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Desert Military XJ650 - podded, modded but not cut... First Built

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by dirtmax, Aug 1, 2016.

?

What would you put on the sides of the tank?

  1. Yamaha 650 decal

    8 vote(s)
    26.7%
  2. airbrushed Pin-up girl sitting/lying on a bomb

    13 vote(s)
    43.3%
  3. airbrushed WW2 Sharkmouth

    9 vote(s)
    30.0%
  1. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    You need to watch a film...


    And bars come in colors now, not just chrome.
     
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  2. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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  3. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Definitely worth watching the movie. It's one of the classics!
     
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  4. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Yuck-- missed by a few miles
     
  5. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    How would he even get an ostrich on the thing?
     
  6. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Oooh, I think I watched that movie.... I just don't really remember it! Probably to smoky, puf-puf give...

    Think that guy w fatboy technically did a good job, but by my opinion colors should be connected, showing natural lines of the motorbike, now that red is just scattered everywhere, almost look like he put together one bike out of two - one red and one grey.

    I bet if it would be just red, all red, it would look bitchin.
     
  7. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    Some of Kubrick's best. Hooray1!The inevitability of our demise! Think I better go dust off the DVD! Sometimes, I think the doctor is a parody of Henry Kissinger.
     
  8. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Why only sometimes?

    Kubrick actually modeled the character on a physicist at RAND corporation. I think Kissinger was still teaching at Harvard when the film was made.
     
  9. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Paintjob 1/2

    Now, when I was thinking about the paintjob it was more about how many steps I need to do to get the result. Even before I bought the motorcycle I knew I was going with desert camo theme. There are several steps for this custom paint, preparation is 95% of the paint job. First I had to deal with gas tank. It was already stripped out of color, rusty, dent... in almost decent shape. :)
    rusty.jpg

    Started prepping it for body filler /w angle grinder and buffing pad (like scotch brite) to knock off surface rust. (I dealt with inner rust later).
    [​IMG]

    A friend of mine, Mr. Z, offered to help me with preparation as he still had his autobody shop. He did in two hours what would probably take me weeks to clean that kitchen. He told me he used usual body filler for smaller dents and some fiberglass reinforced body filler for bigger ones (emblem dents).
    [​IMG]

    After that: sanding, smoothing it out, etch primer, filler primer, sanding up to 600 grit, clean it, put my desert base color and clearcoat it.

    Boom!

    Ready for custom.
    [​IMG]

    I use acrylic colors, mixed them up as I imagined (well, kind of ). Knock the shine of the clearcoat with trusty ol' scotch brite for my paint to stick. Masked and paint first brighter part of camo and then repeat with darker part of camo, airbrush some shadows here and there. Ya man, getting there...
    [​IMG]
     

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    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  10. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Paintjob 2/2

    Then I make a whole bunch of cutouts for camouflage "dots", I only used brihgter color for those and scatter them around as I feel like it. After that I used brush to ad some sharper shades, and airbrush for softer shades.
    Sprayed all parts with mat clearcoat 2K spraybombs...

    [​IMG]

    Still without the black on the bottom half of the tank
    [​IMG]

    The biggest bi$%h was to create an illusion that black line is going super straight with the line of the whole motorbike, as tank surface, especially the front, is constantly bending away from us. I figure it out and it came out perfectly.

    I used Krylon (spray can) camo black and then re-coat whole tank with 2K mat finish. Rear fender also desert camo, same procedure except I used plastic primer in this case.


    Rear Fender Mod

    I saw this mod here on this forum I just don't know where, but I think that guy cut his frame bobber style.

    For rear fender I ordered harley sportster /r fender of ebay for about 20 bucks, plastic. It fits really nicely on the plastic half of the stock fender, although you have to cut the end of stock fender and about inch along the sides. Little heavier duty scissors did the trick. Then I just put new fender on top, decided how much is gonna stick out in the back and use 6 rivets to clamp them together. I used two 1" spacers (... oh hell, maybe 3/4"??) between frame (which I kept stock and uncut) and fender.

    Connected frame and fender with spacers and pair of nuts and bolts
    [​IMG]


    Later, ya?
     

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    Last edited: Aug 4, 2016
  11. TheCrazyGnat

    TheCrazyGnat Well-Known Member

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    Phenomenal job. Also, pinup, no two ways about it.
     
  12. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Heya guys! Been busy lately like ... I don't know, busy. Thanks for voting :)


    So I was planning to talk about exhaust a little, but I was fooling around again with my camera and did some recordings. If you're interested, here's a second video. Yeah! They say a picture is worth a thousand words. My guess video is probably kinda there lol

    Tell me what you think;
    does it sound healthy? Should I try change/improve something? Appreciate all opinions.Besides, @MattiThundrrr mnay now be convinced is not a photshop lol




    Before I bought this slick, sexy, superlight titanium alloy Akrapovic exhaust I have built custom muffler and have some photos. Allow me to do that thread some other day....

