new kid on the block.....

[lauramonster]

not a monster - but a fun spring project.    1975 Yamaha XS650



she's mechanically strong.  Got a lot of spirit, torque, grunt and personality out the wazoo!!!

cosmetically ugly      making a list, checking it twice.  so far:

paint scheme : retro checkerboard (black /white) with fine red stripe

replace : muffler, seat (want to go cafe hump back), instrument cluster - something retro

change to black : grips (WTF - who put white grips on her???), muffler, any bits that aren't already black

change out the hoses.  maybe braided lines (depending on $$), or at least get them all one color.

[lauramonster]

look Ma, no cluster!!!



those bars are just itching to be powder coated black.  tach's too new looking, like to find something different.  The poo-poo state says I have to have a speedo & indicators to know whether my turn signals are on, and if I'm in neutral.  Well, duh!  I can fiure that stuff out on my own, but gotta put them on the bike or the state won't let me pay for their seal of approval.

[Grampa]

 

[lauramonster]

thanks for your seal of approval! 

I could use some ideas.  I'm new to this biking thing.  Can match shoes & purse, outfits w/ blouses, eye makeup with lipstick & blush, but bikes???  Help, I'm out of my element!!!

[Grampa]

satin black everything

red rims with red spokes.

white wall tires

keep the white grips

checkerboard strip down the center of the tank

small round bluedot taillight recessed into a cafe seat

no  chrome

[the_Journeyman]

Sounds good BP!

Good luck with the project Laura!

JM

[Grampa]

oh...and a heat wrapped exhaust

[lauramonster]

keep the white grips???  okay, i'll save that for the last.

I like the idea of satin black out anything shiny.  You read my mind!!!

not sure about the red rims - it would have to be a darker, burgundy ( like the R6 red/black color scheme) rather than the red of the ducati.  love ducati red - on a ducati.  

white walled tires???  sounds like you'd notice the tires more than the bike.  I'll have to see as the bike progresses.  Good thing to keep in the back of my mind.

LOVE the idea of the taillight in the back of the cafe seat.  Gotta keep my eye out for that one.

I was thinking of the checkerboard running horizontal around the tank ( or even crisscrossing like the magnetic stickers on the back of cars ) .  Want a sublte red stripe in the checkerboard (which would match the red rims!!! there's my shoes & matching bag!!! ).  Have three mockups of checkerboards in Excel, but don't know how to post them.  PM me your email, and I'll email them to you.

Great ideas (and thanks for your support!)!!  

More please!

[lauramonster]

oh...and a heat wrapped exhaust

the 2 in 1 headers are heat wrapped (beige) and I like them.  The exhaust is god-awful ugly (hence no pic of that side of the bike!).  Can you wrap all the way out the exhaust, or just to the end of the header?

[Grampa]

http://www.lickscycles.com/catalog/


enjoy 

[Duck-Stew]

Japanese I-4's from the 70's when Cafe'd out...  REALLY need the space behind the engine to be as open as possible.  The electrics need to be minimized and put entirely into the tail section.

As far as red rims go, here's how they look on a bike.  More rat-bike, retro than Cafe if you ask me...


Spokes should be chrome (IMO) and black hoops are a nice touch to a cafe-bike.  Also, make the paint the last thing you do but honestly....IMO....satin-black on everything is so....yesterday.  Pick a nice color, put some racing stripes on it, and maybe a number plate on the tail section.  Maybe something like 'Lucky Laura' in a nice gold-leaf script somewhere on the tank.  Finished bikes are always better than the 'rat' project bikes.

[Duck-Stew]

the 2 in 1 headers are heat wrapped (beige) and I like them.  The exhaust is god-awful ugly (hence no pic of that side of the bike!).  Can you wrap all the way out the exhaust, or just to the end of the header?

You can wrap all the way to the end of the muffler, but traditionally the wrap ends when the muffler begins.  But, it's your bike so do what you want...

[brix821]

 [drink]Those make great street trackers, I have one myself..... That has been sitting in a friends warehouse for about 3 years,good luck

[KnightofNi]

i can't see the picture at work, but i'll look when i get home.

i say black out the engine and polish the edges of the fins.

i agree with the no chrome thing. get some low bars for the front.


when it's done it should be a good bike for 2WT at the abbaye. 

[Rameses]

That patina on the tank looks awesome.  Have you thought about leaving part of it in some small way?  It'd be a shame to lose that.

Maybe let there be bare metal as the non-black part of the checkerboard (or vice-versa)?  (I'm not even sure if there's a way to prep the surface for paint while leaving parts untouched though... dp or trouble would be the ones to ask about that.)


Other than that, I don't really have anything to contribute other than to say that bike looks effing awesome!!

I can't wait to see what you end up doing with it.  Do us all a favor and post plenty of pics every step along the way!!