Hello everyone. My name is Peter. I have owned my 81 XS400 Heritage Special since May 2009. It had about 3500km on it at the time, but had been sitting for about 14 years. It was in very good condition overall, but had been dumped mildly and had a few dents and dings.
That did not matter to me, I was building a hardtail bobber.
I cleaned the carbs, rebuilt the brakes, forks, etc and got it safe enough to pass inspection. I then began to chop.
I built the hardtail out of 1-1/8" DOM, bent it all myself using an exhaust bender at work. I built a jig off the OE swingarm but extended it about 5". I welded it all up. I put about 3000 km on it last summer and it ran without a problems.
I built everything myself, including the seat, paint, rear fender (5" exhaust elbow), frame, but the tank is an old XL Honda tank that has been heavily modified. The seat support is a trailer leaf spring. I built a foot clutch and hand shift, which makes it really stand out around here.
I tore it down this winter and repainted it, as it was a little rustic the first time around. I also changed a tank a bit, rewired it, and made a few other changes.
The XS seems to make a nice little base for a bobber. It sounds great with the open exhaust, and move along just fine. It needs the right tank to work well, as it has a three tube backbone. Other than that, it is easy to work on and fun to ride.
It is nearly ready now, but I have to finish the wiring for the lighting and a bit more paintwork. Then I have to wait for spring
I attached some pics of how it is right now, in case anyone is interested.
That did not matter to me, I was building a hardtail bobber.
I cleaned the carbs, rebuilt the brakes, forks, etc and got it safe enough to pass inspection. I then began to chop.
I built the hardtail out of 1-1/8" DOM, bent it all myself using an exhaust bender at work. I built a jig off the OE swingarm but extended it about 5". I welded it all up. I put about 3000 km on it last summer and it ran without a problems.
I built everything myself, including the seat, paint, rear fender (5" exhaust elbow), frame, but the tank is an old XL Honda tank that has been heavily modified. The seat support is a trailer leaf spring. I built a foot clutch and hand shift, which makes it really stand out around here.
I tore it down this winter and repainted it, as it was a little rustic the first time around. I also changed a tank a bit, rewired it, and made a few other changes.
The XS seems to make a nice little base for a bobber. It sounds great with the open exhaust, and move along just fine. It needs the right tank to work well, as it has a three tube backbone. Other than that, it is easy to work on and fun to ride.
It is nearly ready now, but I have to finish the wiring for the lighting and a bit more paintwork. Then I have to wait for spring
I attached some pics of how it is right now, in case anyone is interested.
