Love the XS650 Stephen! I'll definitely be following your progresd on the build.
Im a big fan of the XS650 myself snd built a cafe racer version a few years back. Ive still got it but haven't ridden it in a long time. I'm keen to build another one day and ive got most of the bits. I wouldnt mind doing a bobber or a flat tracker.
Here's my old girl.
Cheers
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Mike Murphy
Melbourne Australia
Make sure you contact me first if you're ever going to let her go. First dibs!
The XS650 has been pretty straight forward to build, especially with my limited skills. It would have been tougher 10 years ago, however, with such a great group of parts suppliers and forums supporting the XS650, building one today is a breeze!
The beauty of the XS650 platform is that you can build so many different platforms.
Mike, when you say you haven't ridden that magnificent cafe racer in a while, please say that it hasn't been sitting since the date showing in your photo!
I had the same immediate thought as Stephen - thinking that I'd love to buy it off you. It's funny how some bikes just affect you like that.
I had a lot of lower back problems after it was built and it was crippling to ride. Not any fault of the bike as it was an injury I sustained in my 20's that flares up from time to time. The long low stretched out riding position along with a firm ride just didn't help.
My back is a lot better now so I'm keen to get it back on the road. However it needs a bit of work. The stock charging system is sh!t house and it left me stranded a couple of times so I reckon it needs a rewire and a permanent magnet alternator kit that is available now. It also needs a new cam chain as it's rattling a bit. I'm thinking a motor freshen up with a 750 kit, cam and new carbs would be the go but I've got to finish off a few other jobs first.
I've also got some nice Tarozzi rear sets for it. The original rear sets I made for it work fine but I never quite got used to the race pattern gear shift I made for it. Too many years riding conventional for my brain to change habits.
I've also often fancied picking up some 17" super motard wheels with radial tyres (17"x3.5" & 17"x4.5") and some conventional forks from an older R6 or similar to improve the handling. Also had plans for a new swing arm made from 2" 4130 tube to suit the wider rear wheels.
Not enough hours in the day.
Cheers
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Mike Murphy
Melbourne Australia
Gumball Rally on TV tonight
Linear Mode
