Yamaha xs kick at the moment...

Clearly, we are all a bit partial to own bikes. Which is why it's easy to get caught up in a little brand loyalty, but I think it's important to not spend too much time concentrating on a single brand or type of bike. Honestly, this makes you just as bad as the retarded Harley gestapo, the kind of geniuses that take a running vintage Honda and drop it from a raised crane. Believe me, I've got no beef with Harley or their bikes(mostly), it's just these people give Harley riders all together a bad name. In fact, I'm FROM Milwaukee and the next project bike I'm planning is a sportster cafe bike!

Soooo.....to completely contradict myself...Who wants to see some cool yamaha xs series bikes! Like my 400, the 650s and 750s, along with the SRs make great project bikes. The great thing about sticking with a brand or series is that lots of the parts are interchangeable, thus making them far easier to find. For example, my 400 came stock with a disc brake on the right side of the wheel(D model with mag wheels). It just so happens that the stock wheel and forks have brake mounts on the left side also, which is the stock location of the disc brake on the sr500. Sweet.

Thanks Yamaha, you're the bombaha. (sorry for that one)

Project xs 400

This bike is what my blog is all about. The idea of taking a boring commuter bike, originally designed to appeal to the masses and make it into something that only cool people stare at. This was Yamaha's answer to the 70's gas crisis, a four stroke twin that had very little going for it. What it did have however was a design modeled after the coveted RD series bikes and an engine that could squeeze out 70 miles per gallon. When I saw the bike in it stock form, it was pretty easy to imagine a cafe racer hidden inside(77' and 78' models anyway) and with the price tag of 200 bucks, i couldn't resist... keep in mind it was a pretty beat version of the stock bike when i found it.

The "mighty" xs400 in stock form:





















First project that I'll be outlining on the blog will be a battery tray that will hide the battery beneath the seat. I'll be using a near stock sized battery as I'm unwilling at this point to sacrifice electric start. Future entries will outline paint, upholstery and more...

here's the current bike as it stands in my friends garage.




Stay tuned...