Manky Monkey Motors

I know how you all love seeing builds, so here's another. :D

Popped down to the good Mr Stix's today (very good to meet you sir), and picked up his XL600 that he'd been advertising on the forum. Got it home and just couldn't resist starting to pull it apart!

As it arrived:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/11C5B23C-8DA4-4C48-9758-D135921DBE06_zpsowirp0uq.jpg)

Took off that wiring stuff!!

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/DA1F98A9-A931-45D7-B962-696876A9BB11_zpsyz763lxb.jpg)
(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/2DC47250-9878-4760-9147-5B7114E30919_zpscy2jdifi.jpg)

And ended up, about an hour ago with this:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/556AA044-F748-431D-A6B9-1EB27B9CD7BE_zps6yqt1im4.jpg)

As for the direction this build is going to go, I'm not sure yet, but thinking cafe racer!!!

Nice to meet you also Clive not what I expected!!! No handle bar tache or sheepskin flying jacket, not even a leather pilots hat. :D :D
Looks like a couple more hours and you will have it ready for the road :o :o.
Enjoy your trip to the States and I look forward to the new build when it starts.

Stix

cafe racer? that screems board tracker to me,either way going by the savage it will be good

That's why I'm thinking cafe racer buddy, board tracker is too obvious!!

But we'll see........

Back from Texas, and using working on this to combat jet lag!!

Still stripping down:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/0fb8ba432847d449ead4e9591e7f1af5_zpsn1oisupz.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/25B8C7E6-B95C-4BFD-994C-F6E023A695EF_zpsqoxe8p6k.jpg)

Not the easiest of bikes to work on I must say. Everything seems to have at least two pipes and a couple of cables!! :D

Anyone have any idea what model bike this front wheel came off of, please?

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/0f9660efabae8c75581305ce0c2b2740_zpswkbvvydw.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/A809A316-AA30-41B9-8FDD-5ADF3C54732B_zpsfxtc9vgw.jpg)

Morad are a huge Spanish rim maker, mainly for the off road market as replacement rims. I had them on a big KTM and found they had been added later. If you Google them they have a very interesting website you may find useful.

Cheers buddy, did that yesterday, and still no clues

had a look in my bay history and all I got is this
06 Jun, 2013   
ORDER TOTAL
£130.00
+ £15.00
postage & packaging
Order 812588983004View similar items
View seller's other items
More actions
1 item sold bytenthreezero
17 INCH  SUPERMOTO FRONT WHEEL EXCELLENT CONDITION
17 INCH SUPERMOTO FRONT WHEEL EXCELLENT CONDITION
( 140971805318 )
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ITEM PRICE:


stix

Cheers buddy. Just trying to find out, so that when it needs brake discs etc, I have some idea what it's off of.

Just had a look at that listing, still no clearer!?! :D :D :D

Looks yamaha to me.

Gave the engine a bit of a spruce up:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/2A67E328-E3EF-4030-8D30-0CD81A837AEF_zpsj7ezrvc1.jpg)

Seeing as I have managed to somehow fracture my elbow, I spent the day pottering in the garage doing bits and pieces.

Got the rear shock sorted:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/B8B1FAF2-991F-40F5-B443-A76E6C4CBBA0_zps5jhg8hlp.jpg)

And the swing arm:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/ED6BD4D0-DE6F-4967-BA15-83AC2A314528_zps5prura6i.jpg)

Gave the frame a de-grease, and trimmed a few 'unwanted' pieces off of it:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/A9678F05-9FFC-413B-A37E-E998C68E593C_zps9dxs2r2z.jpg)
(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/F42868E9-E86D-4DF5-BED2-2199107D01DE_zpsaa2xe97x.jpg)

And tried the XS tank on for size. Not sure if it's too big, have just ordered a smaller Xs400 one to see if that looks more in scale:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/0F9D6552-2526-4591-9185-72F42DAEC275_zpsvlwfb6kh.jpg)

You may have seen this before. This is an xl 600 as well. You can find this on youtube as well.

Nice single-sided swing arm.

Yeah, I'd seen that when searching around for some inspiration!

Thanks to the good mr Hunter, and his machining skills, the forks have been subtley dropped 40mm.

Old one on the left, dropped on the right.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/8AEEA6DA-ABB2-46A3-BDBF-07C819581D62_zpshon7bqsa.jpg)

How did the spacers make them shorter Clive?

Went in between the piston head, and little spring inside the tube, with the 40mm spacer at the top of the big spring removed, means an equal drop with no loss of rebound.
The only danger with doing it in shorter forks are the chance of 'bottoming out', but as these are motocross type forks they have a long range of travel.

Got some progress made today:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/1D07D8AD-8075-4E69-888F-1674C57CCC16_zpsqxblb65y.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/CC680431-EDA6-46AD-AA23-BF02F6D2A68E_zpsz6b290ho.jpg)

Might treat it to some new pads though!?! :D

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/8F07C624-AD21-489D-A7D9-CA2A75DAE2AE_zpsvmuhuaxo.jpg)

 :o

Coming along nicely Clive.

