Does the Pope wear a Funny Hat?

Been holding out for a warmer day so I could sneak out to the garage and knock out my popes hat sissy bar. Finally decided not to let the Minnesota weather get between me and my welding. Put the kid down for a nap and got to it. Just needs a little touch up with the grinder and the Yammy is out of here. If you’re looking for an XS650 chopper that runs like a rapped date – hit me up. Everything was gone over this winter and it will officially be for sale sometime in the next week or so. Check craigslist, xs650chopper.com, egay, etc, etc.

dig it.

Save A Buck ~ Fix it

The sh*t I’ll do to save some scratch is pretty low. My XS timing chain snapped on me while bombing back into the Twin Cities last September. After I pulled the top end off, I could see that the teeth on the cam were perfect. The crank sprocket on the other hand… DESTROYED. Not a single tooth left. Unfortunately, this crank sprocket is an obsolete part meaning I’m up sh*t creek. My options are wait it out for  an old xs motor on Craigs list for around $100 beans or just swap the crank and buy a gasket set on eBay.

I went with the replacement crank and a gasket set. The crank ran me $1.99 and the gasket set… $60. Other than an hour of open heart surgery, at least I know I’m running a clean motor with new timing chain and gaskets. The top end was still well within tolerances so I’m gonna let sleeping dogs lie with that one.

Gotta love eBay

Gotta love that eBay. Picked up this Wagner style brake setup complete with a ratchet top mounting bracket. It’s even got the switch and line still attached. All in perfect working order for $15 bucks. Sure beats $65+ for something new. It’s gonna be a busy winter in the Speed Club garage. 3 cycle builds lined up and even including a little propane heat action!

xs650 bobber – A much needed upgrade.

So here it is, my Lepera seat. This things been sitting on my shelf for a year just waiting to see some action. I gt it last year for a steal at $45 beans. Last year I was running one of those cheapo $30 eBay seats. It did the job on the cheap but definitely took its toll. This year I’ve got a couple longer trips planned. Hopefully, this seat will keep my ass comfy for just a few miles more.

Doug Armstong’s XS650 Dirt Tracker

I met Doug about a year or more ago. I picked up a titled ’73 xs650 frame and motor from him via good old eBay for the low – low price of $100. We drove from Minneapolis, all the way out to Oak Grove to make the deal. Doug rolled this monster out of his garage while we were there. Talk about one fine piece of work. 19″ front and 18″ aluminum rear off an old dirt bike. Perfectly used Wassell tank, dual Miki carbs, bates seat, and he finished it off with one of those hard-to-find bicycle style kickers. Call it a Dirt Tracker or call it a bobber, this thing was the bike that got me turned on to xs650 chops. I actually saw this bike on ebay about 6+ months ago. Wonder if anyone ever picked it up? Doug – you rock. Midwest Moto Culture. Great job. Pleasure to add to the chopper blog.