Now that the holiday season is finally winding down, I had a second to get to the garage and really start to get moving on this winter’s project. I picked up an old beemer double pull drum front for my xs so I started fitting and measuring spacer sizes. Thankfully the conversion shouldn’t take that much doing.
Anyway, I started laying everything out to really get a good look at what I’m going for and started making good lines and what-not, when I decided that as seeing it is New Year’s Eve and I haven’t posted in awhile, I’d bring you guys up to date and reflect on my past year a little. Pardon if I bear my soul a bit.
2010 was definitely a year of establishing roots. I spent the past 5 years bouncing around a lot and not settling down and it wore kind of thin mid 2009. Thanks to a good friend I was able to drop what I was doing, come home immediately and get my head screwed on straight. I owe a lot to him. The end of 2009 would see me moving for the third time in a year into a place that I hope to stay for a bit. Here I could finally dig into my bike the way I wanted to – and I did.
At first I was lost in a sea of information and frustrated about it. I knew I had good method but I had no idea where to begin. So I did the only thing I could do – I started taking things apart and making due with what I had or could get my hands on. I knew it wouldn’t be perfect but that it would buy me enough time to wrap my head around what I needed to know. My tools were scattered and my workspace was tight, dark and cold. At the end of it I came out with a bike that runs and a boosted confidence level.
By chance a friend of mine started renting a 3 car garage close by and was looking for a couple others to throw in on it. I’ll spare you the details of us getting it up and running but by late spring I was ready for project number 2. I decided I needed a highway hog to offset my r5 and came across an xs650 that I absolutely wanted. Bought it as a basket case, spent a month getting it together and a couple more working out all the kinks in motor.
The end half of 2010 has been great for me. Again, I’ll spare the details except that wonderful friends, family and a companion all helped make these past 6 months some of the best yet. I am overwhelming grateful to all of them.
If 2010 was my year of establishing roots, I feel 2011 will be the year I earn my wings. The xs is now completely stripped to the frame, all the extra fat that was welded to the frame cut off, all the excess holes filled. The forks will getting shortened 3″ to bring the wheel closer to the frame. Once I get the new front hub fit, I’ll be breaking down the wheel and lacing it to a 21″ rim so it gives the frame a bit more clearance. I’ll be welding up my own exhaust that will snake up the rear right side with fishtail tips. A new fender that needs to be resized and mounted. Brand new square stock sissy completely from scratch. New tank mounts, new footpegs. New ignition, wiring harness and stator. Dual stack head lights. redoing a solo seat in leather from the pan up. And after all that I’ll be using my HVLP sprayer to lay down a proper auto finish on it. I definitely feel like I have my work cut out for me but I couldn’t be anymore excited to get started.
That said, thank you all for letting me a part of this blog. Seeing the progress every one of you has made this year keeps my ass in the garage wrenching when I’m being lazy. I hope to post more and see more of you guys in the new year.
Happy New Year everyone. Ride safe in 2011, best wishes.
3 responses to “Looking Forward”
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The XS is lookin burly. It’s gonna be a beast when it’s done.
-ed
damn, the xs is looking sick!
Glad to have you apart of this cycle community as well man.
real excited to see this come together. love the pics.