"Thor's Hammer" 1975 XS650 hardtail

Saturday, 8 October 2011 "Royal replacement"

To my pleasant surprise, Royal Spares were very helpful in getting me a new tool bag sent out to me last week, in the colour that was originally requested. It only cost me the delivery charge, whilst they were happy for me to keep the red-brown coloured version as well.

It actually matches the Rich Phillips seat perfectly!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Black is back! - Friday, 28 October 2011

Tonight I had the opportunity to piece together the rear and front hubs after getting them back from powder-coating.

My rims will be back early next week, which will allow me to start stringing them together. I plan on visiting a pro for the rim truing and tyre mounting.

Didn't turn out too badly!

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My triple trees were also powder coated gloss black too.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Barred up! - Saturday, 5 November 2011

Here's a random shot of the bars, triple trees and risers all mocked up.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
All Forked UP! - Sunday, 13 November 2011

After a lot of effort, I've finally got the lower fork tubes very close to a finish that I am happy with.

It took close to six attempts including a failed powder coating effort to get them to where they are now.

Unfortunately the original plan of powder coating them gloss black failed due to an out-gassing issue that created a significant amount of bubbling upon the finish. After having them powder coated by a friend of a friend, it was all too messy to get my back up over the situation, so I attempted to fix them myself.

I decided to simply sand back the powder coat with 600 grit wet and dry, to get it back to the blemish free surface that I'd originally had.

I utilsed the VHT roll bar spray paint and subsequently covered it as directed. I did however, manage to stuff up my hard work (more out gassing) after deciding to bake them in the oven to try to obtain a better gloss result.

Needless to say, after much trial and error, I now know the correct recipe to getting the quality of finish that I require. This process also includes a liberal coating of clear coat.

All that's left now is to remove any tape, install fork seals and re-assemble the front end.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Wheels before and after - Thursday, 24 November 2011

Here's a handful of shots showing the progression of the wheels from rusty and grimy to freshly rebuilt and powder-coated.

I laced the rims myself taking advantage of the Fong Bros fantastic tutorial, with the truing and tyre mounting taking place tomorrow via a pro shop.

I also plan on getting the axles, nuts, rear sprocket and bolts black nickel plated.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Saturday, 26 November 2011 - Braking news!

I had originally planned on using the TC Bros forward controls, brake pivot and linkage kit for my build, however have decided to stick to mid mounts for now.

I did however decide to utilise the linkage kit for the bike.

This struck it's own problem, especially considering how I was going to attach the rod end to the brake arm upon the rear hub.

I think I've come up with a pretty elegant solution that will work well and look good.

I simply found a shouldered bolt (Allan head) that was the correct diameter to fit within the lever. I had a thread machined into the bolt, and there you have it!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Monday, 28 November 2011 - Mids Mounted (well kind of)!

I finally got around to mocking up all of the elements to my version of the Mulligan Machine Mid Mount solution.

I picked up a set of folding pegs from Steadfast Cycles that closely match the factory rubber upon the kicker and clutch pedals.

Admittedly I wasn't comfortable with the strength of the pegs, so I set about making them durable enough to handle my frame. The original design was pretty much sheet steel folded into a tube. I located some stainless solid round bar that I managed to get into the ID of the tubular peg. I drilled out a larger diameter mounting bolt, also in stainless to ensure that they won't self destruct when if I put too much pressure on them.

I'm going to get the arms and mounting bracket gloss black powder-coated, whilst the all of the remaining metal within the pegs and bolts will be black nickel plated.

I loosely mocked everything up prior to getting them welded together once I double check there exact positions.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Monday, 28 November 2011 - Tight squeeze!

One of the main features of my bike is going to be the copper and brass milk urn that will double up as a battery, ignition switch and relay housing.

I was concerned that the diameter of the container would potentially pose problems with the chain and brake linkage.

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I mounted up the rear wheel including rear sprocket and the Monster Craftsmen bolt on chain tensioner to check the clearances should I mount the urn straight down the guts of the bike. Thankfully it appears that the chain will just clear the urn.

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I also had to make certain that the urn didn't interfere with the brake linkage that I am running. Again, there was just enough clearance which is what I had bargained on.

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The linkage rod will be sitting on a steeper angle than shown, which has left me pondering how to not screw up the overall theme of the copper urn. What I'll do is grab some copper tubing to act as a sleeve over the threaded ro in place of the steel tube that I currently have. I suspect it shouldn't look too bad.

