This is the latest in a line of those neat Yamahabased customs and you might think that the title of this article refers to the colour. Well, it does, but it might also describe how you will feel when you get to the final paragraph of this feature! Keep reading, though—no skipping to the end to spoil the surprise…
As they’re about to explain, it’s the work of Luke Cormack and Mike Leary of Bristol Bobbers who told us: “We managed to obtain a very rough XVS650 from a contact who had the bike stood up under a cover in his garden for nearly ten years. As you can imagine, the bike was in much need of restoration, but being custom bike builders, of course this bike needed modifications!
“So work began. We started the strip down of the bike, treating all frame work for rust and corrosion, using a local soda blaster to remove paint from the frame, swinging arm, forks, headstock, drive shaft and wheels. With the parts now cleaned and we were sure that the chassis was structurally sound, powder coating could commence and the frame and swinging arm were treated to a fresh coat of black gloss.
“The engine was given an overhaul with new paint, oil, filter, gaskets and spark plugs. As I’m sure everyone who knows about these bikes can confirm, these engines are bulletproof! The carbs were stripped, cleaned and rebuilt with gaskets and new jets—upgrading the main jet from a 90 to a 100 is a necessity when you’re running open pipes. Also tuning the carbs once back on the bike is good practice to ensure the bike runs perfectly and not too lean. With the engine fitted back into the frame, the swinging arm greased, new bearings fitted and the monoshock mounted, it was time to start putting the front end back together.
Denne historien er fra Issue 252-utgaven av 100% Biker.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 252-utgaven av 100% Biker.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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There's No Place Like Chrome
When settling down to write a feature for a magazine, it’s necessary to have two things, nay, three things in front of you. A computer is useful, it saves all that messy ink and blotting paper that we used in those long gone school days, a strong hot mug of tea should also be on the desk (goes without saying), and finally, a set of scribbled notes that a couple of months ago resembled a detailed description of a motorcycle, but that by now, are largely illegible…
Spike And Bob's Big Swedish Adventure: Part 5
In 1979 Hasse took Caprice to the Norrtälje show for the first time, but he had changes for the bike in mind and, during the winter, he picked up a jammer frame and a set of 20-inch tubes.
Black Dog Custom Show - The Black Dog, Broadmayne, Dorset
Named after the only pub in the village of Broadmayne near Dorchester, nobody there can quite remember how long the informal get together that is the Black Dog Custom Show has been going
TWEETY
Over the last couple of years, very few if any motorcycles have inspired such bafflement and scratching of heads as Dan Duggan’s Honda CX500
THE DOUBTER
Every project starts somewhere and this one began at the Bike Shed Show at Tobacco Dock in London or, to be more accurate, when my mate Matt Donaldson turned to me and said, “I bet you can’t build a bike good enough for here.” Well, that set me to work!
JBS SPECIAL
Jarno comes from a family with petrol in their blood. His father races classic motorcycles and Jarno was raised on a farm where the barns are full of motorcycles instead of cows! This is his very first project, the Jarno Bastian Special
CUSTOMBIKE Messe Bad Salzuflen, Germany
Sometimes what is missing from a show is more interesting than what’s present. With the German show Custombike celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the event remains a showcase for European customising in all its diversity— with the additional benefit of a focus on parts that are homologated and approved for Europe
COVERT MISSION
It’s not often that I have to sneak in and photograph a motorcycle without the owner knowing anything about it—something that was made tougher in this case by the said motorcycle being kept at said owner’s house
Carry On Screaming
As is often the case, I first caught sight of Nige Biffin’s cool Honda CB750 at a local show last summer, standing out as it did from the stock stuff and the classics present. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t just the ace paint that grabbed my attention, but the obvious quality of the build throughout. I needed to know more…
Paul's Harley
Ensuring that a custom motorcycle will comfortably chew up the miles is perhaps not always one of the main priorities for every builder, but for anyone in the National Chopper Club, it’s essential. Never more so than when you happen to live in one of the far flung parts of this island which means that you’ve usually got a journey to do before you even start going anywhere, as Paul, NCC National Secretary and member of Chopper Club Kernow, knows all too well. This is the story of his latest chop.
