So I got to the shop as fast as I could…

Thats not good. not good at all.  Apparently the pipe had ruptured, and the shutoff valve could not be found for a good 30-45 minutes or so once the Asheville Fire Department got there.  (BTW, thanks to ALL of the AFD who were there that night, it was a sigh of relief to be surrounded by some great folks in such a stressful moment)

The best part?  The pipe that burst, filled the office ceiling with water until my office caved in…

 

Here are some shots, just to give you an idea of the damages we have sustained this past weekend..

Man, you would never think 4-5″ of water could do soo much damage…

I know it’s strange, but this is somehow my favorite picture of this disaster…

And this picture truly breaks my heart.

It filled the office ceiling with water
until it couldn’t handle the weight, and collapsed – ruining all of our
office computers, printers, about 50% of our inventory and all of my
baby girl (Rebecca) stuff that I keep at the shop. You see, without my
office and without the things for her, I cannot work at the shop. I
bring my baby girl to the shop everyday, and keep her safe and sound in
the office as I work.

We have always been a small operation, and as such – I do Daddy Daycare each day while my wife goes to work.The
office is a total loss, we are hoping to strip all of the drywall this
week and insulation, and start the rebuilding process. We could use
building materials or funds to help get those as well.

We lost a
ton of inventory, as well as all of our packing/shipping supplies and
other stuff that comes with running our business.

To make
matters worse, we tried to get flood insurance about a year ago, but
since we are in the flood plain, it was astronomically high. Fast
forward to today, and now the river is rising and rising FAST!

I will be having a “flood sale” on the blog (as soon as
I can find a computer that will let me upload images from my phone,
mine is trashed of course) in order to help raise money ourselves as
well. I will have lots of bikes, parts, frames, and other stuff for
sale.

If you are local, and have a Pack and Play (baby crib), a
decent laptop/computer, or other supplies we can use – feel free to
contact us.

 

So as you can imagine, we are a bit overwhelmed right now.  With our lost inventory, lost office, and the time it will take to clean up this mess, we are going to be a bit backlogged with orders and emails.  Please be patient with us, and we will move forward as best we can to make sure that you get the best from Hugh’s HandBuilt – just as always.

And as always, thank you soo much for your continued support.  Even in times like this, I am overwhelmed with the postive vibes and support you folks have sent in via Facebook, Instagram, etc..

 And for those of you who have asked how to help?  Lisa Ballard has set up a nice “GoFundMe” site.  It humbles me to even think of asking for help or donations, but Lisa set this up for us knowing as much.  For those of you who have reaped the benefits of our Tech, Support, Products and Services, and would like to give back – I’ll not turn it down at this point.  I’m a bit overwhelmed with everything that is happening, but we’ll take it one step at a time and come back stronger.

Instagram username – Hughshandbuilt

Facebook - Hugh’s HandBuilt on Facebook

GoFundMe Account – I cannot be more humble and more grateful for your help – than I am today. Thank you soo much.

If you have pending orders, services, emails, etc… with us – please be patient and we will have everything squared away as soon as possible.

Hugh

 

The weather was pure crap, which was nice in all reality.  I had the following conversation with my friend (and an amazing photographer) Frank Bott

Frank: In this crappy weather, only the really tough bikers show up

Hugh: No way dude, all the “tough” guys are at home watching Sons of Anarchy re-runs.  The people that actually showed up today at the people that genuinely LOVE this stuff.  

Frank:  Thats a great way to put it. 

(Some of that is paraphrased, I had a “Few” of those wonderful brews that day – haha)

You see, for me it’s all about the love of two wheels (and sometimes just one, if it’s a really gnarly wheelie!) and the folks that rode out in the 50 degree rain and stood in the rain talking motorbikes, drinking great brew, and having a blast – those are my kind of folks…  Diehards, and not “tough” at all really – just in love with 2 wheels.

Another great friend of mine came down, and took an amazing amount of photos – so I’ll let the photo’s do most of the talking.  Enjoy it folks, this is what it’s REALLY all about.

