SuperChickenCornerMonster
Love 'dem twins!
My father grew up loving motorcycles. His brother (Uncle Dave) was a pretty damn good builder. So naturally, when it was time for my Dad to buy a bike in 1979, he looked to my Uncle Dave for some advice. Uncle Dave is an XS guy! He loves them and he's probably rebuilt a dozen of them in his lifetime. Taking Uncle Dave's advice, my Dad got a 1979 Yamaha XS650 SPECIAL. And so it bagan.....
1979 means a lot to me. Not only did 1979 produce some of the absolute best movies (Superman, Deer Hunter, Alien) it's also the year that I was born. Maybe more importantly, it's the year of my first motorcycle, a 1979 Yamaha IT250F. Perfect for a 14 year old growing up in Michigan with land to spare. My Marine Corps career took me all around the world and back again. But I always came back to Michigan and those two 1979 Yammies. Growing up with old bikes, one has to learn how to turn a wrench. With the guidance of Dad and Uncle Dave, I learned quite a bit about service, repair and maintenance. Enough so that when I got out of the Marine Corps, after being laid off a few times, I decided to open a bike shop in Virginia. I'm not going to turn this thread in to an advertisement ( www.BrooksCycle.com ) but it's important to know that my roots came from that old XS650 Special.
Uncle Dave passed away a few years back and the ol' XS hadn't got much love since. So one day, while visiting my folks, my father asked me to get it running and, in not so many words, hang on to it. Changing the title over was a bit weird for me. Seeing my Father's signature from about the time that I was born, from a bill of sale on a shop that doesn't exist anymore, in a town that I've always called home. Newaygo, Michigan. Well, I got the old girl up and running again.
After my Dad and Uncle Dave did a restoration of her in 1994, she still looked pretty good for her age. But, I cannot leave well enough alone. I know Dad always wanted something like a minimalist Cafe' Racer and I've always wanted to do a custom build. Hoping I can carry a heavy-ass torch, I have picked it up and the adventure begins.
I'd like to post what I've done so far and as time goes on, I'll write some updates to the end. I hope you keep up because it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm hoping to unveil her in the Spring. We'll see how it goes:
Winter time is my project bike time. Last winter, I tore her down to the frame and engine:
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1979 means a lot to me. Not only did 1979 produce some of the absolute best movies (Superman, Deer Hunter, Alien) it's also the year that I was born. Maybe more importantly, it's the year of my first motorcycle, a 1979 Yamaha IT250F. Perfect for a 14 year old growing up in Michigan with land to spare. My Marine Corps career took me all around the world and back again. But I always came back to Michigan and those two 1979 Yammies. Growing up with old bikes, one has to learn how to turn a wrench. With the guidance of Dad and Uncle Dave, I learned quite a bit about service, repair and maintenance. Enough so that when I got out of the Marine Corps, after being laid off a few times, I decided to open a bike shop in Virginia. I'm not going to turn this thread in to an advertisement ( www.BrooksCycle.com ) but it's important to know that my roots came from that old XS650 Special.
Uncle Dave passed away a few years back and the ol' XS hadn't got much love since. So one day, while visiting my folks, my father asked me to get it running and, in not so many words, hang on to it. Changing the title over was a bit weird for me. Seeing my Father's signature from about the time that I was born, from a bill of sale on a shop that doesn't exist anymore, in a town that I've always called home. Newaygo, Michigan. Well, I got the old girl up and running again.
After my Dad and Uncle Dave did a restoration of her in 1994, she still looked pretty good for her age. But, I cannot leave well enough alone. I know Dad always wanted something like a minimalist Cafe' Racer and I've always wanted to do a custom build. Hoping I can carry a heavy-ass torch, I have picked it up and the adventure begins.
I'd like to post what I've done so far and as time goes on, I'll write some updates to the end. I hope you keep up because it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm hoping to unveil her in the Spring. We'll see how it goes:
Winter time is my project bike time. Last winter, I tore her down to the frame and engine:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
Your Uncle would be proud! Keep us updated (we're nosy buggers), keep sending pictures, and good luck with the shop! 
