XS400 Bobber build/first post

multiple posts today. so ill do them in a timeline
First,
got to work, took some photos of the bike in its current state.
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its kinda cramped butted up against a 68 mustang and a 67 fairlane
 
then i got this headlight and bucket off of a mecury metor. i can weld to the metal bucket and im gonna use the old horn and dummy gauge threads so i can make a bracket.

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i got to my house and saw a box at the front door.

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i opened it and first thought, i never ordered a indoor/outdoor cordless lamp. then i remembered that i traded Skillzman1 my tank for a set of pegs so he can do a tutorial on how to put knee dents in your stock tank.

i traded him this

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and got these

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spit and polish and it'll look sexy
 
The trees do look a little tweaked....I had to look pretty hard though. The bike may have been wrecked before, causing the trees to bend a little maybe? Did the cases or pegs have any scuff marks in them when you got it?

I like the headlight. That's true rat rod style to just use what you can find on the cheap (or free! lol).

That is a pretty damn huge box to ship a set of pegs! haha I'm glad you got what you wanted in the deal, and definitely waiting to see the tutorial that Skillzman does on the knee dents!

Keep up the good work man! I wish I could get to work on mine. I work on the river for 28 days straight though, so won't even see the bike for another 25 days or so! At least I got your build to watch in the meantime! lol
 
Now that I looked at the pics again, I guess the box isn't that big when compared to your knife laying there. lol At first glance, the box looked HUGE!!! haha
 
haha yeah its like a four inch blade some crappy fake switchblade bs from a swap meet for a couple bucks. lol i got a high beam and low beam set up. im using the low, but i might use the high if its not bright enough. its a sealed beam, so i can just get any sealed beam that fits that bucket.

yeah it was dumped i think. some scratches on the case covers. but nothing bad. dents all over the tank, but the motor runs and the frame is straight. and that was what i was looking at at the time. i didnt have front pegs, thats why i traded for them. lol any idea on what i can do to straighten them? or is it basically just about getting new trees or suffering through it?

yeah. work has stalled while im waiting for my axle plates. from travis :) great looking designs. ask him about it. all i can really do is sell stuff and clean things. im gettin a gasket kit and a case. both are withing for me to set up my paypal. its just time and me not being lazy. lol o yeah and collecting parts.
 
Oh shit! now you're waiting on me? :D You said you didn't need them until the end of Jan or early Feb :wink2:

I'll get them to you as soon as I can. Priority mail even! :)

Loosen up the pinch bolts on the triple trees and see if you can't get everything to straighten out. The forks are probably just lightly twisted in the trees. Seen it plenty of times from slow low side crashes. Once you get the trees off, check to make sure they aren't bent by placing them on a flat surface.
 
thats why i mentioned his name. lol and im just bustin your balls travis. im in no rush. lol gives me time to measure and clean. stuff i normally wouldnt lol
 
Yep that's correct. Here are the final renderings of the axle plates with the fender mounting tabs. I'm making them without the tabs too so there are 6 designs total. The plates are laser cut from 3/8" mild steel and the axle slots are cut for 17mm axles so they are perfect for the XS400.. $40 for a set plus $5 for shipping. I'm also putting together universal hardtail kits that come with the plates and properly bent tubing. PM for more details since I don't want to take over volcomskater77's thread. :cheers:

 
Hey glad you got your pegs..hope its what you were looking for.
I wrapped the box in masking paper so it wouldnt show its age!!LOL
I'm gonna try the electrolisys on the tank while I'm working on it as well...see how it all turns out.
I agree with Travis on the attempt at straightening the front end...I wadded my dirt bikes more than a few times over the years...and the quick fix on the trail was ...put the tire between your knees and squeeze tight to hold it...grab the bars and wrench them back and forth a few times...to line it back up...also helps with the front fender on...it would work as a reference pointer...but that was a dirt bike with a high mounted fender probably not effective on a streeter.But loosen the forks and give it a whirl.
and Travis...nice job on the fab'd parts...your making a bobber sounds like a good potential project for me next time around!
 
Thanks for the pic Travis, those look SWEET! I really like the far right ones. I'll PM you soon.

Thanks for letting me know about those Volcom, I would love to support Travis and the site.
 
yeah travis, i might take you up on that universal kit. lol

and more updates!
i got 4 headlights and chrome buckets for five bucks. i should be able to make 1 really nice one and 1 decent one outta the parts with some left over.
and a taillight for a dollar. pretty small, but its cool lookin.
pics 2morro.
 
yeah travis, i might take you up on that universal kit. lol

and more updates!
i got 4 headlights and chrome buckets for five bucks. i should be able to make 1 really nice one and 1 decent one outta the parts with some left over.
and a taillight for a dollar. pretty small, but its cool lookin.
pics 2morro.
Sweet deal man! I picked up a set of three running lights at a local flea market for 2 bucks. They are around 2 and 1/2 inchs, sort of bullet shaped style lights. The label said "Three tractor taillights" haha. I was gonna run one on the bike this go around and just hang on to the other two, but I can send you a pic of one if you want, and if you cover the shipping, it's yours.
 
its ok. i need a big headlight lol. i want it to fill up the forks. its the same size as the one that im holding in the pictures, but they have chrome buckets and adjusters and stuff. im going to make a bracket in shop and itll all be good. cant wait to se what they look like on yours tho. i think my taillight is like 2 inches or something. its OLD. lol more old pitted rust on the case than black pain. i think im just gonna rustoleum it after i clean the light. im scared if i sandblast it, itll fall apart. lol
 
ok updates. heres the tail light. it was all pitted and crusty, so i took it apart, sandblasted the bucket, cleaned the lens a bit and sprayed it with some gloss black spray paint. looks pretty decent

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anybody know what its off of? looks like an old pepboys special light or something because there is no auto or bike manufacturer stamping

this is just a pick of how its gonna sit next to the fender i dont know if im gonna use this fender or not. maybe just for mock up or to get it on the road. its the front one cut in half.

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