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Here’s how it started:
One a 89 model & again in a 95 KX chassis.
Better handling, suspension & 30lbs lighter than the stock KDX's.
A friend built one too, we thought we were the $hit, then we'd go to a local enduro & Jeff Fredette would go thundering by & disappear in a corner or two on a 320 lb KLX 650 with a turn signal stuck on.
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The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
I usually build a bike top to bottom every 2 years or so. Have an 05 kx 125, 06/12 KTM 200 and 04 CR 250 all built out of a box of parts, missing a bunch of stuff and with no significant up front expense. Need to be careful with the eBay rabbit hole I’ve fell into 3 times now. Lots of Ti and odds and ends to be found out there lol
Pics are Suzuki; as received, during and now. Also a pic of the rest of the eBay gang 😂
When it comes to new or re-inventing bikes, I'm pretty impressed with the level of creativity seen in the twin-shock and evo series over in Europe. In twin-shock especially, those guys are taking the best of the old and new world to make very unique and fast modern racers. Its not unusual to see Full Floater RM500's and Pro-link CR500's turned into twin shockers. Even with Maicos, the hot set-up is to start with an '82 single shock frame and weld on the shock mounts and swingarm off an '81. The creativity doesn't stop with frames on the Hondas, as some guys take water pumper lower ends and add on the air-cooled top end off an '85 as the rules require air cooled, twin shock and drum brakes (but not much else). If you look at the details on these things, the amount of work to re-invent these old bikes is mind-boggling.
I think the other thing that has really opened up that creativity with both big and small parts is access to CNC technology and maybe even 3D printing. Having a shop full of that equipment would be great, and using that the HVA guys in the UK have created a cottage industry in hop-up parts for 80's Huskies. You can get all the parts to re-invent a 510 4S, get an completely new motor with billet cases, or just get the checkbook out and buy one of the very unique Team USA bikes for a measly $30K or so:
https://www.hva-factory.com/hva-special-parts/husqvarna-570cc-factory-4…
Mike Brown demonstrates:
I built a 2007 YZ250F out of parts on the OEM fische...I was at $22,000 before I ran out of time and I hadn't done anything with the wiring harness pieces, or a single bolt/fastener. I'd be willing to bet I would have been around $25,000 all in
Had Ceriani forks and Girling shocks , and the motor was tuned by a mate of his that made model hydroplane engines from scratch , and did Bultaco road race motors.
It fucking ripped, was as fast as an RM100, in a staight line, but i outgrew it in a year.
Thing of beauty , so well done, but he only did one i think.
When I read the thread title, this was the first motorcycle that came to mind.
94 z140
Then I picked up this roached desert monster, and split the cases. I rode it once and now it's a garage queen. I have two kids under two so my moto dreams have been put on hold.
Then I picked up this xr600 motor for $100 from Craig's list and I've been working on a custom build of some sort. I make about 10-30 minutes of progress about every week or two. Honda purists might not like the finished product, but oh well.
I certainly thought Gary Jones would at least get mentioned on the first page.
I must be getting old.
J9nes won 3 250 mx titles on 3 different brands, got hurt, didn't get a ride, so he started his own bike company.
If I remember right, it started as Jones-inslo, and then changed to ammex.
The sport was going through huge changes in the late 70's/early 80's and the japanese were dumping money into r&d, so it was,hard for a start up to compete.
Between 79 and 82, unitrack, pro link, full floater all joined the yamaha monoshock with single shock rear suspension. In addition, disc brakes, water cooling, safety seats and power valves became popular.
Jones' ammex simply couldn't compete, and like what recently happened with alta, just faded away.
Pit Row
Chris Heisser also brought his girlfriend, Heather Locklar, to the races. They were a couple back in 2018 when Heather was off the rails.
Hey guys! Just wanted to revive this thread! I didn't necessarily build another bike right from scratch but by default my YZ125 is pretty much more 2nd and 3rd parts replacing stuff that was broken, worn, or destroyed. The only original parts are the mainframe and suspension: MotoRoss's 125guys 2006ish YZ134
I am thinking of doing another build but I am undecided on what specifically. I'll start looking through ebay, FB marketplace, mxlocker etc and document my thoughts as I go along. I'm also tinkering with my shop that previously had no electricity. Took the same idea I used on my cargo trailer toyhauler conversion and added a shore power 30amp plug and circuit to run lights. Next on the ever growing never ending list is a two battery bank with solar panel/charge controller and inverter to eliminate the need for running the generator.
What are you all up to these days?
I Build this late 80s KTM from a big piece of Rusty Parts, did not even know how it looks like.
The only thing I knew it should be a Bigbore from the late 1980s.
It’s a 1987/1988 KTM with an 540/550 Sidecar Engine, a real Bike with Violent Power , No Electric Starter, No Traction Control no soft Mapping 😅
Perhaps not what you are looking for, but this guy made a true homebuilt. He is Guy Coulon and was an engineer for Tech3, the support team for KTM in MOTOGP. He even looks like a mad scientist! He made the cylinders, crank, frame, nearly everything!
https://thekneeslider.com/300cc-inline-6-cylinder-by-guy-coulon-a-22000…
Sometimes the best things come in boxes of parts
My 08 YZ450F was a basket case
I bought a 2019 YZ450FX roller chassis for spare parts for my race bike. It had less than 20 hours on it and I decided it was too nice and started looking for an engine for it. USA prices are stupid for used dirt bike engines, so I did some paperwork and got a WR450F engine from Australia. It was salvaged from a brand new bike that had been laid down on pavement, the only damage I could find was some nasty gouges in the clutch cover.
I ended up ordering the fuel pump and throttle body from the same bike. The guys that I bought the chassis from make racing carts, and the factory wiring harness was a bit modified because they used it for a bit before making their own. I took it all apart, got some connectors from cycle terminal, and rebuilt it. I used it as a practice bike for a couple of years and now it's my dual sport.
I was on some 2-stroke message board / forum back in the day (at least 10 years ago, maybe 15), I can't remember the name of it. But there was a guy on there that built a YZ250 from ebay puchased parts. I think it was an American living in Asia...can't remember if it was maybe Thailand or someplace. Anyway, it was a super clean build. He had a couple of YZ250s.
Proof, there is no God. Only Evil. 😈
LOL!!!! I remember watching that movie in high school and I actually wrote a paper on it for one of my classes.
Why the hell couldn't he just get another good bike?! He was riding this one earlier in the movie:
I guess it was to prove that he was better on inferior equipment? The problem is that the radiator mounted on the front makes the front end super heavy. I had one of those Yamahas that had that...
Here's me riding my dad's YZ250 with that radiator mounted on the front.
Yes, I actually did for a 2001 Honda CR250. It was completely trashed and I like to tinker so I gave it a go.
The most enjoyable part of the process is actually sourcing the parts and imagining what it will look like in the end. I am nearing completion on a KX500. I haven't decided if I am going to keep it or not. I'll post some pictures once that is done. Here are some photos of the Honda after it was finished.
That is an awesome build. I've been thinking about trying to find an 07 or 06 chassis and putting an 00 or 01 motor in it.
Post a reply to: Has anyone ever built a bike from scratch?