well after owning my bike for a bit over a year, i've decided to finally jump into what i've wanted to do for awhile. bob the bike!
starting with a 1985 maxim xj700.
then dropped the rear with some savage 650 shocks/springs and replaced the mufflers with some chrome turn downs.
tonight i played with the new rear fender a bit just to get an idea how it will look... (stock mufflers are back on for now)
currently the mods to the bike are:
~savage 650 rear shocks/springs (dropped about 3" in the rear)
~Progressive fork springs (also dropped the forks 1" through the triples to even it out a bit)
~aftermarket bullet signals in the rear
~jcwhitney mirrors
~bridgestone spitfire s11's
~jcwhitney foam grips
plans include:
~ tc bros 12" apes (powdercoated black)
~ new grips (looking at the kurakyn iso grips)
~ tc bros forward controls
~ matching bullet markers for the front
~ floating bobbed rear fender (mounted to the swingarm so I can stay close to the fender without having to hard tail)
~ reshape the foam and reupholster my stock seat for now (eventually want to go to a solo springer seat)
~side mounted license plate with model a tail light
more pics to follow as I make progress!
Looks good already. Sure it will turn out nice after seeing your sedan and the WRX.
The new exhaust makes it look real good. I would go for drag bars over ape hangers but it's going to look good with what you like best. I checked out tc bros they seem to have decent prices.
i'm 6'1...
drag bars aren't gonna be comfortable for me. they'd sit lower than what is already on the bike. i thought about running a set with risers but i might as well go with the apes and get the same feel with a cleaner look.
Nice progress so far man...makes me wanna get going on my bobber. Im 6' so I hear ya on the drag bar situation as I wanted them too..but Im going with either 12"mini apes from Dime City Cycles, or have a buddy that builds bikes make me a set of window bars with the same specs the drags would be. Looking forward to seeing more on this.
Keep in mind, if you do run forward controls, you going to have to fashion a pivot point so that rear drum lever gets PULLED when the front control is PUSHED. Unless, you want a backward brake and a solid rod running all the way to the front lever.
I have the TC bros forward controls on my XS650, they aren't too bad..
Check out the ones from GL Choppers.. real nice
http://glchoppers.webs.com/customparts.htm
those are pretty nice but a bit on the pricey side.
if i mount my pivot to the top of the brake shaft, it will work properly. (lots run them this way on the xj forums)
pics of your xs??
Then the forward controls would have to be mounted pretty high up as well because the linkage hookup is on the bottom of the control pedal.
If not, the brake rod would be at a pretty steep angle running the whole length of the bike.. Probably be kicking it and stuff when throwing the leg over... You could shorten the rear brake arm, but there goes some leverage.... Although, you prob dont need it.
I thought about fashioning some kind of cable setup, although it would be time consuming...
I have an older lousy pic of the bike... The forward controls are not mounted.
I have to make a new wiring harness and paint it and Im done. Cant wait to hear those dragpipes !!
wow... that's gonna look nice when you get it done!
bars came in today along with my tail light and side mount for the plate.
actually i was mistaken on the forward controls... they run them like this on the maxims
Im sorry... Im an idiot.
If you are keeping the frame the same, you would just use the stock pivot thats already tied into the brake pedal.
Wasnt thinking there for a minute.. Yeah, thats much easier.
started tearing into it today...
extending the wires for the controls and cutting the rails tomorrow night.
will need to get an extended clutch cable and choke cable too.
i honestly like the look of the stock exhaust over the turndowns. i would look into eithe hollowing out the megaphones, or finding some similarly shaped cones.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
with the side mount tail light, the megaphones will be blowing exhaust right into the back of the plate mount.
i will eventually go to an aftermarket 4-2 exhaust but for now turndowns are the cheap and easy solution.
some more progress...
got the rear rails cut and some of the wiring extended for the controls. also got the grips on and took some measurements for cables/brake lines...
looking good man! keep it up!
now you need a big fatty on the back .
tire that is.
can't go any wider on the rear tire. driveshaft to tire clearance is practically non-existant with the 130 on there now. i've heard guys have removed the drive shaft housing and have run an exposed shaft for more clearance but i'm not sure I want to go that route.
strat81 wrote:can't go any wider on the rear tire. driveshaft to tire clearance is practically non-existant with the 130 on there now. i've heard guys have removed the drive shaft housing and have run an exposed shaft for more clearance but i'm not sure I want to go that route.
ahh yes, the age old question every man must ask himself....... "Should I expose my shaft?"
needs a bigger tank and white walls.
Great to see someone lavishing some love on something other than a Harley! Excellent project, way to be unique.
Bill Hahn Jr.
Hahn RaceCraft
World's Quickest and Fastest Street J-Bodies
Turbocharging GM FWD's since 1988
www.turbosystem.com
well that sucks about the tire. how hard does it ride? i really thought about something along these lines since i wrecked my r6 a month ago. i'm just torn if i can give up riding wheelies to just cruze.
it's not a hard ride by any means... it's not hard tailed so i've still got some suspension travel to soak up the bumps.
