New to the Vision game! Plans, Pointers, Pickles, and Prom Queens!

[mke550]

Hi Guys/Gals! My name is Adam, and I'm here in the lovely state of Indiana, just south of Indianapolis, in a little city called Camby!

I just bought an '82 Vision 550 a few months ago from a friend in Illinois, but after a move and getting settled into life here in Indy, I've finally found time to play with my XZ. Now when I got the bike, 3/4s of it was in a big 50 gallon tub, but that's alright cuz i was setting out to get me a project bike anyway. Ive got the bike down to almost nothing, but plan on removing the engine/trans and other stuff in the near future. I have some outrageous plans for this bike. Things like Gulf Livery, a chopper-style spring-seat, lowered handlebars, custom exhaust, custom wiring, among other things.

The way it sits now, the frame rails for the original seat mounting brackets were hacked off by the previous owner, which I thought was alright since i wanted to fab up my own seat anyway. Now I know threads like this are useless without pictures, so I'll plan on those when I finally get internet situated at my new home.

My questions and concerns are these: with the handlebar risers flipped and placed on opposite sides, do you think i'm going to hit the tank when i'm turning left or right? Is there any way i can reduce the spiderweb of wiring to where it's only what the engine needs to run correctly? I was planning on tucking all the wires for the lighting once i got to that part of this build. How difficult and detrimental is it to go about reshaping the tank? (i want to keep a clean seam where the tank ends because im planning on no plastics or fairings, a fairly spartan bike). is it a bad idea to drop the front end of the bike? where the forks meet the triple-tree, i loosened those bolts and lowered them a bit so i had something to handle the bike by from the front, but i really like how it looks.


thats all for now i guess. until my next post!

considering i bought the bike for $150, and it came with all the parts and a title, my only real speed bump is getting her running.

[The Prophet of Doom]

Hi Adam

Things like Gulf Livery, a chopper-style spring-seat

I've never seen a Gulf chopper before.  There are a few XZ550 choppers you can use for inspiration like Jose Romero's one on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_12GyjoF6cs or this on http://www.xz550.de/tp3/fileadmin/xz-galerie/050.jpg
I presume with a springer seat you will be making it a hard tail as well? There are some very cool seat springs now that look like mini shocks, and not too expensive

with the handlebar risers flipped and placed on opposite sides, do you think i'm going to hit the tank when i'm turning left or right?

83 handlebar risers will hit, I'd be surprised if 82 didn't also.  You can try it for yourself in 5 minutes.
The 82 handlebar risers in the US are a lot longer than the 83 risers,  - even inverting 83 risers makes for a pretty uncomfortable position.

Is there any way i can reduce the spiderweb of wiring to where it's only what the engine needs to run correctly?

Of course.  Most of the wiring is not for the engine, but for lighting, gauges etc.  Same as any other bike, work through the wiring diagram and eliminate things you don't want.

How difficult and detrimental is it to go about reshaping the tank? (i want to keep a clean seam where the tank ends because im planning on no plastics or fairings, a fairly spartan bike).

That would depend on your skills.  The metal is fairly thin and people have had trouble finding someone to weld it.  Tank welding is hard enough dealing with fumes safely without the issues of burning through.  It's also nearly impossible to get a dolly into the inside which makes beating very difficult - you will end up using a lot of bog.  Also worth considering is that the tank has two points lower than the petcock and they tend to accumulate water and then rust.  You may have some repair work to do as well.  It may be easier to fab a new one from scratch.

is it a bad idea to drop the front end of the bike? where the forks meet the triple-tree, i loosened those bolts and lowered them a bit so i had something to handle the bike by from the front, but i really like how it looks.

Not necessarily a bad thing, but go too far and you will get mudguard-radiator action.  If you are lovering, then you can place clip-ons above the upper triple where they work more easily with the tank.

Good luck with your build.  There are not a lot of modders on this forum, but you shouldn't get any grief about it.  Pictures are a must.

[mke550]

Thanks for the quick reply Prophet! If everybody on this forum is as helpful as you are, I'm sure I wont have many problems. As to everything you've addressed, I really appreciate the quck response.

Ive always loved the Gulf Livery but never found myself able to commit to it on an automobile. I figure a bike is the perfect canvas!

I wasnt gonna got he hardtail route because i really like the adjustable monoshock, and i figured the flipped risers would hit. knowing that i could fit a clip on with the dropped front end is pretty cool though because i haaaaaaaaate how high the handlebars are in the stock position.


so that chopper that you poseted looks pretty dope. i wanna go that route, but instead of that rear fender, figure out a way to route the exhaust over the tire like a fender would go haha

I'll be sure to start posting pictures once the interwebs is up and running!

