Comments on: Who built this XS?

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:14:26 +0000

In reply to Hans from Holland. The world is getting smaller for sure!! I hope Steve still has his excellent record collection, many a happy night spent behind the bar playing some great blues !! Should be heading across the water next summer on another sportster chopper, a stop at D'n Toerstop might be an idea!!

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 21:44:24 +0000

Hello Jon,
It’s a small world, isn’t it? But it even is getting smaller…..
Two days ago I was at motorcycle camping D’n Toerstop in the south of Holland.
Great fun here as always, late at night I was at the bar talking with a guy ’bout biking and XS 650 in particular. That brought me to talk about this post here and about De Blekken Pot. He heard the story and had a big laugh….let him be a close friend of Steve! He told me he is doing fine, nowadays he is working as a sort of gardener for the municipality. He lives at the same place ( with pigs and donkeys..)
Bartender Matt of D’n Toerstop remembered Steve also and came up with a few stories.
Great huh ?

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:05:05 +0000

Hello Hans, I was a regular visiter to the blekken pot, and do recall the shovel with sidecar, I was on my 64 sporty and the xs was ridden by Numpty. Good times at that place!! It would have been about 15 years ago, and probably the last time I went there, I hope Steve,the owner is well. That would be when Big Twin magazine shot the feature. They were fine pictures Blue, thank you. I think I rode the xs that day, I know it was only just finished, no filters on it, still arseing about with jetting! Smithy, photoshop, unfinished, lol. Did you put a comfy seat,mirrors and indicators on it!!! Unfinished is a compliment, thank you. Mike, if you read this, hope your well man. Thank you all for your kind words. If you want to more about the bike just ask, can remember bits!

By: Blue

Blue — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:49:58 +0000

It was always one of my favourites. That was a cracking shoot in a little graveyard/courtyard with all the fallen petals. I’ve photographed hundreds of bikes, but that’s one that sticks in my mind.

By: Blue

Blue — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:49:28 +0000

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:13:39 +0000

Hello Jon,
Spitting in my troubled mind I think we actuelly met each other once….
It must have been for about 15 years ago in Belgium at the motorcamping ‘De Blekkenpot’ at the Belgium coast near Oostende. Weren’t you there with you’re mate with this XS and the hardtail Sportster? You just came from the UK and I was next day goin to England. I was with my girlfriend, we ride a shovel with sidecar and a Honda GB 500 Clubman.

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:59:43 +0000

Hi Jon,
Spitting in my troubled minded I think we actuelly met each other once !!!!!
Haven’t you beem with this XS at the Belgium motorcycle camping “De Blekken Pot”‘ ??
It must have been about 15 years ago, this camping was at the Belgium coast near Oostende. You came with your mate from England, I was goin with my girlfriend to England next day, we were on a shovel with sidecar and a Honda GB 500 Clubman.

By: Jon lindley

Jon lindley — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 18:38:22 +0000

I built it, with the help of my good buddy nasty nige bolton!I wonder if the American man wants to pay me!!!! And also I would love to see the Dutch magazine feature. Thanks for all the nice comments! It was a very lovely bike, one of my Favorite builds.

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:43:22 +0000

In a sort of way this was a XS which made history. A sort of startingpoint for what made us here together. I mean, for about five years ago no one ever seen ( or built…) a bobber with the Yamaha 650 twin.
As editor of the Dutch XS 650 magazine I did an article about XS bobbers for about six years ago. Believe me, nobody in the XS scene ever heard about the term bobber.
To find good examples for the article I googled for days and it was heard to find good examples on the internet. By every google search only a few came up, but this pic was everytime with it.
Now about five years later I put hundreds of XS 650 bobbers pics on our site in the photogallery. (see; http://www.xs650.nl).
So, again this bike starded the hype….

By: MIKE

MIKE — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:46:21 +0000

Remember them building the XS. They did some ace work on my Ironhead.

By: Smithy

Smithy — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:25:38 +0000

Very interesting info, i quiet like this bike shame it was nicked.
To me it looks a bit unfinished but with lots of potential
I did some mods to it in photoshop and man it looks clean
any other pics of it ?
The gsxr’s ive been spying don’t look the same as this runnin gear is ya sure?
Smithy

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:39:44 +0000

It also was in a feature in Bigtwin magazine…once…a long time ago…i´m gettin´old.

By: Blue

Blue — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:56:09 +0000

Hans and Stevie are absolutely right. It’s a Deluxe Cycles bike. I took that photo when I was working as editor of AWoL magazine.

By: Migustigus

Migustigus — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:29:01 +0000

Hey there.. What kind of info you looking for?

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:55:13 +0000

Sorry Sean, i haven’t any contactinfo on De Luxe Cycles. What I know is that they also built an awsome long and very low Sportster in the late nineties which won a prize at the Kent Custom Show in England. This XS built is also at least eleven years old.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:55:29 +0000

Thanks Very much Hans from Holland do you happen to have any contact details for the mastercraftsmen responsible for this slick looking ride ??

By: Hans from Holland

Hans from Holland — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:40:06 +0000

Hoho, sorry rednecks but this neaty twin is built in Europe.
To be XSactly, in England. To be more XSactly by Les and Nigel from De Luxe Cycles in Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Wheels and fork in this ’76 XS 650 are donated by a GSXR1100.