Change of plan

The goodies from Lowbrow Customs arrived already!

Unfortunately there was a small hiccup with the rear fender, with my having to use a single rib version that had been shipped instead.

Kyle at Lowbrow Customs has been fantastic at helping me out in relation to the fender, and is taking good care of me for my next order.

Thanks mate!

P.S. The glasses looked great, however, my freakin wide head is a bit of a problem. Thankfully there's a guy at work that'll take them of my hands.

Fender time

I ordered a handful of goodies from Lowbrow Customs including the twin rib rear fender that I've got my heart set on and some sexy glasses too!

Best seat in the house

I managed to order my solo seat from Rich Phillips Cycles.

Looks sweet huh!

New guts

I managed to p-up some sheet metal to begin progress on filling up the cavity I made within the gas tank.

Once I remove the galvanised surface, I'll arrange to get a pro to weld it all up for me.

Foot pegs and ghetto mounts

After stewing on it, I decided I wasn't all that comfortable with the positioning of the TC Bros forward controls.

With a bit of thought, I'd decided to see if there was some other way to install them in a mid mount position. As luck would have it, the exhaust mounting positions will be ideal for the re-located forward control mounts.

It will push them a bit lower to the ground than expected, however, I do have the available ride height to get away with it. The exhaust will need to run beneath these, however, it shouldn't be a problem.

I'll need to cut 40mm off the forward control posts in order for them to get closer to the side covers, and to prevent them getting smashed on the first bend I take.

I managed to get the basic ghetto engine mount roughly completed, prior to final tidy up, welding and powder coating.

As you can see, the tank sits neatly atop the new mount. I might even have a bit of extra space for the petcocks after all?

Helmet head

One of things that really appeals to me is the ability to get creative and express yourself with a cool helmet.

Unfortunately there isn't a large range of ultra cool open faced helmets available in Oz. Due to our strict design rules and regulations, buying something from Biltwell and Bell was out of the question as they have not been tested by our local authorities. Despite being DOT approved, these helmets don't have the all important AS/NZ 1698 sticker and tag to ensure that I am covered by insurance should the worst happen.

Old School Helmets make some awesome paint jobs, however, they were not suitable due to the helmets not meeting Australian Design Rules. They did inspire me none the less.

So I did the next best thing, and bought a locally made Rjays helmet and painted it myself.

I couldn't have done it without the help of  Lisa Cotterill of Envisage Makeup Artistry, who did a brilliant job on Pepe Le Pew!

All it needs now is some pin-striping across the front and back of the helmet.

I mustn't forget the Possum's help too!

Vintage tyre

I ordered one of the tyres so that I could make some adjustments to the Harley Fender stay that I'd received with the original purchase of the bike.

I purchased some new spokes from Mikes XS, the Firestone 400-19 tyre from Antique Tyres, did a trial lacing of the front rim and mounted my first motorcycle tyre.

Let's just say that next time I'll leave the rim truing and tyre mounting to the experts next time!

How low can you go?

After cutting out the underside of the tank, I thought I'd check and see what sort of clearances I had with the top engine mount and head of the motor.

As suspected, a ghetto engine mount was required to clear the tunnel of the tank.

It looks like I'll have to ditch tank mounted petcocks with fuel reserve for an inline alternative due to lack of space.

Thanks Mike for being the best darned tank holder I know!

Trial tank fitting

My custom tank from Vintage Auto World was given a trial fit once it arrived.

It sits way too high at the back and needs some work, whilst I did have it test mounted a bit higher and further forward than I intend to leave it.

Time for a shave

Most of my favourite XS650 bobbers had shaved front forks, where any unused tabs were removed.

Not having any access to lathes or decent machinery, my only option was grinder, dremel, file and sand paper.

Not too bad considering. Maybe it was my little ranga's helping hand that made the difference?

Get a Grip

With special thanks to my very talented friends Vera Black (formerly Amanda Baker) and her hubby Luke, I was given a Dues Ex Machina gift voucher for my birthday.

I managed to p-up the Posh Brown Gum grips that I'd been eying off.

Some more inspiration

Another one of my inspirations is Slingshot Cycles' beautiful XS650 Bobber.

Like Cassio's beast, the blacked out look is just spot on!