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The "Top-Gun" Bike
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A
PHOTO JOURNEY FOLLOWING THE BUILDING OF THE TOP GUN BIKE Pictures in this series appear in an album book, which is prepared for the new owner of every Bob Jones Custom XS Eleven motorcycle made since 2005. Prior to that time these books were not furnished and pictures were not taken as the bikes were built. This has now become a standard practice to show proof to the purchaser that he or she is getting exactly what the bike is stated to be and what has been done to create it. All complete custom XS Eleven motorcycles built by Bob Jones are warranted for one year with no limit on mileage. This shows the confidence we have in these units that we feel will last 50 years in service from the time we sell it. In the opinion of the builder, "no other motorcycle has such longevity". Such a machine will obviously never be made again by any OEM to assure they will have return business from their customers in the future due to planned obsolescence. This was not a practice when the XS Eleven was created in the late 1970's. Even though the bike was close to perfect at that time. Bob Jones has upgraded many systems with later technology and made the best bike of all time even better. Since these units will last a lifetime, prices are actually irrelevant. Owners will never need to suffer depreciation because there will never be a need to replace the bike with anything else. Most buyers end up adding another or 2nd unit set up in another style if anything. The bike pictured here was purchased new in Japan in 1980 by, we believe, a Navy Fighter pilot and brought back to the US on an aircraft carrier. It was later licensed and titled in Nevada and a base sticker NAS Fallon, Nevada was on the left fork leg when we received the bike from a later owner with a Utah title. This is the Navy's Top Gun School for fighter pilot training. Since I was in the Navy air arm in the fifties and early sixties, I put this all together and realized how this bike got to the states. It has Japanese writing on the front master cylinder cap, so it was definitely sold there when new.
The price for this brand new hand built bike is $13,995.00 plus shipping - or it can be picked up at our shop. Who ever gets this bike, will have a very special, Special for sure. Call us at (913) 677-4663 with credit card info. You can reserve it or pay for the entire bike that way. We're not picky. Thanks. The Builder
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| Click on images for larger view. | |
| This looks like junk, but just wait two months & see how it looks. I can fix it, really! | )) |
| Note old discolored head pipes, rusted cover under the head light, old style mirror & dull fork legs. Tire is obsolete Tread design. | )) |
| Note old style pull back handlebar & dirty wire harness, dull seat rail & black trim instruments. | )) |
| Bob Jones shapes & polishes engine fins first step. | )) |
| Bob puts a highgloss on the eye & head fins before cleaning & painting later. | )) |
| Cooling Fins seen here all polished. They are rough cast from factory. | )) |
| Note Japanese writing on master cylinder cap indicates bike not sold new in USA. | )) |
| Base license on LH fork leg 1990 NAS Fallon, Nevada: Top gun school for fighter pilots. | )) |
| Engine lower cases after transmission modification cases are cleaned & repainted in black. Original rings are left in box. | )) |
| Cams & head are removed here for valve job & refurbishing. | )) |
| Cam chain laid over eye block. Carbon on pistons will be removed. | )) |
| Carbon accumulation on valve & combustion chambers & in ports will disappear & engine will be like new again. | )) |
| Cylinder head being disassembled by Bob. Valves & seals all reground. New seals & decarboned. | )) |
| Here the carburetors float bowl are polished, other components in tray top right. | )) |
| Carb bodies separated for rebuild even butterbly shaft seals replaced. | )) |
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| Seat rail before polish & red stripe insert - Old original turn signals replaced later with new ones. Tail light before disassembly. | )) |
| Original 60 H switch assembly & grip before f\refurbishing. Sock mirror & ugly pull back handle bars. To be replaced with LTD Type. | )) |
