"Thor's Hammer" Australian XS650 Bobber Build

[AussieHard]

I've kept mine stock except for loosing the rear frame hoop, I'm going the club rego route with the 650 and no problems.
There are ADR's (Australian design rules) for "hand made bikes", I'll have a look tomorrow, but as soon as you put heat on a frame they will want it Engineered, prove me wrong but that's my finding. I envy the bobbers the guys build over the pond, that's art
I don't know any Engineers personally but I think you need a hot rod builder who has excellent welding skills with a relationship with an Engineer, who has a knowledge of the RTA and how they work.
I investigated a few years ago and that was the plan of action, was heading to Rod Hadfield at Castlemain Rod Shop, he had a registered V12 Merlin in a 57 Chev
http://www.the-rumbler.com/sydney2k3-1.html
don't know if he's still building stuff
As for the hardtails around, are they legal? Let me know cause I want to build one
cheers
might post the link in the lounge, sure the yanks (can I say that?) would like it even though it was 2003

Engineering is a nightmare.....You will find none of them will give you a fixed quote. Also there are many traps, i.e. $800 per visit, make a small change and I come for a second visit $800, still not happy with that weld, do it again, $800 etc. Plus frames may be required for xrays etc.

Most bikes are registered stock, then chopped and never get inspected. Just don't expect to insure the bike or if too radical get past a canary from the cops.

I have most of the ADRs and relevant documents for mods as PDF on my Blog.

http://theflyingxs.blogspot.com/201...y want to spend 200% the value of the bike???

 

[inmotionphotog]

G'day Aussiehard.

Thanks for the info, and unfortunate confirmation on how the engineers operate $$$$$$$$

It's clearly all about interpretations of the relevant ADRs and how each engineer is willing or unwilling to support builders like us.

It's just frustrating being held to ransom.

Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[AussieHard]

It's just business to them.....

 

[inmotionphotog]

Barred up! - Saturday, 5 November 2011

Here's a random shot of the bars, triple trees and risers all mocked up.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

All Forked UP! - Sunday, 13 November 2011

After a lot of effort, I've finally got the lower fork tubes very close to a finish that I am happy with.

It took close to six attempts including a failed powder coating effort to get them to where they are now.

Unfortunately the original plan of powder coating them gloss black failed due to an out-gassing issue that created a significant amount of bubbling upon the finish. After having them powder coated by a friend of a friend, it was all too messy to get my back up over the situation, so I attempted to fix them myself.

I decided to simply sand back the powder coat with 600 grit wet and dry, to get it back to the blemish free surface that I'd originally had.

I utilsed the VHT roll bar spray paint and subsequently covered it as directed. I did however, manage to stuff up my hard work (more out gassing) after deciding to bake them in the oven to try to obtain a better gloss result.

Needless to say, after much trial and error, I now know the correct recipe to getting the quality of finish that I require. This process also includes a liberal coating of clear coat.

All that's left now is to remove any tape, install fork seals and re-assemble the front end.

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Cheers

Steve


http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[AussieHard]

Looks like it was worth all the messing about.

 

[inmotionphotog]

Wheels before and after - Thursday, 24 November 2011

Here's a handful of shots showing the progression of the wheels from rusty and grimy to freshly rebuilt and powder-coated.

I laced the rims myself taking advantage of the Fong Bros fantastic tutorial, with the truing and tyre mounting taking place tomorrow via a pro shop.

I also plan on getting the axles, nuts, rear sprocket and bolts black nickel plated.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Saturday, 26 November 2011 - Braking news!

I had originally planned on using the TC Bros forward controls, brake pivot and linkage kit for my build, however have decided to stick to mid mounts for now.

I did however decide to utilise the linkage kit for the bike.

This struck it's own problem, especially considering how I was going to attach the rod end to the brake arm upon the rear hub.

I think I've come up with a pretty elegant solution that will work well and look good.

I simply found a shouldered bolt (Allan head) that was the correct diameter to fit within the lever. I had a thread machined into the bolt, and there you have it!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[hotdog]

Steve,

Looks good, your ride is going to be a very clean bike, different to my rat bobber.

 

[I am Carbon]

I simply found a shouldered bolt (Allan head) that was the correct diameter to fit within the lever. I had a thread machined into the bolt, and there you have it!

did you make that linkage?
I use that kind of linkage in the Remote control hobbie

 

[inmotionphotog]

Thanks for the great feedback hotdog!

I am Carbon, the rod end is part of a universal linkage kit that TC Bros sell.

http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/international/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=15

Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[I am Carbon]

thats cool bro. when do you plan the first ride? you must shoot a video.yep your bike is goin to be really cool. What macro lense are you using?

 

[inmotionphotog]

thats cool bro. when do you plan the first ride?

At the leisurely rate that I'm going, I'll be happy to have it on the road, hopefully registered by my birthday at the end of March 2012. This will make it a 12 moth build, which isn't too bad considering I'm doing most of the work in the living room of a second story apartment!

What macro lense are you using?

It's actually just a regular old Tamron 28-300 f3.5 lense that is more of a knockabout, ready to grab in the spur of the moment setup. It's currently on my spare Nikon D80 bodies.

My main body is a Nikon D2XS that I use when I'm taking more serious shots, along with a handful of better lenses.

