The tank and front mudguard look great and the brake looks like a success, well done. If you are going to chop the rear end you will need to build a jig first to ensure everything ends up square, I had to do this when I hard tailed a Harley a few years ago. The rear end is quite ugly but I would leave the shock mounts and cut behind them for simplicity then weld in a frame loop and close off the remaining 'box' section. This shouldn't compromise any strength in the rear end.
Coming along well, but bear in mind, if you increase the travel of the swinging arm, that you need to keep the midpoint of the range in the same place (front sprocket, swinging arm pivot and rear wheel spindle all in line) because of chain tension. The further it moves from the centre point, the slacker the chain will become, so you can't go too extreme without risking losing the chain on the jumps.
Coming along nicely Ryan, if you lengthen the rear shocks it will steepen the fork angle. I'd suggest you use some dowel or tube with holes to test fit as a dummy shock & you can then check how it looks & what length works best. As for cutting up the rear sub frame, think carefully before you reach for the hacksaw 😁
that tank looks really good, dont forget the chain if you start looking at longer shocks the chain running on top of the swinging arm could be too extreme, suppose you could add a larger rear sprocket but that will change or shorten gearing ratio making it great as a scrambler but could make it rubbish on the road, chopping and moving back end sounds a good plan but try the shocks first that will denote how much travel is needed, you may be able to leave shocks in current place and do any chopping after the shock mount,, all best
Rick has already mentioned the chain and suspension so i dont need to. The front end looks great, having had an xl250 from 1976 i am biased of course. I think the tank is maybe too big for this type of scrambler , thats just me looking at the tv, not stood beside it. Its a lovely classic tank but these type of bikes generally have smaller tanks. Just my opinion, which is, in the words of Thom York "of no consequence at all!" You know i love to see whatever you do. Absolutely riveting watching your progress Ryan. Peace and love brother as always ✌️ ❤️ 🤗 edit, Thom Yorke. not York. ...doh!
Thank you for staying with me through my build. I suspect I'll change things around a bit before the end result. I think the tank is okay,, if i can sort it out.
well done, dont forget to fit the tank flap to keep mud away from the filler cap and have you thought about chopping the frame and making a custom rear mudguard to give more clearance ?
Thanks Pete. I do still have the tank flap, so will be sure to use it when I get that far. I'm still playing with ideas for the back end, but if I can increase the range of movement (even a modest amount) I think it will help.
Are you sure of the front fender? I have XJ750 project that I'm converting to scramblerish style. I tested motocross fender from 125cc and it looks too big. Then I got tip that I could test out smaller tire motocross front fender and I think it looks better, at least to my eye. :) those are bit smaller and are not so long to front. Another idea is to mock up steel fender to front.... :) Keep up the good work!
