Billy Joe Fong’s- creamy ride
This XS is a creation of the Fong Bros and it belongs to (Billy Joe Fong) AKA Denis. It is probably not necessary to point out that the bike is by the Fong Bros as their style is definitely recognizable and this site is littered with their rides. You can see how-to-lace-a-wheel-from-scratch here which features the wheels that ended up on this ride. The Fong Bros like leaving in the center cross member with the foot controls/pegs which you can see in some of their other builds.
Denis actually sent some pictures of this bike in a couple weeks back but I was sitting on them until we could get some more shots. Denis- “It’s tough getting pics right now because there is still snow EVERYWHERE. In fact, I just (Sunday) dislocated my arm getting that bike off the truck because I slid on some ice as it was coming down the ramp..
Denis- “As for the white bike, It’s a 1982 xs650 special. It was a mail delivery bike for the Post Office in either Delaware or Pennsylvania but was only used for about 10,000 miles. The tail is a TC Bros tail that I made some very minor mods to. I was using Kansas Kustoms but I was able to get a good deal with TC Bros. From front to back, here’s what was done. The forks were done by hand. I used an angle grinder and a hand file to get rid of all the tabs and smooth them out, then polished them. They are also lowered 2.75 inches.
The front and rear wheels are 21 inch Ankront’s laced to the 650 hubs and have Trials tires..I usually don’t like to use shouldered wheels, but I wanted Fong Bros on the wheels and it was easy to do on the shoulder. I made the handlebars out of the stock bars and a pair of clip-ons. The gas tank is a high tunnel Wassel that did not fit well at all. I had to move the coil and cut part of the motormount off the top of the engine to get it to fit. It is silver leafed. There is a LaRosa polised seat. I pretty much just wanted it to look old.”
Mid-Atlantic Motorcycle Show Feb12-14
Denis- “xs650s that were at the Mid-Atlantic motorcycle Show. Two Fong Bros bikes – a before and after, as well as a shop Gentei bike with very Japanese styling. Also, check out Michelle Smith from American Thunder. One of those Wiley Fong Bros has hypnotized her to the xs side. Don’t forget to find the Fong Bros and many other great articles in Lowside magazine. www.lowsidesyn.com and check out the amazing Shop Gentei at www.shopgentei.com”
reverese clutch lever is sweet
ive watched the fongs for awhile now and though i liked some of the stylings i never liked all of them until now. this bike is perfect. id love to see a step by step on how you guys do those frames.
Very sick bike love it all as well as past fong bros bike!! suicide style!!
mods to hardtail?
I cheat on the Fong Bros all the time and look at other bikes, but keep coming back to their style. They keep getting better. It takes a long time to learn the lines and get the retro look, and these guys haven’t wasted a minute of their studies. I thought the old brown bike from a few years ago was the golden paradigm, but this one is even better.
Jesus I’m starting to sound like a real journalist.
Seriously folks, the Fongs have it nailed. Gotta be the best choppers of the XS, or way, way up their with the best.
nice bike for sure
In my opinion the best so far Denis !!! Great lines, XSellent colorchoise and tasty tires. Like the Wassell also (as always..)
Just great, congratssssss.
first Fong i’ve ever liked.
this bike is beautiful!
Love the bike. I’m waiting on a set of clip ons now for my bike. Did you make the inverted levers or did you buy them?
Oh yeah n what’s up with the bike you were raking??!!? Any up date pics for that thread?
Clutch lever is pretty sweet! Bike has a sweet stance and I really like the paint job.
Very sweet bike. I love the handlebars.
their sense of finish just keeps getting better.
This is dedinately my favorite bike from Fong bros very nice!
Thanks everyone. Very kind words indeed! To answer some questions:
The hardtail mods were very minimal – removed the tab on the dropout, had to fishmouth the tubing a little more at the top, and narrow and locate the seat support.
The clutch lever is an Ebay item – just look for inverted lever. They are sold in pairs or as an individual piece – pricey though.
The bike I am going to rake is just in my head for now. I had a clearance sale and got rid of 3 bikes last week. So for now I am looking for an xs.
I LOVE this bike! The color, the tank, the number, the wheels, the bars, the stance!!! I dig the Fong Bros builds. My only problem riding it would be that my knees would be pinned up to my ears. This bike is a total work of art. If you can’t ride it very far, just sit and stare at the damn thing. KILLER>
I like the fact there is a little bit of dirt on that rim shot, means you ride it!
hhhhhmmmmm…without a gascable and a petcock/fuelline???
definetly a cool bike .. way different than past builds (THIS ONE IS SHINEY ! ) i was a bidder on the “chopp junkie” bike but unforunatley got outbid … auction ended when i was @ work ….. damn ebay damn it all to hell ! lol
I mean no offense by this, so take it for what it is….
I’ve seen alot of the Fong Bro’s stuff, and always liked alot of the details, but the bikes, as a whole, didn’t “do it” for me.
THIS ONE however, is freakin gorgeous!
beautiful lookin rig for sure. nice job!
Metalhead can you email me at brigs1793@comast.net, had some frame questions for you
Another great build, glad to see you splash some color for a change.
That bike is saweet I love the tire and wheel combination I mean everything fits the bike just well
Damn what a BEAUTIFUL MOTORCYCLE!!!…What I am seeing is a Great Amount of Integrety and Backbone…-These guys do it thier own way if that’s what it takes…This bike re-explains MOTORCYCLES to people who have only ever seen plastic-sided outter space designs…people who dont understand anything except key-switches, starter-buttons, and monthly payments…
Bikes like this will keep Choppers out there for a long long long time yet to come…
@Hans There is a petcock and fuelline. The fuelline is on the other side, it’s hard to see in the pic. Watch your mailbox…
awsome and very clean bike!
Killer bike – for real!
Awesum build!! Everything just flows. Very retro, and lots of details.
Good job, Denis!!!
Absolutely sick! I just wondered, what are those tyres like on the road? What are they? They do look so good. Also, I wondered what size the headlamp is?
Great work. Inspiring
This bike is flippin amazing! Dennis you are to XS650′s, like Falcon Motorcycles is to triumph. Love everything about it, great job
hey denis or tim,
im interested in possibly having you weld up 2 hardtails for me. shoot me an email when you get a chance: erklep@gmail.com
Really love every detail! Where did you get the numbers for your tank?
The numbers are silverleafed onto the tank. I made them. I printed a set of numbers on the computer, used them as a template to get the shape on the tank, and then did the silverleafing.
How did you mount the handlebars like that without having the bolts on top? What are they bolted to? Looks clean. Sweetest xs iv seen for a loooooong time.
The More I look at this Bike…- The More I Like It…
Justin, they’re clip-on bars that slide over the fork leg and have pinch bolts in the rear. You can see them in a few pictures.
Harry, thanks.
How do I get a hold of Dennis? I have a question for you(s). Got an email or phone number? I’m sure you don’t want it all over the net so here’s me email if your interested in helping me figure out how to lace a 64 heritage. Shedding333skin@AOL.com
that bike is sweet!!
this bike is pretty sweet. I like how you keeped the center cross member there