New to the World of Motorcyles

[Bssoap74]

Hi everyone,

My name is John and I reside in the suburbs of Chicago. I currently do not have a bike but I am very interested in the XS400 as my first bike/project. Right now I am just planning my build ahead of time so I am semi-prepared. I have no welding skills and have never worked on engines before, but can follow directions very well. My plans are to get an XS400, hardtail it and turn it into a bobber. Anyone in the area that is welding a hardtail xs400 together on there own, rebuliding an engine, or any other tasks that would like help/teach me, I would appriciate it. I am already amazed with the wealth of knowledge I have gined trough this site and I am looking forward to seeing the amazing bikes that come from it.

 

[drewpy]

Welcome BSS-oap shouldn't be too much to do what your proposing.
Don't forget it always takes twice as long and 3 times the cost what you originally thought it would be

 

[ivor]

Hi, welcome.

 

[Travis]

Welcome John! Might I suggest finding a bike that is already running or at least running but just a little rough. That way you probably won't have to rebuild the engine and build a custom bike at the same time. You can focus on one thing at a time. Unless of course, you want to rebuild an engine just for the experience. Do you have tools and a place to work? It's great that you are trying to plan out your project before you start. Some people see a couple of cool bikes on the internet, buy a bike on a whim, cut the ass end off, then try to figure out what they want to do after the fact.

 

[hardtailed77]

Welcome man! I would definitely take Drewpy's advice. Little things come up during a bike build that you can never really plan for. Having a general idea of where you want to go witht the bike is a perfect start. There are a few hardtails on here, and they all look awesome. Chicago is a little distant from Louisville, KY, but you're more than welcome to come down when I re-hardtail mine in a month or so. I would even leave the old hardtail on, so you could have an example of what NOT TO DO!! (check out my build thread on that) I would look into the kit that Travis offers. That is the route I'm going. I would also buy a cheaper welder if possible and start practicing now if you want to do the hardtail yourself.

Stay with the site man, we have some GREAT minds here! We all may not be able to answer a question you have, but some of us definitely will. Good luck!!

 

[volcomskater77]

all those above me are very knowledgable in this subject. listen and learn. im in the same boat as you, but i know how to weld, fab, rebuild and paint. i live in the south suburbs. frankfort. its about ten or fifteen minutes south of orland park. i have some take offs if your gonna be running turn signals or need parts for your wiring. i would be glad to help in any way i can. just let me know and welcome to the forum buddy