Fong Brothers XS650 Chopper:
Some of you chopper junkie’s may remember seeing the FONG BROS in The Horse Backstreet Choppers May/June 2008 issue. I’m sure you’re all agree that The Horses makes good editorial decisions. A hardcore; hand built one of a kind, Yamaha xs650 CHOPP. The teutuls ain’t got shit on this ride. Bryan wrote in his post ” About a month after I started riding I saw a pic of an xs650 built by the Fong Brothers. I became obsessed with the idea of building one.” This bike inbraces the rat look and I dig it. What do you guys think?
Billy Joe – When I was 9 I didn’t join the Boy Scouts beacuse the meetings were the same time The Dukes of Hazzard came on tv. That bike is a 1980 xs650 Heritage Special. It had mags and disc brakes. The bike is
really very basic with no real ground breaking items. It has an xs360 front end, 21 inch wheels front and back. The forks, triple tree (clamps), axle and hub on the silver bike are all from an xs360, which is the same as an xs400. In order for it to work on the 650, you have to change the steering stem, The one on a 650 is longer. To change it, you grind the weld off of the bottom of the lower tree, and knock the stem out, Do the same to the 650 tree and weld in the 650 stem into the 360/400 tree.
Sears foglight, tail light in a can, aluminum battery box held together with rivets and my old belt, some kind of medical bandaging tape for grips, the worst levers ever made, Wassel tank with dents and brass petcocks, cheap chopper solo seat with the foam taken off and 2 inch hairpin springs. Other than the paint on the engine, there is no paint on the bike. I wipe it down once in a while with WD-40 to keep the rust off, but the oil from the chain and engine do a better job of keeping the bike rust free and ruining my clothes.
Denis (Billy Joe Fong)
p.s. I just finished my another bike that I’ll shoot some better pics of soon.
Possibly more bikes to come from the FONG BROS?
You know the only way to find out man..
Send in some more pics when you get a chance Billy Joe. Thnaks Man.
Thanks to Sean “XsSpeed” Sweeney @ The Horse Magazine for the pics…
Ask questions and leave comments below!!
Like this ride? Dig the German xs650 bobber!
