Ardcore's DIY hardtail..

ardcorechoppers

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DO IT YOURSELF XS650 HARDTAIL KIT
Introducing the latest product from Ardcore Choppers for the garage builder.

the ARDTAIL!
After YEARS of getting requests for a DIY hardtail with the killer lines and quality we are known for here it is. We have listened to the issues the average home builder has with the installation of other kits and working with some friends of ours in the industry we have developed and are offering the easiest to install XS650 hardtail kit on the planet, PERIOD!!!!! Not confident in your welding skills on something as structurally important as your frame? NO PROBLEM! You could literally epoxy this kit on with no worries! Of course we do not recommend this but you get the point.
When we set out to do a DIY hardtail kit the three main problems/improvements we repeatedly heard and felt could be improved upon was first making the hardtail easy to square up with the front frame section. To address this our design is a no brainer utilizing slugs and triangulation. Since we are using the engine as a jig and the stock back bone to positively locate the hardtail in addition to the factory lower engine rails its as simple as making 3 cuts, then remove the old frame section and slide the new rear section into place! Second was the amount of time spent cleaning up your stock backbone. Cutting and removing your old seat rails, the factory sleeved gusset and lower battery tray rails in addition to finishing the backbone after surgery was very time consuming. THIS KIT ELIMINATES ALL OF THAT! And lastly was the possibility of grinding/cutting into your backbone to deep when removing the factory rails causing a weak spot. THIS KIT ELIMINATES THAT POSSIBILITY! Each kit comes with detailed step by step instructions.

If you can read a measuring tape, cut 3 decent straight lines and weld two pieces of metal together you can install this kit in a couple of hours!

Each hard tail is jig built based off a STRAIGHT stock frame and engine meaning when you go to install the kit it's going to fit (provided your stock frame is straight). As with all of our products each kit is heliarc (TIG) welded, NOT MIG WELDED for great looks and superior structural integrity. You have to wonder why most racing organizations and the Aerospace industry either recommend or mandate TIG welding on structural components! After that statement, how and why can we offer a kit that can be MIG welded? First, our kit is designed so the welds you do at installation basically just keep it from slipping apart. Even if your welds fail our design incorporates the engine and rear mount as a fail safe. And most importantly we understand not everyone has access to a TIG welder or the welding experience to use it correctly. With our kit all the structural (critical) welds are done for you as the main stresses are carried on and in our welds. We could go on and on about what sets ours apart but since WE ARE and HAVE BEEN at the forefront of the modern XS movement do we really need to?

Our intent was to have 10 of these on the shelf ready to go when we announced the release. Word leaked out and the first ones are gone so expect a 2-3 week turnaround. Cost is $325.00 with $40.00 shipping. Granted a little more expensive than the others, but to us the ease of installation and time saved is well worth it. Remember quality isn't expensive it's priceless.

diyhardtail114.jpg

diyhardtail075.jpg
 
Awesome, finally everyone can get that kick ass ardcore look and don't have send out the frame. I love the way you go all the way up to the motor mounts too. You should have put these out 3 years ago. U would have sold a shit ton of them. Nice work
 
Question ,,, is there a lower engine mount that goes on the down tube as well or is only the upper one used on the down tube of the back bone???

diyhardtail075.jpg


Thank You

WK2
 
As with everything we build we like to leave atleast one of the motor mounts out just to keep you guys guessing..
But to answer your question,no there is no lower rear mount.
 
Thank You for the timely response and I will be saving my shiny pennies so that I may purchase one to help complete my project... Looks like I need to add a lower engine mount to my fabrication list :p

Thank You again and take it easy :D

WK2
 
O.k. boys and girls let me address some of the questions we have been getting.
There is no lower rear engine mount. Lets be realistic, the original XS650 mounts are basically overkill as they use 5 mounting locations. On our ridgid frames we only use 3 and have hundreds and hundreds of these frames running around all over the world with no known failures. If a builder was not confident he could easily add one. Just for thought, a H-D V-twin only uses 3 mounts and most all of your jap bikes only use 4.

Stretch and drop- They are a standard 4" stretch with a 2" drop in the seat. We can change this but keep in mind altering these dimensions changes the angle of the seat rails from the backbone to the axle plates. Thats one of the things that most customers like about our hardtails and frames is the lines seem to flow a little better with the backbone.

Axle adjusters- Ours use a push system (pretty standard on most ridgids). You can use your stock axle and basically just add a spacer on the outside of the axle plates the bolt pushes against.

As always let me know if you have any questions and we'll help as best we can.
Thanks,
Jon Ard
ArdcoreChoppers.com

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Jon did mine and I couldn't be happier. Ardcore not only does superior work, they are also the most down to earth, laid back guys. Jon and Carl have went above and beyond to help me out. They take the time to answer my questions and have the knowledge to back it up. Thanks again!!
 
This is the hardtail that the XS650 crowd deserves! Proper fit, great looks, and no more worries about the installed "grinding" the frame to death where the oem tubes are removed. Very impressed with the Ardcore folks work!
 
I gotta say that the Ardcore frame does definitively have the right look!!! Jon does his home work and he has the (EYE) to make it look right, My last build was fricken awesome, I only rode it for 2 weeks before I got some stupid money offered. now I am on frame two. If you need a good starting point the frame is the most important first step.
 
Looks like the lower frame rails are sitting around 5" or 5-1/2". Do you make these with a lower ride height? Say like 3-1/2 - 4 ?

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