am waiting for an STD pan mill from Zack, also have several SOHC CB750's that are always sitting on the back burner---waiting to get laid off---may actually get something done this winter----tired of reading about the stampede smokeout and el Diablo run----wanna actually get to them this year. My old scoot was in one of the first issues, and I have yet to make it to the smokeout--I'm ashamed of myself
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 11:23 AM from IP address 65.78.64.128
with a whole new bike the only thing i am using from the long bike is the front end and the back fender going from a cm400t to an xs650 but going to stay a 400 honda as registration goes look at me myspace and the first page of pics has the long bike as it is right now and the ninth and tenth page of pics has the xs before the chopping begins
here is my winter project so far . i haven't had a chance to work on it in a few weeks due to the holidays and shit but i'll be at it heavy soon. i will be riding this one this summer.
jp
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 7:10 PM from IP address 74.71.54.8
No big whup, gonna try taking the back street to Bonneville. Team STD (Including Whizzbang, Cat and I) are rebuilding a couple TR25s for speed. Sort of like Burt Munro's ignorant, inexperienced, inbred cousins. Stay tuned, might see something in The Horse about it.
Some other board members have already pitched in with various support. (Thanks again Dragon and Robin) Tomorrow we are gonna do a little cuttin and stretching, wish us luck and send band aids.
Posted on Dec 30, 2007, 2:39 AM from IP address 64.24.4.62
Not the Double Door... but comin' to the Neighborhood... (NoDa, that is)
PS. Happy New Year!
WHEN: 01/05/2008 @ 8 p.m.
WHAT: Tinsley Ellis
WHERE: The Neighborhood Theatre
Hard-rocking blues-soaked guitarist/vocalist/song-writer Tinsley Ellis sings and plays with the energy and soul of all the great Southern musicians who have come before him. Ellis attacks his music with rock power and blues feeling, following in the tradition of Deep South musical heroes Duane Allman, Freddie King, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes.
I was already aware of Tinsley coming to the NT. I appreciate the head's up though. BTW: Anthony Gomes is gonna be at the DD in January. Ought to be a good un'
BB in SC
Posted on Dec 30, 2007, 12:31 PM from IP address 68.210.240.60
Gonna be moving out on my own it appears so if you know someone in the Des Moines metro area looking for a room mate or someone who has a house or apartment for rent drop me a line.
Thanx
Torch
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 8:23 AM from IP address 75.167.95.75
Well, Ozbikers, this is a difficult story to write. Usually with a bike feature you’ve got lots to work with. You can tell stories about the aims of the builder, the dramas of the build, and the builder’s philosophy on life etc etc. But you’ve all read that stuff. You were there for the whole journey, hopefully, and you know what was happening. So all that’s left to do is to let the pictures speak for themselves, to give some ‘thankyous’ and to sum things up.
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Firstly, I’m bloody happy with the bike. I re-read all the chopper build-up stories and noticed how often the ideas changed. At one stage we were gonna fit a jockey shift with an army bayonet for the handle. Another time we were gonna go with a real dirt-track looking thing with the tank sitting under the top frame rail. In the end though, we’ve come up with a pretty classic-looking Trumpy chopper. I’d call this a Northern California early 70’s style chop. But ‘whatever’ huh? I’m sick of trying to describe what the bloody thing is. It is what it is. It’s a collection of bits and pieces that I personally think are cool, and that I think look great together. It’s modern, because I’m a 26 year-old dude building this thing to ride myself. It’s ‘retro’, ‘classic’, ‘old school’ – whatever. It’s a fucking bike I built and I’m happy with it!
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My statement in the first buildup story was: “My general plan is to build an old-school 'street' bobber: sprung saddle, low bars, mid-controls - nothing overly fancy.” Well, it’s debateable whether I went “overly fancy” or not. As it turned out, the rake was more than we first thought, so it really qualifies as a ‘chopper’ rather than a ‘bobber’. If you have doubts about this, check out Daz’s BSA – that’s definitely ‘bobber.’ The bike got ‘fancy’ once we took delivery of the immaculate chrome springer. From then on, it was kinda like, “Oh, we have to make it all nice to match the springer.” Then I got a red metal-flake seat which really determined that the bike would end up red. Funnily enough, once the red paint was applied, the seat looked out of place, so it was scrapped!
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‘Thankyous’ are a traditionally boring part of a bike story, but maybe these ones will have more significance since you were all with us for the journey. Firstly, Kelly Ashton’s passion for motorcycling is the reason this bike is here today. Yes, I was the one that bought a rigid frame, but as a young naïve Ozbike journo I had very little knowledge. Kelly could have said a few words of ‘help’ and told me to go home, but he didn’t. He joined in with the project and welcomed me into his shed every weekend for almost a year. At those early stages, the help of Kelly, Country and Dick taught me a lot – primarily that every bastard has an opinion. Ha ha! Kidding guys. I appreciate the knowledge I gained from the hours we spent in the shed discussing this bike.
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Halfway through the build I met Charley at the Northern Beaches Poker Run. When he came up and said, “G’day”, I’m sure he didn’t realise he’d be my new best mate! His enthusiasm really gave me a kick in the arse at a time when I could have been getting sick of the whole thing. The build soon moved to Charley’s place, and his positive ‘can-do’ attitude helped turn this bike from ‘just a project bike’ to something special. Two heads are better than one, but it sure as shit helps when one of those heads is as practical, logical and talented as Charley’s. Incidentally, Charley’s keen on getting a bit more serious about supplying fabricated steel chopper parts. As you’ve seen throughout the buildup, he’s a very capable individual. Custom fabrication of brackets, tank modifications, mounting bungs, oil tanks, custom sissy bars – you name it, he’ll make it. Whether you’re a professional chopper builder or a garage guy like myself, Charley will no doubt be able to help you with the bits and pieces you need to complete your project. Give him a call on 0404 079 835.
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There were plenty of industry people who helped along the way. Admittedly, working for Ozbike, you can’t help copping the odd ‘great deal’ on a part or service. I’ll do my best to list them here. Jason from Paughco, USA, came through for me with the amazing narrow springer. That one part had such an influence on the bike that I think they deserve a lot of credit. I also dealt directly with Paughco USA on some smaller items, and their service was second-to-none.
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Avon Tyres Australia supplied some tyres at the very beginning of the build. One of them is still on the bike – the classic Speedmaster. I thank them for that support.
Southwest Motorcycle Spares gave me some good deals on bits and pieces, including a good price on the sporty tank and an alloy rim. They’re friendly and knowledgable – well worth a visit if you’re looking for chopper bits.
Mark from Pacific HD is ‘the man’ for so many reasons. He has such a broad knowledge of what is happening in the world of custom motorcycles. As well as giving me some good deals on parts, he gave me a real confidence boost by agreeing that what the Japs and Europeans were doing with custom bikes was amazing. It’s good to have some people in Australia who know “where it’s at.”
MCA were once again great supporters of Ozbike, and they supported the build by giving me trade prices on parts, and graciously supplying the Le Pera metal-flake solo seat. The guys at the Liverpool store were particularly helpful when I came in looking for smaller odds and ends.