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I'm also likely to get some copper tube for the brake stay too.

Today also gave me the chance to mark up the location of the Hugh's Handbuilt regulator that I got with my PMA kit. I propose to leave it outside of the urn, just under it to allow for air flow. In this location it is protected by the chassis rail, as well as being in a position that the wiring will be hidden very well.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Saturday, 03 December 2011 - Brake pivot assembly

Yesterday I took the plunge and taught myself basic welding skills. I purchased a cheap as chips arc welder for the purposes of tacking together certain pieces for the experts to finish of properly.

One such part was a brake pivot that is a hybrid of sorts, containing bits from Hugh's Handbuilt, TC Bros and some of my own concepts.

As I am running the Mulligan Machine mid mount set-up, I was determined to keep the pedal in the orientation as per the original XS650. This meant that I needed to keep the relationship between the foot peg and pedal as close as possible. I used these reference points to determine the height of the assembly and the correct position that it was to be mounted upon the chassis.

I didn't like the idea of mounting an extra tab to the chassis for the return spring, as it was going to spoil the appearance of the milk urn, and most importantly make the articulation of the spring when the brake pedal was pressed down a little clumsy.

My solution was simple, I used the mounting block that came with the TC Bros brake pivot kit as a starting point. I knocked up some angle with a spring mount hole, and tacked together the Hugh's Handbuilt kit atop it.

Since my linkage kit will be a fixed rod length, it left me wanting a brake shoe solution once wear occurs. I welded on an extra arm upon the pivot bracket and an adjustment bolt. I simply screw out the bolt should the shoes show signs of wear and rotate the brake pedal a tooth or two to keep it in the correct position.

I'm also going to change the upper spring bolt for a shouldered one to allow the spring to have free rotational movement.

Another significant reason I chose to use the mounting block, was that I now have the ability to swap over to the TC Bros pivot assembly that is suitable for their forward control set-up. I also managed to come up with an integrated return spring solution for this pivot too. It means that I can swap over to a full forward control system in moments!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Sunday, 4 December 2011 - A rim is not a rim, is not a rim!

Last week I managed to get my wheels trued by a pro-shop in Sydney by the name of Chivo's.

I am running aluminium 36 hole pro-wheel motocross rims that I had powder-coated gloss black. The front hub is the standard XS650 unit, whilst the rear brake and hub is from a 1973 TX750 (larger diameter than XS650 rear setup).

Prior to dropping them off I discovered a problem that I was facing on the rear, with the dimple and hole directions being slightly off what they need to be to suit the angle of the spokes. Once they were being tightened too far, they started bending the spokes. The head of the nipples also didn't seat well within the dimples.

Thankfully Doug Chivas had a solution which included, shortening and re-rolling new threads for the rear spokes, larger nipples and re-lacing in a 1 Cross pattern.

I also got some larger matching nipples for the front rim too.

Thanks Doug!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Sunday, 4 December 2011 - We have a roller!

This morning I completed the assembly of my front end and threw it, along with the rear wheel upon the chassis.

I now officially have a roller!

Here's a couple of quick pics I took on the phone.

There's still plenty of small bits and pieces that require welding to the chassis, which one completed I'll do another more detailed photo shoot.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Saturday, 10 December 2011 - Trial butt test!

I managed to do a trial butt test for the first time today!

I finally tacked the seat and associated various bungs and brackets today upon the chassis, and allowed myself to test fit my ass upon it.

To say it was a milestone to hop upon what will resemble the layout of my baby is an understatement.

Next step will be to tack on the tank and fender bungs over the next couple of weeks.

Here's a few progress pics that also show the brake pivot and linkage arrangement tacked up and attached as well.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Tuesday, 13 December 2011 - Brake light switch solution

One of the details that had been bugging me for a few days, was the clean and effective solution to mounting the Lowbrow Customs brake light switch upon the chassis.

It was important that it integrated well with the bike whilst offering the flexibility of fine tuning it to work perfectly every time I used the rear brake pedal.

The solution was simple and staring me in the face the whole time. I attached a hose clamp to the tubular cross member, then thread a cable tie through the switch mount hole and clamp. I used a heavier duty spring to mount it to the rear bolt hole upon the brake pivot that I knocked up. I plan on welding on a hex nut on the back as well.

I now have the ability to simply loosen the clamp a small amount to allow it to rotate. The rotation of the clamp allows it to loosen or tighten the switch assembly, which in turn affects the sensitivity of the micro switch.

