Baker F5K Kickstarter kit for sale...

We have a HD Kick Starter Kit sitting here in the shop, never installed.  It was for a project that never materialized. 

Baker F5K Factory 5 Speed Kicker Kit.  Brand New, Still in the original box.  Part Number 578-56MP-K 

Retail is $1264.00 - Asking $1,000 - Open to Trades on XS650 Bike,  Goodies or parts... 

Drillin' Rotors

We have made very little progress on Tevan's Cafe' build in the last 6 weeks or so.  So we started tackling small things in our spare time. 

I made Tevan sit down with a sharpie and start marking up his front brake rotor.  After about 5-6 different designs, he settled on one he liked, so we took it to the computer to lay it out properly. 

This pattern will make sure that the brake pads are fully swept across the holes.  This pattern is more than just ornamental, and will look nice on his vintage style build. 

We printed off the pattern, and seeing as how the pattern is larger than standard printer paper, we had to tape 4 sections together.  Then we taped that pattern to the rotor.

In the drawing, I made sure all the holes had a center location, which we then used to locate and punch the hole centers into the rotor through the paper.  Auto punches are NICE for this kind of work, seeing as how we have 100 or so holes to punch.

All punched out, and ready to drill..

Let the drilling commence!  *it is worth noting, that these rotors are stainless, and hard as can be on your tooling.  Get a supply of GOOD drill bits before attempting this, keep some oil on the bit, and slow down your drill press to the proper speed.

All drilled out, and ready to finish.  We will be deburring all the holes, and surfacing the rotor in the next few days. 

 

Hopefully we will make some more progress on the Resto-Mod Cafe' in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Hugh

Another Hardtailed XS650 Frame

This frame was never meant to be...  At least not from our hands.  This frame came to me from a good customer who has been waiting over 6 months for a weld-on hardtail section from another supplier.  Unfortunately, this feller was out his cash AND still didn't have a frame to put together.  We don't do alot of frame sections here at HHB, but from time to time, we'll make it happen. 

This is a great example of one of our tail sections.  A subtle mix of 1" and 1.125" tubing, factory lower frame rails tweaked for nicer lines, and no oddball "plug" from the backbone to the lower frame rails. 

There are many differences in one of our frame sections, when compared to some of the popular tail sections on the market.  I get asked all the time "Will you offer a Weld-On Hardtail?" and the answer is constant.  I will not supply a weld on tail, but I will gladly build one for you in my JIG, ensuring proper installation, and a straight riding motorcycle.  Plus, then you can have any specs you desire and I can work my magic on the stock frame loop to make it more natural appearing rather than an "addition" to the stock frame. 

This frame is 3" stretch, with 4" of ride height and should look great when finished.  I know this one is getting a nice rephased engine, PMA swap, and some of our Shaved, Polished and Lowered forks...  Can't wait to see it done!

As always folks, thanks soo much for your continued support and encouragement.  I wouldn't change what I do for anything in the world when I see happy customers getting their bikes together like this. 

Hugh

A visit from Canuckistan

Had some folks make the drive down to Asheville NC from Canada this past weekend...  We had spoken several times on the phone and after several back and forth emails, these folks decided to make the drive to deliver their XS650 Engine for a rebuild/big bore/rephase...

They somehow managed to find the shop, it's not very well labeled (as of now, I have a friend from Shop 102 in Georgia making a sweet new sign for us).   I scrambled over from the Christmas Parade with my wife and some other friends to meet them.   They sent us these photos, and I thought I would share them with ya'll.

We do have our collective "The Hive" sign up, but that is all that lets you know what may or may not be behind that door...

The engine to be built, stacked next to a recently finished engine... 

We hung out, chatted, and had a great time.   These folks win the "Longest Drive to Hugh's HandBuilt" to date!

 

The coolest part about this whole thing, is not that I get to build another engine, or anything to do with me at all really.  This is going to a Father and Son build.  They both drove down together, spending time with each other, and enjoying the trip.  We all headed over to Barley's Tap and Pizza, enjoyed a great lunch, shared stories, had a few local brews and then they were off.  There was a whisper of Smoky Mountain Knifeworks, Cigars and Beer in Ohio, and a few other stops on their way home.  I was slightly jealous.

It was a pleasure to meet them both, and I'm excited to be a small part of their build...  Sometimes it is more about the experience and the journey than the final outcome.  These folks reminded me of that, and it has made my week all the better...

Another RePhased XS650 Engine

So I needed to test run a new engine for a customer..  My old stand was clunky, heavy and fairly hard to use.  So we scrapped it...

This new stand is fairly simple, just a furniture dolly, a regular XS650 engine stand, and a set of "handlebars" to hold all the miscellaneous wiring...  I set it up with 2 Coils (required for testing rephased engines) a PMA regulator, and a Sparx capacitor.  Along with a "On/Off" switch, I can now test fire an engine, and test the PMA system before shipping it out to customers.

 

And just a quick video for this particular customer..  You'll not that this engine is NOT even bolted to the stand, it just has a few lengths of metal rod holding it to the stand, hence the rattles and looseness...  These carbs are only to fire up the engine and test it, and do not belong to this engine either...  I just needed a set to fire up the bike, so I stole them from my Street Tracker Project...  The pipes are stock headpipes that were laying in my pile...  

This particular engine was just fired up about 2-3 minutes before taking this video.  I will be breaking it in over the next few days, re-adjusting the valves and camchain, changing the oil and then sending it to it's new owner.  

 

Well folks, engine building season is upon us - I have 6-7 engines lined up for new builds, so stay tuned, and get yours here FAST if you want on the list - Hugh