Liverpool Exhaust had a good go at bending the exhaust pipes perfectly for a very picky customer – me. It was a bloody difficult task to get the pipes perfectly straight underneath a Triumph chop, but they got close enough that some minor cut-and-shutting was enough to sort them out. Thanks to Targ and the guys there.
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Owen Webb from House of Kolor came through in a big way with the paint. He saw eye-to-eye with the project from the start, and offered invaluable advice as well as amazing product for the build. I’m sure you’ll all agree that the bike would not be what it is without the metalflake red paint.
I’d better not thank Daz too much or I’ll be copping shit about it for the next year. But great paint means fuck-all if you don’t have someone with vision and skill applying it. Daz was certainly the right man for the job, and he wasn’t too much of a primadonna during the paint phase, so I thank him for that.
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Thanks to The Chopper Shop for letting us shoot the bike in their foyer. We were originally gonna shoot it at Pacific HD, but it didn’t quite fit the technical requirements of studio photography, and so at the very last minute we barged in at the Chopper Shop where the guys were more than obliging. Thanks.
Finally, the most important ‘thankyou’ goes to Kelly’s wife, Jane, and Charley’s wife, Mary. I had a wife once, and I doubt she would have been happy with her husband spending most weekends in the shed with some bloke building his bike! But Jane and Mary have been more than civil, and have managed to avoid abusing the hell out of me, for which I’m greatly appreciative! Oh, and of course I need to thank Kelly’s two year-old daughter, Billie-Jane, also known as “the boss of Wasko.” She sure as hell was the boss of me when I had to babysit her and chase her soccerball all around the yard while dad worked on the bike!
So now I’ve got myself a ‘fancy-lookin’ California Trumpy. What am I gonna do with it? Ride the hell out of it, of course! I’ll do my best to make it look as un-fancy as possible. That was the original point of the thing. I wanted a ‘street-bike’ to ride hard and not worry about. I wanna be able to ride to a pub in the city, leave it outside for two hours and not worry that it’s gonna get nicked. Well, we’ll see how that goes, but it’s a nice thought. See you on the road.
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About the girly - Cassidy
“It’s Cassidy Cruise, as in… ‘pleasure cruise.’ Ha ha! I’m orginally from Durbin, South Africa, but at the moment I’m in Australia enjoying the sunshine and the beach. Just holidaying. I’m a flight attendant and I enjoy surfing, going to the beach, and adventure sports like sky-diving. It’s very scary. I did it up in Queensland over the Great Barrier Reef.
“I’m just a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda gal. I’ll just take life as it comes. If I had to say my goal for life, I’d say my goal is world peace. Ha ha! No, um…my personal goal is…to be able to put my feet behind my head….ha ha! No, don’t write that! Um…I guess I wanna become successful at something and make a million dollars. That’s my starting point, though. I wanna make a billion dollars – be right up there with Bill Gates!
But, you know, as a flight attendant I don’t think I’ll get there. Although I could meet some oil tycoon or something, you never know. Then I could ride off into the sunset on my Harley!
“I love bikes. Actually, I want a sportsbike. But I wouldn’t mind a cruising one too. I have done a bike shoot before, yes. I did a bike shoot in San Diego for ‘girls and rides’ or something like that – a website over there.
I had a lot of fun today. I loved the clothes. I love Route 66 – very pinup and very sexy. I thought the shoot was great. My model, that I got to pose with too, he was really great. He was so hot!”
Cassidy was great fun to work with and had a killer sense of humour. No, she’s not a ditzy blonde – those questions were answered with tongue firmly planted in cheek, except for the bit about Wasko being hot – that was serious. We’d also like to thank Lianne for doing an outstanding job with makeup and hair – I think you’ll agree she did wonders for Wasko’s appearance.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 5:08 AM from IP address 211.31.116.192
Would need all new pictures and copy. Nothing could be used because it already has been. The worst thing a writer can do is send multiple transcripts of the same story to a bunch of different magazines. If two mags run the same article at the same time, it opens a huge can of worms. Many will hold things for an entire year and clean house on that yearly basis. Lead times can go as long as three months. Imagine sending everything out to the printers, they are starting the run, and you open your competitor's mag to see the SAME thing. YIKES! Now if WASKO had other pictures never submitted and wrote all new text, that's a different horse. I'd buy the magazine for sure.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 7:46 PM from IP address 72.128.207.219
It's sometimes a fine line and I try to do the right thing all the time, but it's difficult when there are four quality mags out there that I respect. But each editor is different also. For example, my Trumpy was published in The Horse earlier this year and also Ozbike. But the market is quite different (literally half a world away) and I shot the bike again with a new girl, and wrote a different story, out of respect for both mags.
BUT, I also sent a story of that bike to Dice because Matt wanted it - with a different girl, and completely different style story. Matt of course saw it in The Horse and decided not to publish it (at least for the time being) even though I think it's a great shoot and a great girl. My guess is he's put it in "cold storage" for a rainy day that may never come! I of course understand that and have no beef whatsoever.
But as Englishman put it in a column a few week months ago - the buck stops with the Editor, and that's gotta be respected.
- Wasko
Posted on Dec 31, 2007, 12:46 AM from IP address 58.105.90.46
Perfection. Very nice design ideas. The rear motor mounts are brilliant. Were there issues with the drive chain hitting it? A true high class garage built bike. I saw lots of things were chromed. How expensive is that in Oz?
Do you mind if I print them out and hang them in my garage? Great inspiration.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 3:12 PM from IP address 72.128.207.219
It's all been published in Ozbike already of course.
The chain didn't hit the motor mounts, but it did scrape the tyre slightly. But it's probably done 10,000 miles now and hasn't been enough to ruin the tyre.
There's not really that much chrome. The front end came chromed. The handlebars were stainless, front hub and rim are polished alloy. The sissy bar is stainless. The only chrome was the pipes ($200 I think) and a few other smaller things like brake pedal, battery cage etc. All up maybe $500. Don't know how that compares to the US.
Thanks for the compliments.
- Wasko
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 6:54 PM from IP address 211.31.116.192
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Chopper Buildup # 13
words and pics by Wasko
And you thought Big Kev was excited…
By the time you read this, the chop will be finished and on the road. Can you dig that!? I’m finding it hard to take in. This is the paint story for cryin’ out loud! The most common question I get from people who aren’t really into bikes is, “What coulour is it gonna be?” Add to that the fact that I’ve had about two years to think about colour, and it’s kinda surreal to think I’m finally actually getting it done.
The theory behind the paint is this: the lines of the bike are excellent, so I wanted a nice paintjob that didn’t fuck up the generally nice proportions of the bike. I wanted something in a 60’s or 70’s California style, and I wanted something that would match the red metal-flake seat. Since a good mate of mine, Von Daz, is a mighty-talented pin-striper, the choice of painter was pretty easy. Metal-flake red with some black and some pinstripes was about the only criteria I had. From there it was all Daz.
House of Kolor were very keen to come to the party and provide some of their famous paint to the Trumpy project. The metal-flake red in particular looks phenomenonally good. If you can’t quite see it in these pics, wait until you see it in the flesh – it’s impressive. While the House of Kolor paints are not for amateurs, used properly I can see how they’ve earned their reputation as the leader in custom paints. Hey, they may not spell very well, but they sure make some nice paint. Check out www.houseofkolor.com.au or call (02) 9737 9422 for more info.
