Outsiders NX650
By Ali Latimer - 09 Jun 14
We're quite partial to a tracker here in the shed, especially when the platform is the trusted Honda Dominator NX650, we actually have 2 ourselves, so we can certainly vouch that this little beasty from Outsiders Motorcycles will be a great fun ride both in town and out on the dirt. The donor is a 1989 model and was stumbled upon by Jene on Marktplaats for practically nothing. The bike was in pretty good order and the few bits that were missing; were parts that would have been ditched anyway, so they collected the bike, in grandma's car... as you do, but it wouldn't fit; so they dismantled it on the sellers front porch... as you do!
Now this is the 4th build from Bert at OMC to feature in the shed, and it was to be Jene's personal ride, so the budget needed to be low, and like most personal builds, it ended up taking second place to more pressing jobs; in fact the build has taken over a year and even moved workshops three times in various states of build. Thankfully though the engine was perfect, Jene found herself a great donor so other than a clean up it was time to get on with chopping, whilst the build took a while, there was no hesitation in cutting the subframe up, on previous builds this was something that took time to consider, but Bert has become pretty used to chopping frames up now.
When the new subframe was made it was never designed to house the original airbox, so that was binned off and a foam air filter is the main ingredient within the frames V, that and the battery box located just below the seat line. A rear splash guard protects them, this was up-cycled from an old mail box. Passenger pegs have been added to make use of the comfy branded twin seat and the original plastic chain guard was discarded for an in-house one.
The tank comes from a DR400, but whilst it needed some modifying to fit, it needed more to make usable, Bert says 'it looked like somebody used it as a football and then ran over it with a car', most of us would have bought another tank, but that's dedication to keeping things on budget! Up front the Renthal bars are kept very clean, without switch gear and wearing a lovely set of OURY grips. Look to the back and you can't help seeing the off road pedigree in that exhaust, well it wasn't something they loved straight off, but it fitted straight on and was within budget; it's from a CRF450 and apparently makes her sound like a helicopter, which simply can't be a bad thing!
This little tracker certainly has her place in the city, but as the photographs show, she's happiest in the country, she wears purposeful Kenda K270 tyres, the front wheel has been swapped from the 21" to an 18" rim, it gives the bike a much better stance and a much lower seat height. The standard sump guard has been kept too, another suggestion to their intentions with such a capable bike!
Bert and Jene have often been compared by their friends to Bonnie and Clyde, in the travelling and camping in their van way; not the robbery and murder way! So the Domi has been branded on the swing arm and the tank wears the Outsiders logo.
It's a great little build done on a modest budget, it just goes to show that you can still get a bargain and turn it into something unique and personal, good work Bert and Jene, or should I say Bonnie and Clyde?
To see more from Outsiders Motorcycles, check out their previous shed features and see them on facebook and their Website
Thanks for sharing guys, now when's the next one going to be ready?