Ranger's 2016 xs650 chopoff build

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I've got these four one-of-a-kind seats for sale over in the Classified section to help fund the build. There's a discount for forum members. Check it out here:
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44775
 
Still collecting parts... I scored this brand new Lowbrow 4 3/4" aluminum fender off Chopperswapper for $120 shipped. Should go well with the aluminum fuel tank I plan to build.

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And I stumbled across this picture on Instagram last week.

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\Up until now, I had planned on building a semi-traditional king/queen seat for the bike. As of now, this is the inspiration for the king/queen seat I'll be building. It will be supported by the frame and the sissy bar. This way the aluminum fender will just hang, and not be a load-bearing member.
 
BTW, I'd love to get some more info on, or pictures of the blue bike in my previous post. I already have my seat mounting planned out in my head, but I'd like a better idea of how they did it in case it's a better idea than mine :)
 
Spent some time at my buddy Dave's shop in Austin building my frame earlier this week. With his guidance, I got my frame all tacked up.

What I started with:

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Milling some holes in my rectangular backbone:

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Holes cut and cleaned up:

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I cut 1" pieces of 1.25" .120" wall DOM and welded them in the holes, then ground everything smooth. This gave me six 1 inch holes with 3" between. Then we used the mill to chamfer the inside edge of each hole, on each side of the backbone:

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Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures while I was bending/cutting tube, but here is me doing some tack welds on the frame while it's in the jig:

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And here is me laying the last few tacks on the frame so we can take it out of the jig:

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And that was as far as I got. I'm hoping to get back up to Austin soon to finish welding up the frame, and weld in the neck.

I've got my JE pistons and Shell #1 cam on order from Hoos Racing, and I'll be fine-tuning my sidecover/alternator bracket this week so I can mill it out of aluminum.
 
Hi Ranger,
seems to me that if you'd have made the frame's backbone out of 6" x 6" square tube an 18" length of it would hold about 2-1/2 US gallons of gas so you wouldn't need a separate gas tank.
 
Dammit! Now I have to redesign everything! :D

Hi Ranger,
good to see you are willing to start over.
With a 6x6 spine frame you can dispense with the frame's front tubes altogether.
Taper the 6x6 at the front and weld the neck to it.
Dogleg the 6x6 down at the back in place of the vertical frame tube.
Rubber-mount the motor from the head and the two rear mounts.
Then all you need is the seat stays and chain stays each side V-ing back to hold the rear wheel.
would you transition to round tube at the back or stick with the square tube (1-1/4"?) motif throughout?
 
Hi Ranger,
good to see you are willing to start over.
With a 6x6 spine frame you can dispense with the frame's front tubes altogether.
Taper the 6x6 at the front and weld the neck to it.
Dogleg the 6x6 down at the back in place of the vertical frame tube.
Rubber-mount the motor from the head and the two rear mounts.
Then all you need is the seat stays and chain stays each side V-ing back to hold the rear wheel.
would you transition to round tube at the back or stick with the square tube (1-1/4"?) motif throughout?

I'm thinking hex bar stock, maybe with a twist in it... And I've always wanted to try brazing with bronze. I think it would make an awesome contrast. So I'd braze it all together then let the mild steel rust for a nice "patina." Then that bronze would look real sharp. That would probably hold an under-slung motor, right?
 
I'm thinking hex bar stock, maybe with a twist in it... And I've always wanted to try brazing with bronze. I think it would make an awesome contrast. So I'd braze it all together then let the mild steel rust for a nice "patina." Then that bronze would look real sharp. That would probably hold an under-slung motor, right?

Hi Ranger,
twisted hex bar for the ol' barley sugar look, eh?
Um, hex bar ain't hollow, frame may end up a touch heavy?
SIF-Bronze was the top name back in the day, claimed to be as strong as a weld if it was done right.
Trick to brazing; squeaky clean prep, lotsa flux, lotsa heat but with a feathery flame, not the distinct blue cones you weld with.
 
Hi Ranger,
twisted hex bar for the ol' barley sugar look, eh?
Um, hex bar ain't hollow, frame may end up a touch heavy?
SIF-Bronze was the top name back in the day, claimed to be as strong as a weld if it was done right.
Trick to brazing; squeaky clean prep, lotsa flux, lotsa heat but with a feathery flame, not the distinct blue cones you weld with.

