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Finished pics on page 3!
My buddy and I picked up an 81 XL1000 over the winter from a gent who proudly stored it in his woodstove heated trailer house. Didn't run but had compression and with the Triumph apart all the way to the crank, that was enough for me.
Day one: Trying my very hardest to look like baddass on douchebag factory custom stock sporty. Go ahead and laugh at the douche.
Immediately pulled out the tools and proceeded to remove all the "live to ride" BS, cheesy buckhorns, step seat and anything else we deemed gay. Bolted on a set of Flanders mile high bars, cleaned the carb and checked for spark. No spark so we trouble shot the crappy early 80's cdi and deemed it garbage. Ordered a ultima single fire programmable. Fired immediately and ran great. Engine sounds good.
Sold a jap cafe bike my friend and myself built over the winter and to put all the profit into the sporty. Called GP glassworks in Montana. 4 week wait on body work, but they really set us up grand. Good pricing and phenomenal glasswork. We had considered getting an all metal tank built for us; but it was cost prohibitive. Storz does sell kits, but they are very expensive and over all, not nearly true enough to the original 70's XR that we are after.
Body work arrived yesterday:
I should be seeing the 14" rear shocks I ordered by the end of the week. I also picked up a 79 right side cover to hide the battery, and will probably get a matching oil tank to make fitment easier.
After the shocks arrive I am planning on ordering 1 Dunlop K180 19" dot dirt track tire for the front, and see if it will fit in the swingarm. I picked up another 19" front rim at a swap over the winter and if clearance permits, it looks like Buchanan's will be making us a set of spokes so it can run 19" front and rear wheels.
The overall plan is to try and stay as true to an original 70's period XR750 without breaking the bank. We will unfortunately be sacrificing a dual carb setup as it is just a bit too spendy. Still planning on building our own pipes to incorporate the dual upswept look so defining of an XR, but as of right now they will run on the right side of the bike, as opposed to the left. Graphics will be made to look like factory XR graphics, but will say XL1000 as I think to say XR750 on the tank would be morely and reprehensibly wrong.
This is just a mock up; will be torn down to the frame and repainted.
My buddy and I picked up an 81 XL1000 over the winter from a gent who proudly stored it in his woodstove heated trailer house. Didn't run but had compression and with the Triumph apart all the way to the crank, that was enough for me.
Day one: Trying my very hardest to look like baddass on douchebag factory custom stock sporty. Go ahead and laugh at the douche.

Immediately pulled out the tools and proceeded to remove all the "live to ride" BS, cheesy buckhorns, step seat and anything else we deemed gay. Bolted on a set of Flanders mile high bars, cleaned the carb and checked for spark. No spark so we trouble shot the crappy early 80's cdi and deemed it garbage. Ordered a ultima single fire programmable. Fired immediately and ran great. Engine sounds good.
Sold a jap cafe bike my friend and myself built over the winter and to put all the profit into the sporty. Called GP glassworks in Montana. 4 week wait on body work, but they really set us up grand. Good pricing and phenomenal glasswork. We had considered getting an all metal tank built for us; but it was cost prohibitive. Storz does sell kits, but they are very expensive and over all, not nearly true enough to the original 70's XR that we are after.
Body work arrived yesterday:



I should be seeing the 14" rear shocks I ordered by the end of the week. I also picked up a 79 right side cover to hide the battery, and will probably get a matching oil tank to make fitment easier.
After the shocks arrive I am planning on ordering 1 Dunlop K180 19" dot dirt track tire for the front, and see if it will fit in the swingarm. I picked up another 19" front rim at a swap over the winter and if clearance permits, it looks like Buchanan's will be making us a set of spokes so it can run 19" front and rear wheels.
The overall plan is to try and stay as true to an original 70's period XR750 without breaking the bank. We will unfortunately be sacrificing a dual carb setup as it is just a bit too spendy. Still planning on building our own pipes to incorporate the dual upswept look so defining of an XR, but as of right now they will run on the right side of the bike, as opposed to the left. Graphics will be made to look like factory XR graphics, but will say XL1000 as I think to say XR750 on the tank would be morely and reprehensibly wrong.
This is just a mock up; will be torn down to the frame and repainted.