Chris - This project started as a 1982 XS650 Heritage Special, basically the only thing retained was the frame neck and front lower half of the frame, along with the engine of-course. This is a one off frame designed and built by us requiring hours of rolling and bending tubing to decide on the final look of the bike. The seat’s suspension system was also made from scratch along with almost everything else on this bike (also all done in-house).
We used a girder front end from “Spitfire Motorcycles” which required modifying the neck and adding our own brake mounts and machining custom wheel spacers from billet aluminum. Stock (rebuilt) XS calipers were used and the caliper mounts were cut and machined to fit in there new locations. Racing style rearsets were made to fit with hand made linkage and adapter plates, and rear master cylinder mount incorporated into the rearset.
We designed and made a 2 into 1 aluminum intake that works flawlessly, We hand made the fuel tanks to match the curve of the frame, and then mounted the tanks with no visible external mounts. After fitting the Pandemonium exhaust, we realized we needed to make some heat shields.. so i found an old Sportster exhaust lying around and decided to hack it up. Worked out great!
Had a friend do some leather tooling on the seat, and then we decided to make our own leather grips and battery bag. Although this bike doesn’t need a battery, we thought it wouldn’t hurt to put a small lithium battery in the bag.
The Bike has a PMA system with Sparx Capacitor, a Boyer ignition, a hydraulic clutch system, radial master cylinders on both the clutch and front brake. High performance engine and clutch parts throughout.
Everything aside from the engine is powdercoat – Bronze, Copper and Cream. Hence the name “Stout 33″ The color scheme was a pint of dark beer. This was meant to go fast, stop fast, sound great and resemble a 1920′s style boardtracker. It may not be everybody’s style, but then again… nothing is.
Complete build videos and pics are located on our website and our YouTube channel.
Chris Chappell
www.chappellcustoms.com
dang…..the last few bikes have kicked it up a notch on here…..rollin at a whole new level.
What was the cost of the carburetor ?
If your talking about the intake, i made it.. I’m in the middle of making more of them that will fit on the stock xs650 frame. I have one being tested right now on a stock frame and if the results are good then i will start to put them up for sale once i’m happy with them.
The price has not been set yet but we will definitely let everybody know when they will be available. Thanks!
-ChappellCustoms
Top 20 bike nice job
Nice! I like it….. It’s Old School
I am not a an of no rear fender, however I am a big fan of the board track look. This bike is beautiful! Great job on the frame, tank and basically everything.Clean, clean, clean!!
Lovin the handmade everything! Color scheme looks really good, and I love those pipes and heat shield! Keep up the top quality work!
It seems the builds on this site are getting better, cooler, nicer by the week.! A real wannahave this Stout 33. My compliments and thanx for the inspiration!
No kidding right?! Plus, it seems as if a few other sites and publications have taken notice as well. This site is seriously on some next level shit. You guys are killin it!
I echo the previous comments, and add my own: WOW.
Getting kind of upscale around here, isn’t it? Nice to see…
The intake is neato burrito. The seat is interesting too.
great work, beautiful bike
Yeowsa Chris. You’ve certainly stepped up the game.
I think its time that a vote goes out for the best XS650 of the year.
This babe would certainly make the pagent.
Very classy. Love the colors.
Pure ART!
Pat yourself on the back for all the professional work done here. Very nice job
is the rear wheel an xs rear wheel or something else
its a 19″ XS front wheel with Omars front to rear adapter kit.
Reading on the comments of other projects on this site I find most, supportive, enthusiastic and helpful but a constant wierdness with cost and quality. A segment of the builders/commenters seem to have a aversion to a ”refined” or ”high dollar” builds. If it isn’t built with a claw hammer, straight screw driver/chisel and a pair of vise grips it is too high end. WOW. I exaggerate but thats how it seems some times. I was compelled to write after reading on one post regarding costs of the parts on builds like yours. It is all design and labor for the majority, not money as is the case with our project. We work on mostly Harley based or full on customs. I have a friend working on a 650 at my shop and during the process of fabrication I had clients question why we would bother putting in the efforts with a cheap offshore motorcycle. This of course was due to ignorance and we will prove them wrong. All motorcycles deserve the best atempts when customizing. The elaphant in the room is that many who have the desire to alter bikes have little money, ability, talent, the tools and connections to do the job. The whole Bobber style allows/forgives builders to do terrible workmanship that is why it will alway be popular. Our project is on my w/site chopperworks.ca under the rigids page. Mike the owner/builder has invested no more than 3000.00, the exhaust was built from in ground stainless steel pool handles (free) labor, hours and hours.
