-4k and slip the clutch just to get it going if your not on fairly flat ground bad. I hear it's not that bad on stock pipes but mine came with aftermarket pipes with holes drilled in the baffles. More recently I welded up the holes and added some additional baffles. There's some stories involved with figuring out the right amount of backpressure and the interesting things my experiments did to the power band and the harmonics of the mufflers. But I'll save those for a later date I don't want to write a novel about it. Now days I have serviceable low end power that ramps up smoothly from Honda cub power to modern sports bike power, My friends joke I ride an old sofa with the soul of an R6.

Things here in the shop are in flux right with a new surface grinder and scanning setup going in so there's not a whole lot to see but you asked so I'm delivering a quick tour of the main shop space. There's more but it looks like a tornado went through a garage followed by a maker space and I'm not cleaning that up enough to make a passable photo today.


Also included bonus photo of all the bikes I've restored for myself and friends "ready" for the road.


Not all are fully put together right this second but they all run when assembled and have plates so I'm calling them "ready" I really need to clean the garage side of my shop... Alas that is a job for the future when my parking lot is no longer filled with ice. Also if you can ignore the oil under the FJ my assistant forgot the oil intercooler wasn't screwed down while I waited for o rings and and tried to fill it.

 

Good on ya! Congrats on owning your own place. Lots of room so that you can have your clutter and still get around. And an interesting mix of technologies from the CNC to the old Tektronix 'scope. Erie, Pa? Summer there is what? About 2 weeks at the end of July. Glad to have you in the asylum.

 

Very nice. You even have a lathe in the garage.

 

Observations:

1) Nice bike!

2) Nice girlfriend.

3) Garage: beyond nice.

4)

A lathe?? He's got a milling center in there. He's got a whole damned machine shop in there!!

I must now calm my jealousy a bit.............

 

And a furnace.... very, very important. especially considering this weekend's weather.

 

I was referring to the garage section, with the bikes.

 

Glad to be here and thanks for the complement on my eclectic salvage. I do a bit of everything and grandpas favorite scope comes in handier than I would have ever expected.

Some years your nearly right on the length of our summer. I have fun when I can on the XJ but she's a bit cold blooded so I restored a GL1200 and added a removable season extender to keep the fun going when it's on the colder side.

Sorry to invoke any feelings of jealousy. I have my own CNC shop out of necessity. I used to have a lot of people decide my 3d scanning service was worthless when I had to tell them "If you want it machined you have 2 real options use xometry and pay a small fortune or wait 4 to 12 days to see if you want to wait 2 to 24 weeks for a local shop to do it." These days I just quote 10% to 50% of xometry based on how much of a pain it is to fixture, if they say yes I make it in a day or 2.

It used to make a funny contrast to getting stuff laser cut. The local fab shops are so fast I never even thought about getting my own equipment. I put out a request for quote including DXF files in inch with bend lines marked with included angles and they fight over the right to drown me in cheap parts.

 

He says with a smile and a smirk. We are pleased for you and likely some will be hitting you up to order some custom made bits and bobs.