The Tadpole

I built this bike using an old 1972 XS-2 as a starting point and went from there.
After copious modifications and lots of modern upgrades the bike certainly has become one of our favorites.
The bike has an NOS Shell Thuett tank. These tanks are quite rare and were used on the flat track bikes raced by the various riders associated with shell Thuett over the years. Twin petcocks feed the fuel to the carbs.
We used a later model 447 motor that has been totally re-built.
It breathes through a pair of Mikuni VM34 carbs with free flowing filters.
The exhaust is handled with a pair of under pipes that been modified with a set of blaster mufflers that are toned down enough to keep the ticket givers happy.
The custom paint work was done in-house using Matrix System custom colors topped off with layer upon layer of top coat. Pretty stunning really.
The instrumentation is handled by an Acewell MD052 digital information unit and although it is small in diameter the vital info is clearly visible.
Lighting is all new with modern LED's being used throughout.
The wheels are custom lace-ups from our friends at Pro-Wheel and they are wrapped in Shinko 268 series DOT approved Dirt Track rubber.
The suspension has seriously been upgraded with new Showa 41mm forks up front and a pair of gas filled shocks in the rear.
The brakes are Nissan units up front fed through stainless steel brake lines and in the rear we utilized a rebuilt stock unit, also fed through braided stainless line. They really bring it a stop with a quickness.