Stix

Fitted a smaller shock today, not too sure if it's too small, will have to wait and see when the wheels are back on.

With standard shock, 21 inches from frame to swingarm

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/A3AEB891-E504-42E2-A3C1-476CC24F989D_zpslfqavojs.jpg)

With the GS500 shock, 17 inches

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/ABD67B8B-7ED2-4CB6-8CA7-5F3C2F712A43_zpslivb4fws.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/885626BA-1D66-427A-BE18-6E7B315C3E6A_zpskosrkst1.jpg)

My plan is 4 inch drop at the back, and 40mm shorter shocks, mounted 45mm ish higher in the fork tree, should drop the ground clearance from 10 inches, to about 6.............right??

Clive as you say you won't know for certain till you get the wheels back on and some weight on the bike, one thing to check is the chain clearance over the swing arm,can't remember how much there was before.

Stix

With the swingarm raised, there should be more!?!

Hokay  ;D

Stix

Got it back on its wheels roughly today.

All the work with the shorter shock definitely dropped it, boy did it drop it!!!!

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/54602500-E54E-45D3-8502-E8BA92BA4F78_zpsjpjssai4.jpg)

So, put it back on its standard shock for now

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/76A9909F-E3F4-428B-B82A-76AB54A3349F_zpslxmih7vt.jpg)

Will maybe leave it as it is, or have another think about another different shock. There not enough movement on the suspension linkage to fit a longer 'dogbone', as that would do it, with the standard shock.

Cut a coil off the stock one,will bring it down.

Stix

Kind of loathed to do that, but I may end up doing that

Cured it!

Cut the back off!! :D

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/A69CD9AA-67B1-4D9E-9BD7-AF971106AF88_zpsavkpxoai.jpg) (http://s915.photobucket.com/user/533clive/media/xl600/A69CD9AA-67B1-4D9E-9BD7-AF971106AF88_zpsavkpxoai.jpg.html)

 :o

A welding and grinding day today!! :D

Got the back all back on. Looks so much cleaner. That little kink in the standard frame supports really annoyed me for some reason.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/1B483F0D-5284-4DA3-A072-8EEF0D783700_zpsrmc35tz1.jpg)

Then tried the tank, and then the possible seat hump. All lines up nicely. The seat hump is a little high at the front because of the moulding 'lip'.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/B71260A1-5AB8-4109-99B5-C60B0480E46C_zps1b8odokv.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/5180A4C9-BDCE-4170-9A57-C718B072B120_zps94brpqk4.jpg)

Then moved onto re-building the front brake (no pics), and started on an electrics tray to hold the majority of the 'lectrics and battery.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/D020824C-4F87-43D5-AF2B-2B0BD5561041_zpstxxk24io.jpg)

Battery sits nicely under the hump

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/C0EBE890-A558-4C23-89A9-1FA22061C6FF_zpswgwolpt1.jpg)

Finished the electrics, just the rear light wiring to complete once the light is here!

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/D974ADEE-3BF8-4568-BDC4-398AF22FCD48_zpsmt8jxlkg.jpg)

Not hanging around Clive. Nice progress. :)

Loving the build and photos. I want to do something similar with that DR 650 motor I,ve got.

Nothing picture worthy today, but got the front brake master cylinder/handle re-furbished, all the wiring checked, front wheel all cleaned up, and the original paint stripped off the tank.

May have to get another seat unit for it, the one on at the moment is about 6cm too wide at the front, unless anyone has any great ideas for narrowing it? Can you pie-cut fibreglass?

Today was tank smoothing and priming day

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/9E94F81E-046C-4317-A071-CB05B339AD0B_zps0dmszc60.jpg)

The last pic of the tank, until the bikes finished, I'm afraid!! :D :D

yup easy to do , just the same as doing it to a steel seat base, cut out the amount you want relieve the back so it plus in and re-glass it.

Stix

Thanks buddy, sounds like this weekends job! :D :D

By this weekend, I mean today!!

Playing with fibreglass is not something I do very often, so this is probably completely wrong, but seems to have worked so..................yay!!!!!!

Cut the required bits out, and pulled it in place with tape:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/2D181199-143C-490C-8562-F84A3987F256_zpsb2j3wzgr.jpg)

After a rough up of the joins, filled the bottom with P38 liberally:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/98CC074A-0D11-4F62-A0E0-6E3980CA64DC_zps5mnpsztc.jpg)

Once that was set, turned it over and filled the top of the cuts with fibreglass resin:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/DA48F19E-C771-4E1E-BF65-EEE0F3D6D5E7_zpsvhgriwx7.jpg)

After a liberal sanding, and a splash of primer, good as new!!

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/FB49D541-705E-4B80-9320-F94B5474C5B8_zpsk7iou7hb.jpg)

See told you it was easy and no welding required :D  really good job Clive and probably stronger than before

Stix

Had I seen this before that is exactly how I would have said to do it!

Cool!!

Got this pushed out into the sun today, after fitting the new back wheel, with the same tyre fitted to it.