1. After initially worrying that the House of Kolor guy would be an elitist arsehole, I met Owen who was as cool and down-to-earth as they come. He dropped by Von Daz’s workshop to talk colours and to let us know how the flake should be applied. As I said – it’s not for amateurs. Owen’s lengthy experience and obvious passion for the industry was clear to see. He’s the ideal person to help you out with your project.
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2. Once the paint was organised, it was all hands on deck to prepare the frame. After so much welding and grinding, the frame needed plenty of work to get it into decent shape. Once again, Charlie and I reached a state of Zen in the garage while sanding.
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3. After re-sanding with finer grades of paper, Daz sprayed the “suede” on, which is incidentally the same colour as his Chevy sled’s engine bay. That fact should help you at the annual Ozbike trivia night…
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4. For what it was – an old British ribbed fender - the guard was in pretty good shape. If Charlie and I hadn’t cut-and-shut it twice it wouldn’t have needed much work at all. Alas, we did, and Daz filled it ready for sanding.
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5. As usual, the chump in the black jeans got to sand. Started with something like 230 grit and finished with something like 420. “Completed” a few cokes and beers too. Daz kindly encouraged me by saying it would be all my fault if the paint fucked up, since I was the one who prep’ed it.
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6. Who put the flake in the metal-flake? Same fucker who put the ‘bop’ in the ‘bop shoo-bop shoo-bop’ apparently. This flake stuff is kinda cool. Mixed with clear and sprayed over a base-coat of House of Kolor Euro Red, it looked like something Dorothy would wear on her tootsies.
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7. The test panel on the left is metal flake red over a black basecoat. It produced excellent flake effect, but was too dark for our liking. Before we sprayed the bike, our colour-testers, Daz’s nieces, chose the brighter red as most appropriate. Their taste in Californian chopper paint schemes was impeccable.
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8. The moment of truth – Daz applies the metal flake over the House of Kolor Euro Red basecoat without a hitch.
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9. This is where Von Daz’s true talent lies though – pulling wanky faces. No, seriously, the skill and talent lies in the creativity and execution of those lines. As he says, “They’re Larry Watson-inspired scallops. The lines have to follow the shape of the tank, and ideally should provide a really good balance between positive and negative space.” I think he achieved that, readers.
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10. After a few “steadiers” (Carlton Draught is the preferred brand of steadier), Daz hand-stripes the lines Dean Jeffries style. No tedious masking or computer-generated sterile accuracy here. That’s Character with a capital ‘C’ (or ‘K’ if you’re from House of Kolor).
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11. What can I say? A picture speaks a thousand words. I gave Daz some basics and said, “You decide the rest”. The end result was far better than I could have imagined. Von Daz’s profession is sign-writing, but his passion is hotrods and all things motorcycle. He’s also a keen male model and has recently done some catalogue work in the Petersham area, specialising in flanellette shirts. He’s available for all sorts of signage jobs and will paint your bike if you ask him nicely. Call Darren Bennett Designs on 0412 400 588.
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12. Wasko is an up-and-coming flanellette shirt model hailing from Liverpool. He enjoys drinking Carlton Draught and keeping his jeans clean while watching others work.
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 4:39 AM from IP address 211.31.116.192
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Chopper Buildup # 12
words and pics by Wasko
“Chop-chop”, Wasko…
Ooh yeah! This project is rolling along nicely now. We’ve been in the shed at every opportunity working on it, and I’ve gotta say that I’m bloody loving it. I’m already thinking of a rigid Harley for the next project, but I shouldn’t get ahead of myself… This issue we did a hell of a lot of work and I’ve had to condense it as much as possible - for some reason the boss doesn’t wanna run a ten page chopper-buildup special. What the hell, man?
So in the past month we’ve mounted the oil tank, battery cage, remote oil filter, footpegs, rear fender, sissy bar and heavily-modified fuel tank. Considering we made half the stuff from scratch, that’s a lot of work! Now, we could run each story in a separate issue, but I’d be riding the bike around for a year before you’d see the final product in the magazine – not cool. So this story pretty much completes the build. All we’ve got left to do is go front-to-back on the bike, tidying up things like spacers, bolts, washers and welds – and fixing the areas we said we’d do later - not the most exciting of stuff.
Next issue will show Von Daz laying on the House of Kolor metal-flake paint and pin-stripes, and the issue after that will be the finished bike featured. Sound hard to believe? Well it sounds kinda surreal to me too, but that’s where things are at.
1. This will probably be the final photo of the bike shown before it’s done. I mean, we can’t give it all away can we? So savour it – only two months until you see the finished product on these pages…
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2. For a while we’ve had the proportions of the bike pretty much sorted, so the main aim with things like footpegs was to create something that didn’t ruin the lines of the bike. We were looking for a very simple solution, then Charlie thought of using conrods for footpegs. But can you bend them enough?
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3. Here Charlie has the grin that comes with trying something cool for the first time, in this case heating the hell out of a conrod and bending it with a big fuck-off piece of steel tubing.
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4. Too right it bends enough! Here’s the before and after. Actually, the reason Charlie struck upon the conrod idea was that we needed something to mount left and right of the bottom engine bolt. The round part of the conrod leaves space for the head of the bottom engine bolt, and the footpeg/conrod bolts to the frame either side of it.
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5. We turned down the standard british-type pillion pegs to fit into the conrod, and we’ll tap a stud into the side to hold it into place. Though this is not the conventional way the footpeg sits, we can’t see anything wrong with it. Oh, and there’s a thick steel plate welded to the frame for the footpeg to bolt into. The engine bolt goes through the steel plate on the right side, through the frame and engine, then through the frame rail and steel plate on the left side - solid.
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6. I picked up this old fender from my mate’s grandad. He said it was off something called a Brough Superior….anyway, we’re chopping the hell out of it. Kidding! It was a $20 British front fender from E-bay that had a cool classic shape, and importantly had the rib down the middle. But those crazy struts and brackets had to go.
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7. To get the right length, we cut a few inches off one end of the fender, which conveniently eliminated some of the holes left from the riveted struts. Then it needed a bit of tidying on the linisher before…
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8. …mounting it via some bungs welded to the frame. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the guard was almost a perfect fit for the rear tyre, so there wasn’t much “cut-and-shut” to be done. It’s always a gamble when you buy things you haven’t seen of course. We’ll add a steel strip to the underside centre of the fender for strength, but the sissy bar will also help hold a passenger up.
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9. While this may look like I’m employing the ‘straining post’ bush-shitting technique I was taught in the army, I’m actually bending a length of ¾” stainless steel for the gradual bend we require in the sissy bar.
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10. Here’s Charlie getting a bit carried away with memories of his acid-drenched 70’s love-ins. I threw some water over his face and he agreed that a short sissy bar was the answer.
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11. Charlie laid this neat weld on the apparently difficult-to-weld stainless steel. He said, “Welding stainless is dead easy, and anyone who says differently is a pussy.” I may have made up the last two sentences.
