New to site. Hello!

[rdmcguy]

I need to know..

I need to learn how to do the "quote"thing here ..
Hey T.C. did you take it to that speed(110) to see if it acted funny or was it an emergency type of thing???Bet it was the former not the latter..At least that's what I would do ....

[BA80]

Ha Ha Ha......yes, yes I have TC. Funny what people can get used to isn't it?

[BA80]

I need to learn how to do the "quote"thing here ..
Hey T.C. did you take it to that speed(110) to see if it acted funny or was it an emergency type of thing???Bet it was the former not the latter..At least that's what I would do ....

see that blue oval box in the right lower corner of this post that says "Quote"? Click on it.

[BratRat]

Hey BratRat,

I say don't worry about the triple tree/fork combination.

Greg, you've seen my bike and me riding it, both thru the twisties as well as 75+mph on the highway return runs without any problems.

Brat, a little back story, I got pulled out infront of /across my path while going to work one morning, no where to turn/swerve, and not enough room to make a complete stop, ended up plowing into the front bumper/hood of the car, bent my forks into my engine case, but unbeknownst to me, the frame steering neck joint also got bent perfectly straight back which changed the rake steeper. I had the bike repaired, new 4" longer front forks(like the mild chopper look back then...20+years ago), and I noticed that my steering was a bit lighter/easier than it used to be. I didn't learn about the bent frame for almost 20 years later after I rebuilt/resurrected it and attended one of the many local rallies, and a fellow Xsives/bike mechanic was able to make the diagnosis.

I've calculated that instead of the normal/stock 6" of trail, mine has been reduced to 2"! I've taken it up to 110mph with no evidence of a tank slapper happening. So...with the swapping of the triple trees alone, you're probably only reducing it by about 1" of trail, and so IMHO that's not enough to make it anywhere unstable vs. the oem configuration.

You can measure your trail yourself....put the bike on centerstand. Mark a line directly straight down from the middle of the front axle on the ground. Then use a laser level or such and place it so it's in line with the steering neck housing and notate and mark where the laser hits the ground in front of the axle mark., and then measure the distance between them. I'd be curious to hear exactly how much Trail you actually have with that setup. And with the other narrower bars you're planning on putting on there, the slightly lighter steeing will be welcome because you'll be reducing your turning/steering handlebar leverage with the bars vs. the wider oem type.

As others have pointed out, it looks like a Special frame, tank, gauges, headlight, but with standard forks. Did you check your frame/engine VIN# against the Misc forum thread? The standard forks actually allow the use of the better calipers...they have flat pad vs. the wonky slanted pads of the specials, as well as easier to upgrade the calipers if desired with a fairly easy to make adapter plate. The Master Cylinder also looks to be a standard, it's not exaggeratingly slanted like the Specials, so the MC now works better for flatter bars....the special MC was more for the angled buckhorn bars.

I also noticed that it only has front turn signals(they are NOT OEM)....IF they are turn signals. The Standard's front signals were also running lights. The Specials were only turn signals. DO they even work? They look like LED type, and with the 79 Special..it only had a central turn signal indicator light that was shared between both L & R circuits, but that causes electrical feedback/bleed when trying to use LEDs, and so they usually both will light instead. Folks have to install DIODES inline to the wires that go to the dash indicator light so that the current from one side wont' bleed into the other side. The other thing is that the OEM flasher has to be replaced with a NO LOAD electronic type that will work with the very low load of the LEDs. The use of this type will cause you to loose the self cancelling feature.

Okay, I'll shut up now, congrats on your acquisition, enjoy your customization and your ride!

T.C.

Sorry for quoting so long but it's easier to address the points and questions you brought up. Thank you very much for the reply. I know close to nothing about these bikes, but as I said i'm very interested in learning all that I can.

Now I'm really going to expose my newbie self and ask an array of possibly laughable questions and try to answer some you have.

1-How can one tell the difference between Standard and Special forks?
1a-I have taken this bike for 2 spins, only about 20 mins each. I did notice a slight shimmy from side to side at low speeds. Now, she does need new tires, I'm sure some bushings/bearings need replaced, and the roads around here are very rough. At high speeds (I've only been up to 80mph) the shimmy is non-existent and I can get into the turns pretty good without worry.

2-I will let you know the trail as soon as I find a center stand and laser haha

3-The engine and frame vin's are identical of the 3H3 series.

4-All lights other than the headlight are not OEM. The front turn signals do not work, the rear ones are not mounted, and the brake light works but does not get brighter when the brakes are applied. The PO said he was trying to find a short when his wife told him he had to sell it. I plan on losing the possibly ugliest turn signals ever in favor of smaller ones, I'm just not sure what i want to go with yet (I can feel the purists cringe haha). I'm also looking to relocate the brake light and license plate bracket to the axle somehow so that I can further clean up the back end (cringe felt again). The speedometer is slow, the tachometer does not work at all other than the backlight. No other indicators work either. I'd like to rectify all these problems.

