indian front end swap on xs650 question

i picked up what im told is a mid 50s indian/enfield front end with 21" spool wheel. its a 1" stem top and bottom and from what ive read this stem should swap in to stock xs2 neck by using tapered bearings like the ones for the dna springers on the stem and xs650 tapered bearing races in the neck.

anyone have any experience with this swap with the springer front ends on an xs650?

these are the bearings im planning on getting

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamah...ht_1078wt_1165

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/dna-s...#ht_2542wt_939


and here is a few pics of the front end

Thats a sweet front end. Just make sure the XS is as sweet, or you'll catch hell for it

Those kits should help out, if not, a few minutes on a lathe will get you going no problem.

Just make sure the stem isn't too long... Or you'll have to cut it down and rethread it or use long spacers....

Just to make sure, you can measure the OD of the bearing races and see if it will fit your frame neck. The ID is for the stem....

punkskalar - just eyeballing the stem looks around the same length. hoping im ok there.

ive also read through your pirate4x4 build of your bike. im considering hardtailing with the same method you used. i prefer the unstretched look but i wanted to ask you how tall you were?? im 6' 2" and can't decide whether to do it unstretched or try to give myself an extra inch or two. im leaning towards going for the 0" stretch.

I am 6' tall, with bad posture!

I fit the bike just fine, but I run rearset controls, and my bars are slightly forward of the trees.

Here is me and my scoot, I like to ride tucked into the wind, this was probably about 90 MPH, so they are a bit blurry...





My bike is actually shorter than stock as I De-Raked the frame and lowered the forks 3.75"


If you are gonna run traditionally mounted bars, I'd for for 1-2" stretch.... It will still be short and fun to throw around.

finally got around to sliding the front end in to see how it fits. the bearing conversion worked good. didn't have to modify much. but now the stem is just too short. anyone have any ideas what would be the easiest fix here? im thinking im gonna drive that stem out and go have it copied at a friends machine shop and make it about an inch longer on the threaded end. i thought of milling the top of the upper tree down but id like to leave it alone. any other ideas?

by the way if anyone was wondering im pretty sure this is a 1950 indian warrior front end.

sorry 2nd pic is so blurry, the stem is the smaller inside tube. the outer threaded piece is just a sleeve

i have no advice to add to this thread...
other than to tell you that front end is tits and i like it.
keep it up man, gonna look rad.

Could do a few things:

Take some meat out of the upper tree.

See if you can lower the bearings on the lower tree at all.

Machine the steering neck to hold the upper bearing lower

Just do the original plan. Don't make it too complicated. the first idea is usually the best

I would have thought changing the stem over is the easiest way to do it, you just want to get it true when you put it back together.

Yeah take the xs650 stem and install it in the enfield tree.

taking it down to the shop hopefully this week. have a couple ideas how i can do it. i'll post again once i modify it.