XS650 Chopper

Vehvis - This build started as I had a little extra time during summer (no I didn´t, that was a lie). I figured I´d finally build that big bang motor I had been planning for years. I had this chopper XS which some of you might remember the hippie-xs-from-finland and I was just gonna throw the big banger into that and call it done. Of course we all know it´s not that simple. It never is. I had almost completed the motor years ago, having put lots of good parts in it, and now it was just modifying the camshaft and putting it all together. Well, modifying a camshaft can be a real pain in the butt! Breaking the shaft in halves wasn´t that hard, but welding it back together isn´t quite as simple as it sounds. Having tried different approaches with tig welding, always ending up with bending and broken welds, I asked my friend Juice to weld it with a stick. A good pre- and after heating was needed, but the shaft proofed to be ok for welding. Only very minor bending occurred, and after balancing it was ready to be installed. I assembled the engine without any issues, and was ready to roll.

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PATS - The one thing I wish I had on this bike is studded tires for winter riding. Continue Reading →

Ken - This was a build I did in the winter of 11-12 and was a gift to my brother whom had served 22 years in the military. I co-worsted family and friends to help fund the build and as a way to say thank you for your time of service. Tom is the brother who got the bike and are two other brothers really help to pay the way. A special thanks to Donnie Blackwolf for lots of help and many of late nights. Continue Reading →

Griz - My first post was back in February 2012/02/homebuilt-budget-xs650 so I figured it was time for an update. While she wasn’t done by Spring, and isn’t done yet, she’s a few steps away from her maiden voyage. There just isn’t enough time to get the work done that we want to get done. My Dad and I held off on the foot clutch/hand-shift combo, again, due to lack of time to work on the bike. I plan on fabbing that up over winter when I’ll be tearing it down for paint and a motor rebuild anyways. Currently I’m really close to the $1000 budget and will be going over it a little for the sake of reliability. Still, not bad for a grand. Continue Reading →