Cool! ... only problem is, I'm really lazy. Maybe should just stick with what I have after all, so I can just relax and take it slow for the rest of the build... since I have plenty of time left for a nice leisurely build...
 
Hi Ranger,
yeah, you've put too much time and effort into that frame to cut it apart and start over.
But will this be your last ever build?
Seems we have had several thoughts on a frame design that will be something completely different, eh?
 
Hi Ranger,
yeah, you've put too much time and effort into that frame to cut it apart and start over.
But will this be your last ever build?
Seems we have had several thoughts on a frame design that will be something completely different, eh?

Problem is, I'm already thinking 3 builds ahead after this one :)
 
My rotor came today, so I did a quick mockup of my front wheel setup:

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21" flanged alloy wheel I got off eBay. 36 spoke xs650 front hub that I still need to clean up. 320mm Ducati rotor. 2 piston Brembo caliper from a KTM dirtbike.

Since I plan on building a girder, I can design a bracket to support the caliper and weld it directly to the fork leg.
 
subbed! man i want that multi color seat you made so damn bad, i've been looking at it for weeks and weeks. just having a hard time committing to it with all the cash left to spend on my build and the brand new biltwell seat I bought before I saw that haha. keep up the sick work!
 
Looking good man!

Thanks man!

subbed! man i want that multi color seat you made so damn bad, i've been looking at it for weeks and weeks. just having a hard time committing to it with all the cash left to spend on my build and the brand new biltwell seat I bought before I saw that haha. keep up the sick work!

Thanks man! Sent you a PM that might tempt you!... I'm a bad influence when it comes to spending money on bikes...
 
Spent some time with my good friend John over at Pearland Gasket in Pearland, Texas on Friday. John has a pretty cool cutting table with a 5'x10' bed on it that has both a mill head and a knife head. We tweaked my sidecover a bit to move the alternator close to the head, rotate the alternator so that the mounting points are more perpendicular to the crank, and tuck the pulley closer to the sidecover. This also allowed clearance to run the belt next to the clutch slave, instead of hanging the pulleys way outside the motor so the belt could run over the slave.

The clearances are now very tight. There's only 1/8" clearance between the bottom of the alternator and the engine case when the alternator is pivoted all the way down. There's about the same amount of clearance between the top of the alternator and the intake when the alternator is pivoted all the way up.

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And my rear tire came in today! Coker reproduction of the Goodyear Diamond tread vintage tire. 4.5"x18"...

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And now that I have all of my wheel components from bearings, to spokes, to tires and tubes, I have no excuse. I need to start the tedious process of polishing my hubs... dammit...
 
Almost forgot! I had an awesome mail call the other day from my friend Jay at Jumpstreet Customs (livingdeadmc on here).

Jay made my foot controls for this build, and I have a matching set of passenger pegs, and one of his modified kickers coming.

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I said when I started this build that if I didn't make it myself, I was going to make sure I bought parts from my friends in the industry. And I can't say enough about the quality of parts I've received from Jay and other xs650 enthusiasts I've met or spoken to over the last couple of years.

So far, I've gotten parts from Daniel at Pandemonium Custom Choppers, Gary at Hoos Racing, Jay at Jumpstreet Customs, David at Voodoo Vintage, and I still have parts orders planned with Michael at 650 Central and I'll be sending my crank and cam to Hugh for a rephase. I won't deny there's a little ebay, and a bunch of MikesXS sprinkled in there, but the point I'm trying to make is these are the folks who have worked tirelessly to support the XS650 community. Each one of them has been willing to answer my questions without any angle, or the expectation that I purchase something from them. These folks will bend over backwards to help you put your machine on the road and keep it there. I've always found their prices to be competitive... and even when they are a little higher, I remember that they are going to stand behind whatever I'm getting from them, and the quality will be better than what I can get elsewhere.

So don't be a cheapskate... it will cost you in the long run. At the end of the day, you have to support the folks that support you.
 
Couldn't agree more, Jay is such a good dude! If you're looking to add Wes from Counter Balance to the list hit me up, I have an electrics tank he made but I don't think its going on my build after all.

Forget to mention Dan, Hugh and Gary to, this industry is full of awesome people!
 
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