The lines are sweet, I would love to see such a mount in my garage..
As I said before, pure art. Especially love the tank.
One question though, do you have any concerns regarding the strength of the tie in of the hardtail to the upper frame area? I wonder if more of a gentle 45′ angle going towards the seat post would be ultimately stiffer, than the 90′? Could you have a stress riser type situation on the back of the seat post where the tail is welded in? Up in Canada our roads are littered with frost heave cracks and I always cringed when I was on my hard tail hitting them. My back still feels them….
Beautiful job on the bike no matter what!
The seat is a copy and is NOT his idea, I designed that mechanism back in 2009. I had designed it for a Triumph that won the Rats Hole show in 2010. My build was featured in both The Horse Magazine Febuary 2011 or Barnett’s magazine Aprill 2011. People should use their own ideas or at the very least man up….
Never said anywhere we invented this idea, only that we built from scratch… the idea actually came from a bike called the “Swingshot” OH that bike actually came a few years before your bike 2007 i believe, so who should man up???
Listen I’m quiet a bit older than most in this industry and have had many seat engineering ideas. The one you COPIED is one of mine from the mid eighties. I’d send you pictures of some of them but I’d rather keep them close to the vest so that you don’t use them and say they’re your vision. You seem to have your finger on the pulse of what everyone else is doing, stop looking at evryone elses and use your on vision.
Cheers Slick
“I’d send you pictures of some of them but I’d rather keep them close to the vest so that you don’t use them and say they’re your vision. ”
HAHAHA – I’m sure that’s the reason..
Ross, first you say you designed that “mechanism” in 2009 and in your next post you came up with it in the mid 80′s, which is it.? CC never said they invented it and I doubt you did either. Anything you think you’ve done has probably been done in some form by somebody else at sometime. Just because it hasn’t made a magazine doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done before. I think your being very pretentious.
I designed the one that you COPIED almost to perfection, in 09.
I’ve had many variations because I don’like to do the same thing twice.
Ross, I can get how you feel but keep it in perspective. Did your seat design develop to a patent ? I never think I am the one with new ideas. As the saying goes, ” You want a new idea, read an old book”. Is it that upsetting to see a similar design? Feel complemented if you believe someone copied. The Stout 33 is well done(very well done). The concerns you have are to what end? Do all bike builders need to contact you to get your aproval, a stamp of certification before they make a part? I have always kept with a positive when commenting on this site. My w/site is chopperworks.ca and guess what I have copied as well.
“You want a new idea, read an old book”
Literally, builders were using the same or similar seat suspension in the 1930/40. Every single motorcycle ever built borrows ideas and parts “Copies” from previously designs motorcycles.
To; Cheppellcusoms, You are pros. In as far as keeping your cool with comments. You deserve all. I wish to Thank You on a beautiful job and feel free to take from me, I would be honored if you gleen from my fabrication. My w/site chopperworks.ca.
Thanks Johhny, and to all our other supporters on this and many other sites. Yeah we’d rather be building bikes than bickering with everybody who comments on stuff.
Happy Holidays to all!
-cc
BLAH-BLAH-BLAH Keep set’m on fire son!!!!
Use your own brain and be a thinker. it’s easy to “COPY”
Would somebody call Ross a whaaaahmbulance, what an injustice you’ve been dealt!!!! You should let it go man, although it’s obvious you can’t. Chappell Customs, once again congrats on a nice build. This will be my last reply regarding this build.
Turdherder…. that says it ‘ALL”
What size carb did you go to when you made the two into one intake? And do you sell those intakes
- 36mm mikuni – re-jetted and needle changed.
- This Intake will not fit a stock XS frame, although I am working on one for the stock XS, and will notify people on our website if and when they will be for sale. Thanks for the interest!
I`m gonna go blind if you guys keep turning out this sort of porn!