Lucky's Cafe XZ550 Vision project

One of the college kids at work was bugging me last summer to convert the bike to a single can exhaust.  At first i just laughed it off, but of course, fell assleap the next several nights thinking about it.  after doing some reserch, drawing, lots of thinking, it’s begun!

 

I horse traded Tiger a set of carbs fo a stock R-6 exhaust can he had.  he was thinking of doing a similar project but as of this writing he’s busy working on #18 Vision.  along with the can came a couple of other bits & i plan on buying a used set of Macs from BDC in January.

 

The first thing that struke me about the R6 can was it’s size, it’s HUGE!  and too long, so i found a writeup on the R6 forum where someone had cut theirs down by 8"… works for me!  so here is the cut can with a quick fab up mounting plate to give an idea of how it’ll look.  lots more to do, so lots more to come.

 

–Lucky

 

P.S.  Happy Birthday Dad!!!  🙂

 

i ended up filling the voids where the grab handles were with Durhams Water Putty.  great stuff, lots of uses.  I mounted studs in two of the top holes & nuts in the side holes.  i drilled out the 4 mounting points in the frame, & now the tail can be mounted with no fasteners showing.

 

 

I also threw a quick sand on the tank because the red was annoying me.  i fixed the petcock leak, but still need to properly sand the tank down, fix the leaks & dents, but it’s easier on my eyes for now.  i can better picture the uninterupted color flow from the tank to the tail

 

These first two pics are of the modified rear end. the second pic is later on when i decided the grab rails had to go. for now i’ve just black taped over the voids left from the handles. later i’ll have to figure out how to fill those spaces so i can sand it down to match and paint it whatever color i end up going with.

 

The lights are now all incorperated in the tail cone: brake, running & turn signals.  i’m seriously considering removing a majority of the aluminum footpeg brackets…

 

 

these next three show Cafe Vision out in the sun.  it’s a hodge podge of colors now, & i think a bit hard to imagine what it’ll look like nicely painted, but i have a good imagination..

 

"Vision is the gift to see what others only dream"

 

     

Hey, Welcome Back!!

 

Day off today so i fabed up some mounting tabs for the fairing, first pic below shows the mount off the headlight. the other side is the same.  used good ridgid aluminum & thank god for my dremil! hard to see in the pic, but i made slots for both the fairing mounting screw & headlight bolt to give it some adjustability.

 

i’m going to replace the headlight bolts with studs & wing nuts so i can remove the fairing easily.

 

Eithier some of Kevin’s shortie stalks are in order, or just different turn signals.  the way those things stick out, it looks like Opie just got a haircut.  (or: "What? Me Worry??!)

 

     

 

 

I had been staring at the tail all day while i worked and as i started cleaning up for the day, i decided to grab a wrench & just pull the inner fender off to see what it would look like… ended up pulling the fender, light, & signals.  stopped just short of cutting off the t/s mounts, but they’ll probably get hacked off soon…

 

   

 

 

 

This last pic is what you have when you take the licence plate light all apart. those blocks are rubber, & i think i’m going to mount them inside the red lens, on the sides, as turn signals, or something similar. i’d like to have them all integrated into one piece.  i might even bastardize an amber turn signal lens (from a junk yard car, not a Vision) heat mold it into an "L" shape, cut out that section on the corners of the lense, & mount those for turnsignals..  easy for me to visualise, hard to explane…

 

 

‘Till my next day off, –Lucky

Thanks to Night Visions Keen eye, he found a 7" round headlight & bucket from an R350 on Ebay for the Emgo fairing.

They look like they were made for the Vision…

The 99c Emgo Viper fairing from Ebay came today, as did the new $32 windshield for it. I still have to pick up a round headlight, & fab some brackets, but i stuck it on for a test fit & to get an idea of how it’ll look. here ya go:

found a fairing, it’s a ‘classic’ Emgo Viper fairing (classic here being used in the context of been around forever, cheap & light) on Ebay, won it for 99c plus $15 shipping. no windshield or mounting. i ordered a new windshield today, $30 & the mounting i’ll work on later. i have to pick up a round headlight for it anyway.

 

Since i was off today & had to run a few errands, i stopped at a new auto paint supply shop that opened up nearby to look at paint chips.  the bike is originaly silver, which i like, but i’ve also been thinking of black, & saw some great candy blue & candy Aquamarine samples today as well.  this for me will be the hardest decision…

 

anyway, here is a pic of an XZ550 from the German XZ site with a very similar fairing on it, in Daves favorite color:

 

Looks like ROV IS down this morning… GASP!

spruced up the guages before work today & added in an outside thermometer.