1974 XS/TX650 rebuild

**th62** · May 11, 2021, 02:17 AM

Take three on ignition switch placement. I decided to place it here, under the thank: Less noticeable both on the switch side and the back of the switch. The Delrin cover I made for it hides it reasonably well. Who would think such a simple decision would be so difficult.

**asterix** · May 11, 2021, 07:30 AM

Might be a good solution to keys and keyfob rubbing on triple clamps and ruining the paint and/or finish of lacquer.

**th62** · May 12, 2021, 02:05 AM

Learnt something today: When I bought this POS it had aluminium mags on it, plus it had a spare set of spoked wheels. I was going to use the spoked wheels on this build, until I discovered the price of stainless spokes, $250. So in an effort to save some money I thought I'd use the mags, so pulled out the front wheel and polished up the bared aluminium prior to painting it black. When I pulled the rear wheel out to polish I thought that looks really small, so I checked on the sidewall - 16". Grrr, no good for a cafe racer, so I wasted all that time polishing the damn wheel. So, $250 for spokes it is, damn, damn, damn!

**Rikk** · May 12, 2021, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by th62

Learnt something today: When I bought this POS it had aluminium mags on it, plus it had a spare set of spoked wheels. I was going to use the spoked wheels on this build, until I discovered the price of stainless spokes, $250. So in an effort to save some money I thought I'd use the mags, so pulled out the front wheel and polished up the bared aluminium prior to painting it black. When I pulled the rear wheel out to polish I thought that looks really small, so I checked on the sidewall - 16". Grrr, no good for a cafe racer, so I wasted all that time polishing the damn wheel. So, $250 for spokes it is, damn, damn, damn!

With the cost of vintage bike parts going crazy over the last 10+ years, I bet you could pay for your spokes and maybe more if you polish the other mag and put them on ebay. Especially with these being popular bikes for all fashion of builds. A few years back I needed a cylinder for a 1979 Yamaha IT250F I was restoring... It was crazy what people were asking, AND GETTING, for absolute junk. Ebay has made restoration and project bikes much easier to put together, however the prices have went crazy, but I digress.....

Great build by the way, I am always excited to see what you've done next when I see a notification for this thread.

**th62** · May 12, 2021, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the critique. I have quite a few parts I'll put up for sale at some time: Battery carrier, side panels, carbs, wheels, wiring looms (one brand new, came as a spare with the bike?), switchgear. I did try to sell locally, pick up only, but all the replies came from interstate, so at some time, I'll have to look at postal fees I guess.

**jdurand** · May 14, 2021, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by th62

Thanks for the critique. I have quite a few parts I'll put up for sale at some time: Battery carrier, side panels, carbs, wheels, wiring looms (one brand new, came as a spare with the bike?), switchgear. I did try to sell locally, pick up only, but all the replies came from interstate, so at some time, I'll have to look at postal fees I guess.

If you're in the USA, look into https://xpsship.com/ we used them with our business for some time, normally better rates than we could find elsewhere. No special requirements, either a credit card or a bank account with get you going and then you can ship by different shippers at commercial discount rates.

**th62** · May 15, 2021, 02:05 AM

Slack day today, just made up a few static timing lights of different design. First one uses a 9 volt battery, so had to solder a resistor in the line to cut the voltage down. Second one works off the bike battery, so also had to use a resistor. Third one uses a 3 volt button battery, so, so resistor required. Why so many? I was bored!