Rigid Frame is Done!!

HamBone Dropped off the SWEEEETTTEST surprise last night. My XS Frame. All welded up and looking FUCKING KiCk aSS! Stay tuned for pics. bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike bike

Can you tell how stoked I am?

Evolution of a 650

I'm trying to get my head around the evolution of a custom bike. Although I'm stoked to get this XS650 rigid project finally under way. I can't help but feel a bit sad to see the current incarnation of the bike, go. Day one looked like this


and by the end of the summer I had this. I went for a run on Saturday with the old girl and shot some lasting pics of her current look.


I do like the idea of an ever evolving project. A bike that can have many lives and looks. Even the fact that the old girls already have parts from about 5 different bikes makes me smile. Don't know how many lives this XS has had, but based on the layers of paint and mixed serials I'm guessing she saw a few before I got my hands on'er. It'd be a shame to stop now.

Waskesiu 2008

Thought I'd post last year's Waskesiu trip pics as the conversation surrounding this years trip are in the works.

September 5th 2008

A little late in the season, but the 650 was finally road worth and needed a test run. Du Keeps and I set a date and crossed off the days. September 4th I started the 650 in the morning to go to work and it ran like shit. Bogging out, cacking and coughing like the weezing of angels smoking camels. Got on the forums and started posting my drama. Left work early that day and began dismantling the carbs. By 10pm that night we were back in action. Thanks again to the fella's at XS650 Garage USA. These guys a freekin amazing!!! I owe my entire 650 experience and part of my 360 build to them.




Shortly after Kip's hatchet let loose, bounced off the highway and flew over my head and turfed itself in the woods. We went back and searched the area. Kip off-roaded his 1100 shadow and found it on the second or third pass.


Cruised around for the rest of the day once we arrived in Prince Albert National Park taking advantage of the narrow winding forest roads.

Beach to beach to beach.

The 650 with the biggest toolbag you've ever seen on a bike. Kip laughed his ass off when he heard that the big green sack hangin off my bike was all tools multi-meter included.


Got some dinner going and paid some Chinese restaurant a million dollars for a case of beer and a pack of colts.

September 6th. Nearly there. At the junction just before Christopher Lake the 650 died. Just as I let the RPM's down coming into the crossroads the engine quit. I knew I should have charged it last night. The plan was to push the bike into the men's room at the camp site and plug in the trickle charger to the shaving plug. But by the time we got to bed it was 3am and I was in no mood to push a bike through heavily rooted woods.


Kip rode my batery into town and then came back for me. We spent an hour or so in a little diner eating fries and chatting with locals. Kip wasn't laughing about the tool bag anymore.


View Waskesiu 2008 in a larger map

TX650A Long Road

So with the '77 in the driveway and the XS360 rebuilt the '74 came apart. Sooo many problems. Where do I start. A drop in power (starving sputtering death) at 3grand is the biggest issue. I tried about a million things. Set the points and timing, bought a second petcock (one was missing and plugged) changed the fuel lines, cleaned the carbs (twice), replaced the manifolds on carbs, set the mixture to spec, changed the pipes to closer to stock mufflers. Still crapped out at 3 large. Someone at XS650 Garage suggested, pull the K&N "style" pod air filters off and go for a ride. Holy Crap it was the "performance" filters. Hunted throught the boxes of spares, found the original Yammy airboxes, bought new seals and foam and she's gold.

Still having problems with the charging system. Need time to go through Curly's troubleshooting guide.


Ended up changing the exhaust out from front to back due to a wierd dual layer dump from the original one piece exhaust system. It was causing strange back pressure and backfiring and loud leakiness from the drain holes. New single layer dumps made a big difference.


After a trip to Waskesiu the chain was droooopy. Changed it out and did the sprockets too.

Franken TX650A

While the Black Sparrow was getting it's top end rebuilt at the Tiny Garage Rod Shop, a buddy lent me this '77 XS650 to get around on. Thus began my love affair with the XS650. This thing was awesome. Although the picture makes the bike look like it's in better shape than it really was, it did have Norton pipe that made a wicked brit bark. Although not real pretty it ran like a dream, other than the electric start, but real men kick.

My Uncle picked this Frankenstein from his brother. It's a '74 TX650A (XS650 every other year) with a '78 SE engine. Battery covers from a special, homemade straight pipes with a scary weld on cut off OEM dumps. The two stage seat was an attempt to update the bike in the '80's as were the mirrors and wide/tall tires. The worst "custom feature" on the bike was the silver hand painted, with a brush, gas tank. Yikes! This patchwork came to me "running" on the back of a trailer with two boxes of parts (never a good sign) and cost me $63.74. The price of gas and a set of fresh plugs.

Here's an original TX Ad from '74.

Here's the Frankenbike today. Nearly all restored.