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12. Once the inverted ‘V’ was welded to the main sissy bar, we set Charlie’s mahogany ‘workbench’ on fire heating and bending the sissy bar with an oxy-acetylene torch. Ah, good times.
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13. And here’s the completed sissy bar, or “Anal probe” as Daz calls it, bolted to the frame and fender. Threaded bungs are welded to the top of the fender, so there are no nasty bolt-heads rubbing against the tyre.
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14. The Odyssey battery will be familiar to most Harley riders. It’s a dry cell battery usually used in marine applications. Though it’s a bit more expensive, the big advantage is you can mount it on its side, or end, or lay it down flat. Charlie built this battery cage that looks good and is strong as. My only requirement was that he used huge wingnuts to secure the top clamp. No idea why.
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15. This is the lower ‘tray’ of the battery cage, welded onto the frame. At first we had difficulty finding a location for the battery, as the traditional placement did not fit with the chain line. After some tense minutes of worry, we realised that vertically behind the centre downtube was ideal.
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16. Not only does it leave plenty of room for the chain line, but the hefty battery weight is centred on the bike, it allows the pipes to be more visible, and it leaves plenty of room for the remote oil filter which is located via a tab welded to the frame rail. Oh, and you may have noticed the Mooneyes oil tank too. It’s a standard bit of gear, but the mounts are not. They are the ‘deluxe mounts’ supplied by a top bloke from the US named Fabricator Kevin (www.fabkevin.com). He makes cool steel chopper parts, his motto being “If it ain’t steel it ain’t real!” He even said he’d read Ozbike before when they used to sell it in his area.
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17. Because the tank was mounted to the frame at a slightly raised angle, the fuel taps weren’t able to reach all the fuel, giving the small sporty tank even less effective capacity. To improve fuel capacity, we turned to another Billy Lane-inspired technique – locate the fuel tap on the bottom corner of the tank. This threaded tube is cut at an angle to weld onto the tank.
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18. After a bit of filing, the fuel tap tube fit snugly inside the hole in the tank, and Charlie welded it in. One fuel tap sticking out of the side of the tank looked cool, but we decided that two would look better. You know, two cylinders, two exhaust pipes, two carbies – two fuel taps. It made sense.
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19. There was something strangely satisfying about cutting a hole into the side of a perfectly good fuel tank, so we did it again. This time it was to install a fuel guage. Simply, it required two brass elbow hose fittings to be tapped into tubes that were welded to the tank. It will work fine as a fuel guage, but it’ll also look cool and different.
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20. And there you have it – a sporty tank that isn’t “just a sporty tank”. It’s got a little bit of character now, and will have even more character in metal-flake red! Be sure to stay tuned for the closing stages of the buildup! Oh, and if you’re a fan, be sure to e-mail ‘skol@ozbike.com.au’ and let the boss know that you want Wasko’s Triumph chop on the cover! Don’t be shy – surely someone’s reading, right?
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 4:26 AM from IP address 211.31.116.192
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Chopper Buildup # 11
words and pics by Wasko
Cut it, grind it, file it, weld it…
We’re making good progress on the bike, and considering it’s been almost solely weekend work, I’m happy with the pace of the build. The only major fabrication to go is to mount the Moon oil tank I’ve ordered, make some footpegs, come up with a rear brake and figure out a battery box solution. That should be done in the next few weeks, then it’s time to send parts away for paint and chrome, before getting it all wired. Geez, I make it sound easy! But finding the time is far from easy.
Kansas Charlie and I recently spent a Friday night and Sunday arvo working on the bike. Much of the work was the less glamorous stuff – all the tabs and mounts and things that make a bike stay together in one piece, but which largely go unnoticed by the casual observer. For me though, these things are very important. I’m the one who’ll be removing the engine or exhaust or seat or oil tank in the future, and if the mounts are a bastard, then I’ll regret not taking the time to think about them. Not to mention that a rigid Trumpy’s gonna shake like crazy, so they need to be strong. But we’ve thought about them all and I think we’ve come up with good strong solutions.
The other tough part of the job is the huge amount of fiddly welding required to get all those tabs in place. With two people though, it increases the pace of things. Charlie will weld while I cut out brackets and linish them, or file out hollows in mounts. By the time he’s done, I’m done, and it’s on to the next thing.
On this particular weekend we did a lot of the fiddly welding, including making a pair of gussets for the centre downtube. We also made a ‘true’ head-steady that will do the job nicely, and topped it all off by making something cool and fun – the number plate bracket, or ‘tag mount’ as the Yanks call it.
1. While some people stand by the strength of cardboard gussets, Charlie and I didn’t feel it would be strong enough. We used this one as a template for the shape.
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2. The G-clamp held the gussets nicely in place while Charlie welded them both on. By the time he’d done that, he had the shakes and it was time for some lunch.
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3. Kelly had done some major surgery to the centre downtube, giving the bike a much better overall look. These gussets give us peace of mind, and improve the aesthetics of the centre downtube even more.
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4. A 750 Triumph twin needs a head-steady like I need a root – desperately. In keeping with the philosophy that a chopper should be simple and classic, we wanted a straightforward headsteady. The wire was used to get as near to the bends required as possible.
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5. The steel bar we used was 1” by 0.5”, making it very strong but potentially hard to bend. Some well-placed heat had it moving in no time though. We were careful to get the bends as close to the required angle as possible, while keeping the bar straight front-to-back.
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6. Here it is nearly finished – good enough to get the idea anyway. After tidying up the sides on a linisher, it looked straight as could be. The top threaded mount was welded to the frame, making it a simple-to-remove strong bolt-on headsteady.
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7. This is Charlie welding on the tag mount. I’m gonna call it a ‘tag-mount’ because it sounds better than “number-plate bracket.” But don’t worry, I still hate Yanks. He he. Charlie was keen to do the mount Billy-Lane style, that is, welded tubing straight out from the frame.
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8. Here’s the smoking evidence of a tacked tube. The controversy surrounding this mount is that some will think it too long and too weak. I admit that I initially wanted it much shorter, declaring it should be no longer than my Johnson. So Charlie made it 12” – proof enough that he’s never seen my Johnson.
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9. Here is the simple pattern drawn for the tag mount. Luckily for us, the piece of alloy Charlie had lying around was the exact width of the number plate, so we didn’t have to cut it with the jigsaw – a task that was relatively difficult due to vibration and the teeth getting clogged with alloy.
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10. Once it was cut and filed to shape, we drilled it to accommodate the tail light. I won’t tell you how we drilled the wholes incorrectly and had to slot them. You’re not gonna see it because the washers will cover that error anyway. Ha!
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11. A bench vice, two g-clamps, some wooden blocks, and a big fuck-off length of steel, and you have yourself a bending jig – and it was all my idea! It worked a treat too, but you’ve gotta be sure to keep the whole thing in line, or the seam of the bend could be slightly off.
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12. Here’s the basic concept. The plate will be screwed to the mount, while the tail light wires will go inside the tubing and through the frame to the magical place of power. As anyone who hasn’t used a tag mount will tell you, without this backing plate your number plate will split in two very quickly.