HHB Slimline Brake Master Cylinder Specs:

12.9mm Bore

6″ Long Lever

Front View Level Window

Mirror Mount

Dot 3 / Dot 4 Compatible

7/8″ Bar Mount

Comes with New Banjo Fitting

Twin Post Brake Switch (hidden under the lever, very clean)

You can now ditch that ugly OEM master cylinder on your XS650 (or most any other bike with 7/8″ bars, we’ve had great luck with the master cylinder on almost all vintage Japanese bikes with a single caliper) and clean up the bars on your vintage restomod, cafe, brat, chopper, etc…  With a 6″ long lever, it’s short enough for even the narrowest bars while still putting the clamp on that front brake.  And brakes are smart, so why not get smart with a good looking and slim new master cylinder for your old bike.  It probably needs a new one anyhow if its original.

Whats it look like you say?  Well, here are a few shots…

 

 

Now available for only $68.50 shipped in the US or $15 extra shipping worldwide.  

Revamp the product you ask?  Well it’s simple really.  All this time we had been sourcing the master cylinder and slave cylinders, getting hoses made, assembling and pre-bleeding the entire system and then assembling it with hardware to swap onto the XS650 chassis.  Meanwhile, someone on XS650.com pointed out that the “Ebay Pit Bike Clutch” was almost identical to the kits we were offering. So sure enough, I ordered 4-5 of them from eBay and found out they were 90% identical to what we were offering.  We found that the hoses were too short, and the hardware was a bit lackluster, but the main components are identical, and at a much more cost effective price point…  Hrmmm….  Revamping was needed.

So what we have now, is a Complete XS650 Hydraulic Clutch Swap Kit!  This kit will allow you to purchase a Pit Bike Clutch from eBay and then use our Hose, Hardware and Instructions to install your very own HHB Hydraulic Clutch.  We’ve tested this on lots of XS650′s and found this to be a much more cost effective solution to installing a Hydro Clutch on an XS650, and keep my sanity in check (building hundreds upon hundreds of those systems will really take a toll on ya – haha)

Here is the NEW HHB Hydraulic Clutch Swap Kit - order yourself a “Pit Bike Clutch” on eBay, modify the hardware a bit as per the install instructions listed here:  How To Install Your XS650 Hydraulic Clutch Conversion and you are up and running!

This new kit will include a brand new DOT SAE Approved hydraulic hose, and hardware needed to upgrade the pivot on the master cylinder as well as hardware to mount the slave cylinder to the side cover on your XS650.  And the best part?  This swap kit is VERY cost effective!  At $58.50 shipped in the US (All other Countries are $14.00 more) you can have a simple and effective Hydraulic Clutch Conversion on your XS650, and save money over what we previously offered.

Why go Hydraulic??  What, have you not been riding your XS650 with the OEM cable setup?  If you have, then you know why… 

Nonetheless, here are a few good reasons to swap over:

You can now find Neutral…  

You can now find Neutral when the bike is cold…

You can now find Neutral when the bike is hot…

No more extreme hand fatigue from the super stiff clutch pull…

Self adjusting…  Set it and forget it…  

You can now run those extra stiff clutch springs you’ve always wanted, without fear of too stiff of a clutch.  

Super
smooth engagement and disengagement…  No more stalling in traffic
(which if you are like me, is a royal PITA because I run Kick-Only, and I
only stall on the steepest of hills – haha)

Limited Quantities available, so purchase now! I will do my best to keep manufacturing these kits, but as usual, we are still a small shop with limited time resources

.And as always, thank you SOOO much for your support of Hugh’s HandBuilt – your continued support and praises keep us motivated to continually bring you nothing but the best in HHB goodies…

