Perth County Moto - XS650
Jeff at Perth County Moto out Stanford, Ontario is a long-time DicE Magazine wholesaler and this is his totally radical XS650. It was too sweet not for us to blog so enjoy!
“I had this 650 Yamaha frame kicking around my shop for a few years. I hard-tailed it and then put it aside. My original plan was a narrow lane splitter bike but I never got really excited about the project so I kept finding reasons not to work on it. I ended up with a high-tunnel tank which had been painted by Jamie over at Savage Customs. I was supposed to be selling the tank, but I fell in love with it. I mocked it up on my 650 frame and saw the entire bike come together in an instant. I knew it needed an 18" springer and fat tires on 16" wheels, front and back. I didn't want any other colour other than the tank and a few small accent components.
Over the next few months, I spent some nights out in the shop working on the bike. My buddy Al and I built the engine from the crank up and I fabricated the exhaust, hand shifter, and a few other pieces. There are a lot electrical components from Motogadget. Graham, from Almost Oldschool Motorcycle Co, made me some tight custom handlebars that fit the bike perfectly! I'll be using his bars on all my bikes going forward.
My baby girl was born just days after I got all of my chrome pieces back from the plating house. Over the next week, while she and my wife slept, I was out in the shop finishing the bike. With some help from Al, Guy, Fab-Jerry, and Graham I got the bike done just in time for the Freedom Machine show in Frontier Ghostown. I have to thank my wife Lindz for her support throughout this project. Especially while she was busy with our new baby and I was out in the shop with the boys” - Jeff
