XJ Build thread.

[Yard Dogg]

I scored this XJ1100 a few weeks ago for $200 and want to show it off. It's a typical neglected basket case right now but not for long. So far all I've done is cleaned the carbs, rewired it, adopted some virago gauge pods and a smaller headlight, and removed all the extra electrical parts for better reliability. And now for pictures.
Here it is when I bought it.




Here are the Virago gauge pods. These are great cause they have a built in chip fuse panel.



I switched to an XS1100 triple tree so I can get round bars. Then welded new brackets for the pods and headlight.



I think it has a more cleaned up look now, plus lots of chrome!

[Yard Dogg]

Now, I just need new handlebars. Then I'll tidy up all the wiring and will be done with the gauge pod mod.

[natemoen]

Not too bad!

Personally I think you should go back to the larger light. The big gaps around the light bucket look awkward to me.

[Yard Dogg]

My other headlight bucket is mangled up so I couldn't use it. I actually moved the gauge pods down under the bracket to take up the gap. I may try to find a piece of chrome sheeting to fill in behind the headlight too. Thanks for the input, and I totally agree.

[Yard Dogg]

There we go. With a chrome plate behind the headlight it should look nicer. I will probably use a piece of chrome strap to attach between the headlight and gauge pod to stiffen the headlight up. It will be bouncy if I don't. I may still have bend the headlight bracket to move it down from the gauge pod, cause now it's too tight.

[WSL91]

There we go. With a chrome plate behind the headlight it should look nicer. I will probably use a piece of chrome strap to attach between the headlight and gauge pod to stiffen the headlight up. It will be bouncy if I don't. I may still have bend the headlight bracket to move it down from the gauge pod, cause now it's too tight.

Where did the handlebar risers come from? I was going to do that to my XJ and it looked like XJ600 or 750 had traditional handlebars with risers that would replace the ones on the XJ1100 while still using the top tripple tree.

[crazy steve]

Where did the handlebar risers come from?...

He used a XS11 Special top tree; the geometry is the same although the details differ. The gauge mounts are different, so unless you're swapping those too expect to do some mods...

[Yard Dogg]

Yup, the gauge pod mounts on the special are wider than the XJ. It isn't hard to cut and re-weld if you have a wire feed. But the gauge pods on your XJ may fit the holes of the special without the metal tubes inside. Or you could buy rubber plugs from Ace Hardware and off set drill them to mount your XJ pods and reuse your metal tubes. The Virago pods were too narrow to fit the special bracket, so I had to weld em.

[Yard Dogg]

This is a bummer. I pulled my mufflers off today just to find that the right side one is completely broke off near the clamp. I hate welding that thin stuff. If push comes to shove I'll make my own chambered pipes like I did on the Midnight. They sounded mean and throaty under throttle. I've had a lot of welding practice since then.

Oh, do you guys know a good place to buy the rubber exhaust seals for the mufflers and header joints? Cheap is good, and backyard fixes are fine too. Let me know.

[natemoen]

They aren't rubber, they are a metal fiber composit material. Parts&more has them for I think $6 each.

[DGXSER]

I got the header gaskets at a local Independent shop for about $4 a piece a couple years ago.

[Yard Dogg]

I don't know. The end of the muffler is stuck in the header tube. I can't get it to budge. The chrome is rusted off of all the welds on the header pipes. It's starting to look like I need new pipes. Or I may have to make my own mufflers again and paint the headers. Arghh. I get so sick of welding and grinding and painting.

I did however come up with a great way to pop loose brake pistons. I bought a collared 8m 1.25 pitch bolt, cut off the extra threads and head. Then drilled a hole down the center of it. I greased the threads and threaded it into the bleeder hole. Then I used a bicycle tire pump to blow the piston out. The calipers are good enough to work, so it looks like I will have brakes after I get new pads. After looking at the shape of the pads, I think it's why the bike was parked to begin with. The pads were grinding on metal.

[natemoen]

Or you could shove a rubber tipped air blower in the Banjo bolt hole. Or put a regular bolt in place of the banjo and the pump grease in the bleeder screw with a grease gun.

[GoRacers]

Any close-up pics of how those gauges mount? Love em.

[Yard Dogg]

Once I get handlebars I'll post a bunch of pics of the wiring (kind of proud of it) and the gauge pod mounts. All I did was cut a flat piece of 1/8" steel to fit around the ignition, cut off the mounting tabs from the pod, and welded to the plate.

Good news. I got the end of the muffler out of the header with some heat and persuasion. I'm gonna try to weld it today. I don't know if this beast will run well yet, so no more money unless it's crucial.

There is one last brake piston that won't budge. I had it up to 125 psi and nothing. So I will try to find a zerk to fit today and use a grease gun.

I may have a line up on another XJ for parts. My neighbor is a Hells Angel and has a bunch of parts. He's one of those originals from back in the day who served in Vietnam. Too bad he has lung cancer from Agent Orange. I've been driving him around and to the hospital. He offered me gas money yesterday so I told him to discount me on some parts instead. He's a pretty cool old dude.