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13. This mount looks cool as hell, and I think will not be a problem – Billy Lane hangs much heavier tail lights off his brackets, which are sometimes even longer. Charlie’s confident too – he promised that if the mount broke, he’d personally push the bike from his place to Kelly’s place, wearing nothing but speedos. If it happens, we’ll put it in “What’s Coming Up…”
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 4:02 AM from IP address 211.31.116.192
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Chopper Buildup # 10
words and pics by Wasko
Framing the donk…
The engine mounts on any bike are important to get right, and completing the engine mounts on this one has been a journey to say the least. You may remember me mentioning that the engine originally sat up high and forward in the frame. To move the engine down and back we cut the centre downtube in half and put a new box-section in, plus we moved the bottom engine mounts into the frame. Well, that was all cool, until we mounted the engine into place and noticed it leaned forward at a slight angle. Some of our helpful observers said it was crap, others said it didn’t matter at all. But standing back and looking at the bike for a few weeks, it gnawed at me enough for me to go ahead and relocate the engine mounts. That meant filling the holes in the frame, re-drilling them in the ‘right’ spot, then making new front engine plates.
This story is about the making of the first engine plates, which fit fine until I went and changed the whole geometry – then they were useless. Lucky for me my mates didn’t mutiny and we’re full steam ahead now. I personally think the rear engine mounts are a work of art, and will look great once everything’s tidied and painted. All that’s left to secure the engine into place is a head-steady which will be a piece of cake compared to this stuff. That will give us four strong mounting points for the engine.
1. After making up a template on cardboard, we traced it onto alloy plate and cut it out with a jigsaw. The cheaper the jigsaw, the more vibration your workbench will experience!
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2. The cutout engine plate with that funky ‘70s look.
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3. The tricky thing with this mount is that it’s not a flat piece of alloy – it had to be bent to flare out to accommodate the width of the engine cases.
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4. After some mental calculations involving years of experience – not mine of course, we drew these lines up to where we thought it should be bent. When I say ‘we’, I mean ‘Kelly’ of course.
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5. Then Kelly jumped on the press and bent them into shape. This was a trial and error thing, and involved walking back and forwards from the press to the bike and test fitting.
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6. Once the shape fit well, we drilled the holes and…
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7. Hey presto! A completely different plate. Yes, I don’t have a pic of the old mounts fitting perfectly. Instead you can see a pic of the new mounts not quite finished. The plan is to bend them into shape, then drill the fourth hole, then cut off as much excess as we can to shape it nicely. I know many of you at home will be shouting “that mount’s too fuckin’ chunky!” Well, yeah it is.
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8. Now onto the rear primary side engine mount. I cut and shaped this thing myself (yeah, I actually do some work sometimes) to fit snugly into the case. It has to fit snugly, because the chain will be whizzing past in excess of 100kms/h (theoretically). Obviously we’ll use different bolts.
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9. I then cut this box-tube and shaped it to the correct angle and length (I’m on a roll now) to form the engine mount struts.
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10. After chocking them perfectly in place, they were welded up properly.
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11. I got stuck into tidying the frame on a bored hot afternoon. OHS rules don’t apply in my garage, though common sense probably should, and it may have been an idea to wear some protective clothing while grinding. I was wearing protective eyewear however.
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12. After the grinder comes the zen art of filing. Best to do this while listening to slow blues with a beer at hand.
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13. Finally, we let the whole lot sit in my shed while I took a holiday, allowing a nice coat of rust to form. I think the whole thing looks rather neat for what it is, and will look even neater with a coat of paint. Most importantly it does the job, holding the engine in perfect position.
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 3:38 AM from IP address 211.31.116.192
i'm sure the next generation of biker build offs will lean heavy on the role of fashion to the builder. and hugh king will be in a muave speedo and matching leather jacket.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 3:59 AM from IP address 72.66.249.207
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Chopper Buildup # 9
words and pics by Wasko
Pipe dreams…
The idea for pipes came when we put a pair of Kelly’s standard TT pipes on the bike and just thought that it looked right. Only problem was, they didn’t quite fit, and fixing up a chromed pair that didn’t quite fit would mean getting them re-chromed. For that price it was probably just as easy to get them custom made.
Targ from Liverpool Exhaust offered to give us a hand to bend up some custom pipes – mandrel-bent in one piece. The only condition was I had to wait until they had the mandrel set up for 1 ¾” pipe. Weeks went by and I was fearing that Christmas would come and go, but Targ came through with days to spare and we got the pipes done.
Having them custom-made meant we could do them however we wanted, so we added a bit of emphasis to them instead of making just TT pipes. You’ll notice they jut out more, which looks very cool from the front and back. We also made them longer and made them run perfectly straight underneath the bike, hugging the bottom of the engine to give us maximum ground clearance. That little bit of extra length allows us to cut them shorter if we need to.
Liverpool Exhaust run a large operation at 41 Seton Road, Moorebank and work on all types of exhaust systems – from cheap daily drivers to the latest in 4 cylinder Jap cars. They have many systems available for Harleys and are capable of mandrel bending pipe from 1 ½” to 3”. Give them a call on (02) 9602 3111 and tell them Ozbike sent you.
1. This is Yasar’s house of mandrel. The mandrel-bending machine is a big and costly thing, but it does a hell of a good job. The basic idea of a mandrel-bender is that it supports the inside of the tube so that it can be bent without crushing in on itself.
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2. Yasar usually spends all day bending lots of individual mandrel bends which are welded together into custom exhaust systems. For the chopper though, he’ll bend a single piece in a couple of places to create a one-piece pipe.
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3. This is 1 ¾” pipe getting cut to length for the chop.
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4. After bending a piece of wire to match the TT pipes, Yasar measures the angles to be put into the computer for the first pipe to be bent. This is just a dummy to see what adjustments need to be made.
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5. The machine is pretty cool to watch. Yasar positions the pipe, punches in the numbers, and the machine does the rest. There are only two bends in this pipe. The first is quite sharp, then the machine rotates the pipe and bends the second.
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6. Targ needed to stretch the pipe slightly to fit over the head so we could check the fit.
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7. This attempt is obviously wrong, as the pipe needs to go straight under the bike. It was a process of trial and error that turned out to be quite tricky. Because we needed maximum ground clearance, we needed to get it exactly right. But an adjustment to one bend effected the position of the whole pipe.
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8. After several attempts and adjustments, this one’s looking pretty close. Instead of bending up a new piece of pipe to make tiny adjustments, at this stage it’s possible to heat the pipe with an acetylene torch so it sits in position without having any flex in it once it’s clamped.
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9. For a clean look, the pipe will be clamped down at the head, and these tabs will be placed underneath the frame.
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10. While this position is probably more visible than I would have liked, it was impossible to find a hidden position that could be got at with a spanner, while maintaing any sort of ride height. Everything’s a compromise on a bike!
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11. Craig welded the brackets on. Then he took them off and re-welded them because he’d welded them onto the wrong part! He just wanted to show off how good a welder he was I think.
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12. This machine quickly cuts a split into the lip of the pipe so that the clamp can actually work on the head.
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13. Job done – time for energy drinks and a photo to make the guys famous.
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14. Pipes done! While there are plenty of TT pipes around on Triumph choppers, these ones are particularly wide at the front and long underneath – hence ‘unique’. I think they look cool as hell. Next step is to fill out that area behind the engine, but some engine-mount tidying is required first. Stay tuned, loonies!