    Now...

    there's been some shitty times and my engine is now RIP so I am basically in search for another one. I'm kinda bummed, it's a little embarrassing but I guess that's what might happen to 15 yo seized projects.

    Maybe a heads-up: If it happened to me it can happen to you... or it might already did.


    Quite a story but I'll make it short. Started with "symptom" of carbs not getting enough fuel, sounds like boogh, booogh, uunf, bo-oo-ogzzz ....
    ... adding gas

    OK, I said I'll go back and clean some junk somewhere in carbs I thought. Highway, around 100 kmh started making clacking noise (wtf!?) for, say, 20 seconds, k-bam!, engine dies, clutch lever, pull over, shitload of traffic on highway (kinda scary), find a safe spot... towing, some cops...home.
    First obvious sign - #3 piston rod came loose (2 bolts), starts flying around doin' shiat inside and poke through engine case. These are bolts that I didn't want to touch during rebuilt.

    Some pics here;

    #3 cylinder gone to kazoo
    [​IMG]

    Still on the frame

    [​IMG]

    Hole big as a fist
    [​IMG]

    Piston rod all f@#ed up, bolts torn out
    [​IMG]


    Don't be to concerned of what could happened please.

    I am now excited to get a reliable, running engine ... or make it like. Throw it in the frame and ride again.

    I learned so much from my mistakes, I can't wait to make another one! lol

    I learned a lot from this forum too, so hell ya, thanx!!!
     

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    Last edited: Aug 27, 2016
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  13. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    Bah! Just slap some jb weld on there, no problems!
     
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  14. Toomanybikes

    Toomanybikes Well-Known Member

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    But I haven't seen JB weld in gallon cans ;)
     
  15. Toomanybikes

    Toomanybikes Well-Known Member

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    Crying shame all that hard work goes poof . Here is your chance to put a 750 motor in it +hp.
    Can't quite fig out from video where in BC you are Fraser valley? ,I'm down in Tsawwassen
     
  16. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    you had it running from scrap parts. you have our respect!
     
  17. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Not only running from scrap parts, but running perfectly.
    Used engines are not terribly expensive.
     
  18. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Thank you guys for kind words, much appreciated and hello to Tsawwassen.

    Been a while now searching for another engine for my project. Finally I got the chance to get one on Wednesday. Actually I got a whole bike.

    It's 1983 XJ750 Maxim. 44000 km

    Pretty much complete, PO had it for 25 years and moderately well maintained. Just what I've been after.
    Bike didn't run when we cranked it, but at least it turned over lol.

    Spent two days cleaning carbs and two days swapping engine and such. Put new throttle shaft seals and gaskets on carbs. Jets are all stock, 120 main 43 pilot...

    Anyway swapping engine was the main thing these couple of days. Fits perfectly. Checked the connections. I tried both TCI, they both work well but decided to use "new" one from 750. New filter and 2,5 l of Rottela T oil. You know, the one for diesel engines? lol
    Also put my refurbished starter motor and my alternator coil (is that what is called, I can't remember).

    Compression (1-2-3-4 ) :
    130, 120, 135, 135 (psi)

    Valve clearances (1-2-3-4 ) :
    E: 0.18 - 0.20 - 0.18 - 0.20 (mm)
    I: 0.11 - 0.09 - 0.11 - 0.09 (mm)

    I got motor running with bench synced carbs, sounds smooth and sweet so far, idles normally. Will see how it works under load but pretty much sure i'll have to re-jet (really??) and figure out what's going on with compression in 2nd cylinder.



    20161010_113514.jpg


    So far I've noticed neutral light doesn't work which consequently makes my life little shittier. Have to take stand up and both of my hands were occupied holding the motorbike. Got to bridge it out or something (fix it).

    Now, I do have a question.

    XJ750 got shifter linkage system so that little rod that shifter attaches to is moved forward in case. I assume swapping it with 650 cover and internal linkage would solve the problem?

    I never tried that so I don't know if I have to drain the oil out before swapping back to 650 shifter??

    Thank you.

    Here are some pics after swap and assembled.
    20161010_154954.jpg

    20161010_155406.jpg


    Later!
     
  19. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    You are correct.... The 750 shifter cover is different than the 650 maxim cover. You do need to swap the whole cover assembly for the one from the 650. You can tip the bike toward the right side to get the oil level low enough on the left to do the swap, but you should have your new cover gasket ready, too...
     
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  20. dirtmax

    dirtmax Member

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    Thanks Hogfiddles, good info (as usual :).
     

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