1983 xt600z streettracker project

[black8driver]

hi peops..
i am starting my xt600 flattracker/streettracker project soon amongst my other projects..
so firstly...



this is how i got it..
i love xt600's early ones that is..
riden loads and always wanted one.. now ive got one..
got this from a mate..
and other than locking it up in my garden and insuring it ive done nothing with it...

till now...
i decided that as the weather is good and ive missed riding for a good few months i will get on and get this mot'd and ride the damn thing!!

so today i buy a rear light and horn both things its missing..
not the bits that will stay on the bike as first priority is to get it legal and use it..
when i know its reliable i will start the conversion to streetracker..

today i fitted a generic 10 quid rubber mounted rear enduro light and wired it up..
cleaned the plug. checked oil, cut back the ht lead, drained carbs, and fired it up....

sounds good even with old crappy fuel..!
i removed the usty and bent std handlebars and fitted a good second hand set of renthals..
and removed tye battery topped it up and put it on my optimate charger for until i can work on the bike again friday evening..

ok so i havent got any electrics working appart from the rear brake light...
but im hopefull..
well ive booked in the mot for sat 12pm.. so hopefully i will get it done ;D
ive got to work tomorrow so next time i can spend some time on it is maybe a few hours friday eve then sat morning before the mot...!!

only have to get then front high and low beam working and the front and rear sidelight.. fit a horn and get it working..
change the silencer. change the rear tyre.. fit the numberplate..
hopefully thats enough for a new mot..

after a few rides and commutes i will start ordering the stuff i need to convert to the bike i want it to be..

si

[twoblackcats]

Nice, I like old thumpers and these are one of the best. I've got a seat and tail unit of a TT600 if they are any use to you? Good luck with the ticket.

[davytelford]

flat trackers are full of win for me check this out

www.retrobikes.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=337

[cossackman]

This is one project I can't wait to see done. Hopefully, it'll tick all my boxes....
1. Nothing on it that doesn't need to be on it
2. Starting with a bike that's already fun to ride
3. Cheap to build, run and insure

[black8driver]

ok a little update..

i got this now mot'd and taxed and on the road..
nothing much done to it i dont want to miss another sumer on a bike so it will be modded little by littlew whilst i use it as much as possible too..

so for now it gets a new cheapy enduro rubber back light and a new horn.
a bit of wiring here and there. some new electrical conections and a battery charge see's all the electrics working as they should..

u swap the bent and rusty bars for a pair of old renthols i have laying around..
with a bit of a resto on the rear number plate (painting back in the letters..)
a chain adjust and lube.
adjust the headstock bearings and tighten the top yoke..
and squirt some foam in the rear tyre to temp hold it up wilst i take it for a run to the mot station...

yes....
PASS...!!

well pleased..
when im there iu buy a tube and some (not much better than a pair of old spoons) tyre levers..
and the rear tyre gets replaced with the second hand sahara tyre i have for it..


ok so it looks to me shonky in white with a red and rust frame so a few cans of matt black and an old tee shirt to cover the seat.. it looks much meaner!!

i also try a quick lizard skin paint affect but due to not preparing the bike before i lace on the matt black and not having the patients to let it dry first.. AND, putting the blue on a bit wet instead of many light coats..
it is an epic fail.. but no bother.

everything will be changed eventually anyway so any paint now is only a very temp stop gap..

will post some pics soon.



oh yeah and the ride...
well i love it!!
with road gearing its great.. ok not fast by any means but safe and easy to have plenty of fun on..

and the sound of a loud 600cc single upsetting people through chedder gorge on a nice sunny day is something that made my day...

cant wait to get that reverse shorty megaphone on!!!!

si

[andynavigator]

Love the old Xt's! had a couple myself.
My last was an 660 Tenere 3yf,great bike.

Have you thought about something like this?





Andy

[black8driver]

ok so i have got some pics of when i painted it and the failed lizard skin effect that i have now painted over:
thus....


sides of tank you can see the orig decals showing through..

and the mudgaurd.. that turned out a little better..


but i didnt like it so it quickly became "evil xt"



a more recent update below...

si

[black8driver]

a bike tank about for sale (as he races twinshock and old british motorcross and trials bikes im thinking maybe aluminium?)ive been enjoying the bike as much as i can and other than a few very small issues (a temporary fuel link pipe that colapsed and an ever bending side stand )
its been very good..
it rides quite nice and is loads of fun..

so i start the task of streettracker-ing it ....

so ebay and a bottle of wine later (plus a few days)
and the harley xr flattrack seat arrives..
i still havent a suitable tank yet.. i know sort of what shape i want but none are cheaply available so i play the waitig game..

i asked a mate and he points me towards his dad.. i ask if he has

but he has nothing...
except a sr500 tank he tells me....

ok i take it because its free and maybe too big but its the shape i wanted

some peliminary pics...

std


an xt with its clothes off..


seat sat on..

and tank and seat..



ok so the tank maybe still too big but its doesnt look too bad..
rear needs cutting down..

si

[black8driver]

last update so far is from yesterday..
I went up a mate steves house and asked if I could fit my silencer as I wanted to change its sound..

ok so one thing led to another and before I know it ive taken things a bit far for just a quick silencer change...

ok first I reshape and weld up the sidestand pivot as its very streatched and bent to the point of falling off!
as I'm doing this steve ask's if he can help so he starts removing the retrictive "airbox from hell!"
ok so far so good..
he then removes the silencer and we look at different angles to mount the silencer..

but however hard I try it just dosent look right ....

so out with the cutting discs and before I think about it too much I remove the rear lights and cut any rear subframe out of the way to get the rear shorter how I want it...
I even attack the std seat with a woodsaw to shorten also..



but its no use I need to get the flattrack seat on it..

so I get a quick lift home to collect the seat/tank/seat foam/ and a pair of bellmouths for the intake while I'm there

we spend the rest of the day cutting verious superfluous brackets off making new ones and shaping the underside of the tank.
and before we know it we have a tank and seat unit fitted..
using the rear light that was on it re attached.
the main thing left was to get that silencer int position..

and I also remove the front mudgaurd while I'm at it..

behold stage one mods complete..




ok so there is still a lot to do..
you have to squint at the pics and imagine the chrome pullback bars. the chrome bates type headlamp and polished rims and all lots of other bits and bobs like new ally oil tank etc.. well loads of stuff yet..



its deffo work in progress..
I'm still not 100 certain on the tank yet.. I still think its a bit long but it fits good and has a decent capacity unlike most flattrackers...


but I think its starting to get there...


si

[wrighty]

Yeah liking the look of it now with seat and tank fitted.
The exhaust looks good too.

[jawathemutt]

sweet looking already keep going with it:)

[davytelford]

looking good i think matt black goes with everything