650Rider, xs650 hosted by XS650.com

What Happened to 650rider.com?

650 Rider went offline for about a month at the beginning of 2010. In order to save the technical information that was here, XS650.com acquired the site and brought it back online as a read-only archive. If you were a member of 650 Rider, you will need to re-register at XS650.com

Search 650Rider.com and XS650.com using Google!

        650Rider Menu
 Community  Information


xs650 > > Custom Work: Chop, Bob, Cafe and Flattracker - Streettracker > > Chopper jobs > > newbie choppin up a 79 xs650


newbie choppin up a 79 xs650
Go to page 1, 2  Next
    Forum Index -> Chopper jobs
Author Message
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: November 14, 2009, 7:29 pm    Post subject: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

started the post over in the introduce yourself section.
thought i would start it again over here.
bought a stock '79 xs650 in august,

started tearin it apart,


now that i finally got the frame done, startin to put it back together, if i can remember where i put all the parts! Laughing

_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: November 16, 2009, 4:59 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

busy weekend, got the forward controls, the seat, and the header pipes on. Started some of the basic wiring. Gotta hold up until i get the gas tank figured out.

Confused

_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
pumps
650Rider Supporter
650Rider Supporter


Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 1993
Location: Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.- 1977 XS650 "D" Standard

PostPosted: November 16, 2009, 5:52 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

It is coming right along and I can see the work you're putting in. It looks very clean.
_________________
You don't HAVE to be crazy to run into burning buildings, but it HELPS!
On an XS you won't pass yourself on the road everyday. Wink

My Bikes
Back to top
Photo Gallery
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: November 17, 2009, 7:25 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Thanks. It's my first build so I'm keeping it simple.
_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Dirka
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 14, 2009
Posts: 105
Location: smalltown, IN

PostPosted: December 14, 2009, 1:51 am    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

what are you thinking for a tank?
Back to top
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: December 14, 2009, 5:33 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Funny that you should ask...
just got my peanut tank installed...



I know that using a peanut tank has been done before. Hopefully the modifications to the tank will make it stand out a little. Smile

_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Eric00
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Nov 29, 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Detroit -Michigan

PostPosted: December 14, 2009, 7:20 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

dont get held up on "its been done before" those tanks are an awsome fit for these xs builds! very nice
Back to top
danxs650mass
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Apr 29, 2009
Posts: 42
Location: lynn mass

PostPosted: December 14, 2009, 9:11 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

did i see that tank on ebay???
Back to top
Dirka
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 14, 2009
Posts: 105
Location: smalltown, IN

PostPosted: December 15, 2009, 1:58 am    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

i can dig it. gonna paint it or leave it bare?
Back to top
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: December 17, 2009, 2:34 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

dan xs, yep i got the tank off ebay.
I think for now i'm gonna leave it bare metal, I'm still trying to decide on a color...... I dunno, maybe a silver with heavy metalflake.

_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Srinath
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 10, 2009
Posts: 343
Location: Charlotte NC

PostPosted: December 17, 2009, 2:42 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

The word chopper gets thrown about a lot these days. And I dont mean to nit pick ...
But you are building a hard tailed, bobber, a chopper implies you have cut the neck.

Its significant because there are huge stresses in the neck part of the frame. Cutting there is very risky and hence the word chopper implies you knew what you were doing atleast where welding is concerned. Of course it also implies it could fall apart when you hit a big bump ... and maybe its not something you want to let people think.

Oddly, there is a chopper that one savage guy built that had a smaller rake than stock, well he cut the neck and technically built a chopper.

Cool.
Srinath.
Back to top
Eric00
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Nov 29, 2009
Posts: 33
Location: Detroit -Michigan

PostPosted: December 17, 2009, 10:03 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

i considered the bikes indian Larry built to be choppers, and many didnt have rakes, i could be wrong but i THINK you statement is off...
Back to top
tito650
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Dec 20, 2008
Posts: 200
Location: pennsylvania

PostPosted: December 17, 2009, 11:48 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

well u cut the frame to be hardtailed ..... u got a chopper ! lol and to me u can call a bike anything u want but please don't call it a brat bike ! has anyone else noticed that most bikes called brat bikes are so hastily constructed that no other name will fit ? and yes peanut tanks are over done but i realy like the sight tube on the side ! great job with your build !
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Srinath
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 10, 2009
Posts: 343
Location: Charlotte NC

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 11:09 am    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Any cutting on the back 1/2 of the frame especially to minimalise it seriously is covered by "bobbing". Cutting the frame to weld in a hardtail = a hard tail bobber. Very descriptive and accurate.
Indian larry ... well I wasn't in specific referring to him, but to pre empt the "more rake" argument is why I said someone cut the neck and reduced the rake and its still a chopper. Where you cut makes what it is. Chopper is a specific word that says you cut the neck, cutting the tail is bobbing. Cutting the frame to put a hard tail = hard tail.