Hugh

Letters from Bill Denton to the Yamaha 650 list

Dear YAM650 List,
Since several of you have asked me to elucidate on my “Quartered”, or 270 degree crankshaft project, here it is.  By the way, I plan to eventually add this engine to a fully “Mintonized” XS-650.  A well deserved “Thank you” and warm regards go out to Mr. Joe Minton for writing his (now somewhat infamous) article on improving the XS650, which has become a standard reference article of sorts for the International 650 Society.
It all started when I read an article in Cycle World entitled “TRX Tech,,, Motorcycle or Myth Maker?” (June 1995) about the engine in the Yamaha TRX 850.  This engine, an 850cc upright twin, is built with 270 degree crankshaft timing (see following discussion about 90 vs 270 degree timing). This idea made way too much sense to ignore, offering all the advantages of a V-twin; a wider, flatter torque curve, and less (destructive) vibration by minimizing both secondary imbalances and rocking couple forces, while maintaining the small,compact engine profile of an upright twin.  In addition, the sound of the engine note would be too unique to ignore, especially coming from an XS!  I thought, would it work in an engine without balance shafts? I had no idea.
So, I set out on the information trail to get some opinions on whether it would work or not.  I started by writing a letter to everyone listed in the Int’l 650 Society Newsletter as a 650 rebuilder, thinking that their opinions might have just a little more weight.  The responses I received ranged from “it will vibrate apart, don’t do it”, to “It will have (much) less vibration than the stock engine, and I’d be glad to help you build one.”  I also became aware of two gentlemen in particular who had already done 360 > 270 deg crankshaft conversions; one on a 500cc Triumph (Dick Cookson in England), and the other an XS-650 (Dave Rayner in Australia).  I wrote letters to them as well, telling them of my interest and asking for information.  Both responded by mail (send me a message if your interest runs deep enough to read these letters, and I’ll snail you photocopies of them).
I also discovered along the way that the original idea for a 270 deg crank in an upright twin came from an Australian fellow named Phil Irving (co-creator of the pre-war Vincent engine design) in his musings in a series of articles he wrote in the 1940′s.  Apparently, he initially tried to convince Triumph of the virtues of this crank arrangement, but they would not have anything to do with it, choosing to stick with the 360 degree design.  Apparently, there was a bias or prejudice against uneven firing engine designs that stuck with BSA, Triumph and Norton until their respective bitter ends.
As you know, in the XS-650, both pistons move up and down together (aka 360 deg crankshaft), with plugs firing left and right on alternate strokes.  In this arrangement, both piston/conrod combos achieve maximum velocity TOGETHER twice per revolution (once on the way up and once on the way down). In addition, they both come to a complete stop TOGETHER twice per revolution (once at TDC and once at BDC).  As you can imagine, as RPM increases, so does the vibration coming from this Primary Force Imbalance (PFI).  This phenomenon is made worse by the laws of Physics, which dictate that doubling the RPM quadruples the forces (and thus the associated vibrations) involved. Flywheel weighting added opposite the throw of the crankpin minimizes PFI, but a compromise has to be achieved between cancelling out PFI and exacerbating a Secondary Force Imbalance (SFI). This is the centrifugal force of the weighted portion of the flywheel trying to move the entire engine fore and aft as it spins.
Now then, the basic idea with a “quartered” crank engine (and design advantages associated with it) is to never have both pistons at maximum or minimum velocity at the SAME time (as you know, this is exactly what DOES happen in a 360 degree upright twin).  More specifically, the idea is to have one piston moving at MAX velocity while the other one is at MIN (zero) velocity, in order that inertia about the crankshaft is preserved.  In other words, the first swiftly moving piston/conrod combination helps “pull” the second piston/conrod combo through it’s deceleration & change in direction, a point at which it has little or no inertia.  In effect, the quickly moving half acts as a inertial flywheel for the other, and visa versa several times per revolution, resulting in relatively constant inertia (stored or potential energy) in the rotating parts in the big end of the engine.  See the URL http://www.interlog.com/~lcl/tdm/tdmpower.html for more info on crankshaft inertial torque and it’s effect on perceived torque feel in a 270 degree crankshaft engine design. (or copy of same graph on local site)
This “inertial torque smoothing” effect is achieved by separating the crankpin throws.  Maximum velocity occurs at 74.1 degrees  before & after TDC in an XS-650 with a 74mm stroke and a connecting rod length of 130mm (#447 rods).  This is the point at which the crankpin throw and the conrod are at right angles.
However, at a 90 (or 270) degree angle, the piston/conrod assembly is still pretty close to maximum velocity, so a high degree of inertial torque is still achieved.  But (and this is a big “but”) at 90 degrees, the PFI is less than at 74.1 deg, and the Secondary Forces, which have a frequency twice crankshaft speed will have a phase difference of 180 deg., thus cancelling each other out entirely (credit to Brian Woolley; The Classic Motorcycle, 2/92).  According to Woolley, this should result in a 43.5% improvement in the balance of forces within a 90 degree engine, when compared to a conventional 360 degree upright twin.
Because of a combination of better balance and conservation of momentum (inertia),  the “flywheel” portion of the crankshaft may now be lightened, further improving balance by reducing rotational weight while increasing throttle response without sacrificing drivability (a common problem when “race” engines with lightened flywheels are driven on the street).
So there you have it.  An engine with more torque, more perceived “pull” at lower revs, quicker throttle response, less vibration, and with an “Italian” exhaust note.  What more could a man want out of his mid-life crisis project!
Bill in Yardley, PA
90 vs 270 degree crankshaft timing

