The Cheaper Chopper
By Cyclepsycho
In the last few years, the popularity of custom made, high dollar
motorcycles
has skyrocketed. Custom V-twin powered choppers where no expense
is
spared and money is no object have hit the main stream, thanks in part
to
television shows featuring the works of West Coast Choppers and Orange
County
Choppers. The custom parts market
Is overflowing with bolt on billet and chrome like never before.
This
craze, while impressive to say the least, has cast a shadow on the
original
idea of the chopper itself.
After World War II, surplus motorcycles were plentiful and soldiers
returning
from the war bought these bikes up for a few dollars. Many of
these
early “bikers” customized their rides not by adding accessories and
equipment,
but by removing unnecessary things.
Front fenders were removed altogether and rear fenders were cut, or
“bobbed”,
which made them shorter. Many bikers of the day took pride in the
amount
of equipment that they could remove from the motorcycle and yet still
make
it function. This type of customizing evolved over the next 20
years
into the chopper craze of the 1960’s where extended front ends, coffin
tanks
and other non factory items were added to motorcycles.
The Harley Davidson was the by far the most popular for these
modifications,
but other brands also enjoyed their share of “chopping”, “bobbing” and
customization.
The British motorcycles of the time like Triumph, BSA, Norton and AJS
all
had their share of aftermarket parts available but a great deal of the
customized
motorcycles of the era were built in small shops, garages or even the
living
rooms of many homes. Shade tree bike builders were at the mercy
of
their own skills, the skills of fellow bikers and also at the mercy of
their
wallets. Doing things “on the cheap” was the name of the game for
many
bike builders. Creativity abounded and motorcycle parts were made
from
modified automobile parts, other motorcycle parts or many times built
from
scratch. A chopper reflected the personality, creativity and even
the
attitude of the builder, who was usually also the owner and rider of
the
machine.
While many of these early choppers were impressive to look at, they did
have
certain shortcomings that many times made them less than safe to
ride.
Sometimes a builder could remove too many parts and render the bike a
death
trap. Cutting and modifying frames was a job best left to an
experienced
mechanic who understood the geometry of a motorcycle and was skilled in
proper
welding techniques. Nonetheless, many a frame was modified using
tools
as simple as a hacksaw and a gas welder. Many a biker also
learned
the limit of his skills the hard way and has the headstone to prove
it.
Despite the dangers, custom motorcycle building has survived and now
enjoys
a new generation of bike builders.
Today’s custom choppers are built on a larger scale than the ones in
the
past. With high horsepower motors, hidden suspension, disk brakes
and
frames designed by computer drafting programs, these bikes are
stronger,
faster and safer than the custom choppers of old that inspired their
design.
CNC machines can cut out a part in less time than it takes to drink a
six-pack
of beer. Modern welding equipment cannot only weld faster, but safer as
well.
All this technology does come at a price and many of today’s custom
bikes
can also sport a six-figure price tag. I decided my project would
prove
that one could build a good-looking custom bike and not break the
bank.
This was in no way a nose up or slap in the face to the modern day
custom
builders but merely a reminder that all that glitters is not chrome and
a
custom bike was not out of the reach of a self-taught shade tree bike
mechanic
like myself. My budget for this project would be one thousand
dollars.
For my bike, I chose to use the Yamaha XS650 motorcycle. This
twin
cylinder bike was released on the U.S. in 1970 to compete with the
vertical
twins from England that had dominated the medium displacement
motorcycle
market since the early 1960’s. It is very similar in design to
the
British bikes, but enjoys a mechanical reliability that not always
found
in the U.K. bikes of the era. Not only that, but Yamaha imported
so
many of these bikes to the U.S., that they can be had for next to
nothing
when compared to American V-twins and the now collectable British iron,
which
has enjoyed an upsurge in popularity as many of the baby boomers try
and
reclaim a piece of their youth.
I began looking for a project on the only swap meet you can attend in
your
underwear, e-Bay. Every couple of days I would search for items
with
“chopper” in the title. Weeding through the high dollar rigs and
Hobart
commercial food choppers, I eventually found an auction that looked
promising.
