[68grandprix]

That thing looks retarded.

 

[68grandprix]

I don't think I lack imagination...I built this out of an old XS650 that was cut in half.

Jimmy



Edited by - 68grandprix on Mar 26 2007 1:42:56 PM

Edited by - 68grandprix on Mar 26 2007 1:45:24 PM

 

[68grandprix]

I've got some pics of when I was building it, and a few more of when it was done. I'll scan them to my computer right now and post them (I didn't have a digital camera back when I was 19 in 2004, when I built it). It'll be a few minutes. Jimmy



Edited by - 68grandprix on Mar 26 2007 2:35:11 PM

 

[68grandprix]

I took an auto collision repair course at the local community college and fro my end of year project I decided to build this chopper. I already had an 82 XS (Heritage Special) that was my first bike, so I knew a little about them. This one was a 79. I was into chops because of all the biker build offs and monster garage, etc that were on TV then. The hardtail came with the bike, I just modified the frame to make it fit(I don't know what bike the hardtail was for, but it wasn't an exact fit at first).

The tank I got for free from my friend's dad. He had gotten mad and punched a big dent in the top of it. I pulled it out with a stud gun and painted it. I made the bars from the stock buckhorn bars. It's kinda funny, I realized they looked exactly like clubmans upside-down when I got into cafe bikes.

More to come in a bit. Jimmy

 

[68grandprix]

I used slugs in the top tubes, bent the rear downtubes in and fishmouthed them, and used batwing gussets on the bottom.

Here's the rolling chassis mocked-up

I used the stock rear fender. I just welded the license mount holes shut and painted it.

Then it got mounted low to the tire with custom struts.

 

[68grandprix]

The headlight is from an old tractor (some things in common?). My friend had it laying around his farm shop and I made a bracket an slapped it on so I could ride the bike around his house in the dark(I had just finished making the axle spacers an rear caliper mount, and was ready for the maiden voyage. The timing was off and the thing was shootin foot long flames out the open pipe. It was great). The bike had a hand shifter taht I made out of an old hurst shifter (free).

I was going to take off the front disc, and do a lot of other things, but I never got to finish it. I moved to Utah and sold the chop to a guy in Texas who I still occasionally talk to over the internet. He had a pretty badass new Bonneville cafe/streetfighter. This last pic was to prove to my autobody instructors that I got it running

Jimmy

 

[68grandprix]

In my defense, that's what was in at the time. What would you do with a $50 XS650 that was cut in half? I sold it for more than double what I had in it. Also, at the time I had an 82 XS Heritage Special, and I saw some pics of a cafe'd XS, and wanted to go that route with mine. I showed the cafe pics to kids in my collision class and they said it would be dumb to make my bike look like that. Well, now I've got a Cb750 that I'm building into an endurance racer replica, and no plans to hardtail it . Jimmy
P.S. Here's a pic of my old XS (unfortunately had to sell it to move back to Iowa-My first bike, bought for $200 and paintball gear when I was 18-That bike was the nicest thing I ever owned)