I have been trying to figure this out on paper, and there are two distinctly different scenarios available when crankpins are separated by 90 degrees on the crankshaft.  Participants in this thread may have been assuming that 90 and 270 degree cranks are just two ways of saying the same thing, but really, they are two entirely different setups.  The difference is really not in the separation of the crankpins, so much as the timing of the valve train, which results in power strokes that are separated by either 270/450 degrees, or 90/630 degrees.  Here’s why:
The true 270 degree crank defines power strokes that are separated from each other by 270, then 450 degrees.  Imagine the #1 piston @ TDC at the beginning of the power stroke, while the #2 piston is 270 degrees behind it, halfway through it’s own intake stroke.  Follow this thing around, and 270 degrees later, the #2 piston is @ TDC at the beginning of it’s power stroke. Following the progression of the #1 piston, we find it is now halfway through it’s exhaust stroke, a full 450 degrees away from the beginning of it’s next power stroke.
Now, take the same crank, and change the valve timing setup so that when the #1 piston is @ TDC at the beginning of the power stroke, the #2 piston is not far behind, halfway through it’s compression stroke.  Only 90 degrees later, the #2 piston is experiencing the beginning of it’s own power stroke, while the #1 piston is only halfway through it’s power stroke.  Overlapping power strokes, the beginnings of which are only separated by 90 degrees this time.  The next one comes 630 later, as you previously suggested.  Same crank, really, only different orientation of SSBB from #1 cylinder to #2 cylinder.
As far as your balance question, you’re right again, the primary balance in a 180 degree crank engine is perfect, but at the cost of a violently malevolent rocking couple, torquing the engine first to the left, then to the right, as separate pistons reach TDC and BDC simultaneously.  Whereas, in the 90 or 270 degree crank configuration, you can maintain higher inertial momentum (flywheel effect) about the crankshaft by having one piston always at or near max velocity while the other one comes to a complete stop and then changes direction.  They are never both dead in the water at the same time.  Since secondary imbalance is at a minimum, additional counterweighting on the crankshaft can be reduced, allowing a better compromise of Primary:Secondary imbalance percentages, while reducing reciprocating weight.  Also, the flywheel effect allows the use of smaller actual flywheels, further reducing reciprocating weight.  Cool.
Having said all this, I wonder if Kevin Cameron, Technical Editor for Cycle World, really meant 270, or 90 degrees when he wrote the article about the Yamaha TRX-850 in the June 1995 edition of Cycle World?  The more I think about it, the more I believe that it’s really a 90 degree separation of power pulses in the TRX engine design, especially if they were trying to emulate the successful big bang power pulses of the race-bred Ducatis.  I wonder if someone in the technical development department at Yamaha could shed some light on this?  Anyone have any connections?
“If you build it, they will come (sic)”
Offset Crank using factory splines

There are actually 13 splines on the crankshaft (damn it Yamaha!  You could have made it so easy but for one extra spline!).  So, to move it 3 splines is to displace one of the crankthrows by 360/13*3= 83.077 degrees.  It then follows (got that phrase from a mathbook about 25 years ago and it just stuck) that 360-83.077 = 276.923 degrees of separation between the throws when you’re all done.  Not exactly 270, but close enough to warrant saving several hundred dollars (or more) of specialized machining required to achieve exactly 270 degrees like Dave Rayner has done in Oz.
Also, IMO anything between 270 and 285.9 is totally acceptable, because of the following salient points.  270 is a good design point, because it minimizes reciprocating vs rotating force imbalances (see Blaine’s webpage torque.html for a more complete explanation as to why).  However, 285.9 is also a good design point, because it maximizes conservation of inertia about the crankshaft  (in an XS650 engine equipped with 447 rods, the stroke is 74mm and the rod length is 130mm.  Therefore, maximum piston/rod mass velocity is achieved at 74.1 degrees B&ATDC.  This is the point where the rod and the crankthrow are at right angles to each other, so at that moment in time, the piston rod combo and the crankshaft are running at identical (and maximum) linear velocity).  Each design point maximizes it’s own advantages in the modified engine.  Fortunately, both points are also relatively close to one another mathematically.  So, bracketing the eventual design with these two end points would only minimize either effect very slightly, while retaining the majority of both effective advantages (sounds good, eh?).
Like in most engines (or any equipment design which ever gets reduced to practice) my proposed method of design implementation is a compromise, but one which I am willing to accept.  So there.
Bill in slushy Yardley, PA

I was sent the previous information just this week, and as I always like to do with any awesome information on our beloved XS650′s – I’ve put it up for you folks to read and enjoy.

