• The Hornet XS650 Café Racer

    The very fast 750cc kitted XS650 café racer built by the Limey.

  • Sneak Peek!

    This is the Limey's latest. Strawberry Shortcake... will it beat the evil Triumph when we race?

  • Yamaha XS650D Restoration

    Want a brand new Vintage Japanese motorcycle? The Limey can build you one.

Welcome to Limey Bikes. Vintage Japanese motorcycles

Specializing in ONLY pre 1980 Japanese vintage motorcycles. That’s all we do as we believe that shops should stick to what they are good at and not try to do everything just to make a buck. If your engine was designed in the 70′s and dragged on into the early 80′s… we will probably be able to help.
We offer full restorations, engine building, electrical, carburetor rebuilds, chassis upgrades, cafe racers, bobbers, street trackers or just maintenance to help keep these old machines on the road. We DO NOT sell motorcycles, but we will always be happy to build one from scratch for you.
The Limey does have a huge thing for the Yamaha XS650, so you could say it’s a specialty.

If you simply want advice on buying a classic, he can help. He offers honest advice and doesn’t even mind if you’d like to watch and learn a few tips on keeping your bike in tip-top shape… as long as you are accompanied with a bacon cheeseburger or two.

Limey Bikes. 900 Old Koenig Lane, Austin, TX 78752. (512) 909 1542

Things the Limey can do for you

Limey Bikes is a full service shop that does everything from oil changes to full restorations on pre 1980 Japanese motorcycles. We offer everything from wheel building, powder coating, engine building, performance tuning, ultrasonic carb cleaning, electrical, polishing, bead blasting and anything else you can think of that’s involved in getting these old machines back to how they should be. See the slidey thing below for more details.

Engine Building

Complete or partial engine building to stock or for performance with a choice of finishes including; bead blasting, polishing, powder-coating or enamels.

Servicing

We do all the routine service stuff too. Everything including; tires, chains, oil changes, carb syncing, cables, plugs, batteries, etc. etc.

Carburetors

We can get most old carbs to work and look like new with our Ultrasound cleaning system. It really is the best way to clean carbs and the results are amazing!

Performance

There are many ways to get a bike to be quicker, and often the ones people choose are the wrong ones. We offer advice on the best bang for your buck, as well as things like gas flowing, ignitions, carbs and weight loss.

Restorations

The Limey has completed several full restorations of vintage Japanese bikes and will happily take on full ‘back to factory’ restorations to make your 40 year old bike look and perform like it was when it was new.

Custom Builds

Want something a little different? We can help. The Limey can build you what you want the way you want it. From a full on road-racer to a simple bobber, the Limey can create beautiful things that perform as well as they look.

Electrical

We can fix charging issues, shorts and any other gremlins that you may have. We use OEM connectors, so you will never see a crimp connector from us! We can also do simple custom wiring harnesses for custom builds.

RATES

Limey Bikes’ hourly rate is $85. We simply charge for as long as it takes to do the job properly with no hidden extras and no huge mark-ups on parts.

 

shorai-logoThe Limey is now a Shorai lithium battery and a Pamco ignition dealer, so call for a quote. We can even drop ship Shorai batteries to your door!
Use the Shorai battery selector below for fitments, or call for more specific requirements.

  • Stawberry Shortcake XS650

    Stawberry Shortcake XS650

Strawberry Shortcake XS650 Hardtail racer

OK, this will probably get a lot of press when the ball gets rolling. I had this crazy idea to have a build off with Deathtrap cycles in east Austin after I claimed the XS650 was the best Triumph ever built. After all, the XS650 was a copy of the Triumph T120 Bonneville… minus the [...]

  • 1975 RD250 & 350 Restorations

    1975 RD250 & 350 Restorations

1975 RD250 & 350 Restorations

These two pretty little 2-strokes were bought as a pair a few years back having been in storage since 1978. Although both bikes were cosmetically in pretty good shape, everything was completely stuck, corroded or just plain full of congealed goo. In fact, I managed to get at least a two pound bag of gunk [...]

  • 1977 XS650D Resto-Mod

    1977 XS650D Resto-Mod

1977 XS650D Resto-Mod

This basically was a fairly stock restoration but with a few minor modifications to make the bike a little more road friendly. This XS started out as a very abused 1977 XS650D with more rust than paint. The idea was to upgrade it, but keep a stock appearance with the exception of the paint… which [...]

  • 76 RD400 Screamer

    76 RD400 Screamer

76 RD400 Screamer

This was my first complete restoration for anyone other than myself after coming to the US of A. It started out with the owner coming to me when he assembled the engine only to find out that the crank turned 180 degrees and then locked. Obviously, an RD400 needs a crank that will rotate more [...]

  • The Hornet XS650 Café Racer

    The Hornet XS650 Café Racer

The Hornet XS650 Café Racer

Well, here it is… another XS650 racer. As you can see, it’s a 1980 XS650 Heritage Special that’s seen better days, complete with retarded ‘monkey-hanger’ handlebars. Over the next few months I’ll update this page as and when I manage to get anything done to it. Plans include a cut-down frame, Excel 18″ black rims, [...]

  • XS650 Extra Special

    the 'Betts' XS650... better, faster, stronger!

The ‘Betts’ XS650 Special

It’s nice to actually do a job for someone that I’m really into. This is a one owner from new (David Betts) XS650 Special… that had a little mishap a while back. The idea with this one is to build it better, faster, stronger than before… a $6,000,000 XS650. Ok, so the price tag isn’t [...]

How to contact the Limey

It’s always better to call using one of those new fangled phone things rather than email as I don’t have time to answer all the pleading emails that I get during the day… especially if you want a quick response. If you simply have to email me things, then use the form below.

Tel: 512 909 1542. 11 – 7, Monday – Saturday

The Limey lives in a little cave underneath a waterfall at 900 Old Koenig Lane… just down from the Corner Shoppe Mall where wondrous animals are stuffed and mounted on planks of wood for apparently no reason that I can think of.

Here’s a map to help you find it:

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