| Original ORH switch assembly to be replaced with a new one. | )) |
| Original ignition switch to be replaced with new tubular key type. Harder to steal. | )) |
| Bob, replaces the finished cylinder head. | )) |
| Carb's before disassembly. | )) |
| Crown handle before disassembly & repainting. | )) |
| Engine now out. Wheels & fork sliders off for reconditioning. | )) |
| Bob resurfaces brake rotors before glass beading & painting. Then seal shipping. | )) |
| Bob still at lathe doing all brake rotors. | )) |
| Rear wheel stripped before polishing & painting. New brake & tire installation. | )) |
| Finished rear wheel with Metzler ME88 tire from brake side. | )) |
| Rear wheel on balance stand gear drive side. | )) |
| Front wheel with two disc rotors being balanced. | )) |
| Front wheel seen from side on balance stand awesome with red stripes. | )) |
| Finished front wheel ready for installation. | )) |
| New dash board template sketch on 1/8" aluminum plate to be cut out. | )) |
| Bob cutting out the dash panel. | )) |
| Rough cut panel being fitted to dash. | )) |
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| Final drive gear box spokes polished & being cleaned & prepped for paint. | )) |
| Stripped & newly painted frame being placed over engine by Bob. | )) |
| Engine temporarily secured to frame. | )) |
| Bob getting ready to set frame & engine up right. | )) |
| Engine & frame upright on center stand & jack. Ready for harness & other parts. | )) |
| New Carb holder rubber manifolds seen here. | )) |
| Swing arm being installed with battery box brake pedal, stands & other body parts. | )) |
| Completed rear fender & seat rail. New 1201 rear shocks with chrome springs. | )) |
| Refurbished wire harness fusebox & components being installed here. | )) |
| Newly styled middle gear. New rubber U joint cover. Newly painted swing arm installed. | )) |
| Hight polished fork leg sliders & new seals installed. Ready for bike. | )) |
| Polished case covers with red lettering. | )) |
| Black painted middle gear box with polished fins. | )) |
| New OEM foot rest covers. High polished clutch cover & muffler /foot rest hanger. | )) |
| Right side view of custom engine & carb's. | )) |
| Left side view of the custom engine decor.A custom choke lever reinforced in chrome seen on carb's. | )) |
| The red background on underbracket emblem cover seen here. Red pin stripe on wheels & disc brake rotors. | )) |
| Wire harness fuse box wires. Ready for cutting & installation into new fuse box. | )) |
| New fuse box seen with cover off. Air box equipped with a K&N air filter elements. | )) |
| Here you see newly refurbished wiring. New fuse box, flasher relay for self cancel system. Steel brk line even on rear. Red pipe into chrome oval muffler. | )) |
| Chrome trim outlines the gas tank. Dual auto sounding horns seen here. New NGK plug wire & caps stand out against red. | )) |
| Dual horns being readied for installation. | )) |
| Auto gauges were tried but not compatible with bike coils & speedo drive gearing. | )) |
| The new instrument panel looks even better, once stock OEM tach & speedo rims were high polished chrome after black paint was removed. | )) |
| 1979 160 mph speedo used & a tubular ign key switch LED panel left in place, wired & ready for future accessories. | )) |
| Custom logo & Bob Jones autograph on tank. | )) |
| Bob Jones custom made two part pillow to buttontuck flat black seat. Custom red seat rail insert stripe. | )) |
| H-4 halogen headlight unit. | )) |
| The car meters were easy to read, but stock OEM units bit better and with the rims polished look even better. | )) |
| New OEM RH starter & kill switch assembly installed red/black gel grips & black bar end weights for low bar vibration. | )) |
| Special built covers for gas gauge & volt meter to keep water off wiring & cosmetic look. | )) |
| New chrome oval cruiser mirrors. LH switch assembly internally cleaned & repaired. Then repainted to look new. Also new lever clutch & brake with all new rubber covers installed. New clutch cable & throttle cable. | )) |
| February 1, 2007 a raggity (before) with littler or no hope. | )) |
| March 21, 2007 an unbelievable (after) 6 weeks & 300 hours of labor. Plus thousand of dollars in parts supplies, materials & accessories. | )) |
This is what you get. The best motorcycle ever made. Remade even better! |
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