Hugh

Past T-Shirt Designs for Hugh’s HandBuilt:

This one was designed by a very talented tattoo artist – cool dude, and loved this shirt!

Before that, we had a VERY limited run of these shirts -again, customer generated…

I’m personally soo swamped with emails, product development, tech and then getting into the shop, that I call on you – my amazing customers and friends to help me out with some new designs for T-Shirts and Stickers.

The old design was awesome, a good feller did it for us, and we’d like to keep the tradition of having your input on how we do things. So break out those sketch pads, computers and get to creating!  We love our customers, and are always proud to wear your artwork.

AND, it’s not all for free – anything we decide to print will be justly rewarded with an HHB grab bag of goodies, store credit or anything you might need to finish that build (if we have it of course, we have TONS of good used XS650 parts as well)

Design Specifications: Single or 2 Color at most for T-Shirts, I want to keep the prints cost effective.  Sticker designs can be multi-colored though, and we encourage that as well.  The rest is on you – freedom of design.  Enter as often as you would like, submit designs to HughsHandBuilt@gmail.com

Here are a few of the designs already submitted – we’d like to keep this open until April 1st – to give everyone a chance at getting in on this.   We will be updating this post as more submissions are made.  Thanks so much

We’ve been swamped with orders, getting engine builds quoted and built, and keeping up with the day to day life that is Hugh’s HandBuilt…  Thanks for being the Best Customers in the World!  it makes my job one of the best as well.

Hugh

I got a call from John at Monstercraftsman early last week and it went something like this “Hey Hugh, wanna come to Baltimore this weekend for a show at Timonium sponsored by Lowside Syndicate Magazine?” and I said something like this “Well ummm, hrmmm, lemme think, I’ll call ya back…”

Ok, but who is Lowside Syndicate you ask?  Well, they are doing some kickass work for the underground chop scene, and all for the love of chops…  Check em out here…   Lowside Syndicate Magazine

So after some hemming and hawing, I decided we had to go…  Doesn’t sound like much, but when was the last time you saw Hugh’s HandBuilt out and about at these events?  Rarely – we spend way too much time in the shop or stuck behind the computer doing tech/answering emails/etc… So this was a great excuse to get away and go meet some new folks…

So we frantically finished up Tevan’s 1972 XS2 Resto-Mod Cafe, packed the trailer and headed north…  Tevan’s bike had never been seen before, so we wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to get it out there…

So with the trailer packed, we hit the road…

Keep the above pic in mind – because we still had to stop off and get my friend Roy’s XS650 – the Tennessee Rose…  Roy wanted to go with us, but he got a case of the crud – we we kicked him to the curb and stole his bike…  Just kidding (kinda)

This bike totally rocks, and it has just about every part and service we offer on it..  But in the end, Roy built this bad boy, we just helped him along a little bit…  More pics you say?  Sure thing – go here! 

Now remember, we don’t travel that much with the truck, we typically ride to the shows/events and just spectate…  That means I’ve never had my little truck hauling this heavy ass trailer that far…

First fillup?  154 miles…  Bummer…

Surely my eyes were crossed or I did something wrong with my math skills (Mrs. Jaker taught me well in 2nd grade, it couldn’t be my math skills!)  8.2 MPG – this was gonna get expensive…  Oh well, places to be and people to meet…  5 more fillups and we would be there…

We got there, and somehow Brian Managed to find the only Hair Dresser in the place, I mean, who the hell finds a hair dresser at a bike show?  Brian, that’s who….  I guess when you don’t show up with a bike, you should show up lookin’ good huh?  Someone kick this boy in the sack and tell him to get his Bike done!

