thanks for all the good comments from you all. my intakes are all hand made. i have seen similar intakes sell on other models for twice what i charge and not look as good.
I have built jigs with motors to help speed up fabrication time but it is still a slow process. i have experimented with different coatings and find that ceramic chrome the best overall for fuel and sunlight forgiveness. and it will polish up if it gets dull just like aluminum.
i have experimented with diffferent applications form mild to wild to see what will work and what just looks good. there again once i have made a model that works it will surely be copied by someone thinking they will get rich selling xs intakes.
jack i havent dont a dyno yet. i probably wont for a couple of reasons i am not sure i have mentioned in the past but will now. i work out of my home garage since i had to close my shop down early this year. saying the space is small is saying a lot. i already have competitors in several products i make and since i cannot pattent an intake it would work against me if i took the time and money to work out dyno results. my competitors would just use my results against me in competing sales.
i have sold ooooh about 80 or maybe 90 intakes now in two different styles for the two into one and have never had anything but praise from the customers. i use them on my custom builds too. once i had a customer that required more after care with tech support then any of the others but we found out his problem was ignition not carburetions. one other was using a chinese knockoff mikuni that he ended throwing away because we could not get it to jet properly. beware of cheap mikunis made in china. they are out there being sold in ebay and others.
i wish i could get my prices down by mass producing but the biggest deterent is that the xs650 is a 30 year old bike. that being said it is just too risky to setup and have these mass produced for possible sales. i make 20 to 30 a year now and it takes all year for them to sell. as it is a very minute population of xs riders are useing single carb setups. i suspect many more will change in the future if for nothing more then ease of operation and use of the mikuni vs the stock setups.
i also build underbraced, powdercoated, with bronze bushings swingarms .... about 20 to 30 a year maybe less and they take at least a year to sell. there will always be those out there that can make thier own and my hat is off to them. i do alot of hardtail frame work, and custom swingarm shock frame stuff. and build a couple of custom bikes a year. exhaust, handle bars, forward controls all play a role in what i turn out of my shop.
i am trying to make a living at building custom bikes with the xs650 and making parts for them that are otherwise not available. if i could i surely would be selling my stuff at cheaper prices but i have a mortgage too and the wife does like a little help with those pesky bills. anyway just letting you all know i am always available if you have questions about the stuff i make. best to ask me then to guess, and i most always have my phone on but if not my email never sleeps.
i plan to launch some new products for the xs this fall. so stay tuned. (punn intended)
joe-wiseguy
www.joewiseguy.com
www.wiseguyscustoms.com
joewiseguy@live.com
425-870-9377