American Iron Garage – July-August 2019

44 • GARAGE BUILD • ISSUE 419

TECH SHEET

Owner: ............................ Matthew O’Connor

Builder: ...................Shane O’Connor, Reading, PA

Year/model: ................1982 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim

Time to build:............................Four months

Polisher: .............................Shane O’Connor

Painter:..............................Shane O’Connor

Color:................................. Charcoal gray

POWERPLANT

Engine .....................1982 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim

Displacement....................................650

Horsepower ................................... 72 hp

Torque .....................................42 ft-lbs.

Cylinders...................................63 x 52.4

Cams (make & lift)............... Stock dual overhead

Carb........................Quad with 6 sigma jet kit

Air cleaner ................................Pod filters

Exhaust...............................Straight piped

Ignition ...............................Transistorized

Charging system ..........Variable strength magnetic

Transmission ................. 1982 Yamaha five speed

Gears.. 1st 2.187, 2nd 1.500, 3rd 1.153, 4th 0.933, 5th 0.812

Clutch ................................Wet multiplate

Final drive..................................... Shaft

CHASSIS

Frame......................1982 Yamaha xj650 maxim

Front forks........................Air-assisted 26mm

Shocks.............................Stock, 11” lowered

Front brake..................Single disc with EBC pads

Rear brake .......................Drum with EBC pads

Front tire ................................ 100/90-19”

Rear tire ..................................120/90/18”

Rear fender ...................Modified trailer fender

Fender struts.................................Ridged

ACCESSORIES

Taillight .......................Lowbrow Customs with

...................... Lowbrow Customs marker light

Fuel tank....Lowbrow Customs 2-gallon Sportster tank

.............................with 2FastMoto. petcock

Handlebars: ...........................Custom Z-bars

Seat........... .Global Motorcycles gator print leather

Pegs....................................H-D Springer

License bracket..........................Aftermarket

Foot controls.........................Stock, modified

metal model, which he now refers to as
the “electrical tank.” This intriguing,
but apt name, came after he welded
some pipe to the caps to act as the wir-
ing harness. “I cut a hole in the top for
WKHKDUQHVVWRßWLQDQGPDGHDFRYHU
to bolt to that,” he says. To get that
“cool heat look,” he used a torch.
But the harness isn’t what makes
the tank. It’s the words sol y mar, which
mean sun and sea. “Those words
were on a sign I remember being at
my grandparents’ house as a kid,” he
explains. “My dad grew up there at the
beach and loves the ocean, so I wanted
to add a touch of something he loved to
his bike.”
He got those crucial words on there
by placing a locally made vinyl stencil
negative against the surface. Then he
used a rattle can to spray the paint.
And the color he chose was cream (you
know, what Shane’s dad wanted the
whole tank to be).

The bike didn’t rust naturally.

Instead of leaving the bike out in an

RSHQßHOGZKHUHLWFRXOGEHH[SRVHG

to the elements, Shane sanded some of

the paint down to the bare metal and

then applied his secret formula, which,

seeing as he shared it, isn’t so secret any

more: water, peroxide, and vinegar. For

the parts that can’t rust, he mixed some

brown textured paint and cinnamon.

Yes, delicious cinnamon. “That’s a trick

I got from an old builder awhile back,”

he explains. “It’s hard to tell the rust

isn’t authentic.”

During all this, Shane’s father

watched as the bike “came to life” and

eventually got it as an early Christmas

present. His only “change” was adding

a leather bag.

Though Shane’s dad still uses

the chromed-out Softail as his main

commute to and from work every day,

the Sol y Mar brat bike serves as his

ride to “bounce around” on during the

weekends. “My dad says that his Softail

LVOLNHDQHZ&DGLOODFOLNH\RXÖUHàRDW-

ing on a cloud,” Shane says. “And the

Yamaha, he says, is like a 1960s truck

that’s more rough on the ride.”

Maybe Shane should add “y caminos

en mal estado” to the tank...in cream-

colored lettering, of course. GB