WesleyGarrard
XS400 Member
I started on this XS360 about 5 years ago. I got a lot done, but one day it did not start and I could not get it started for another few years. I recently installed the PAMCO XS400 electronic ignition and have picked up steam. I have gotten more done in the last 3 weeks than I have in the whole 5 years of ownership. I feel it is time to share my build with the world.
I purchased this bike in November of 2011 off the back of a trailer. It was a mess. I did not take pictures of it then. But the guy was asking $125 and it had a clear title. It came with a Windjammer fairing that I immediately put up on craigslist. A gentleman came by and offered me $35 for it. Thus making the cost of the bike $90. Here is the first picture I took of it.
I decided that I wanted to do a little cafe look to it and incorporate some bits from the plethora of automotive, bicycle, and motorcycle parts that I have collected. I started out by sculpting a fiberglass seat based around a taillight that I had laying around for my 1963 Volkswagen Beetle.
Then I started to clean everything up and strip back the gross orange rattle can paint. I decided to go with a black and yellow paint scheme.
Then I had the girlfriend try it on for size.
Then this is where I got it to, a mere 6 months after I purchased it.
I got it running really well shortly after this. It was able to start on the first or second kit for all of a ... week. Then it was never able to start again, no matter how much I fiddled with it.
That is when I put it away and decided to sort it out later. Then life got in the way and other projects came and went. The girlfriend and I purchased other cars and bikes and a house, while the poor little 360 was left to sleep in the shed. So this winter I decided to put half of our classic vehicle fleet in storage so that I could dedicate the workshop to getting this bike up and going. I found the PAMCO ignition kit and had the bike running smoothly for the first time in 4 years. Now it starts every time!
Now I am just ripping snow burnouts until Spring.
These next two pictures were taken in the same week. This is what an Illinois winter looks like.
This is where I am at now. New bars, new master cylinder, new tires, new mirrors, new mufflers, and a fabricated bicycle pedal kick start. The kick start feels soo much better on my foot. Now I am waiting for new brake pads and shoes and new chain parts.
The paint did not hold up well to storage and it is now cracked and chipped. When it warms I will strip it all back down and go with a similar black and gold scheme.
I purchased this bike in November of 2011 off the back of a trailer. It was a mess. I did not take pictures of it then. But the guy was asking $125 and it had a clear title. It came with a Windjammer fairing that I immediately put up on craigslist. A gentleman came by and offered me $35 for it. Thus making the cost of the bike $90. Here is the first picture I took of it.
I decided that I wanted to do a little cafe look to it and incorporate some bits from the plethora of automotive, bicycle, and motorcycle parts that I have collected. I started out by sculpting a fiberglass seat based around a taillight that I had laying around for my 1963 Volkswagen Beetle.
Then I started to clean everything up and strip back the gross orange rattle can paint. I decided to go with a black and yellow paint scheme.
Then I had the girlfriend try it on for size.
Then this is where I got it to, a mere 6 months after I purchased it.
I got it running really well shortly after this. It was able to start on the first or second kit for all of a ... week. Then it was never able to start again, no matter how much I fiddled with it.
That is when I put it away and decided to sort it out later. Then life got in the way and other projects came and went. The girlfriend and I purchased other cars and bikes and a house, while the poor little 360 was left to sleep in the shed. So this winter I decided to put half of our classic vehicle fleet in storage so that I could dedicate the workshop to getting this bike up and going. I found the PAMCO ignition kit and had the bike running smoothly for the first time in 4 years. Now it starts every time!
Now I am just ripping snow burnouts until Spring.
These next two pictures were taken in the same week. This is what an Illinois winter looks like.
This is where I am at now. New bars, new master cylinder, new tires, new mirrors, new mufflers, and a fabricated bicycle pedal kick start. The kick start feels soo much better on my foot. Now I am waiting for new brake pads and shoes and new chain parts.
The paint did not hold up well to storage and it is now cracked and chipped. When it warms I will strip it all back down and go with a similar black and gold scheme.
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