Anyhow, the good folks from Monstercraftsman gave us some of their prized real estate at the show. Very cool – and something we were very grateful for…  Can’t say it enough, these dudes treated us right…

Don’t let Tevan fool you.  This dude might only be 19, but he can build a bike and talk crap with the best of them…  And he’s got a sense of humor to boot…  We made sure to set his bike up where it would get a good bit of visual attention…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally want to express a HUGE amount of thanks to the folks from Lowside Syndicate who put on a killer show, Monstercraftsman who gave us the real estate to setup out humble booth and then let us crash on their hotel floor (I’ll try and remember my sleeping bag next time!), The Mufflers who were some of the most down to earth gals I’ve ever met in the Motorcycle Industry who treated up like locals and gave us a floor to crash on…

 

It took us 12 hours in the truck to get there, and another 13 or so to get home…  We averaged 7.2 MPG over 1200 Miles…  My brain already hurts thinking about the fuel bill…  But you know why things like this are expensive?  Because they are worth it!!   The good people of Baltimore treated us like locals – so we’ll be back soon enough…

Had some rough weather coming home, lots of high winds, rain, and even a downed tree slowed us down a bit.

 

As always – thank you soo much for your continued support of Hugh’s HandBuilt.   We love our job!

Hugh

Inspired by our very first build:

The newly developed HHB Signature Speedster Pipes are a 2-2 design,utilizing 1.5″ mandrel bent tubing.  The exit under the chassis, for added bank angle when hitting the twisties.

Loss of ground clearance is minimal, while allowing for harder cornering – due to the unique design of the pipes and keeping the exhaust system inboard of the frame rails.

Available in Raw Steel, Hi-Temp Silver or Hi-Temp textured Matte Black – and will include all hardware and new exhaust gaskets needed for the install.  100% true bolt on, as you’ve come to expect from HHB.

Hi-Temp Silver Finish

These have been test fitted on ALL XS650 models; including XS1, XS2, TX650 and Standards as well as Specials.

Ok, so we know they look cool, but what do they sound like???  Matte Black Textured Finish shown, without Baffles installed…

Pre-Orders are expected to start shipping early February.

As always, thanks so much for your continued support of Hugh’s HandBuilt – we will continue our efforts to bring you only the best products and services for your XS650.

Hugh

(Bottom view, these pipes are slightly modified Speedster Pipes, I added a short tail section that will not fit OEM frames, but you can get an idea what they look like from there..)

This bike is one of those long term projects that seemed to stretch on forever and ever…  Before Hugh’s HandBuilt was even started, I started building this bike with a friend of mine.  He had purchased several frames/engines/forks/wheels and such as a basket case – and wanted to try and build a bike out of the mess.

Now if you are a motorhead like I am, you can see a pile scrap metal like this, and envision a bike – right?

Well, we did too!  Luckily, the score had some good stuff in it.  A titled frame, a few engines, and lots of other goodies this thing would need.  And, a brand new Wiseco 750 set of pistons that hadn’t even been installed!  Sweet!

So we did a quick mock-up to see where we wanted everything to be on the final build…  Since the plan was for this to be my friend Cain’s bike -we fitted him to it…   High Bar Lane Splitter – yeah man…

This basket case he had purchased was originally intended to be a Cafe’ build – and the previous owner had done a number on the frame.  Some places were ground so thin that the tubing would flex poking at it with a screwdriver – total bummer…  So with a good title in hand, and a crappy frame – we did the proper thing.  We cut that sucker into a million pieces!

I talked him into doing a subtle gooseneck, single downtube frame and reworking the entire seating area and shock mounts.  So out came the sawzall and cutting wheels and into the frame jig we went!  Speaking of frame jig – I didn’t even have one until Cain offered to purchase the materials to build it if I’d mod this frame… So the very early and humble beginnings of a shop were coming to be – and I had no clue it was even happening…  I spent many many hours in the machine shop at the University making the frame jig in order to build this frame.

Once the frame was built – we needed to build an engine for it.  In the timeframe we had, we opted to just install the 750cc top end on the bottom end we already had.  New seals, gaskets and a Pamcopete ignition would round it off pretty good.  Top it with some Mikuni VM carbs and it should have been good to go.

I decided to bend up some funky lane splitter bars out of some 7/8″ stainless we had laying around the shop.  Mounted to the stock risers and lowered the forks about 3″.  (If you look in the background, you’ll see a trimmer less bearded Hugh circa summer 2009 – time has not been good to this ugly feller!)

