chappe

Okay, so i picked this Vulcan not too long ago. The bike i believe is a 89 EN 450.. It was advertised as an EN500 but i dont thing they made a 500 until 1990.

Anyhow, i am trying to build a cheap bobber. Let me emphasize on CHEAP..

So far this is what i've got.

The day i brought it home


Next day i started taking a few things apart


At this point the bike is about to be de-baffled. The shocks came off and i took 3 coils off of each one of them. and painted them.


Here the shocks are back on , i also sprayed the engine a little as well as the belt guard and a few bits.


I already bought a solo seat i should be getting in the mail in about a week or so.

The plans with the bike are as follows.. (and this is where i need some help answering a few questions)

-Install seat, tail light and the rest if the bs that goes back there.
-Re-Spray wheels and more bits on the bike
-Remove front end to change fork oil and leaking seal.
- 12" Ape Hangers

My questions so far are.
-Does anyone know the diameter for the stock bar on these bikes?
-Where could i order a longer break line?

and this is kind of a guess for anyone really.
Okay so the stock bar raises 8". if i get the 12" Ape Hangers, do you think i'll really need to get another clutch and throttle cables... From what it looks, they both have enough slck on them right now to still have some slack if stretched 4 more inches... bleh, i guess this isnt a good question, i'll just have to try it.

Any suggestions and opinions are welcome..

Cyanide Jello

Needs more low and....RUST

chappe

i would go more low but then it'd bottom out all the time..

chappe

ohh i just found out that the bike is a EN 454 LTD... And not a 500... lol

Cyanide Jello

Refer to quote in sig please...

skr00zloose

stock bars are 7/8". If you want GOOD 7/8 apes, go thru TCBros (same as what I have on my new build) (about 50 bucks). If you want CHEAP 7/8 apes, well, use bicycle handlebars (about 20 bucks). They're just not as thick walled as "real" motorcycle bars, so they flex. 12" isn't real high, so they won't flex much. you could probably get away with stock cables/lines with some clever re-routing.

I'd pull some length out of the forks if it were mine. Then again, if it were mine I'd be hacking the back half of that frame off and building from scratch. you'd have to go REEEAL low before you start bottoming out. My old bike has 2.5" of ground clearance, on a good day, and I never had any problems with it. Just don't think you're gonna hop curbs

If you're gonna keep the shocks and whatnot, google "bratstyle". I'm sure you can find all sorts of ideas.

haven't seen one of those bikes in a looooong time. Forgot they are belt driven. Not something you see often on a jap bike!

chappe

haha... thanks a lot skr00z!!!

I'm ordering the black ape hangers from tc bros as i type this ... I am gonna lower the front about 2-3 inches, maybe more.. I'd also like to get the rear even lower, i just wanna try this out and if it doesnt bottom out too often then i'll go ahead the take another coil off. . .

So i guess you got rid of your XS skr00z... What do ya have now?.. When i left VA you were working on another one for your GF or something like that, right?

skr00zloose

let me start by saying... fuck that girl...lol... she split 3 days before xmas and my b-day. yes, I am a little bitter I sold her bike for $500 a few weeks ago.

I have another XS project in the works, there's pics of it somewhere 'round here. I have another project lined up, but no one is gonna see that one till it's finished, which might be a while. (it's not a "chopper")

aaaanyway, if you want to lower the rear, but still have some decent suspension, get a set of suzuki savage or honda rebel shocks, they're quite a bit shorter than most anything else out there. I wouldn't lower the front more than 2" (internally) if you actually want suspension. I just took out a lil over 3" on my XS forks, so now I have about 1/2" of suspension travel, lol. I'm used to riding bikes with little to no suspension , so it doesn't bother me. Most people wouldn't like it though.

chappe

lol.. i agree

chappe

i actually dont mind the rear being super hard.. I just dont think it'd be safe to ride around bottoming out every corner... Other than that it should be find.. I will look into those shocks you told me, and cut their springs.

As far as the front goes, my plan is to just slide the forks up the triples..