Which Hardtail

I am facing the same question myself. Just recently picked up a '73 TX and want to kick the frame mods off.

I have a couple of bikes that I really like the lines of. One is Hughes black and white. That bike is a serious favorite of mine. The other is this one and I really dont know much about it, but I like the smooth lines of the hardtail. Anyone know who's this is or a build thread on it?

I tend to like beefy tubes so I was thinking of Kansas Kustom as they have 1.25" tubes. I also like DOM over ERW so I am kinda torn about which to go with.

gallery_2873_162_109012.jpg
 
^ that's the bike that turned me onto XS's about five years ago. I first saw the build thread on the Jockey Journal. Unfortunately, the 12+ page thread (if I recall correctly) was deleted when JJ decided to keep things 'traditional.' Too bad, too, because the guy chronicled every single step of his build with lots of photos and step by step commentary.

He did most everything in his garage without very many specialty tools or a big budget. Garage built hardtail using the swing arm as a jig, the same way Hugh built his black and white bike. I followed their lead, too. He also lowered the forks with a homemade lowering kit similar to what HHB sells today. I wouldn't be surprised if this bike was one of Hugh's inspirations for his first build, like it seems to be for so many others.
 
jshields67 said:
I am facing the same question myself. Just recently picked up a '73 TX and want to kick the frame mods off.

I have a couple of bikes that I really like the lines of. One is Hughes black and white. That bike is a serious favorite of mine. The other is this one and I really dont know much about it, but I like the smooth lines of the hardtail. Anyone know who's this is or a build thread on it?

I tend to like beefy tubes so I was thinking of Kansas Kustom as they have 1.25" tubes. I also like DOM over ERW so I am kinda torn about which to go with.

gallery_2873_162_109012.jpg
Click to expand...

this is also one of my favorites!
ok, so heres my take on the hardtail procedure. tc bros not only have a weird bottom rail, they make em kinda wide. they are also 4" stretch which the above chop definatley does not. at the most it looks like two. good luck finding a hardtail that short, i could short of custom ordering and waiting. so i decided to take my frame to a builder. he had a couple bikes around with different dimensions. i sat on em, and decided 3" is good for me. hes gonna set me up with some mid brackets, fab a brake pivot, mount my tank, and cut some bullshit off my front loop.
this may seem more expensive, but i cant weld. i know people who do and they do it well but they dont build bikes. this guy does. i want my frame straight, safe and exactly the way i want it to look. he said itll take two weeks. we'll see. that was a week ago. i had to drive a lil ways but, i met him, his dog, his girl (who coincidently does leather) some of his friends and it was a cool day. for me its worth it.
leadfist cycles
 
Thanks for the information. It was Hughes black and white and this one that convinced me to get a XS. I have a Harley Heritage Softail that I want to rip into, but not exactly sure which direction I want to go. I decided to go with the Yamaha because it is a low buck build (compared to HD anyway) and it makes a neat little scooter to zip around on. Not to mention the huge following these bikes have and the wealth of knowledge in the community.

I am a mechanical engineer and I work in the automotive industry at a tier one supplier. I have a background in Tool and Die, design and quality as well as engineering. I am a certified welder in GMAW, GTAW and SMAW. I have access to a local shop where I used to contract weld. The shop has welding, fabrication, and powdercoating capabilities. I should also mention that I am a little OCD and tend to get too detail oriented.

The one thing I am lacking on is time. I work 65-70 hours a week and have very little time for my wife and three children as it is. Last thing I need to do is start spending time in the shop. So it is easier for me to open the wallet.

I have reviewed ten different hardtails and can find things I like about each of them, but also things I dont like. I like them to sit higher on the backbone and not dropseats. I like larger tubes at least on the top. And I like the tubing to come farther back on the axle plates, but not wrap around.

Guess I may end up in the shop which may be faster anyway as most of the builders it seems have a 3-6 week leadtime.
 
id rather be lacking time than skills. ;P
if you find the right builder you may be able to find someone to get it done faster than that. some of the shops we see on here are full because they are so well known. theres plenty cottage type shops out there. fact is everyone who has a garage is builder now days. you gotta search around for experienced people. grill em with personal questions about how they started building. it was very obvious to me the guy i chose has some knowledge and has built quite a few bikes, he doesnt have alot of commercial stuff going on. he just builds bikes. thats it, thats all.
 
that ardcore hardtail looks good! I was going to settle with tc bros because it is cheap but hmm.. this is quite the decision.
 
Here is the way I looked at it. The TC bros is quite a bit cheaper, BUT and that is a HUGE BUT, it's your FRAME! It is the foundation you are building your house on. It's a do it once, and be done. You can go cheap in other areas and then upgrade them to something you like better as time and money permits. I wouldnt go cheap on the hardtail for quality reasons or if I didnt like the lines of it. I would hate to build a kick ass bike, and love everything about it but the FRAME because I was too cheap to shell out $100 for the hardtail I really wanted. Just my .02
 
I like the lines of the Elswick and David Bird Hard Tails.... looks like the DB has a little different interface the Elswick one.... the Elswick looks alot cleaner.... can anybody share some detail insight on these hard tails.

Cheers
 
i like the Bird hardtails there is also a great shop that will do a custom hard tail for the same price as the weld ons . check out MCW Racing . they are out of Broadway NJ. its in North NJ
 
Kyle at leadfist does great work. I've seen some of his craftsmanship on a few of my friends bikes and his wife/gf? does awesome leatherwork.

Lucky for me they are maybe 20 minutes from me. :D
 
AaronOregon said:
I agree 100%. In fact, I have been really disappointed with almost everything I have bought from them. Battery box was not square at all, rear fender might have fit a 20" rear wheel. The problem with the frame is where it joins the backbone. The frame sticks way out past the edge of a bobber seat and gets into your thighs if you are shorter like my wife and she is 5'4. I have had to fix 2 of them that I bought already installed on the bike. Look at other brands............

Aaron
Click to expand...

SAME THING WITH THE BATTERY BOX!!! i didnt end up using it though, but i did call and complain in a nice way. got a free licese plate bracket tho, they were very nice to me about everything. i just dont like the hardail
 
I am relatively new to the forum here, but love building the 650's. What do you guys want to see in a hardtail? I already have an established business and have been thinking about getting into some good quality XS650 parts for guys and keep the affordable prices. I would use 1.125 DOM with a .120 wall thickness. I have my own ideas, but want to hear your thoughts on what you would like to see. Everyone makes a decent product, but how about taking all the good from them all and combining them into one?

Aaron
 
AaronOregon said:
I am relatively new to the forum here, but love building the 650's. What do you guys want to see in a hardtail? I already have an established business and have been thinking about getting into some good quality XS650 parts for guys and keep the affordable prices. I would use 1.125 DOM with a .120 wall thickness. I have my own ideas, but want to hear your thoughts on what you would like to see. Everyone makes a decent product, but how about taking all the good from them all and combining them into one?

Aaron
Click to expand...

I like this:


gallery_2873_162_109012.jpg
 
My Ardcore showed up today, nice Hardtail and 2 weeks faster than promised. I am very happy!
 
cleoncleon said:
My David Bird Hard-Tail Showed up today too!
Straight Tubes - ZERO Drop / ZERO Stretch. Nice and short.
Stoked aswell...
Click to expand...

PICTURES PLEASE
:yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:

It would be nice if pictures were posted so We can do a comparison.
I am in contact with Elswich Cycles.... looking to place an order real soon.

Lets see those brand new frames guys.....
 

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