After testing it with the multimeter, I now have a switch that activates at the slightest tap of the brake pedal, whilst being mostly unseen and clean in appearance.

The other great benefit of having it in this location is the need to weld on permanent tabs has been eliminated. I also have the ability to hide the wiring neatly too!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Sunday, 18 December 2011 - Muffler mounting

This weekend I finally designed and knocked up brackets for the Dunstall style mufflers that I am running.

I temporarily clamped them to the chassis to ensure that my bracket measurements managed to clear the foot pegs, brake pedal articulation and kick stand. They're pretty much in the exact spot that I intend to permanently attach them.

They'll be satin black ceramic coated, whilst the header tubes will be 45mm O/D covered in black header wrap.

Old school baby!

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Monday, 26 December 2011 - It's a blast!

One of the things that I wanted to do was give the ends of the grips a point of difference.

Since there are already some brass and copper accents upon the scoot, some shotgun shells would be pretty cool.

So today I managed to fit some spent shotgun shells to my grips today as well as making suitable holes in the drag bar to hide the wiring from the switch assemblies.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Wednesday, 28 December 2011 - Jug mount

Now is the time to focus on the electrics for the bike and making the mount for the milk jug.

I knocked up a solution that will house the battery, ignition switch, a couple of fused relays and the rectifier.

The battery I plan on using (4s3p A123) is tiny and powerful enough to run the starter motor, lights, etc. This will be located within the urn.

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Here's a video of a similar version in action.

http://youtu.be/HecT7T00AlA


Here's some pics of the mocked up assembly showing the rectifier in position. It should still be able to get good air flow, whilst being protected (only just) by the chassis rails beneath the bike.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Saturday, 31 December 2011 - Fender bender

This weekend I finally bit the bullet and took on the task of mounting the fender bungs and making sure the rear end is more or less finalised.

To do so meant chucking in the motor, measuring and cutting the chain to length and throwing all of the elements together to see if it actually all fits.

Everything thankfully fits like a glove and appears to have been pre-made for my build!

About the only real concern I have is the tool bag's strap is dangling close to the chain. All I'll need to do is install some nice brass snap buttons and she'll be spot on.

Here's some happy snaps I'd taken this afternoon.

I plan on trying to get some glamour shots over the next couple of days whilst the motor is temporarily in place, which I'll undoubtedly show off.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Sunday, 1 January 2012 - Glamour shots (progress)

As promised during yesterday's post, I managed to find a few moments to take a few in-progress "glamour" shots, prior to tearing it down for the remainder of the project.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Saturday, 7 January 2012 - Regs and rules, rules and regs


Living in this fine state of NSW throws up many a drama when it comes to building a project such as this. As much as I wanted to side mount the taillight and licence plate, it would be asking for a whole lot of trouble from the local constabulary.

One of the painful rules and regulations includes having to mount the taillight dead centre of the rear fender. Unfortunately it does ruin the lines of the ass end, however, I'm making the best of a crap situation.

I went with the "Black Beauty" taillight because it has a Bates style appearance similar to the main headlight. It's also a cool design that is adjustable.

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I now intended to keep the blinkers in the general vicinity of the rear lamp so that I could minimise the running of wiring all over the place, and to also help keep following drivers focused upon a single region of the bike.

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To do this I simply welded on a steel tube with suitable threads to allow the blinkers to screw in neatly, hiding the wiring in the process.

The wiring will be fed within the fender's rib keeping a good clean appearance.

One of the things that bugged me was the way I rushed mounting the fender stay last week, so today I remounted it so it is more perpendicular to the ground. I'll have to fill in the left over holes as a result.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
Sunday, 8 January 2012 - Stay put!

After test fitting my 7 Metal West ribbed front fender on both Harley Sportster and the original XS650 fender stays, it was clear that I needed to construct my own to minimise the clearance between the top of the tyre and fender.

One of the challenges that I faced was that the ribbed fender didn't have the same radius as my 19" wheel and Firestone tyre combo. I decided that trying to position the fender so that the gap was smaller at the front than at the rear duck tail would be the best compromise.

Having a front fender is another strict regulation enforced within Australia, which is why I have to run one whether it looks good or not!

The pics below show the trial mock up, with my still needing to radius the sharp edges.

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Cheers

Steve

http://inmotionphotogxs650.blogspot.com/
 
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