This is the new nonsense I'm contemplating

[2BrokeBikes]

I went to the One Moto show in Portland a few weeks ago and became fascinated with the Yamaha XS-650. I love the vibrations and sound of my little CL175 and was dazzled by all the different forms people at the show were molding the bigger 650 parallel twin into. There were hard-tails, trackers, bobbers, and a number of other shades in-between. Wouldn't I like a bigger, rowdier parallel twin that much more?

I've spent the time since looking for viable options on FB Marketplace. After a number of dead ends, I drove 3 hours to the South Puget Sound area to pick up a project bike from a great guy named Peter. I was moving some things around last night and uncovered the tank off my CB200 project. For giggles, I put the tank on the 650 frame...

I think I've found the direction I want to take this project!! It's ridiculous and bada$$ at the same time! Perfect!

 

[esmith250624]

I like it, good start for a "Homaha" chopper

 

[NeverEverJamToday]

Are you going to modify the tank so you can use the gas that gets trapped on the right side?

 

[stl360+450]

Following. Ten years ago, a Craigslist ad brought me to Springfield, IL from St. Louis, MO for a $300 XS650. The seller was one of those first one with the cash in hand types and it was gone before I got there. So, I brought home a $300 CB750F2 instead. All of his bikes were $300 and were priced fairly.

 

[Willis]

I’ve owned a few XS’s over the years. Just sold my 75 earlier this spring to finance my new Triumph Scrambler.



If you like vibrations then you bought the right bike. lol. I still have one left in the stable. It’s a 77 I am turning into a scrambler. You are very right in the versatility of these machines though. So many ways to go. If you haven’t found the xs forum yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a great community with a wealth of knowledge on these machines.

Www.xs650.com

 

[2BrokeBikes]

Are you going to modify the tank so you can use the gas that gets trapped on the right side?

I hadn't gotten that far yet. Are these tanks prone to that? I did notice that they don't have the crossover like my CL175.

 

[2BrokeBikes]

I like it, good start for a "Homaha" chopper

That's funny! I'd been toying with "Hondaha" and "Yamonda". Last night I came up with the perfect working title, "Project Asparagus Wine". Nobody asked for it, and it may well turn out terrible.

 

[Ollioso]

Did you paint the lightning bolt?

 

[NeverEverJamToday]

Are these tanks prone to that?

Yes, much time wasted trying to diagnose non-existent carb / petcock issues due to habitually standing on the left side of the bike, looking down at the right side of the tank to verify fuel presence, before the frustrating realization.

 

[Willis]

Did you paint the lightning bolt?

I did it with little Testors enamel model paint. It's pretty crappy up close.

 

[Ollioso]

I did it with little Testors enamel model paint. It's pretty crappy up close.

I kind of like how it turned out. If you're not pleased you could use 3M vinyl tape to mask the areas that aren't the white lines. The tape being vinyl means it's kind of stretchy so you can curves and straight lines with it

 

[ancientdad]

The tape being vinyl means it's kind of stretchy so you can curves and straight lines with it

And it keeps a crisper edge for the painted area. My father used it all the time when he did factory replica paint jobs on Honda tanks.

 

[Willis]

I kind of like how it turned out. If you're not pleased you could use 3M vinyl tape to mask the areas that aren't the white lines. The tape being vinyl means it's kind of stretchy so you can curves and straight lines with it

Meh, it was a cold winter day and I was bored and just having fun with it. The tank has several dents in it already, so It's good enough for me. But enough derailment on my project. This is 2Broke's project thread.

 

[crazypj]

I started doing dumb stuff on XS650s a long time ago, few got built as 800cc motors, used a Honda 400A oil cooler on one and fitted Suzuki Katana swing arm and shock on another then 'stretched' rear sub-frame because swing arm is about 4" longer. Early 2000's Katana parts were worthless because so many 600cc Sportbikes were being 'stunted' and trashed, you could pick up 2~3 yr old GSX-R complete front end for few hundred bucks, Katana forks (41mm) were under $50.00 so I got a few pairs as upgrades for 35mm forks, didn't need all the extra adjustability or expense of GSX-R parts but now wish I had bought some. Hindsight is always 20/20
This was my ride to work bike around 2003, pretty much stock except for dual disc conversion, drilling 172 holes in rotors made them over a half pound lighter. Still have it but it's very
'tired' from 100mph up and down I-4 for two years (around 17,000 miles daily driver, only has about 28,000 total on it but needs full re-build)
As for cross over on Honda tanks, I always treated them as 'emergency reserve', you stop bike, lay it on left side to get gas from right side. Gotten me out of a push or walk multiple times