Keep in mind, I was still in college at Appalachian State University back then, studying Product Design and tinkerin’ on motersickles our of my apartment’s basement…  Man, them were the days!  We’d open the shop door, get some wood and make a fire in the parking lot, and generally have a blast at that place…  Times have changed for sure…

The tank was a funky old NOS dirtbike tank that he had found on the Ebay if i recall correctly.  I convinced him we needed to high mount this sucker!  I cut the tunnel out of it, flat bottomed it, and then split an old Ford Driveshaft longways for the new tunnel and welded it all together.  I removed the OEM filler location, used another chunk of random tubing and relocated the filler cap frisco style.  This as the first tank I ever got to modify more than changing a bung or a tab…  I had alot of fun reworking this old tank…

We mixed up some resin and made a sweet fiberglass seatpan that fit the frame like a glove.  Cain had a buddy of his cover it, and it turned out killer…

Lastly, we added an aluminum rear fender…  It was narrow and funky..

Then the bike kinda languished in this state for what seems like years (it probably was really!)…  The idea was that we’d build this thing together, hang out, have fun – you know the drill…  Well, I graduated college, moved 2 hours away, got a day job (which sucks, I don’t recommend it!) and it really made getting together to build this thing kinda tough.  It sat in the back of my shop gathering dust, and generally looking pretty sad…   Cain and I would get together when we had time, and we’d make a small bracket, tab, etc…  But if you have built a bike, you know those little details can really eat up some time in a build…  And time was something the two of us just didn’t seem to have at the same time…  Total bummer…

In the meantime, I had quit my dayjob (you should too, building bikes is much more fun!) and started Hugh’s HandBuilt with the last paycheck from my old job…  Long story short, we got busy FAST!  I would have never seen it coming…

That didn’t help this build along at all…  So after the years passed along, the bike garnered more and more dust and it was starting to look like this thing would never come to life.   The economy was tanking, both the owner and myself really couldn’t afford to finish it.  Cain debated selling it off, but I didn’t want it to slip away after all these years, so a deal was struck and about 2.5 months ago – I became the owner of yet another XS – go figure!

So I instantly dusted her off, and put her up on the lift.  I installed one our HHB PMA Systems, Red-Koted the tank, swapped out the headlight and fender for something more my style and started tidying it up to get it fired for the first time ever…   Running the PMA would also mean I could run the bike without a battery…  And no battery makes for a super clean, kick-only ride…  Just my style…

I made sure to bleed a little bit while working on it..  These old bikes simply won’t run proper if you don’t bleed on em…  No seriously…

 

With a Mac 2-1 on it, and a little bit of blood in the oil – she fired right up on the first kick!  No brakes, no lights, but hey – at least it was up and running.

So I swapped out the disk rear wheel for a 1 year only Drum Mag wheel, fabbed up some brake linkage and headed out for the road for a bit of testing…   I did find that the cheapo replacement brake arm hardware was not up to the task of holding the brake drum in place – BOOOM!!!

The swingarm/brake arm hardware had sheared while I was on I-40 after I gave the rear brake a good stompin’ – and of course I didn’t have the front brake hooked up…  The linkage tore loose, hitting me in the hip and doing a bit of damage to the narrowed fender I had mocked up…

Shake down runs tend to really shake you up sometimes…  I rode it the 3-4 miles back to the shop with no breaks.  Compression braking to the rescue!

Pulled the rear fender, found some OEM hardware and built new linkage for the brake arms and I was back in business.  I did quite a bit of riding locally as you see it below.  The handling on this bike was spot-on, and that big 23″ front wheel just begged to go off-roading and jumping the stairs.   I can’t say that none of that happened…  So yeah, I fully abused her in the “testing and tuning” stage of the build.

I’m pretty hard on my bikes – I can’t lie…  I figure if they’ll handle the abuse I give them, then it should be good to go.  In the meantime, there is a makeshift skate park behind my shop, and I started jumping the box jump a few too many times, and broke the frame.  I thought it was getting a bit squirrely on the landings – haha…

The shock mounts needed some serious beefing up, so I cut off the tail section and refabbed it using a bit stronger tubing and more solid shock mounts.  I added a short section of a KZ fender and we were back in business…

So I got it all back together, and for the life of me could not get the Mikuni VM34′s to work well with the Mac 2-1 Pipe.  I tried baffles, rejetting, swapping different 2-1 pipes and nothing was fixing the terrible flat spot I had in the middle of the rpm range…  I eventually tossed on some Yo Mama pipes from Pandemonium and the bike instantly ran better…  I was kinda bummed, because I really liked the look of the 2-1 pipe…