Ju’s Bobber Project 01

How hard can it be? This project is my way of finding out while hopefully producing an eye catching ride. I opted for this XS as I wanted a parallel twin, it has electric start, it ran & cost £500. There’s no design plan so it will turn out as it happens dependant on what’s available & so far as is possible done by myself, friends & anyone of a benevolent nature.

So, first off was how to hard tail the frame without a jig; this was done by setting the ride height & welding the swing arm so it couldn’t move. Then using a hacksaw with shiney new blade start removing the unwanted bits. The swing arm tubes were cut away to allow the new axle plates to be bolted on & levelled while shortening the wheelbase 2″ so it’s now the same as an early Triumph (I think).

CDS tube is used for the new frame tubes, the upper tubes were bent using a home made bender consisting of bits of angle, tube, bottle jack & fire extinguisher cobbled together by my own fair hand. It took about four attempts to bend the tubes without flat spots on the inside of the bends.
The lower tubes were kept straight for ease & the joints reinforced with pins inside the tubes. This was all tacked in place & alignment checked. Satisfied all was straight, it was over to neighbour Glyn  who’s a welder by trade, handy that.

Next instalment comming soon.