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 1:31 AM from IP address 58.105.90.46
It was like 90, after I got home from a ride through the mountains I was so hot I had to go for a dip in the pool with a beer and cool down. Don't worry though, I'm all better now, heading out to the shop to do some chopping.
Merry New Year and Happy Christmas all.
Charley
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Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 12:47 AM from IP address 58.168.118.16
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Bobber the Buildup # 8
words and pics by Wasko
On vacation…
A holiday’s as good as a change they say, so I thought it right to take the chop on a trip to sunny Gosford to do a bit of work with a mate of mine, Rob. Kansas Charlie came along for the ride, mostly because he wanted to experience the XB ute on a fly-infested Spring day rather than any apparent love he has for building choppers.
1. You may remember Rob as the ugly-looking bloke who snarled at you from the back of his awesome custom softail in Issue # 282. Well, he’s still wearing the same outfit he did back then, and he can still build a mean chopper. Today’s task of bending up some extra short drag bars and helping us out with an internal fork stop would be a breeze.
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2. Started here with some 1” stainless tubing. As simple as bending some bars might seem, there are a couple of tricks that would have caught me out. The ideal way to do it is to have the bars on the bike, and then cut off each end where you want your grips to be. To do that, you need to find the exact middle of the existing bar.
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3. We already had a set of cheap drag bars with the correct bend angle in them, which was not much angle at all. But we didn’t like the hollowed-out bit - hence why we made our own. Rob used the ready-made bars to set the pipe-bending machine to the correct bend angle.
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4. After measuring the distance between the dog-bone risers, and working out exactly where the bends needed to be, we re-measured a few times and then Rob bent the bars to the set angle. This sort of pipe-bender is fine for very simple and small bends, but any more significant bend (like those for an exhaust) require a mandrel-bender.
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5. We were then left with a set of extra-long drag bars. Then it was a simple case of putting the bars on the bike and working out where we wanted them. In my case, it was as tightly in as possible while still allowing room for a clutch and brake cable. Ater measuring the cut required, we were sure to remove the tape measure before…
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6. …chopping! We got it spot on the first time of course. This was due to a terminator-like concentration from Rob, and a commitment to accurate measuring rather than anything I contributed to the equation.
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Next step was a complete brain-wave by Rob, though once it was done, Charlie and I wondered why we hadn’t thought of it ourselves. We were getting ready to attached rubber stops to the outside of the frame when Rob offered to make some internal fork stops instead. Advantage? You can’t see the bloody things, and they work a treat.
7. The basic idea was to put a lug on the neck of the springer that is limited in its traverse by a gap in the steering head top cup. In this pic, Rob is cutting a small gap into the cup. The only problem with this is that it takes some trial and error grinding. You cut a small gap, then re-install the cup and front end, test it, and cut more. You don’t wanna cut too big a gap straight away or you’ve fucked it, and need to weld it up and try again – wouldn’t be much fun.
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8. Once that’s done, Rob marked the spot on the neck that turns inside the cup, then tapped a threaded hole for the stop-bolt.
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9. He then inserted a small bolt using loctite to keep it in place. It doesn’t matter about the head of the bolt, as this is chopped off anyway. The bolt is merely the thing that hits against each end of the gap in the cup, which of course dictates the left and right lock point of your steering. A potential problem with this setup is the cup turning inside the steering head, but our cup is lodged firmly in place, as it should be. If we have doubts at a later date it wouldn’t be hard to drill a hole and bolt the cup still within the head. She’ll be right though…
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10. We’d love to show you the fork stops in operation, but as they say, “hidden fork stops are hidden”. I guarantee you they work though, and are a damn sight cheaper than buying a $200 set. Here’s a pic of the bars in place looking oh-so right. The astute amongst you will notice the Mikuni carbs with velocity stacks jutting out in a tough stance. You’ll also notice the pipes are ridiculously close to my finely manicured lawn. The pipes will be TT style as pictured, but we’ll have them custom-made so as to not scrape every speed hump and sharp crest I ride over. Stayed tuned loonies!
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Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:42 PM from IP address 58.105.90.46
I look at those TV shows and get lost as to what their goal really is.
My guess is always that the "master builders" have no intention in riding it any further than the nearest Starbucks.
A 8 A 8 A
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 2:35 AM from IP address 68.0.139.192
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Tales From The Shed – Bobber Buildup # 7
words and pics by Wasko
Coming together…
We’ve got a new member of ‘Team Bobber’ – Kansas-born Charlie – who does alright with things mechanical – especially welding, and has been keenly following the bobber project to date. I’m in the process of annoying the hell out of his wife by coming around to Charlie’s shed and going mad with the angle grinder. With the addition of the third team member, the pace and excitement of the build has increased.
The frame has definitely been the most complicated thing to manage. You’ll remember we started by modifying the Harley-suited springer front end to fit the Santee Triumph frame. Well now we’ve modified the Santee frame to house the 750 twin in a more suitable position – lower. The centre downtube is pretty much done, as are the front engine mounts. With Charlie in tow, we did another mock-up and decided on the main features that would determine the overall look of the bike. As you can see, the result is looking very much in proportion. The only thing out of proportion is my size on the little chopper…but that’s the way it used to be done, and a long skinny chopper is fine by me!
1. First I was given the unforgiving task of filing out a hollow in the steel tubing to make up the bottom engine mounts/spacers. This exercise is tops for honing your filing skills, and even more tops for honing blisters in your palms and fingers.
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2. The hollow was so the spacers sat flush with the bottom frame rail for welding. The spacers were precisely turned down to fit the engine, before being welded into place.
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3. The frame is in a frame jig, while the wood is clamped perfectly horizontal with the engine mounts sitting on top for welding. The steel tubing in between is turned down to the exact distance between the top engine mounts. It also ensures the face of the mounts is perfectly vertical.
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4. With the mounts welded into place, the engine bolt and centre spacer can be removed so Charlie can weld up around the mounts. Charlie, an ex-welder, hadn’t welded for a while, but he soon picked it up again and was doing a top job.
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5. You’re looking at the underside of the frame, where the centre downtube connects to the centre crossmember. This triangular piece will strengthen the whole thing and tidy it up, making it look like we deliberately left the space there in the first place! The hole is for potential wiring assistance later on.
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6. The centre downtube seemed to be a work in progress that was taking months and that had a few doubters. Here Kelly is doing yet more welding of little pieces to fill in the gaps and tidy it up.
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7. Finally the centre downtube is completely welded up. Now all that’s left is the tidying and rewelding of any gaps.
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8. Here’s me at Charlie’s making sparks. The goal is to tidy up the welds to reveal any spots we’ve missed, before having another weld. It was made even more fun by using Charlie’s $20 grinder that felt more like a jackhammer.
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9. After about ten minutes on the grinder, this is the end result! Ha ha! Just kidding. This is what the frame looked like after Charlie and myself had tidied it, re-welded it, tidied it again, and stripped off the excess paint – looks like a new aftermarket frame!
