New bike, new member

Hi xjbikes!

it took ten years, but i finally bronzed my balls and surprised the wife with a new toy. she didnt even make me sleep in the garage after, so i think its gonna be okay.

the new bike is a Turbo, manufacture date 3/82, and its about as big a pig as you ever seen. No title, all the fairing came in a pile, Forks are bleeding all over the floor, seat is hammered. Although it starts and runs, it smokes like a tire fire. Strangely, the old girl has a set of dunlop elites on that look brand new.

The price for this gem, you ask? zero dollars. I flipped the PO a $100 because he looked so sad to let it go, and delivered the bike from huntington beach.

Despite the overall ugly picture, there is some good: The bike is complete, there is no rust (other than the usual surface freckles on mufflers, etc.) and the forks are the only things dripping. so i think it might be a worthwhile project...

I imagine going one of two ways with this turbo: Full resto, or full custom.
I dont appreciate the AirWolf look of the original like many on xjbikes.com do, and the effort might be more than i have to give. Custom OTOH will be just as expensive, probably just as much work- but with the advantage that i will probably actually like the 650 with tins and analog gauges on.

great site, thanks to you all for putting this stuff in one place.
tb

 

Welcome to the club

 

Welcome from VA! I would say you have alot of work to do but it is all worth it in the end. Good Luck!!

 

WELCOME from TN!!!

 

Hope you're able to get a title, otherwise you got a nice pile of parts there that you will be able to sell here very easily.

If you do get a title, then there are MANY things you will need to do to make it safe and reliable BEFORE you start riding it.

Just ONE of the things will be to check the date codes on the tires.....I BET they are way to old to be safe, regardless of how nice they look.

That's just the beginning..........

Dave F

 

thanks for the warm welcome mates

Dave, excellent advice. one thing i have learned over the years with all of my toys; if its rubber or plastic and you didnt install it yourself, dont trust it.

re: title- i expect a tough time titling the thing, but its not impossible. my reg service guy is pretty crafty when it comes to difficult DMV processes and has taken good care of me in the past.

i spent some quality time with the turbo and a couple sierra nevadas in the garage last night, getting a start on disassembly. The wiring harness is in really good shape, and the electrics are all clean, which is encouraging.

I did have one thought that i could use some input on:
If i am going to undertake the customization of this particular bike, it will need to be altered in such a was as to prevent it from ever being restored to original (not without LOTS of work). Mainly this is because running the turbo frame naked requires i remove all the fairing mount tabs. I expect to paint the frame so grinding off a few tabs is no big deal- BUT- if that gives anyone here on xjbikes heart palpitations, i am willing to let this xj be rescued before i start cutting into it. I dont want to make any money off it in that case, i would be happy to trade the whole package for just about any other bike, though a running xj would be nice

. Ill crosspost in the classified forum. I am in Lake Elsinore, CA and in no hurry so get in touch and swing on by to check it out.

If i keep the turbo, it would be great to finance the project with some of the original gear- so if there is something you need, give me a shout.

tb

 

>one thing i have learned over the years with all of my toys; if its rubber or plastic and you didnt install it yourself, dont trust it.

I SO wish that EVERY person that goes and buys "an XJ--- that I got for real deal" would read that over and over and over. Thank you for saying once again. It's nice to know SOMEONE understands that.

>title:

sounds like you have things under control.

>going to undertake the customization

Glad to hear you aren't doing anything irreversible. I would caution against grinding mounts off, though. Would it be possible, instead, to put either a decorative Chrome acorn or a LED light, a previously un-thought-of accessory that can bolt up there, or something else in that spot? That way the mount is still there for future, but for now would have a totally different reason for still living.

>trade package

Gee, too bad you're on the West Coast....I'm in the middle of NY. Otherwise, I'd talk with you about trading the turbo for an nice 700 airhead, if you had the title, too.

Welcome aboard, you're gonna love it here.

Dave F