Let's See The XS's

[Tim of DO THE TON]

Had to come back and post another more flattering pic of my bike

 

[bloodthirstysystem]

 

[slipshot]

that's what i call a clean looking bob. nice work..

 

[teamkandy]

Here is my tracker. I took a picture at an old Closed gas station. When I was ridding the back roads Yesterday. Look at the gas pumps not sure I have ever seen a filling station of this brand.

 

[Hoperator]

This page is pure fire!

 

[Yourboychrisc]

in case anybody is wondering...THIS is a quintensetial example of a Brtatstyle style bike. yes i'm beating that drum. I'd hate to see this style bastardized where it includes everybodies own interpretation of Bratstyle's already glorious interpretation of the motorcycle. if you want to do something different then call it something other than Bratstyle.


so you know, yourboychrisc, this is not directed at you. i just used you oustanding work as an sample pic.

OK, I hate to open this back up but I just saw this...

I agree with the above statement for the most part, people are making all sorts of bastardized bikes and calling them brats. I took most of my inspiration from Bratstyle in Tokyo after visiting their shop while on tour with my band earlier this year, I also took some from Wrenchmonkees. The thing is, that Bratstyle's bikes have two basic looks. They do a kind of trackerish looking bike, similar to mine, and bobber with suspension such as this:

And then they do things that are kind of inbetween:

It's hard to label various styles and it seems like whenever someone builds something thats not a bobber, cafe or tracker, they just call it a brat. I guess it's just a classification that was born out of necessity. It does kind of grind my gears when i see an ugly softtail bobber with terrible stance being labeled a brat though...

Anyway, thanks for all the kind words about my bike. It's been a blast building and i've been riding and beating the hell out of it. A lot of people have been asking about the seat. I may start making a kit soon that includes a fully upholstered seat with built in mounts and brackets to weld on to the frame. Anybody interested in that kind of thing?

 

[Lester]

OK, I hate to open this back up but I just saw this...

I agree with the above statement for the most part, people are making all sorts of bastardized bikes and calling them brats. I took most of my inspiration from Bratstyle in Tokyo after visiting their shop while on tour with my band earlier this year, I also took some from Wrenchmonkees. The thing is, that Bratstyle's bikes have two basic looks. They do a kind of trackerish looking bike, similar to mine, and bobber with suspension such as this:



And then they do things that are kind of inbetween:


It's hard to label various styles and it seems like whenever someone builds something thats not a bobber, cafe or tracker, they just call it a brat. I guess it's just a classification that was born out of necessity. It does kind of grind my gears when i see an ugly softtail bobber with terrible stance being labeled a brat though...

Anyway, thanks for all the kind words about my bike. It's been a blast building and i've been riding and beating the hell out of it. A lot of people have been asking about the seat. I may start making a kit soon that includes a fully upholstered seat with built in mounts and brackets to weld on to the frame. Anybody interested in that kind of thing?

Either way you look at it ugly or not, a bike with extended forks will be called a chopper, a ridgid bike with a short rear fender and no front fender will be called a bobber. Well to me a swingarm bobber or a bobber looking tracker falls under the category BRAT... personally I prefer the bobber looking ones. Now the unfinished crap of an angle grinder "build" where absolutly everything is rattel can flat black is more RAT than brat yes. And I am sure the term is misused quite often BUT there are no rules to peoples taste and I am sure the Tokyo boys are thrilled to have a certain style named after them.... even though they are derivations from the "origianl" bike.
As I have stated before.... Do we all want to be building the same bike ? ? ?
I like to see what people come up with and how they interpret the different styles and combine them.... which is really what the brat boys did (do) and made it look good.

 

[Dorzok]

Either way you look at it ugly or not, a bike with extended forks will be called a chopper, a ridgid bike with a short rear fender and no front fender will be called a bobber. Well to me a swingarm bobber or a bobber looking tracker falls under the category BRAT... personally I prefer the bobber looking ones. Now the unfinished crap of an angle grinder "build" where absolutly everything is rattel can flat black is more RAT than brat yes. And I am sure the term is misused quite often BUT there are no rules to peoples taste and I am sure the Tokyo boys are thrilled to have a certain style named after them.... even though they are derivations from the "origianl" bike.
As I have stated before.... Do we all want to be building the same bike ? ? ?
I like to see what people come up with and how they interpret the different styles and combine them.... which is really what the brat boys did (do) and made it look good.

i have to categorically dissagree. if i had the talent to build something and pioneer a look that is distinct to me and or my shop it would offend me if someone had a goal to build something in the style of but change it up and still label it "Brat". it is NOT the same thing as building a ""chopper" or a "bobber" which are generic terms and have never been associated with ONE particular builder. as it was pointed out by another, Bratstyle bikes are esentially bobbers. however, their is a distinction, something about that them that are signature to their shop. when you see one you know it. when you see one built to the style of, you know it. you better believe if Honda came out with a Bratstyle type bike and called advertised it as brat, (like they called the Fury a chopper) there would be a lawsuit.

 

[dude-ler]

Can you guys bitch some where else. This thread is for showing off your ride.

 

[Hoperator]

Can you guys bitch some where else. This thread is for showing off your ride.

word. Just keep two wheels to the road and lets ride tomorrow.

 

[therealjamesdean]

These are my two favorite street trackers of all time...

 

[Scrambled]

Nice, more street than track but look like a bikes you can actually ride fast.

A few of the previous posts are pretty funny. I guess some of you guys need a history lesson on the origins of choppers and bobbers. People started "chopping and bobbing " stock bikes to reduce weight and make them handle better. Street trackers are more true to the original concept than the 1960s LSD inspired stuff that some guys are still building. I will take function over form every time . The original choppers were built to handle and perform better than a stock bike . A tracker leaning way over in a corner looks way cooler than a bobber parked in front of a bar.

 

[Downeaster]

That red and white one on the left may be the Perfect 650! I absolutely love everything about it.

 

[dude-ler]

That red and white one on the left may be the Perfect 650! I absolutely love everything about it.

I agree. Mule makes one Badass Tracker. The modified tank made to fit right over the motor shows some great attention to detail.

 

[coxy]

A few things to tidy up ,but she runs good now .all mostly due to this forum and its
Fantastic members,thanks guys

 

[therealjamesdean]

Coxy, that is one nice bike! I like the Doherty grips!

 

[poofish]

Coxy,
Did you make those triple trees yourself?

 

[gonzilla]

A good friend and I just did a quick trip up to the Rocky Mountains on our XS'.

1100+ kilometers in two days, with no real breakdowns or issues to speak of. We had to solder some broken wires together on my taillight, adjust our chains a few times, and both of our tach drives leaked a bit. Other wise, the bikes were awesome.

Oh yeah, I did it with the stock 36t rear. Guess what I'm ordering next week?

that must have been an wicked ride...especially to jasper

 

[JR Hammer]

A tracker leaning way over in a corner looks way cooler than a bobber parked in front of a bar.

ok--- or vice versa is also true...

 

[wherearewe]

Can you guys bitch some where else. This thread is for showing off your ride.

Agreed. There are plenty of threads about 'this is a brat, this isnt a brat, you can't call your bike a brat because it isnt really built by some Japanese guys' etc etc. Do we really need to keep recycling this? Its a bit anal. Let people call their ride whatever they want....