Modification questions

Hey guys, I've been in hibernation for about a year or so after my bike took a parked fall. Broke the clutch lever, not too bad but it was getting cold out so i decided to park it in our barn for the winter. Big mistake. Mice DESTROYED my battery cables and all I could think was.. "WHY?!" Anyways, before I left it for dead I couldn't help but notice a few things I'd like to change. I started by ordering new handlebars and grips, tracker bars to be exact. And I can't look past how huge the headlight is, although i can appreciate it for what it is. Can't say the same for the gauges though, they're a bit bulky and oversized compared to the bars they're on but that's just my opinion, perhaps just a way to compliment that larger headlight though?? Anyways, I spent the day splicing and dicing every cable those little jerks managed to chew through and I finally got it to start!! I sprinted inside, changed clothes and got ready to enjoy my first ride in over a year. I started cruising down the driveway and noticed it wasn't going all the way into gear, so now I'm assuming I'll need to adjust my clutch cable so it can release all the way. My big question is though, what can i expect when trying to replace the bars, headlight, and gauges? I noticed the massive bundle of cables in the housing, will they fit comfortably in a smaller one? And the wires to the handlebar controls seem like they'll be long enough for wider bars, fingers crossed. And i haven't even began on gauge options yet. I'll be posting pictures of my bike along with the examples that I'm kind of going off of so you guys can get an idea. Please let me know your thoughts, do's and don'ts, or feel free to try to change my mind. I love my bike, I just want to personalize it a bit. Thanks in advance for any advice!!!


My blue and silver beauty



Really like the way this front end looks, a bit sleaker and toned down



Same with this, without all of the rear end mods. Maybe just a bit lower seat though if i can shave off some foam and re-wrap it.

 

My thought is that you have a rare and beautiful bike there. 650 seca was a one year model, and not too many made it to North America. On top of that, the huge headlight is viewed by many as its most beautiful part! If you want a square headlight Seca, check out a 750... Far more common, and already has a square light. On the other hand, all the mods you mentioned don't really harm the integrity of the bike, nothing permanently changed, and in the end, it is your bike to do with as you please!

 

I’ve got the same bike. Good news if you replace parts off the bike you can sell the originals for a decent amount of money for a used part. Helped me with my build.

I swapped my front end, bars, grips and gauge for new aftermarket stuff. I had to keep the large headlight since it helps to define the bike. That and the tank. But newer lights will def get you a much brighter light than the stock setup.

 

It's worth more now that it will be when modified (even accounting for the damage).
One-year-only in the U.S. and getting hard to find come up for sale in any condition.

 

Yeah I like the tank and I'll probably keep the old parts in the off-chance i do decide to sell it one day..not likely though, i love my bike..not a huge fan of crotch rockets or Harleys, and cruisers are just so extra..the seca is just about perfect in my opinion

 

With all due respect i don't exactly ride my bike around thinking of how much it's worth, although I'll probably hang on to any parts i change out..I love riding it, i love the way it looks, but these are changes that I've wanted to make since day one..it may be worth less to someone else but imagine what it'd be worth to me..AND the seca has a long history of being modded out beyond recognition

 

I certainly understand where you're coming from and i definitely appreciate the bike for what it is..but they're getting harder to come by for a reason, people are laying claim to a bike that already has a legacy of being turned into bobbers through massive modification..we don't change our bikes solely to throw out what we don't like, if all goes as planned this bike will be irreplaceable to me

 

I think you are confusing the XJ650 with the XS650. The XJ650 Seca is not one that gets modified much, nor is there a large aftermarket of suppliers for custom parts.

Certainly it's yours to do with what you will, but I think it would be wise to make all modifications be reversible.

 

Definitely yours to do whatever you want with, just follow through and finish up if you do mod that one. There's a couple other modified seca 650's on here that were done well.

If you want my opinion I'd fix her up stock and enjoy it. Buy something else more common to modify and learn on while you ride the Seca. You could easily get a similar look out of a 650 Maxim and those are way more common. I've been causally looking for one of those for a few years and have only seen 1 locally and it went quick.