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to shoot much lately at all, with motorsports being my favourite subject, however I haven't attended an event since I started my build.

Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Monday, 28 November 2011 - Mids Mounted (well kind of)!

I finally got around to mocking up all of the elements to my version of the Mulligan Machine Mid Mount solution.

I picked up a set of folding pegs from Steadfast Cycles that closely match the factory rubber upon the kicker and clutch pedals.

Admittedly I wasn't comfortable with the strength of the pegs, so I set about making them durable enough to handle my frame. The original design was pretty much sheet steel folded into a tube. I located some stainless solid round bar that I managed to get into the ID of the tubular peg. I drilled out a larger diameter mounting bolt, also in stainless to ensure that they won't self destruct when if I put too much pressure on them.

I'm going to get the arms and mounting bracket gloss black powder-coated, whilst the all of the remaining metal within the pegs and bolts will be black nickel plated.

I loosely mocked everything up prior to getting them welded together once I double check there exact positions.

Microsoft Word - Document1

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Monday, 28 November 2011 - Tight squeeze!

One of the main features of my bike is going to be the copper and brass milk urn that will double up as a battery, ignition switch and relay housing.

I was concerned that the diameter of the container would potentially pose problems with the chain and brake linkage.

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I mounted up the rear wheel including rear sprocket and the Monster Craftsmen bolt on chain tensioner to check the clearances should I mount the urn straight down the guts of the bike. Thankfully it appears that the chain will just clear the urn.

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I also had to make certain that the urn didn't interfere with the brake linkage that I am running. Again, there was just enough clearance which is what I had bargained on.

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The linkage rod will be sitting on a steeper angle than shown, which has left me pondering how to not screw up the overall theme of the copper urn. What I'll do is grab some copper tubing to act as a sleeve over the threaded ro in place of the steel tube that I currently have. I suspect it shouldn't look too bad.

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I'm also likely to get some copper tube for the brake stay too.

Today also gave me the chance to mark up the location of the Hugh's Handbuilt regulator that I got with my PMA kit. I propose to leave it outside of the urn, just under it to allow for air flow. In this location it is protected by the chassis rail, as well as being in a position that the wiring will be hidden very well.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Saturday, 03 December 2011 - Brake pivot assembly

Yesterday I took the plunge and taught myself basic welding skills. I purchased a cheap as chips arc welder for the purposes of tacking together certain pieces for the experts to finish of properly.

One such part was a brake pivot that is a hybrid of sorts, containing bits from Hugh's Handbuilt, TC Bros and some of my own concepts.

As I am running the Mulligan Machine mid mount set-up, I was determined to keep the pedal in the orientation as per the original XS650. This meant that I needed to keep the relationship between the foot peg and pedal as close as possible. I used these reference points to determine the height of the assembly and the correct position that it was to be mounted upon the chassis.

I didn't like the idea of mounting an extra tab to the chassis for the return spring, as it was going to spoil the appearance of the milk urn, and most importantly make the articulation of the spring when the brake pedal was pressed down a little clumsy.

My solution was simple, I used the mounting block that came with the TC Bros brake pivot kit as a starting point. I knocked up some angle with a spring mount hole, and tacked together the Hugh's Handbuilt kit atop it.

Since my linkage kit will be a fixed rod length, it left me wanting a brake shoe solution once wear occurs. I welded on an extra arm upon the pivot bracket and an adjustment bolt. I simply screw out the bolt should the shoes show signs of wear and rotate the brake pedal a tooth or two to keep it in the correct position.

I'm also going to change the upper spring bolt for a shouldered one to allow the spring to have free rotational movement.

Another significant reason I chose to use the mounting block, was that I now have the ability to swap over to the TC Bros pivot assembly that is suitable for their forward control set-up. I also managed to come up with an integrated return spring solution for this pivot too. It means that I can swap over to a full forward control system in moments!

photo



Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Sunday, 4 December 2011 - A rim is not a rim, is not a rim!

Last week I managed to get my wheels trued by a pro-shop in Sydney by the name of Chivo's.

I am running aluminium 36 hole pro-wheel motocross rims that I had powder-coated gloss black. The front hub is the standard XS650 unit, whilst the rear brake and hub is from a 1973 TX750 (larger diameter than XS650 rear setup).

Prior to dropping them off I discovered a problem that I was facing on the rear, with the dimple and hole directions being slightly off what they need to be to suit the angle of the spokes. Once they were being tightened too far, they started bending the spokes. The head of the nipples also didn't seat well within the dimples.

Thankfully Doug Chivas had a solution which included, shortening and re-rolling new threads for the rear spokes, larger nipples and re-lacing in a 1 Cross pattern.

I also got some larger matching nipples for the front rim too.

Thanks Doug!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[inmotionphotog]

Sunday, 4 December 2011 - We have a roller!

This morning I completed the assembly of my front end and threw it, along with the rear wheel upon the chassis.

I now officially have a roller!

Here's a couple of quick pics I took on the phone.

There's still plenty of small bits and pieces that require welding to the chassis, which one completed I'll do another more detailed photo shoot.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/

 

[AussieHard]

Looking like a real bike!!

 

[inmotionphotog]

Looking like a real bike!!

Yeah, it finally feels like something more than boxes of bits!

Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/