How to shave your XS650 forks.

So, I'm sure we can all agree that nothing looks better than a sweet ass shaved.....set of FORKS! Shaving your forks is cheap, easy and really cleans the lines of your bike up by removing unused fender and brake caliper mounts. While your forks are apart its also a good time to replace those 30 year old fork seals and lower your forks as well!

So if you have never had your forks apart before, or are a bit timid to go hacking into the "unknown" there is a great tutorial on fork disassembly and proper lowering provided by Mulligan Machine and the boys at xs650chopper.com. The pic above shows what you should have after complete fork disassembly.

Here's a pic of the fork lower tube prior to cutting. I use my favorite tool, a Porta-band saw to cut off the useless brake caliper and fender mounts. A bench vise also comes in real handy. Be sure when cutting off the mounts to leave plenty of excess material. The last thing you want to do is cut into your fork tubes.

This is what remains of the left fork lower after cutting. Being that your lower tubes are made out of aluminum they will grind down very, very quickly, so don't be afraid to leave more material behind for safety's sake. My brake caliper mounts on the right tube, so this left tube gets shaved clean.

Here I am grinding down the remaining material. For this task I use a 4 1/2" grinder with a 80 grit flap wheel. This method will remove aluminum material fast, but slower and safer than a standard grinding wheel. The key here is keeping your grinder as close to 90 degrees as possible to prevent "dishing" the fork which is very easy to do. I prefer to leave about 1/16" of material remaining which will be removed in the next step.

Here I use a orbital palm sander to do the fine sanding and smooth/level out the remaining material. I start with 60 grit and finish off with 150 grit. You will go through quite a bit of sandpaper as the aluminum clogs it up quickly. Keep the sander moving across the workpiece to prevent flat spots. This method is pretty painless. I noticed in the past that disc sanders make it very easy to dish the piece, which looks like shit. No one likes shit except for fecalphiliacs..

Now for the fine cleanup. I use a piece of 220 grit emery cloth (available at your local hardware store) to get ride of all the fine lines left behind from the palm sander. This takes a bit of time, but the results are priceless! This method will give your forks a nice fine round finish that you can later polish or powder coat.

Here's the finished product! Super smooth and looking so minimal, just how I like it!

And as you can see, no dishing or "speed bumps" as I like to call them. This tube is now ready for powder coating. After I get them back from my powder coater, I will install new fork seals, re-assemble, add fork oil and be lookin' damn fine!

I urge you to do this yourself, but if this looks like too much for you to tackle, hit me up! A basic XS fork shave with new seals, fork oil and powder coated will set ya back $150.00 for the pair plus shipping. For another $25.00, I will lower your forks 2 inches. Other "racey" options such as progressive springs are available, feel free to ask! 

Custom Battery Boxes. Built to your specs.

 A lot of guys these days are running mini batteries on their choppers and cafe bikes. I run them on my bikes as well. With a kick start only bike, mini batteries are the only way to fly. Easy to hide under your brats swing arm, or down low on your hard tail, we can build steel boxes in any configuration you might need.

 We're currently taking orders for custom built, one off, battery boxes starting at $60.00!! Built to your specs. Solid steel or speed holes, steel battery hold down or bungee style as shown, we can build them all. Available raw or powder coated in any color you can imagine. Turnaround time is approx 2 weeks for a powder coated box, quicker for a raw box. Email me at dirtygursmetric@gmail.com or shoot me a call at 208-818-9231 to place your order.

raw finished, speed holed, bungee style, under swing arm mount box for XS650's shown.

CB400T bench run

After ripping into Brett's 1978 CB400T and finding a broken piston along with a handful of other issues. It looked to be a $200-$300 investment to get the old girl going.. Scouring craigslist one evening I came across a complete, supposedly running 1979 CB400T engine for $200.00!! We went and scooped it up, and after minimizing the wiring, checking plugs and fluids, and checking head torque, she fired right up! Rad!

CB400 Wheels

Just got back to my shitty hotel after a long day on the tower. I open up the computer and there's a message from Jason at WheelSpinmx with this pretty pic attached to the message. These are for Brett's cafe racer and with the help of these wheels, the CB400 is gonna look killer!! I'm afraid to have anyone put tires on them! Thanks Jason, they look amazing!!

How to chop your XS650 into a sweet Brat.

 Hi to you! So step one on your stripped XS650. Cut the horizontal tubes as close to the frame as you can without cutting into the frame. I scored a Portaband off craigslist for $75.00. I use them everyday at work, and they are like $400 plus new. This saw lets you get close and will leave me a clean cut and very little to grind. if you don't have one, you can use a torch, grinder, shit, a hacksaw would even do the deed..

 Now its time to cut the verticals. I cut my frame to leave just enough material to "slug" to. "slugging" lets you splice pieces together while keeping the joint sturdy and super strong. I'll take some pics and show you how soon..

 finished cutting.

 this is what you should have left, minus my beer.

and if you have a XS, you already know how much bullshit that you have to grind of the frame.!! I grind everything including the center stand mount. tune in next time for some other whack ass XS tips and tricks... and if you have some cool shit to share, send your pics to  dirtygursmetric@gmail.com

laters!

best bbq ever!!

I've been all over this country and other countries, and Ive eaten a lot of different food. I love BBQ, and I love to smoke, charcoal BBQ, propane... this honey badger don't give a shit.

Well, we are staying at this ghetto-ass hotel in Junction City, OR. Across the parking lot is a joint called Boss Hawgs BBQ . HOLY FUCK!!! We went there Tuesday night for dinner, then Wednesday night, then Thursday. So tonight's special was PRIME RIB!! By far, the best prime rib that I have ever had....ever.. I'm not shitting you, Phillip gets this shit done right!! Thanks for the good times, see ya next time were slanging antennas in Eugene!!

Corey's XS650

My brother Corey sent some pics over of his sweet ass 1981 Yamaha XS650. Enjoy!

 The Kawasaki KZ in the background is Jason Abbott's. Jason owns WheelSpinMX. He did the wheels for Corey's bike, and he is currently doing the wheels for Brett's build. If you ever need a custom set of wheels, he is your man.

 And yes, that is a real Wassel peanut tank. Corey said his welder had hell trying to get this nostalgic tank to hold fuel, but with some elbow grease and patience, the outcome is extraordinary!