Throwback Thursday: Noise Cycles' Street XG750
Scott "T-Bone" Jones has built a bike that looks as if it rolled off the line like a factory racer.
Noise Cycles
For a good amount of time, Scott Jones was one of the best chopper builders around and focused on street bikes. he had made a name for himself by putting together some of the best vintage pans and shovels that enthusiasts had seen in a very long time. But then something happened to him and he suddenly got hooked on racing. He jumped into it headlong and was fielding a 65 XLCH in the Hooligans class when he got a call from Harley. The brand was wondering if Jones had any interest in joining the official Harley Hooligans team and he did. Because of course, he did! But that meant that Scott should upgrade his ride and that he did by buying a 2015 XG750.
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
Starting again from square one
Looking at the bike Scott began to form in his mind what he would do to upgrade the bike to get it track-ready. The XG750R and more pedestrian XG750 share the same engine but the geometry of the bikes are completely different.
“The stock bike is closer to a chopper than a dirt tracker,” explains Scott. “In the Hooligan class, we can just about change everything, except cutting and changing the neck angle. So I sat down via text message with Hunter Klee and figured out some geometry. The front end, rear shocks, seat and tail, tank and wheels all had to be changed!”
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
>>Join the conversation about this Flat Track Racing XG750 right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
A formidable force for the track
With that being said, Scott went to work on the bike and fitted a set of GPS Racing triple trees with a five-millimeter offset up front. The XG now holds a set of Yamaha R6 forks with a pair of Works performance Tracker shocks holding things up in the rear. As to adhere to flat track convention the XG now rolls on 19" hoops with Roland Sand's Traction race wheels. To get as much grip as possible, those wheels are wrapped in Dunlop tires.
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
>>Join the conversation about this Flat Track Racing XG750 right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
What's going on under there?
The frame of the bike was reworked with new shock mounts and a subframe for the new tail section. The fuel tank was taken from a Sportster and cut open to now act as a cover for the custom made stainless steel fuel bladder underneath. The seat is a flat-track specific and tail unit is from Saddlemen. Underneath it is a cool block-off plate where any loose electrical bits can be stuffed into.
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
>>Join the conversation about this Flat Track Racing XG750 right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
The nitty gritty
The engine is stock but it now uses an air cleaner from S&S Cycles to make breathing much easier. For the exhaust, there is a new end section and an old bike can mated to the stock headers. The lightweight Harley has been converted from a belt to a chain drive complete with a front sprocket taken from a Ducati Multistrada. The rear of the bike has a Honda lever and master cylinder combo but there are no front brakes per the rules. As for the rest of the bike, there are Biltwell Inc. footpegs, Noise Cycles flat track bars, and a clutch lever and grips from Pro-Taper. There also is a new quarter-turn throttle, a Motion Pro start/stop switch, and a Chassis Design gas cap.
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
>>Join the conversation about this Flat Track Racing XG750 right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
That's all, folks
With everything said and done, the bike is a 100 lbs lighter than before as well as steer a helluva lot better than stock. “It’s a fun bike with a lot of torque,” says Scott, “much different than my 1965 Harley XLCH I was running against these guys. This thing is very responsive, and I’m hoping to put it out front soon.”
Photo courtesy of Brandon 'Gonz' Gonzalez
Click here to visit Noise Cycles website and here for Noisecycles's Instagram.
>>Join the conversation about this Flat Track Racing XG750 right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
For help with service of your bike, check out the how to section of HDForums.com