It was for a custom made chopper frame rolling chassis and a complete
XS650
motorcycle for parts. The physical location of the auction was
only
60 miles from my home, so I didn’t have to concern myself with shipping
cost,
which many times can exceed the value of the bike. I watched the
auction
carefully for several days, not wanting to bid until the last minute so
not
to be outbid by others.
When the auction came down to the final minutes, I threw in my
bid.
I ended up winning it for a mere $505.
That weekend, I made the trip north in my van and picked up my new
project.
It was a project that had been started but had changed owners a couple
times
before it was ever finished. The project not only included a
rolling
chassis frame and parts bike, but several boxes of miscelanious parts.
Over the next six months, I would spend time working on the project in
the
evenings and on weekends. Sometimes it would only be a couple
hours
a night and sometimes I’d get going and not stop until 5 or 6 hours
later.
I set no deadlines and worked on the bike when I felt like it.
Meanwhile,
I was also ordering small parts from my local motorcycle parts dealer
and
also acquiring a lot of parts from sellers on e-Bay. I also spent
a
great deal of time surfing the web and hanging out on chopper
building
and XS650 related web sites. I gleaned a lot of information off
these
sites that was put to use on my project.
Since this was my first chopper project, there was a lot of trial and
error
when it came to making things fit. I had to fabricate many of the
parts
that hold the bike together simply because they do not exist on the
market.
Some parts had to be redesigned or discarded, which took up a good deal
of
my time. Some of the sources for material for my fabricated parts
were
rather unconventional. I used metal pieces from old overhead
projectors
to fabricate a fender bracket for the rear, spacers were made from old
sockets
and motor bushings and flat steel salvaged from electronic cabinets
were
all put to use.
The Bates style solo seat has a pivot mount on the front that was
actually
made from a heavy-duty lock hasp I had sitting in a drawer.
Improvising
and fabricating were the name of the game.
Since I didn’t have an exhaust system for the bike, I decided to make
my
own. I wanted to build some mufflers that resembled old aircraft
machine
gun barrels. I welded up some EMT conduit, muffler adapters from
the
auto parts store and a couple of steering stem nuts I had sitting
around.
A little black barbeque paint and my $5 “machine guns” were ready to
go.
The rear fender is a generic raw fender I got for $35, the tank, which
came
in one of the boxes of parts, is an old aftermarket chopper tank that
used
old British petcocks and cap. The front fender is a Harley Narrow Glide
style
fender that I purchased brand new from an e-Bay vendor for $22. I
had
to slightly elongate the mounting holes on the fender but after doing
that,
it fit perfectly onto the stock Yamaha front end. The tank and
fenders
were then all painted with RustOleum Premium Metallic from a rattle
can,
wet sanded, clear coated (rattle can again) and finally polished with
some
polishing compound and glaze I had sitting on the shelf.
Over a six-month period of working on it part time; I eventually came
up
with a good-looking bike. It runs great and the ride is a lot
smoother
than I had anticipated it being.
After adding up all the receipts, I came in under the one thousand
dollar
budget. While it is no show winner, it’s no trailer queen
either.
For less than the price that some guys pay for a wheel on one of the
new-era
custom choppers, I was able to build a respectable machine that still
turns
heads.
Tech Sheet:
OWNER/BUILDER
Cyclepsycho
LOCATION
Willamette
Valley, Oregon USA
MAKE/MODEL
Yamaha XS650
YEAR
1981
ASSEMBLY
Owner
BUILD TIME
6
months
COST
$1000
ENGINE
Stock
CARBURETOR
Stock
AIR CLEANERS
K&N
IGNITION
Stock
EXHAUST
Custom
“Machine
Gun” pipes fabricated by owner
FINISH
Rattle Can RustOleum Premium Metalic
FRAME
Custom
built
FRONT FENDER
HD Narrow Glide
REAR FENDER
Custom
GAS TANK(S)&CAP(S) Unknown
aftermarket
tank, old British style cap
RISERS
HD
TAILLIGHT
Tombstone
type
SEAT
Bates style solo seat w/springs
ELECTRICAL
Custom wired by owner
© Copyright 2003, Cyclepsycho
All Rights Reserved Reprint with permission
Cyclepsycho