Definitely getting there:

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/C261F098-47E0-4069-A099-E6E03919CDAC_zpsne65mm8r.jpg)

That's nice Clive. Good to see you today, if only briefly.

Thanks Andy, good to see you today as well, sorry it was so brief

All pleased with myself today. Got the rear light sunk into the seat pan.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/1EEAF2D7-3B7E-44DB-A79A-88639AA64737_zpsnfaazlbq.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/124D20C9-9FEB-4E72-A66D-CE0C1C694A14_zpsiu5h0g8c.jpg)

Amazingly, the idea I had for this worked! Unfortunately, I was so happy it was working, I forgot to take pics as I went along.

Drilled the mount for it out of some steel sheet, and welded it to some 60mm tube (the diameter of the light), and cut out a slit for the number plate light to shine through. Then using a hole saw horizontally on a flat surface, cut out the corresponding hole in the seat pan.

Fibreglassed the tube into the seat pan, and once dry, ground, and sanded back the outside until it was flush. A splash of primer and voila!! There's a little bit more prep to do before paint, just a few pinholes, but all in all, I'm a happy bunny.

Very tidy.
I assume the number plate will be mounted at a 'slight' angle.

Yes, maybe a 'slight' angle!!:D :D

Looks like you've become a master fibreglasser Clive.

Let's call it a master 'long distance' fibreglasser, as that's where it looks best from!

Got the headlight shell in today, after removing a few cables (choke, now a clothes peg, decompression lever and cable, now a 'manual' lift of the mechanism, and one throttle cable) and re-locating some wiring.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/EC2255DE-4588-48DD-A016-F7C5D837EB00_zpszrrec6jd.jpg)

The tabs sticking out are/were for mounts for a headlight cowl I'd bought for it, but now it's roughly fitted, it looks too high and out of scale, so probably won't be going on now.

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/6E599EB9-F8F3-4404-A5E7-35D1B2CD4A3B_zpsqmzbd1at.jpg)

And I'd spent a few hours making indicator mounts for it yesterday as well, oh well

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/957B152A-82C0-4B90-BC5D-884AFAE16903_zpsfhzrxzp6.jpg)

Then rigged up a temp petrol tank, and fired it up! Started second kick after sitting (in my ownership, so probably longer) for a month or so.

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/FD3ED160-7ECD-4BE3-B592-814F4E44DB3B_zpsx5ifuixn.mp4 (http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/FD3ED160-7ECD-4BE3-B592-814F4E44DB3B_zpsx5ifuixn.mp4)

The exhaust decided to bubble the high temp paint off just after this vid, so it now has a bare steel one!!

Looked through my eBay bought stuff but couldn't find the speedo drive so no idea what it is from, also the bike had two decompression cables, one on the bars for leccy start and a second one attached to the kick start, just behind the lever on a small bracket, so it is easier to kick start the bike if battery is down on power. Sounds nice with the shorty pipe and yes it has sat idle for a long time so happy for you that it started so easy.

Stix

Oh well, thanks anyhow.
Yep, I've done away with the lever on the bars, as the kick start one works fine, and I can always lift the decompression lever by hand to prime the system.

Going to just use the kick start for it, as I'm not convinced the smaller battery will have enough oomph when the bike is cold. I almost got rid of the electric start wiring, starter solenoid etc

sounds good not unlike the savage

I think this is a bit quieter than the savage, but not sure yet. Might annoy the neighbours this weekend and fire them both up together!! :D :D

Got this as far as I can at the moment, waiting on a couple of bits, a set of indicators, and a chain, but I think nothing else needs doing......

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/9d6f1a6ad546573ff2d4330ccbfc11be_zpscbgvstcj.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/7FFB4A5C-00C1-4A7F-9665-9083CA8975CA_zpshumvmnq7.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/876c46925d910a4f2613398c4a793f41_zps4vactjp0.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/99fde16181614f0787dcbbda2989a5bd_zps2ecw7zpb.jpg)

Looking really nice that Clive, Love the paint. 8)

Very nice Clive -just shows what you can do with a bit of imagination & elbow grease, rather than throwing money at it.

Thanks gents, I'm pleased with how it's turning out

Nice bike. Love the vent effect on the tank. 8)

looks very nice Clive well done

very nice sir  ;D great paint.

All finished!!

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/637AD39A-D00B-40B5-88D7-E302B6DBA26B_zps8dkv0g5x.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/A8BD9BB5-3906-4A3B-B3A8-5F8194581135_zpseglwmrax.jpg)

(http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac360/533clive/xl600/7A7EF493-E082-475C-9C33-0D154C933AD3_zps3hfm9370.jpg)

MoT next week, and then up for sale. Got my eye on the next project, and just bought my son his first 'bike'.

What's it like to ride Clive?

Seems okay so far, but the wall 'in the distance' of the last picture is as far as I've been on it

 ;D

MoT passed!!!! :D

Now to decide how much to move it on for

Nice one Clive.
Setting a price is always a difficult decision with something special.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321782659894?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

She's pretty lovely looking machine