Chopping shaft drive bikes?

by Jonathan Barnhart
(Anna, IL, U.S.A.)

My question has to do with chopping shaft drive bikes...

I'm restoring a bike to a road worthy condition to ride for a while. I'm looking into my possibilities in chopping it. The bike has a shaft drive. I've seen chopped shaft drive bikes before. Specifically ones with hardtails. Do you have any suggestions on how to do work like this? Pictures and diagrams would help.

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Dec 06, 2009
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Here's a really nice metric shaft drive bobber
by: Jonathan

I lucked into finding this bike in a forum: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=131517 It's a 1980 Suzuki 850. The frame is very similar to mine as well as the engine( just a bigger version of the engine I have). The guy says he has about $500 in it total. There are some very good ideas in this thread if you go all the way through it from the start to finish of the bike's build. I think that when I do go to work on my bike that it will look a bit like this bike. Except I'm keeping the original tank and fenders. Once again, I need some shocks and springs for the rear end so I can ride this bike as is, until I get ready to chop it. Anyone have some laying around?

Dec 05, 2009
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Chopping a shaft drive bike
by: Steve

Here is where a guy chopped a 85 Magna with shaft drive. I'm working on my 82 Magna right now as well. This helped me a lot with visualizing how to do it.

http://www.hayabusa.org/forum/random-thoughts/113685-1985-honda-magna-bobber-print.html

Hope it helps.

Nov 16, 2009
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Shocks?
by: Anonymous

I currently don't have any shocks. I need a set just to ride on for a while before I do any hardtail mods. I've seen several on Ebay that are correct for my bike as well as affordable. One good thing about old Jap bikes is that there is usually a fair amount of cheap perfectly good salvage parts.

The hardtail that you made, did you go by plans or did you just study some other hardtails take some measurements and eyeball it?

Nov 16, 2009
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shaft drive chopper
by: Anonymous

alot of people here dont even answer any questions they all just blab on about there bikes. Well if you wanna make this bike into a chopper/bobber : I just turned my 83 yamaha xj 650 shaft drive into a hardtail. It took me two weeks and was fairly easy. If you cant weld your best bet is to take your stock shocks and cut like three coils of em and that will drop your bike pretty good. i did that at first and it rode and looked great but i still wanted to get lower so i cut the whole back end off and made my own hard tail. it reall turned out pretty good. you just have to find a place to put all your wiring and battery. good luck man.

Nov 16, 2009
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Nov 12, 2009
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metric choppers
by: Dennis

MAN...I have had and build bikes for the past 30 years...and I never had the money to get a HARLEY...when ever I got close to having the money...I found a really good deal on some other bike...I been choppin METRICS forever...these days they are finally comming out with STUFF for metrics...I found websites that have SPRINGER front ends for almost any bike...or GLIDE TUBES...or foreward controls...or anything. AND NOW I see they have come out with a NEW EASY RIDER MOVIE!!! MAN I wish I could find a place on the internet to WATCH THAT!!!

Nov 12, 2009
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What I have and what I eventually want
by: Anonymous

Here's what I have. It's a 1983 Suzuki GS650L. With an inline four and shaft drive. It's pretty much all original. For now, I'm just going to hunt up the springs and shocks that the bike is missing, a new battery, new tires, and repaint the tank. I'm just going to get it roadworthy over the winter so I can ride in the spring. However, I want sort of a hardtail bobber look eventually.

So far, I've seen a lot of shaft drives that either have the shocks and springs replaced with smaller shocks and springs to lower the stance. Or they have shorter steel struts added in place of the springs and shocks to lower the stance and make them a pseudo-hardtail.

What I want is to make up either a weld on or bolt on hardtail that will replace the rear and work with the shaft drive. I'm going to keep the original chrome fenders. I don't usually like all the extra chrome dodads, but for some reason I really like these fenders. I'm going to add a solo springer seat. Which I may make myself. I may also eventually add a larger wheel and tire combo to the front end to tilt it a bit. Not sure about handle bars yet, but those are all decisions that can come later.

I have seen one bike almost exactly like mine, except for the year and I think the engine size, that was hardtailed and had the look I want. It was a very small picture in a letters forum in The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine. The owner's letter told all he had done to the bike, including a hardtail with a removable side section for work on the shaft. However, the picture is almost too small to get any real ideas. Plus, the letter doesn't really go into the details of how he did the work either. So, I'm picking all the brains I can and as I gather the knowledge,I'll share what I've done.

If anyone has any ideas or they've already gone through something simular, please feel free to chime in.

Nov 11, 2009
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chopping a shaft drive
by: Dennis

theres a website called metric choppers or something like that...just look around you will find info on just about anything you want...I found a place that has FOREWARD controls for ANY BIKE.

Nov 11, 2009
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Interested in the information received
by: Albert Nagel

Goodday Jonathan,

I'm working on customizing my Moto Guzzi and am also interested in any information you receive in regards to chopping a shaftdrive bike.

Nov 10, 2009
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I have one too
by: Dennis

I got an 86 Honda VT1100 shaft drive...that I am wanting to chop...BUT I am going to keep it in its original frame...just change the triple tree to a more raked one and add ape hangers and extended forks...BUT since the front forks are AIR I don't know if I can find any longer tubes or anybody that makes them. I am thinking of going with a longer springer...I found a place that makes METRIC SPRINGERS.

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