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10. Once the frame was tidy we got excited and did another mockup, with this being the result – a big goofy grin on my face and what I think is a very cool-looking chop. Kelly had some TT pipes lying around, and they look so good that I’ve decided that’s what we’ll use. Drag bars look great, as do retro-style tyres. Sportster tank sits perfectly for that classic look.
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11. Skinny’s back in style! How skinny is this? Yeah, I’m gonna look like Frankenstein’s monster hooning down the road with my knuckles dragging – cool! That’s the look I’m going for now!
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Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:12 PM from IP address 58.105.90.46
got the Choppahead DVD for Xmas. It's over 3 hours of video of small shops,parties, bike and hot rod shows,bike builder interviews all across the country and more. It's more in depth than Vol.I. The bikes featured in the Tokyo bike show KICK Royal ass. You get mucho for $20. Best $20 I ever spent, except port call overseas.
Coop
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 4:36 PM from IP address 71.228.161.68
"Some people will tell you that slow is good – and it may be, on some days – but I am here to tell you that fast is better. I've always believed this, in spite of the trouble it's caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles...."
Hunter S. Thompson - Song of the Sausage Creature
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:09 PM from IP address 205.188.116.66
Watched it for the second time X-mas with a few friends, really did a good job on this one. Seen a few stars like Trent and Teach, mixed with some comedy and information on leather working. All in all a very entertaining DVD.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:09 PM from IP address 130.219.8.253
can send your scan to kodak or one of many online photostores, Photobucket?, and have it blown up to poster size. dont know if thats legal per say, but i would try it. edit out the sig if you need to first. i would think after 10 years you would be ok.
www.hacksawsgarage.com
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 4:36 PM from IP address 75.28.149.112
...I think if it's older than like 1941 or something, you can make copies of it. Maybe Hammer or E-man, or even T-Bear or GTP could shed more light on the laws.
Sportsters- RSD before RSD was cool
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 6:34 PM from IP address 24.197.220.191
... cause if they get caught it's major fines. It's a federal law & any respectable photo printer won't risk it.
It's not about whether or not you are selling it, it's about the copyright holder NOT selling it. If we a blew up the images GTP posted here, he wouldn't sell any posters. Does that sound fair to you.
There are somethings not worth stealing, at any cost. Someones hard work, being it a scooter or a painting included. If you want a poster on your wall and don't want to pay- learn to draw.
Sportsters- RSD before RSD was cool
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 9:35 PM from IP address 24.197.220.191
Whelp, your first $500 donation made around $2000.....pretty cool huh? They bought too many 2xl's and 3xl's is the problem. So, if you know any big ole' boys, tell em' we need to liquidate those as well.
Well, the $1100 I personally collected at Blues City was stolen, I think Cimarron took in damn near $10,000 and Backyard took in around $5500....not sure what the Cain's did this past Thursday night.
I've since then made damn near another $1000 off the in memory patches, so that helped make up for some of the stolen money. People have such great hearts, shame on her for taking advantage of goodness. I hope she gets what's coming to her again one day. She better hope the law gets to her before the bikers do, that's all I can say about that!
Will get with the other chick soon and file charges although it's a she said, she said, type of deal....cash money is hard to knuckle down on when trying to prove what she stole.
Other than all that..........I'm SOOOOOO ready to get to rollin' with the new year and get all this negative bs behind us.
Have a very Happy New Year, ride safe, love you for all you've done and do, you and your crew are some of the best I've ever been blessed to know. Thank you.
Wanda
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 2:43 PM from IP address 208.189.214.181
i dont belive there are any,but come to think of it i havent seen any bikes or know anyone that has one,a few buddies have built three or 4 in there garage and havent had any problem selling them when they were done.without the 5 year deal.is there anyone really enforcing this yet
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 12:50 AM from IP address 12.216.208.250
My grandson Colton Ridin’ on his very 1st motorcycle
Of course Big Sister Emily had to try it out too. It’s also the 1st bike she’s went Ridin’ on by herself. Bigger sister Torie had already taken her spin on it.
They all did an EXCELLENT job of both Ridin‘ & Kickin‘
Just like Grampa he’s pretty happy just Ridin’ in circles.
“That’s the best Christmas present ever” & “That’s awesome Grampa” Yep now that’s a happy fella right there
Hell even the big kid had a blast on it. LOL
If your Christmas morning was 1/2 as good as mine was then you had a very Merry Christmas indeed. ...
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:35 AM from IP address 208.189.214.181
It's the next generation about to roll over ya... eventually! I bet the only smile bigger than theirs was yours! Thanks for sharing the great joy had by all.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:49 AM from IP address 68.93.9.131
posts , stories, smoothing out of forum troubles, and all the stuff you have done to make us glad you are around the scene here.
i appologize for the sugar, but i mean it. i know a good kid when i see one, and i know a good parent/grandparent when i see one as well. i have been blessed myself with a few generations of my own kids.lol!
when you share this stuff , it reminds us all what is real and good about christmas and about life. fukk those whom would seek to destroy it.
passing the torch is what its all about. you keep the faith Rev. its much appreciated.
www.hacksawsgarage.com
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 4:32 PM from IP address 75.28.149.112
All I can do is try my best & let the chips fall where they may. I don't know about smoothing things out but I at least try to keep it all motorcycle related. LOL
I do thank ya for your comments though.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 7:01 PM from IP address 208.189.214.221
Secret Squirrel and I took a ride out into the sticks yesterday to repo some shitbirds and stop by Robert Pratdke's shop.
Winter sucks.
Robert is a painter and always has lots of interesting projects in his bay.
He was crating up this shiny object for a guy in Florida.
Mother of Pearl type finish
This is actually purple. The camera could not reproduce the color.
He finished up this Mopar taxicab.
Putting a six speed in his panhead for easier highway travel.
Then RJS had a get together in his backyard Saloon.
The mist froze over before Larry left. Has 5 spotters help him slide the bike down the steep driveway.
One guest had a compass from a Boeing B-17. Smelled lke kerosene.
Midnight, time to go home.
Not bad for a Thursday in Winter.
Later,
ray in CT
won't have pic's for a few days but i scored a 78 ironhead yesterday with 1250 origanal miles on it--the guy bought it brand new had some head work done the first winter and had it painted pearl white--getting boxes of parts that he changed out stock pipes brake lines and a shit load of extras he's even got a set of four over tubes that were never used brooks leathers were even thrown in--bike has been sitting in the back of his brothers garage four houses away from me is the kicker i won't even have to haul it home just roll it down the street--pic's in a week his brother is gone for holidays so i can't get my hands on it till then
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:25 AM from IP address 69.246.50.64
that's pretty badass. maybe someday... with my luck probably not. or i'd score a "smokin deal" which would somehow end up being as useful as a boat anchor. heh.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 11:46 AM from IP address 72.76.94.242
I have had a nickname for a while known to many as "SKEET" but as of a few weeks ago that name died for a much more fitting name "TORCH". With my new job I'm on the road all the time. I was in of all places Motley Minn. using the torch to remove some metal from the front of a railroad engine, when the torch came apart and flew directly for my CROTCH!!!!!!!! it burned through my jeans, military long underwear, and my Hanes........... I got first and second degree burns on my inner thigh and on my left one (I guess you may have heard the scream a ways away LOL) Needless to say I was very pleased just to still have them. I burned off all the hair from my knees to my stomach. It's been a few weeks now and everything is healing up. Also for those that must know yes it still works LOL.....