[Jimustanguitar]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm up in South Bend if you ever do a trip to Notre Dame for anything. There's also a guy (GTO something or other) that lives in Indy. Kevin, I think it was. He owned a botique winery, and I've done some business with him. Check out the member map if you haven't already, there might be more.

Sounds like you have some cool plans, make sure to post lots of pictures!

Jim

[The Prophet of Doom]

You will probably have the goofy high risers that only appeared on the US 1982 model.  Other years and markets had a lower more sporty riser - a couple of inches lower or more, and footpegs set back an inch or two for a more sporty position.

Even so I wanted clip-ons and tried several to find some to fit without major tank / steering mods.  Look for a narrow clamp around 20mm, and a decent riser.  I ended up with RG250 bars - not exactly a low riser position though - if you want that then get your hammers out :-)
Pics over here http://ridersofvision.net/rovforum/index.php?topic=13508.msg137531#msg137531

[mke550]

sooooo i sitll dont have internet up at home yet, but as im tearing her down, im having a little trouble getting the swingarm bolt out. it just spins and spins and spins and wont come out. its driving me crazy.

also, does anybody have the dimensions for the adapter to go from the xz550 engine to a standard engine stand? ive got a tiny bamboo work bench and id rather not work in/on such a cramed space.

thanks guys!

[The Prophet of Doom]

The swingarm bolt is only threaded about 1cm at the end.  It screws into a threaded portion of the swingarm on the left hand side, so once you have undone it about 15 full turns it will be free to pull out even though it doesn't seem so.  If it's all rusty and horrid in there it can be hard to get enough pulling action, but simultaneous use of a pry bar, wriggling the swingarm and holding your tongue right will help.

[fret not]

It might help to use a block of wood and a hammer to bump the shaft flush with the swing arm and then use a bit of wooden dowel to drive it further.  Do not use metal to beat on the end of the shaft or it is likely to mushroom a bit and be very difficult to get the nut on again.  By the way, the involved bearings and spacers are used on a fairly large number of models.  I have to do this too.

[Rikugun]

It might help to use a block of wood and a hammer to bump the shaft flush with the swing arm and then use a bit of wooden dowel to drive it further.  Do not use metal to beat on the end of the shaft or it is likely to mushroom a bit and be very difficult to get the nut on again.  .....

Are you thinking of a more "conventional" setup? The Vision has no nut per se but rather the pivot bolt threads into one side of the swing arm. The bell shape provided for the cross joint is threaded on one side. I'm not sure you can get to it to drive with a dowel from the left side?

edit :There is a small (inspection?) cover on the left side of the swingarm...can you sneak a dowel over the drive shaft and drive the bolt out through there? Maybe this is what you meant in which case ignore my previous comments. Seems like it would be an awkward angle though and the muffler/passenger peg bracket has to be removed to get to the plug.

[Re-Vision]

A couple of picts.

I'm not sure you can get to it to drive with a dowel from the left side?
edit :There is a small (inspection?) cover on the left side of the swingarm...can you sneak a dowel over the drive shaft and drive the bolt out through there? Maybe this is what you meant in which case ignore my previous comments. Seems like it would be an awkward angle though and the muffler/passenger peg bracket has to be removed to get to the plug.

I don't think there is room for a dowel especially if the "U" Joint is on.      BDC

[fret not]

Yeah, I was thinking of a more conventional set up. :-[ ;D  My main point is to avoid deforming anything with threads that may need to be reused.

[Rikugun]

Yeah, I was thinking of a more conventional set up. :-[ ;D  My main point is to avoid deforming anything with threads that may need to be reused.

Point taken fret nut  :)

Re-Vision, thanks for the great photos.  I could see the plug but wasn't so curious to disassemble my bike and test feasibility.

I couldn't find any reference to the plug's purpose in my factory manual. Anyone with a Haynes find anything?

[Re-Vision]

I've got enough parts laying around that I can usually take a picture of most anything. I'm pretty sure that port is for inspecting the U joints.    BDC

[mke550]

Hey guys! Sorry I've been away for so long, busy with work and whatnot.

So the good news is I finally have everything apart!I built a stand for the engine so I could clean it all up.

The bad news is my frame is shot (according to the gentleman I took it to to hav  it welded back together.) So unless somebody near me has a frame they wouldnt mind parting with, I'm stuck at an impass.. and also happen to have a crap ton of 82 vision parts for sale.. haha