Barn find Bobber Build

[Bobberstan86]

Hi,
i was given an xs250/xs400 hybrid thing by my tattooist. It had been sat in his barn for roughly 10 years. was covered in cobwebs, dirt, dust and more dust. It looked mental. Had a massive ugly tank, a bizarre seat and really was not to my taste. However I saw that it was a hardtail and thought even if the engine was knackered I could use the frame to build myself a bobber. So I got a van and picked it up.

 

[Bobberstan86]

picture of the bike when i first saw her...

 

[xschris]

Looks like it's going to need some work.

 

[Sesty]

looks rough. does the engine spin?

still should be a fun project

 

[Bobberstan86]

So i got her home and started to strip her down. The seat fell off while moving her as did the tank. That was easy. Then came the wiring which was a right mess looks like it had been chopped in half and stuck back together with black nasty. I got this off with little fuss.
I took the plugs out dropped a bit of oil in her and let that sit overnight. The next morning I gently by hand turned the kick start to see if she was seized.....

......phew, she isnt. I checked the oil dip stick and it seems whoever was working on her before had dumped a load of clean oil in and not had her running. This I think is good news.
I then set about taking the carbs off which was easy again. everything seems to be coming off without any hassle, most of the nuts and bolts are rust free!! The rubber that attaches the carbs to the engine ports however was not so healthy..

 

[Scorpio1963]

Interesting looking find and it looks alot better stripped that it with the seat I wonder what the po was thinking when he painted the wheels yellow??I think you should leave the hard tail on it the bike doesnt look that bad.Make a nice bracket for the seat then find one one to to fit.You wont have to put much more time and $ in it after you fix it up this way.Then you can sell for profit hopefully and find another canidate for your bobber build.

 

[Bobberstan86]

some pics of carbs, engine,frame ect....

 

[Bobberstan86]

Engine out time...
and again the bolts just slide out gracefully, this is an absolute pleasure to work on. Having only really worked on cars before and by cars I mean rusty mx5's where every bolt is a nightmare this really is a dream. All the bolts out and the engine moving freely its time for the one man lift as I have an old Dad and no lifting equipment this will be a solo effort. I feel like I'm getting ready for the worlds strongest man competition. Hands chalked up with climbing chalk and a stool next to the bike as a mid way resting point between the frame and the table here I go....

...well that was heavier than i imagined however the deed is done at the cost of my lower vertebrae no doubt.

 

[Bobberstan86]

Here is my inspiration board.....

 

[Bobberstan86]

Interesting looking find and it looks alot better stripped that it with the seat I wonder what the po was thinking when he painted the wheels yellow??I think you should leave the hard tail on it the bike doesnt look that bad.Make a nice bracket for the seat then find one one to to fit.You wont have to put much more time and $ in it after you fix it up this way.Then you can sell for profit hopefully and find another canidate for your bobber build.

I'm more than happy with the frame it's ideal for the style I want.

 

[Jonesy154]

I'm building my first bobber at the moment it's so addictive! My inspiration boards I'd almost identical to yours I'm in the process of paint at the mo but I can't wait to start bolting her back together good luck with your build, I will be following your progress so keep the pics coming

 

[Bobberstan86]

Cheers man, I'm back on it tomorrow so will keep updating.

 

[Bobberstan86]

STRIPPING!!!!

Time to strip right down to the frame to prep for paint. Again everything just comes off with ease. The frame looks a bit tatty, the welds are not very neat and there are patches of surface rust.

 

[Bobberstan86]

Lets not tell the Mrs I've put a bike in her car. Off to mi mates to get sand blasted.

 

[xschris]

Might want to get a pro welder to look at the frame to make sure it's safe

 

[Bobberstan86]

I sand blasted the wheels and got rid of the yellow paint, I also sand blasted some of the parts. They came up really nice and ready for paint. The frame is also getting blasted this week. My mate Chris is pretty nifty with a welder and he's very kindly offered to neaten up the welds on the frame because they are not in the best.
He also made me up some bars which for me are PERFECT!!!!

Thanks Chris you are a legend.

 

[Sesty]

i need a welder friend. i love my drag bars

 

[Bobberstan86]

Hate waiting for parts to come back.

 

[xschris]

Did you blast the brake rotors? They should be smooth and not pitted at all

 

[Bobberstan86]

Just the centres. I masked the shiny bits off.