New bike build in progress, document each step of the joinery and let’s see where this will take us!
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if you’d like to discuss this project.
Color between the lines
I’ve started laying down the lines I want the bodywork on the new build to follow. Nothing is built yet. This is all Photoshop, pure pixel pushing on top of a photo of the bike, a first attempt at deciding where things should sit. Proportions and lines are what make or break these bikes. Two …
Chasing the Right Tail Light
My rule for lighting on a bike: it either earns its place in the design, like a big rally light, or it disappears, like a motogadget pin or a mo.blaze ten. Tiny to the point of invisible, until you flip the switch. Tail lights break that rule a bit. They’re on constantly, not flashing for …
Rear End Coming Together (and a Tank That Didn’t Make It)
It has been quieter here than I would like, but the build has kept moving. Two things happened since the last update: the frame finally got scanned, and the tank I had been working on turned out to be a dead end. Frame Scan Everything up to now had been designed against the physical bike …
Designing the Hidden Stuff
Progress on the NX650-R has moved into the part of the build that no one really sees but makes all the difference in how the bike feels. I have been deep in the electrical system, trying to hide as much as possible and keep the lines of the bike clean. The goal is simple: no …
Stance Dialed In
The pace on this build has been slower than I originally planned, but this stage finally feels like a turning point. Getting the wheels on changes everything. It is the moment where the bike stops feeling like a pile of parts and starts looking like a machine again. Choosing the wheel setup took more thinking …
Just a pile of parts. With a plan. Kinda.
Half the fun in building a bike like this is the hunt. Digging through catalogs, messaging people, chasing that one part that fits both the build and the feeling. Sometimes you know exactly what you’re looking for. Other times, you just stumble across something and know it’s right. Here’s a little snapshot of what’s landed …
Engine in, carb on, and details starting to matter
With the engine back in the frame, things are finally starting to feel like a real bike again. It’s a big moment in any build. The point where parts stop living in boxes and start living together. Alongside that, I’ve also installed the Mikuni TM40 carburettor. It’s the same one I run on the Rally …
Forks On – Now What Front Wheel?
Another step forward in the NX650-R build: the new front end is on. Forks, front wheel, and brake setup from a 2007 CRF450 are now mounted, and the bike is finally starting to take on the stance I’ve been chasing. Since the setup came complete from the same donor, most things fell into place without …
Planning the Front End Swap
There’s always been this idea floating around in my head—adding a proper set of USD forks to the NX650. It’s one of those mods that just makes sense for where I want to take the bike. This build felt like the right time to test that idea and create a setup that could eventually work …
Looped Frame
A lot has been happening behind the scenes—not just in my studio, but over at Olof’s (@twowheeled) as well. He’s chopped up the frame and made the key modifications that will serve as the foundation for this build. From the start, I had a rough plan in mind, but I’ve kept it flexible enough to …