1972 XS2 650 Chop Project 2.

A few progress pictures as it stands at the minute. Engine will meet the frame again in the next few weeks. The top picture is how it was with the correct wheels and axle spacers and the forward controls mounted.

1972 XS2 650 Chop Project.

For roughly the last 10 years I’ve had a frame and boxes of parts just waiting for me to do something with it. I’m quite a busy bloke but I knew I had to make a start on the project.

So I started putting it together, making engine mounts and numerous other parts such as seat base, forward control mounts and linkages. Frame was then powder coated and I set about the paintwork.

Most recently I’ve made a start on the engine. Cylinders honed, new piston rings, head rebuilt and all blasted and painted. This is how it looked when I started, nothing fitted, cast wheels and nothing inside the engine

It’s had a few jobs done.

Well, I bought this last year and used it for a little while. It was obvious that the last owner’s idea of servicing was only changing the oil.
Something had to be done, so in the winter months I attacked it;
Progressive front fork springs.
Progressive rear shocks.
Galfer wavey front discs (the originals were warped).
S&S hydraulic lifters.
S&S adjustable push rods.
Screamin Eagle push rod tubes.
Rocker lockers.
Screamin Eagle heavy breather.
Fehling 12” mini ape hangers.
New front tyre.
All new fluids.
New oil filter.
Spark plugs.
Vance & Hines quiet baffles in the 4” oval silencers.
Re-map.
All in all, a bit more work than I had planned but the bike is completely transformed, it goes great and sounds great too.

It’s all change with my bikes.

The BMW had to go, bloody hell it was the most uncomfortable bike I’ve ever had. So I knew what I had to do, stick with what I know and love. I’ve been riding a Harley as my main bike since 1993, so....... 2007 Screamin Eagle Road King.
         

The BMW.

Over the last few years I've been doing a bit of touring across Europe. It's all been on my Harley and I've managed to see quite a bit of Germany, along with France, Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg.
This year I'm going to Barcelona, I'd decided I was going to get a new Harley but with what I'd saved up I found I could keep my Harley and get a 1200 Gsa BMW as a second bike, some of my friends had done similar. So this is it;

Sadly the seat makes this the most uncomfortable bike I've ever sat on, so that has had to be replaced. Apart from that it does everything you'd expect and it does it very well. It does lack a bit of character though and is very much second best to my Harley. I doubt once the Barcelona trip is out of the way that it will be in my garage for much longer. It will be going to a new owner.

Kawasaki Z1100 Shaft.

I bought this as a non running import from a dealer on e bay. It had a few parts missing and a few really rough parts that needed replacing.
I decided that it would be a rolling restoration, it's never going to be mint but it needs to run well and just be a bit tidier.
So far it has a Vance & Hines megaphone exhaust fitted, and the seat has been recovered in a Corbin style by Smart RRR's in York. There is however some smooth bore carbs to go on it, some original rear air shocks and a few other bits to sort. Eventually I'm hoping to slip on an upside down ZX10 front end.

As it stands now it has tax and MOT and is on the road.

Temptress Z1000 Kawasaki.

This is how the Kawasaki turned out. Fully rebuilt with many worn out parts replaced. Fantastic paint job by Dave Dickinson at DDK Custom Airbrushing, and then tuned by John Warrington Motorcycles in Malton.