Eric - in a lot of cases those custom bikes like OCC, or jesse james or Indian Larry, they make the frames ... they dont take something and hack it. Its hard to say that its a chopped anything. They call them choppers, because they are comparing it to the nearest harley I guess and are saying this has a rake that is +10 from the nearest harley and so this is a chopper, its also a bobber cos the back end is minimal and its a lot of other things too.

Brat style - I guess is yet to be defined. Maybe its a term for "thrown together in a hurry".

But this one is a Hard tail bobber. You can call it a chopper if you like ... its your bike, you can call it susan if you want.

People cut stuff everywhere. I cut the lock brackets off, that doesn't make mine a chopper. Cut the neck = chopper, cut the back = bobber, cut the suspension bits = hard tail. That was the conventional terminology from the 60's.

Cool.
Srinath.
Back to top
Teebs
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 26, 2008
Posts: 255

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 2:47 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

The term bobber has been used far longer than chopper, and it always meant removing or cutting off *excess* bits. You bobbed anything that would shed weight. That didn't mean cutting, altering and welding the frame.
If you cut the rear loop off from an XS, replace the 2 up with a solo, remove the turn signals, shorten or remove the rear fender, remove the front fender, get rid of all the extra electrical junk leaving only the basic battery-less kick-start system, cut off all the little brackets that you no longer need, no horn, no seat lock, no helmet holder, and shave off all the excess weld and goobers left by the factory... then you have a bobber.

Choppers have always been about aesthetics rather than weight reduction and speed. If you are cutting parts off from your frame for looks rather than performance, you're chopping it. It has nothing to do with the neck, other than that most hardcore chop guys rarely stretch the ass without raking the neck for aesthetic balance. A chop flows better if the rake somewhat matches the stretch.
If you cut the rear off from an XS with the express purpose of welding on a hardtail to make it look cool... you just chopped it.

This bike, or any other bike modified into a hardtail IS NOT a bobber. It is a chopper done in the bobber style. If you cut into the frame to alter the appearance, it's a chop. To say that Indian Larry's bikes were bobbers is just silly, to try to backpedal by saying he cut the neck and reduced the rake, therefore still making it a chopper... even more so.

Further, the "brat style" bikes you see on here are not Bratstyle at all. Bratstyle is a group of Japanese builders making some very sick, well built chops. Their chops are built keeping the rear suspension. The law in Japan doesn't allow bikes to be hardtailed.

As far as the current trend of hobbyists building their own brats and those being thrown together; I've seen enough death-trap weld jobs on hardtailed bikes to know I'd rather ride one of those brats any day. At least I know the ass isn't going to fall off the bike at 70 miles an hour.

Bobber = a bike that has been stripped of fenders, lights and anything else that adds unnecessary weight, including cutting off small pieces of the frame.
Chopper = any production bike that has had the frame cut, altered and welded to change the looks of the bike; front, rear or both.
Custom = any bike that has a one-off frame, regardless of the style. OCC "builds" customs and production bikes, not choppers.
Back to top
Teebs
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 26, 2008
Posts: 255

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 2:56 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

One of your crappy, thrown together Bratstyle XS650s. Shocked

Back to top
Teebs
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 26, 2008
Posts: 255

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 3:21 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

HTMoore,

The bike is looking good, brother. Keep at it! (Love that rear tire.)
Back to top
Srinath
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 10, 2009
Posts: 343
Location: Charlotte NC

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 3:28 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Wiki sorta agrees with you teebs.
That bike looks great ...

However once you say weld on hardtail you have said what it has had done.
The rest falls in the bobber category.

To add chopper to it IMHO is misleading. BTW what is the forum classification ... cant be If its for looks its chopper, if its for lighetning its bobber ... is that what it is ? Yikes.

I am trying to buid a bike with stock suspension and a minimal seat and rear fender.
I guess it follows the japanese brat style. Though mine is no where as sick ... or even really that radical or hard to do.
Light shaving and making a seat is all I am doing I think.

Cool.
Srinath.
Back to top
650skull
Support Staff
Support Staff


Joined: Jul 19, 2007
Posts: 1186

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 4:22 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

From the Motorcycle Bikers Dictionary.

Bob, Bobbers, Bobbed or Bobbing - The art of shortening a bike's appearance by cutting down the size of its fenders. These bikes were also known as "bobbers". Appeared before choppers. They got the name from the rear fender being cut down to a minimum. And the rest of the bikes were stripped also. This was all part of the early customizing done by the returning WWll flyers

Chopper - 1. A style of motorcycle that appears deceptively light, has a greater angle on the front end than usually seen, and radical styling. The word originates from the post WW2 era when former GIs were looking for performance mods, there was no aftermarket back then and once all engine mods were out of the way the bike's weight needed to be reduced... Owners began to remove unnecessary components and eventually began to cut away (or "chop") sections of the bike and frame. Used to be called "bobbing" but the word "chop" became the more popular phrase. 2. A radical customized bike with extended and raked front end, from which all unnecessary parts have been stripped. The early choppers weren't raked, so the front end was high making it necessary to reduce the size of the front wheel. They are very stable in a straight line, but not to agile in turns. 3. Term originated from owners removing, or "chopping," features from the motorcycle and adding their own customized detailing. ]Now refers to a motorcycle with heavily raked front forks, "high-rise handlebars and an increased angle of frame to fork head". 4. Once described as a custom motorcycle that had all superfluous parts "chopped" off in order to make the bike faster, a chopper today is a type of custom bike that usually has an extended fork, no rear suspension and high handlebars.