I hope these help/answer your questions. I really appreciate everyone's input and hope there are many, many more to come. I want to learn as much as I can and can input from riders with many more years of experience than I.

Also, here are pictures of the box of "extras" and other exhaust. Keep in mind the exhaust is complete, I just didnt want to unwrap the other header assembly from it's pristine bubble wrap in a Wendy's restaurant box. haha

[BratRat]

And crazy steve, I plan on taking off the wrap because I realize what bad things it can do. Im just scared of seeing what bad things have happened. haha

[BA80]

The Standard forks have the axle mounted on the end of the lowers, like yours, and all except the Venturer (81 Standard) are only spring preload adjustable via the top of the tubes.

The Special axle mounts on the forward edge of the tube lowers.......

and are air adjustable.

If your tach isn't working that's a pretty good sign that the alternator isn't charging unless there is a wiring issue to the tach. The tach works off pulses from the alternator.

[BratRat]

Ahh thank you Mr. Greg. The difference is very obvious. I haven't looked at the tach problem yet, hopefully its just a wiring issue!

[BA80]

Here is what the 79 Special I put together looked like when I sold it.

[BA80]

I haven't looked at the tach problem yet, hopefully its just a wiring issue!

Check your charging voltage at about 2 - 2.5K rpm. It should be around 14v.

[jetmechmarty]

I like this one. Somebody explain how they got that seat over the fender, or is there no padding on the pillion?






I don't care for them fenderless.

[BratRat]

Jet, my seat is like that. The fender is bolted to the seat. I like them fender less though.

[James England]

James England- I would have to say I agree with you. I myself wouldn't take a perfectly original bike and chop it up. Thank you for your reply.

There we go, you're not a bobber-ist who comes onto a vintage bike forum with a nice standard bike and starts asking which bits he can get the grinder onto.

As someone pointed out, those types never seem to last long here anyway. They horrify many people by hacking a nice bike to pieces, turning it into a monster and then they get rid, having lost patience or interest. One fewer of these classic machines in good condition, with irreversible mods.... That sort of thing always makes me think of cutting the legs off a Chippendale cabinet and turning it into a rabbit hutch....useful, practical but destroying something lovely in the process!

As has been pointed out, your bike is a bit of a mix anyway...who knows? It may even have been standard condition until the PO got to work on it but, as you say, you're not planning anything irreversible anyway.

My own particular interest, which I would not inflict on anyone else, is to take one of these 30+ year old bikes and make it look brand-new. Even then, they are not 100%'standard and original. Stainless Allen bolts, upgraded regulator/rectifier, Dyna coils and remove ballast resistor, stainless exhaust system (albeit the best replica around) not chromed mild steel and so on. On my last bike, I had someone who said it was a shame I hadn't used original Allen bolts with milled edges and that he hoped I'd kept the resistor and original coils "so you can put them back on sometime"! Even I, as a bit of a purist on the E and F models, wouldn't go that far.

No doubt someone in the future will bemoan the drastic mods I've done on my 10 year old XJR (which actually make it a lighter, faster and a better bike) and put it all back to standard.

I would just enjoy your bike, use it and avoid the grinder!

[James England]

Ps

Re the electrics.... A good clean of the entire harness blocks using De-Oxit, works wonders, I've found. Corrosion and dirt can cause a lot of problems and can be eliminated immediately...then faults will be either fractured wires in the bends or bad earths or components or whatever. But getting rid of the corrosion, especially on the alternator/generator blocks behind the fuse board is a good idea. de-Oxit is not cheap but it's the best product to use. I always strip the handlebar switches completely, taking photos as I do it so I don't get too confused on reassembly, clean them with DeOxit and grease the moving bits. Also the kill switch comes off and they are usually pretty bad.

Check the pickup wires for fractures as it's a common problem. Check electrical grounds. Check the handlebar switches for trapped wires... I did that recently and blew the fuse every time I switched to main beam.

Many people, including me, replace the glass fuse box with a modern bladed type...yep, non OEM but worth doing IMO (although some peole here disagree) merely from the point of view that it's possible to blow loads of fuses when sorting out the wiring look and glass ones are less readily available.

[madmax-im]

Hey Brat heres some more inspiration for you...Meet SwampThing a bike resurrected from a Louisiana Bayou...It underwent a total frame off restoration 11 years ago

[BA80]

I was looking for the "before" picture of that bike Ben but I couldn't find it. Ask Randy for it.