It all started with a 76 yamaha xs 650 that I purchased for $400, It ran and was in good overall condition. Over a couple months I had been thinking of how I wanted this thing to look. I really like the lines on schwinn cruiser bicycles , flowing with curves. Collected the parts over time and sat and stared at the frame for hours. The bike took me around three months to complete. I bent the metal and welded up the hardtail only to find out it needed to be lower, so I cut it off and started over. I didn’t want any regrets with this build so I took my time to make the bike of my dreams. Found a hap jones tank online with some awesome rust on it.
I couldn’t find fork covers that would fit the bike so I made my own out of 2 1/4 ID exhaust tube. The front wheel came off a SL 175 that has a small drum brake. I sanded the frame getting ready for paint and I thought I don’t want to make a bike that I’m constantly cleaning and worried about the paint so I just left it raw metal.
The X on the header came to me one day and I thought why not. It was a gamble with back pressure and sound but it all worked out. The battery , rectifier , regulator and ignition is hidden behind the carbs in a guitar pic shaped box, that thing was alot of fun to build, it was like tetris trying to fit all that junk in there. The last thing I did before putting it all back together was rebuild the motor, rings , hone , valve job, gaskets ect. the tranny was fine so I left it alone.
The bike runs/sounds great and doesn’t leak a drop of oil. I made everything on this bike except for the seat, upholstered by Ginger at newchurchmoto.com/ The bike rides perfect for around town , I don’t think I will be doing any long trips on it.
I have had some comments on the bike claiming my bike is unpractical and unrideable, or the pipes are going to collect rain…sure it might be bumpy but it’s a sacrifice for good looks, It’s like dating a dumb girl because she’s hot. Photos by www.neildacosta.com
Check out the new holiday custom motorcycles blog… and the youtube video.
Jared johnson