Hard Tail - A rigid motorcycle frame with no shock absorbing device on the rear.
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Srinath
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 10, 2009
Posts: 343
Location: Charlotte NC

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 4:48 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Yea if its all properly defined ... where is the fun in that.

Cool.
Srinath.
Back to top
blackwidow
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Apr 11, 2009
Posts: 394
Location: Colorado

PostPosted: December 18, 2009, 8:06 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Teebs wrote:
The term bobber has been used far longer than chopper, and it always meant removing or cutting off *excess* bits. You bobbed anything that would shed weight. That didn't mean cutting, altering and welding the frame.
If you cut the rear loop off from an XS, replace the 2 up with a solo, remove the turn signals, shorten or remove the rear fender, remove the front fender, get rid of all the extra electrical junk leaving only the basic battery-less kick-start system, cut off all the little brackets that you no longer need, no horn, no seat lock, no helmet holder, and shave off all the excess weld and goobers left by the factory... then you have a bobber.

Choppers have always been about aesthetics rather than weight reduction and speed. If you are cutting parts off from your frame for looks rather than performance, you're chopping it. It has nothing to do with the neck, other than that most hardcore chop guys rarely stretch the ass without raking the neck for aesthetic balance. A chop flows better if the rake somewhat matches the stretch.
If you cut the rear off from an XS with the express purpose of welding on a hardtail to make it look cool... you just chopped it.

This bike, or any other bike modified into a hardtail IS NOT a bobber. It is a chopper done in the bobber style. If you cut into the frame to alter the appearance, it's a chop. To say that Indian Larry's bikes were bobbers is just silly, to try to backpedal by saying he cut the neck and reduced the rake, therefore still making it a chopper... even more so.

Further, the "brat style" bikes you see on here are not Bratstyle at all. Bratstyle is a group of Japanese builders making some very sick, well built chops. Their chops are built keeping the rear suspension. The law in Japan doesn't allow bikes to be hardtailed.

As far as the current trend of hobbyists building their own brats and those being thrown together; I've seen enough death-trap weld jobs on hardtailed bikes to know I'd rather ride one of those brats any day. At least I know the ass isn't going to fall off the bike at 70 miles an hour.

Bobber = a bike that has been stripped of fenders, lights and anything else that adds unnecessary weight, including cutting off small pieces of the frame.
Chopper = any production bike that has had the frame cut, altered and welded to change the looks of the bike; front, rear or both.
Custom = any bike that has a one-off frame, regardless of the style. OCC "builds" customs and production bikes, not choppers.

This is what I've been told about choppers and bobbers so I tell people my bike is really considered a chopper. To me a chopper is raked and a bobber is not thats just my personal opinion and I don't care to argue about it.LOL

_________________
I ride for fun
Back to top
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: December 19, 2009, 7:47 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

I didn't mean to start a debate, but this is some good stuff!
When I signed up here and started my build, there are only two categories that my bike fit in. Since I "chopped" the frame in half, I call it a chopper. Maybe start a new section called chopped/hardtails Laughing .

_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
Srinath
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Sep 10, 2009
Posts: 343
Location: Charlotte NC

PostPosted: December 19, 2009, 7:55 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

Hardtail implies you cut it.
Of course you could have it hard tailed by putting rods, but then I have heard that refered as "Strutting it"

I'd just call yours a hardtail bobber. Cos bobber also means it was cut.
Chopper has come to signify a cut @ the steering neck.

3. Term originated from owners removing, or "chopping," features from the motorcycle and adding their own customized detailing. ]Now refers to a motorcycle with heavily raked front forks, "high-rise handlebars and an increased angle of frame to fork head"

Cool.
Srinath.
Back to top
HTMoore
Full Member
Full Member


Joined: Aug 13, 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Chattanooga, TN.

PostPosted: December 19, 2009, 10:26 pm    Post subject: Re: newbie choppin up a 79 xs650

If you want, I can try to rename thread and move it to the other forum. Smile
_________________
79 xs650
Back to top
Photo Gallery
 
    Forum Index -> Chopper jobs All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2


  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


   


Check out the new Honda CB750 Forum at CB750.com! A site dedicated to the great Honda SOHC and DOHC CB750.

Check out the new Yamaha XS400 Forum at XS400.com!

Yamaha xs650

xs650, xs, 650, forum, links, chopper, custom, yamaha, parts, forum, info, information, bb, bulletin board, XS650
650Rider, Free Unrestricted xs650 forum, Personal photo albums, Post images in Forum, News columns, Daily blog, Links, Event calendar, Information for Yamaha XS650



Interactive software released under GNU GPL, Code Credits, Privacy Policy