“What can I say, this bike is Bad Ass!” — and honestly, Gary Elmore isn’t wrong. This round’s community submission comes from Gary — better known around the scene as The Pavement Pirate — out of Hayward, California, and his XS650 might be the most appropriately named bike we’ve featured yet. A ’60s-style rigid chopper dressed in Inferno Orange Pearl, gold leaf, and enough airbrushed pirate artwork to make you check the horizon for the Jolly Roger.
From Parts Pile to Pirate Ship
Gary knew exactly what he wanted from day one: a 1960s-style rigid chopper, and he wasn’t going to find it in a catalog. So he started gathering parts that would fit the vision — a Sportster tank, a bobbed rear fender, and a custom rigid frame he laid out the dimensions for himself, then had Ardcore Choppers (Shoals, Indiana) weld up specifically for the build.
From there, Gary did what real builders do: he mocked up every mounting bracket, sorted the brakes, seat, and handlebars, and got the whole package sitting right before a single panel was painted.
Raw Steel Meets Inferno Orange Pearl
One of the coolest decisions on this bike is the contrast. Gary kept the frame in raw steel, sealed with a clear powder coat — so the handcrafted welds and skinny hardtail lines stay on full display — while the bodywork above it screams. The tank and fender wear Inferno Orange Pearl, laid down with airbrushed artwork, gold leaf, and hand-painted pinstriping.
And the details don’t stop at the paint booth:
- The rear fender carries a full airbrushed pirate skull — grey beard, gold tooth, tri-corner hat, crossed swords behind it — framed inside a gold-leaf panel with red pinstripe contours.
- The chrome gas cap is engraved with a skull in a pirate hat over the word “PIRATES.”
- The jockey shifter is made from twisted steel and topped with a sculpted skull shift knob, tricorne hat and crimson bandana included.
- Even the mirrors and taillight keep the theme, with an Iron Cross mirror up top and a Maltese cross taillight out back.
Motor, Carbs & That Dirt Bike Front End
The drivetrain is set up the way a chopper should be. The XS650 parallel twin got mild cams, and a pair of 36mm Mikuni carbs tuned to the motor mods — you can see the pod filters hanging off the engine between the polished cases and the fins. The exhaust was heavily modified too, with custom pipes Gary calls “way too much work to list” — the kind of line that tells you this build has a thousand small hours in it nobody will ever see.
Our favorite part of the whole bike might be the front end. Gary grafted on a front end from a Yamaha dirt bike, modified to work on the XS — and by his own account, “it worked out perfect.” He especially loves the forward kick on the axle, and it shows in the stance: stretched, raked, and planted, with towering chrome ape hangers, a sprung solo saddle with hanging tassels, and skinny vintage-style rubber at the corners.
The Flying Dutchmen 2 Build Sheet
| Owner / Builder / Painter | Gary Elmore, A.K.A. The Pavement Pirate — Hayward, CA |
| Bike | Yamaha XS650 parallel twin |
| Style | 1960s-style rigid (hardtail) chopper |
| Frame | Custom dimensions, built by Ardcore Choppers (Shoals, IN); raw steel with clear powder coat |
| Tank & Fender | Harley Sportster tank, bobbed rear fender |
| Paint | Inferno Orange Pearl with airbrushing, gold leaf and pinstriping |
| Engine Mods | Mild cams |
| Carbs | 36mm Mikuni, tuned to the motor mods |
| Exhaust | Custom modified |
| Front End | Yamaha dirt bike (modified for the XS), forward axle kick |
| Seat / Bars | Sprung solo saddle with tassels / tall chrome ape hangers |
| Chrome | High Lustre — Hayward, CA |
| Powder Coating | Central Coast — San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Welding | Mike Tosta, A.K.A. Capt Manic |
| Show Card | Mel Ledo — Hayward, CA |
As Gary’s hand-painted show board puts it, the special features list reads simply: “Everything.”
Big thanks to Gary — The Pavement Pirate — for sending in the photos and the story behind The Flying Dutchmen 2. Hope you like it? Gary, we more than like it.
Got an XS650 build of your own? Send us your photos and story — your bike could be the next featured post on the blog.
