Budget Update

Well, It's Christmas time and I'll be spending less time with the bike and more with the family. So in lieu of a fancy photo or a bunch of technical crap, here's how the numbers are lining up...

After the bike, rims, steel, etc... I'm currently $177.00 under budget. Of course, that could easily get chewed up if the motor has something wrong with it...

The Rims, The Rims...

Ok, by now you've probably noticed the rims are not the same. Good eye! During some down-time, I went over to A&A again and looked around the back field and found some original wire spoke Akront rims. I brought those bad boys back to the shop and after a little media blasting, steel wool, and some gloss black paint, this is what I got.

Now I just need to get some new rubber wrapped around 'em. I'm seriously thinking of getting some FAT white walls to set off the whole "old school" theme of the bike. Now I just need to polish the hubs.

Hardtail Begins

Ok, I put the swingarm and rear tire back on and using a stringline, a piece of conduit, and a level I made sure the back wheel was square to the frame. I found some 1 1/4 O.D. DOM tubing on the internet (I couldn't find it locally) and once I had my measurements, took it to a machine shop for bending. Tacked in place, the bike is really starting to take shape.

The swing arm

Ok, the most critical part of this build is the stretching and lowering of the whole bike...one mistake and it won't track right and will be VERY dangerous on the road.

For this I transported things to my shop, cut the swingarm and extended it 4 1/2 inches...

The purpose of the stended swingarm is to act as a sort of "standing jig" for the hardtail build. Once done, the swingarm will be cut off and trashed.

...and now the cutting

Alright, here's a pic of the cut off rear seat/fender support...trust me I know where this is headed.

Budget That Mother!!

I've allowed myself a limited dollar amount and time...money, for obviuos reasons; time because the Okie Twist-Off will coming around again in August. I want plenty of time to work out the bugs before taking on THAT show.

I've done up a budget in Excel and came up with a total of $1450.00...whew!!

The frame/motor/forks combo currently has me on budget.
We'll see how that goes...things DO crop up!

The Tear Down

Ok, i've gotten everything off the bike. All bolts, nuts, and other small items are bagged and tagged.

And the Winner is...

Ok, I found the bike I'm gonna use. I picked it up today for $300 from A&A Cycle here in Oklahoma City. "Mouse" over there is a good guy...give him a call if you need any old Japanese bike part.

The basis for this build is a 1978 XS650. I like the stock rake and the fact that it sports a big twin-cylinder 650cc motor. They are easy to work on and there is a good aftermarket for them too. I traded out the motor for one that is a year earlier (points ignition rather than CDI...I like points, but thats just me.)

The Grand Idea

Ok, maybe not GRAND...but for me it's gonna be cool enough. The Greaser in me won't let me sit too long without some sort of project to work on so with winter coming on, I really want to build an old school bobber. But, I AM a dad and a regular working joe, so money can be tight. The challenge here is to build something unique and eyecatching, powerful, and CHEAP!

Older Harleys and Triumphs can really hit you in the wallet fast...besides I don't have much experience with them. Any minor hickup in a build like this could easily set me back weeks and hundreds of dollars.

After looking around the net, I ran across a bunch of guys (and a few gals) who are building some nice rides out of older Japanese motorcycles. Having far more experience with Suzuki than with BSA, I think I'll give it a go too.