Gary C. – The Money Pit…an ongoing project, was the name given to this bike by the previous owner who has ridden, broken, & repaired these machines for over 100,000 miles.
Bike started as an ’83 Heritage Special with a storied past. Stock machine that went through the Minton Mods phase as well as several rebuilt & modified engines including a Shell built racing engine at one time. Bike logged 23,000 miles in 20 months, parked in the garage only during winter. Engine came with a Shell #1 cam & a slapping piston.
Present engine was rebuilt 200 miles ago for a bobber project with all the goodies including a Megacycle street cam.
Frame’s been cut, ground, modified, tail loop shortened welded. Tank is a ’73 with years of scrapes, stories & patina. Forks slicked up & polished. 10 1/2” shocks, modified TC Bros battery & electrical box. Using the Banshee conversion charging system, Pamco ignition & Shorai lithium ion battery with kickstart only, got loads of storage under the fiberglass seat pan I molded. Rear fender is a fiberglass ribbed front custom HD fender.
Parts & inspiration came from the corners of my garage, swap meets & XS junkies, builders & fabricators from all around the world. Special thanks go to Scott at Ace Auto Trim for the leather seat cover.
Sharp looking
I’ve seen other scoots similar to yours but yours is really something special and I LOVE IT !!! Looks like a cross between Harley and Triumph.
Goddamn that is one beautiful bike. Bravo, man, Bravo.
-SJ
I just can’t get over the proportions on that thing. Perfect balance everywhere the eye looks. I’m printing this photo up and placing it over my monitor at work… sh!t I just noticed the head lamp… nice. Nicely done.
I’m impressed, one of the nicest stock modofications I’ve seen. Very basic, but looks clean, tough and original. I’d mimmick your build in a heartbeat. Two thumbs up.
P.S. I’m bookmarking this page should I decide not to hardtail mine.
The tank seat combo looks goes together well. nice build.
Great looking bike. Just amazes me how much you an change on these bikes, and get a different look each time.
I like how when you look at it from different angles, it appears that the color changes, and the upholstery looks different. Sweet bike.
I’ve gotta agree with the positive comments above, the proportions and lines of this bike read really nicely. The seat, rear gaurd, grab rail and rear shocks all work nicely together. Once again it is all about the detail. Ride Hard.
Great looking bike! Could use a pair of frisco bars though. Oh wait, that’s what I could use…
I may get another ’81-83 xs650 to copy this build…fingers crossed.
really like how it turned out. rear section looks very clean and proportions are good