Chad Daly's XS650 Chopper

Rad bike and a rad man behind it! This psychedelic XS650 belongs to Chad Daly aka Idaho Chad. He was a 2015 Greasy Dozen builder and a stand out at that! Hard not to be with that trippy paint. The Greasy Dozen Builder Collective is a small, grassroots collective designed to support garage builders, but sometimes the builders give as much back as they get. That is the case with Idaho Chad, who not only built a rad bike but also trekked across the country to attend our little party, celebrating building and riding, in a field. His continuous stream of posts about his build travels to the event, and ongoing support of the current crop of Greasy Dozen builders have been motivating and inspirational for everyone. 

Good vibes follow folks like Chad, who are generous with their time and promote the things that matter to them. So, it was no surprise when Chad and rambling man, Curtis Morgan, connected on the road for this shoot. There is something magical about how motorcycles connect us and make friendships that might otherwise not have been made. This bike and a shared love of choppers brought Curtis and Chad together and the result was this impromptu photo shoot on the beach in Seattle. They became fast friends because of their mutual love of the road and a common connection in cycles.

The road goes on forever and the party never ends when you have good vibes like this to travel with. Thanks for the great beachside shoot guys!

I think we can let tech sheet do the rest of the talking on this one!

-Bear

Photos by Curtis Morgan

Owner name, location: Chad Daly, Hayden, Idaho

Engine, year and make, model, modifications:  1975 Yamaha XS650. Kickstarter only, Stock Bore, HHB Rephase, 5th gear OD, MMM VM34 carbs, custom ceramakoted pipes by me, pma, pamco...yada yada. 

Frame:  Well, kinda unknown?! I found her as a complete mail order roller chassis set up for a Norton. I modified the frame to accept a stock looking XS650 setup to mess with people's heads. 

Fork/Bars:  Ness Century, approx.. 12 over. Custom rockers by me. Original 6 bend 7/8" bars. I narrowed 2" out of the center and had them re-chromed.

Chassis mods: I heavily modified the neck gussets and welded the original GME tank to the frame and did all the molding work myself. I also added 1/4" round to the down tube and rear of the hardtail for subtle 70's effects. All electrical is pulled through the frame, and what can't be is well hidden. And the "paint"?? lol. My Blacktop Terror buddies and I built a 400 Gallon trough, and dipped the frame/tank ourselves, using an ancient 70's technique involving floating enamel paint. After she was done, DJ at Ground force sprayed her with PPG Beauty clear to get that shine and protection from me spilling shit all over her.

Tire/wheel size and style:  16" rear 48 spoke XS650 with a hand narrowed hub to accommodate the 8.5" wide frame. Front is a 21" Honda XL250 mini drum wheel.

Favorite thing about this bike: The stance, the paint, the seat, the bars... I just love her. She's mine, a keeper. Built by me, for me. Never to be sold.

Next modification will be:  None man, she's totally fucking done! I couldn't be more excited! Everywhere I ride, people wave at me like I'm in the goddamn circus. Makes me smile. 

Other mods, accessories, cool parts, etc: Beautiful leather seat, custom gum stitched to the original BAR Enterprises seat pan with the hidden trap door by Resurrection upholstery in CDA Idaho. Absolutely knocked it out of the park! Brass pegs, kicker, shift levers etc by me. Wiring and fuse panel hidden in oil tank. Custom weed pipe built into oil tank. OG Lucas Headlights. Custom Leather one-off Craft and Lore bag.

Any building or riding story or info you'd like to include: I acquired this beauty from a friend as a basket case with plans to get at it slowly and cheaply. Then I found The Greasy Dozen Builder Collective, and I was like fuck it! Well, Bear told me I was in and shit got real. I knew no matter what I was going to be in Ohio with a running, finished bike! I did everything possible to finish this bitch on time!! The chrome shop screwed me hard in the end and cost me all of my travel money!! The odds of making it where looking grim. But my good homies all pitched in and got me enough loot to make it to Ohio and back (in a super short amount of time) and have a good time!!!  

Thanks to Bear and The Greasy Dozen collective! The Blacktop Terrors, Resurrection Upholstery, The NUTNZ crew outta Portland, Thor and The 1 Moto crew, Curtis at Ramble On, Chad at Craft and Lore Jared and DJ at Ground Force, Hank, Jess, Chris, Tony, Pete, my ol’ lady and everyone else who stepped up and helped me dip this thing!! Still can't believe it worked out..

Special thanks to Old Bike Barn, Lowbrow Customs, Speed Merchant, Death Co, Biltwell, TC Bros, Showclass Magazine!! -Chad