orange crush

This was my first build, it’s a 1980 XS 650. I got the bike from my friends father in law for free so I figured if I cut it up and did not get it back together I wouldn’t be out much. Everything on this bike was fabricated or reworked by me, with a build time of about 1 year. I added 6 inches to the swing arm to give it a longer stance.

The tank is the original one that I sectioned the back and pulled it together and the front I sectioned and folded it down to make it a little shorter. The forward controls I made on my metal lathe. I fabricated the seat pan and I had a local upholstery shop cover it in vinyl for me.

I changed the rake and added 4 inch over legs on the front. The paint was done by a friend and I masked out the flames. This is a very fun bike to ride as you can see from the picture my kids love to ride the little chopper.

Mike Schwans