My 79 xs400 build

[bennett834725]

ok so i acquired a 1979 yamaha xs400 a few months ago, i gave a guy a tablet for it in running condition but was a bit sad looking so i decided to do a full rebuild on it from ground up. i am building a semi street fighter look to it with a us military paint scheme, i have done a lot to it since i got it, i have pulled it all apart and a full engine rebuild a custom led lights and wire harness and a primary kick start setup, hoping to have it finished by April of 2014. and the challenge is my wife has given me a 1000 dollar spending limit on it.

i will try to post pics mind you i am new to the forum and this is my first custom bike i have built so dont be to hard please

and most of my build has been inspire by drewpys xs400. i planon doing the clutch window this week. along with several of his custom mod ideas

 

[drewpy]

looking good so far, don't try and do too many colours though, only accents.

that way it will stay muted and pick out the best bits on your build

 

[MrStubb]

Interesting concept for your bike. I especially like the muted military color scheme. Something about these bikes make them able to transform into many styles. With their almost naked almost Spartan appearance. The Gas tank resembles that from WW2 Harleys so it on it's own lends itself to a military look. Great work so far.

 

[xschris]

Looks good so for Welcome to the forum.

 

[bennett834725]

Thanks I am also getting rid of the handle bars and going with a more stream lined set of boss mans and getting rid of the mirrors in change for a set if end styled round ones and I plan on keeping it as simple in the colors as I can just military black and od green an then on the tank I'm doing a 5 inch white star with my grandpas old military jeep number under it

Posted via Mobile

 

[MrStubb]

Been thinking about the military look. And with my Father being former WW2 Air Force I might possibly try some WW2 era Nose art on the tank if I ever get that far. Also been thinking of replacing the side covers with some aluminum diamond plate and installing a new ignition switch there along with some small 4" round air filters Hanging out the sides.

 

[bennett834725]

i thought about the shark face on the tank but wanna keep it simply as possible

 

[MrStubb]

I like the idea of a Pin up girl but given the wife and others who will see it I think a cartoon character would be best. I could get both with Betty Boop or Rosie the Riveter but they've been done too often. Same with Micky and Minni Mouse and most of the Disney characters. I plan on driving this bike around our small town and to a few car shows so I'd best keep it "G" rated.

 

[bennett834725]

i have a pin up in mind but like u said car shows need to be g rated

 

[bennett834725]

so found this style of tank and on ebay it goes for over 200 whats your thoughts on this for my bike

 

[dodger0129]

so found this style of tank and on ebay it goes for over 200 whats your thoughts on this for my bike

Hey dude.....

Welcome and nice work so far....

The sporty type tank looks cool,not sure about it on an XS though,and great if you want to be filling up every 40 odd miles haha

 

[bennett834725]

i wouldnt use that small tank i would actually do that to my oem xs400 tank lol

 

[dodger0129]

i wouldnt use that small tank i would actually do that to my oem xs400 tank lol

 

[bennett834725]

bigger tank means less fuel ups means more ride time

 

[MrStubb]

Personal opinion. I like the idea of a fuel gage but it looks like a Pnut (tiny)tank and the additions look hacked. There's better way to add a fuel gage and petcock. I think our original tanks carry over 3.5 gals. And at over 45 mpg average you're going over 150 miles / tank.

 

[bennett834725]

oh i plan on making it look alot better then the picture i posted i will be using my tank and use weld in threaded bungs and is brass fittings and use my factory petcock

 

[MrStubb]

You could go to some industrial supply houses and check out Hydraulic tank Fill gages. There are some that use something like banjo bolts that would give you a more professional looking result. I think there are also a number of electronic systems that wouldn't be obvious. Some use an led tree to show the fuel level.

 

[bennett834725]

You could go to some industrial supply houses and check out Hydraulic tank Fill gages. There are some that use something like banjo bolts that would give you a more professional looking result. I think there are also a number of electronic systems that wouldn't be obvious. Some use an led tree to show the fuel level.

the led tree would be bad ass

 

[MrStubb]

Been reading about these and there's a thread somewhere that uses a 3 color LED for a voltage indicator as well. There might be something on Custom Motorcycle sites or sites like Dennis Kirk & Shade Tree. Not sure about the fuel gage but I know I've seen Voltage indicators and LED gages like Speedos & Tachs.

 

[Scorpio1963]

Looks like you got good path in mind on your build,question?Where did you get those gold retangler mirrors at?They are the bomb