Yamaha XS400 bobber rewire with custom parts

Dave had bought the XS as part of a job lot of other bikes, and cobbled it together as a short-hop ride. He’d ridden it a bit, but he wanted it to run reliably. He was also keen to take advantage of the RR fabrication service. The battery box was damaged, the tail light was no good, it needed a horn and speedo, and there was no mounting for indicators, ignition box, flasher unit and ignition switch, and no front mudguard or switchgear.

The solution to most of these problems was Scott the fabricator next door. Have a look at the pics: he did a beautiful job. While he was at it we tried some riser handlebars and a higher headlight position. Dave agreed they suited the bike better.

Once all the components were in place, we could get on with the loom. It was quite a big job: with bikes as old and neglected as this, all the original parts need refurbing. The Piranha ignition box was a mass of frayed wires. Even the front brake light switch needed stripping and rebuilding. Dave chose Lucas replica switchgear, a Vincent replica tail light, LED indicators, and a three-position ignition switch to allow the bike to run with the lights on or off. The best bit is a Daytona Velona Dark speedo, which is clear glass until you switch the bike on. Then you get speed, trip and rpm in turquoise. Check it out on the Digital Speedos website.

As we waved goodbye to the XS it still needed a few details finishing off: a fork rebuild, a filler cap, some grips and maybe a bit more seat padding. But it’s already a unique bike with some choice custom parts.