The Flying "W" The build log..Start to finish…
November 3, 2009 by sure
wo northbound rigs crashed together and spun out of control, according to a nearby trucker. My brother (Casey) and I were gridlocked for two hours on the interstate at 3 in the morn. Temps dropped, heavy rains turned to sleet and the road became the kind of ice you couldn’t walk on, but somehow you could drive on. The wreckage was pushed aside on I-65 and as soon as traffic cleared, we dropped the hammer and drug the Holsclaw along the icy super slab into Illinois. There, the perfect donor bike was waiting for us with a negotiable owner. We hoped.
If a talented bike-building kinda guy, with a shop full of all the tools you’d ever want, says he’ll build you a bobber if you’ll provide the motor…you drop what you’re doin’ and make a bee line to a donor motor. Jon Ard is the capable fella I’m referring to. Ardcore Choppers and our design shop, Wilkinson Brothers, struck a deal and our mission was clear: Find a healthy XS650 engine and get it in his greasy hands, ASAP.
Our predicted 4-hour haul turned into a 7-hour trudge, including an exit-lane pass around a crawling wall of Chicago snowplows. Their 4-wide swath wasn’t gonna set us back any further, dadgumit. We soon entered barren lands where, unfortunately, “just outside the City” turned into “way the heck out’n the country.” Craig’s List ‘poetic license’ at its finest.
Comments
(1) it would be leaking a little oil
(2) itd have a hose clamp holding on a muffler
(3) it was more haggard than its glamour shots
(4) its owner wouldnt budge at a lower offer
But, seven hours in the truck and the fear of not locating another increasingly hard-to-find XS650 soon, meant the dude was holding all the aces. So, ten minutes after walking that stiff-legged, road-wary walk up to a strangers house, we were strapping it down to our trailer.
Its now around noonish with blinding white snow everywhere. The bike is photogenic, God bless it, and as we retraced our way back to Indiana it grew on us. Its a cool bike after all, with the kind of nostalgic qualities that lure restorers and chop-fiends alike. Confirmation of its coolness surfaced as a guy in a fast-approaching, clapped-out BMW paralleled us in the fast lane; he checked out the bike and made sure we acknowledged his thumbs-up. We smiled, assuming he had hunch we were gonna sacrifice it for something less practical and less wholesome. We hoped it would run as well as it sounded in the garage of the Illinoisan Craig's Lister.
Back on home turf with the donor bike, were a step closer to owning a bobber. After roads thawed, we wanted to thrash it around before it goes under Jons knife. I suited up for the sub-freezing conditions as Casey found the appropriate starting methodology. It popped to life and idled like wed hoped. An old Cycle World review of the XS650 described this very moment: ...the engine growls to life with a subdued roar, then settles into the loping gait of a large vertical twin, the sound of an even series of cylinder explosions separated by flashes of silence. Yep. Its neat. I rode to a gravel lot to see what the ol bike felt like when tossed around and revved to the moon. Bombing frigid puddles with throttle pinned and tires spinning, the powerplant proved it had umption in its gumption. Mission: Donor Motor...accomplished.
http://www.wilkinsonbrothers.com/wb/bt/5xsmuddypics.jpg
Alright, weve now got a motor and roller wanting to be united. So whats this thing going to look like? Too many choices. Too many things we wanna try. We started with these basics:
1. Gloss black frame
2. Stock XS rims, gloss black
3. Old school tires (Classic Shinko rear and Speedmaster front)
4. Silver and black tins (man, did THIS change)
5. Low bars
6. Mids!
he choice of paint style was our biggest hurdle, maybe because were graphic designers/illustrators. A conversation with Nate was in order. Hes Ardcores painter (known as sure to forum folk). Nate plopped down the binder o swatches and walked us thru the many color options and provided some schooling on candies vs. flakes and how theyre applied. Hes full bore into this painting thing; definitely has his finger on the pulse of what is different, authentic, and groovy.
We had to pick a color scheme; no more hemming and hawing. Silver and black fell by the wayside to a candied yellowy-gold and gloss black. Exclamatory. We then sketched and toiled over some simple-but-neato scallops, stripes, etc.changing our minds umpteens of times. But soon, the clouds opened up and the angels sang when we landed on a paneled theme with a fat black top-stripe. (Later, wed benefit from Nates shoot-from-the-hip painting style when the tins made it to the booth; stay tuned.)
Items would soon come back from powdercoat and even when you know theyre gonna come back lookin good, its like Christmas morning when theyre finally beheld. Gloss black frame: Check. Gloss black rims, hubs, and lower fork legs: Triple check. Black is beautiful.
When we arrived, Nate had most of the sanding and smoothing done, part of the laborious paint prep that cant be ignored. The House of Kolor cans soon emerged to fill an impressively crafted German spray gun. We watched him begin the first of many walks around each tin thru the night (Note: dont expect this privilege from your painter; we were lucky). The rear fender, tank, and oil bag came screaming to life each step of the way.
Nate provided some keen insight for the design; his experience and knowledge of varying styles helped enhance our early concepts. Laying down a silver Shimrin base coat and applying the wonderfully gold candy was cool enough, then he dropped a bit of a copper into the gold to create blends and fades that conjure up the good ol days. Far out, man.
As we watched the big parts being tacked together, it was the first time wed seen the bold golds near the black and metal of the frame and engine. Were goin ape! Tank bolted, fender mounted, forks slid in, wheels put on, seat perched, pipes wrapped, and the oil bag in place, this initial assembly was the Flying Ws rite of passage. Wed shake our heads several times; all the black was the right decision. We concurred that the luminous funky stripes and panels were the proper exclamation point. Of course, this preview would only be a tease; much more has to be tweaked and fitted before the bike gets its first shot of petrol as a bobber. In the meantime, we'll pace the floors of our office in agonizing anticipation.
Friday is a good day to begin with, but this one was gonna be extry special. When we pulled up to Ardcores parking lot, a 3:30pm sun was cast upon our new bobber. Sweet. The stark black rims, tires, and frame held up the in-yer-face goldness of the tins. Looked like it was waitin for a fight. We saw, for the first time, the custom-fabd brake arm, linkage, and shift-lever. And, at last, the TT-esque handlebars were mounted with basic black grips sans frills. Of course, the icing on the cake was hearing it pop to life and fall to an amplified, cackling idle. The proprietary Top Fools exhaust did their job and were sure theyll cause the shirt-n-tie guys to believe were among the great unwashed.
Helmet n gloves are donned after praise and admiration is given to the artisans at Ardcore; now its time to ride!!
More shots of the Ardcore sampling o' chops.
stay tuned for a full ride video in the near future...
here's a quick vid of the bike on the road...
or, V-Twin / Tedd's Cycles still makes available the ole 3" front drum brake wheel assy.'s in both 19" and 21". At least it will let ya slow down a little better than just a rear brake. Just some suggestions to keep you from going splat or crunch.
Capt.
I appreciate your concern but Sh!t happens with and with out using a front brake...
We have all been riding motorcycles long enough to know they aren't safe anyways..
I appreciate your concern but Sh!t happens with and with out using a front brake...
We have all been riding motorcycles long enough to know they aren't safe anyways..
Yup, couldn't agree with ya more. Just an observation to try and keep ya around a little longer and healthier that's all.
Again, Nice Job!
Capt.