Anyway all my DRAMA of the past few years seems to be coming to a close. My brother leaves for Federal prison on Jan. 7th for 41 mo. I got to have Christmas with my sons who I haven't seen in about 6-8 months, and my Mom and Dad. I became a Grandpa for the first time Lilith Jade Wilson is now a part of my world (if ya wanna see pictures stop by my myspace page) I finally got a good job again even though it means I'm on the road constantly. Still driving the old Jap bikes for a while but have plans and the money now to build that chopper I been planning for years. To all my friends, inlaws, and outlaws I hope you had a good Christmas and have a great New Year........ Have a few for me and talk to you all again soon.
I'm out
Torch
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:21 AM from IP address 75.167.95.75
i just got my frame back from the sandblaster, i would like to know what year the frame is, just to know? the front motor mount casting has a number that looks like it says 48E-621? anybody????
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:10 AM from IP address 66.41.36.241
was probably used for most rigid panhead frames. There are easier ways of telling what year the frame is. Take a few pics and email them to me or post them here. I'd be happy to help if I can. You should pick up a copy of Palmer's book as well. If you're not familiar let me know and I'll provide a link. Book has all the necessary info on identifying frame years, etc., etc.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:22 AM from IP address 68.192.241.129
Here is the Amazon link to the book. They seem to have the best price and from experience their service is always great. I have no affiliation to Amazon whatsoever.
Moisture can have an effect on your ride & your Ridin’ in several different ways. Here you can clearly see The Line Between The Good And Bad & the effect it can have on your Oil And Gasoline
You really can’t see it very well but the primary is also covered.
The only cure I know is Ridin’ the shit outta em. … Well yeah there’s always the heated garage but sometimes when ya play with heat ya get burned
{Oh & Yes Amy that lever is there because the cable is to short & I was going back to my jockey shift so there was no need to buy a longer one. There is now however a new snag in that plan but hopefully it’s only temporary & I‘ll be able to plant my foot firmly on the ground once again real soon}
Moisture can also have an effect on The Road . … especially when it’s still frozen
So remember even when the sun keeps *Shinin’ On*
There might just be some Shades Of Deep Purple or even black ice hiding in that shade.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:46 AM from IP address 208.189.214.195
As The Sun Races Around To Come Up Behind You Again
And If I Pass This Way Again You Can Rest Assured
*I’ll Always Do My Best For Her On That I Give My Word*
God Bless America & those that stand with her
BTW my “Little” Brother is over in Afghanistan right now so if anyone here wants to send a care package shoot me an e for his addy.
Here’s what he’s up to. {Again}
Hey Big Brother
I am in a city called Kabul Afghanistan. its the capital city and so far they haven't been able to hit me yet. I'm here with a bunch of Guards men from South Carolina . Now the Army tells me I'm a HUMMV Mechanic, But these guys looked at my records and seen I was in a Cavalry Unit in desert storm so they put me in a Cavalry unit doing a CAV scout job (hunting down the Taliban) At least the guys I go out with know what they are doing so I'm fine. Well its cold out here , about 17 last night.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:51 AM from IP address 208.189.214.195
... for a long while. I've had the flu but Thursday week ago I said "fuck it I'm goin' for a ride it's been 2 weeks". It was light rain, temp was high thirtys.... Well, Friday I get a bad fever that lasted until last night. Driving 1600 miles for a 5-hour visit in Florida with some family probably didn't help.
On some things ya just never learn or maybe it's just that the "ridin' jones" gets so bad that ya throw caution to the wind.
Velvet Elvis On Flat Black Sporty Tank.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 9:45 AM from IP address 70.245.230.17
It's still way better than it could have been. That 1st ice storm only missed us by 40 miles. Got some sleet & a little snow but it went away pretty quick. Still cold & wet enough to keep the road icy in spots but it sure beats what OK & MO got hit with. Further south got hit harder than we did on this last one too.
Ridin' Jones eh? Funny you should say that. ... I was actually born a Jones.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:44 AM from IP address 208.189.214.181
Again I get to read about your riding adventures but ya still have to make a shot north to the mountain top. BTW there is a pickin party at Robs new years eve, coming. Started stripping the shovel last night. Primary all repaired and I still have the 80 link chain of yours. Painting this weekend and putting her back together as soon as possible. Big difference in her look but for the good as I see it. I'll keep ya posted as progress proceeds. Happy holiday and a salute for the troops.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:30 AM from IP address 70.166.128.13
The way these years keep flying by it won't be that far down The Road
I heard a very long time ago that *Time Keeps On Slippin' Slippin' Slippin' Into The Future* So I figured I'd better get as many miles in as I could sooner than later cuzz later might just be to late.
To The Hilt Is That What You Said
I plan on *Ridin' From Cradle To Grave* but ya just never know what life will throw atcha so ya better Get It While Ya Can
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 7:14 PM from IP address 208.189.214.221
hey rev the goggles not working for you in the cold... did about 100 miles on x-mas eve it was about 30 deg out froze my ass off but had a good ol time doin it so while i sit here freezimg in the mountains of wv put a few miles on for me rev have a good one
YOU ARE FREE BECAUSE OF THEE
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:40 PM from IP address 70.100.78.91
Well my glasses seem to keep them from sealing off so when it gets real cold they fog up on me. Still wear em quite a bit though. *I've Got A Line* on a pair like I had though so that should keep me covered no matter what condition my condition is in.
Colder than shit here right now but hopefully it'll wamr up a bit. Think it's supposed to get in the upper 40's today.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 10:01 AM from IP address 208.189.214.145
Anyone know the ins and outs/ups and downs and these beasties? Who is a good source for parts and reliable upgrades? All I know about Brit stuff is the electrics can give you issues and they require wentworth tools. I might be getting one soon and I want to build it for my wife.
Thanks,
Ttevor
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 3:52 AM from IP address 96.2.30.232
There were a bunch of them produced, the Post Office used to use them for deliveries out in the country.
I don't remember when they went from 125cc to 175cc, the bigger ones are better of course.
They are pretty slow, you have to mix the oil with the gas like a snowblower. Simple design though, I would imagine parts are not hard to find.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 7:39 AM from IP address 76.112.30.36
Puch, Jawa, Zundap and even the Sears Allstate. The affordable ring dings just before the Jap invasion. Stripped down and toss some Goodyear grasshoppers on both ends, they were fun as hell and looked bad
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:03 AM from IP address 74.186.47.151
After much musing, it was decided that the engine sat up too high and forward in the frame for this to be a low and lean chopper, and I was finally convinced by Kelly and others that something had to be done. That ‘something’ meant moving the engine mounts, and moving the centre downtube back to make room for the engine. We were able to move the engine back two inches, and down one inch, which has made a big difference. Yeah, the box-tube may not look as nice as circular tubing, but once it’s all painted and the engine’s in there, we reckon it’ll look fine. The ‘plus’ of having a well-placed engine should outweigh the ‘minus’ of having a slightly irregular centre downtube.
After seeing the product release for the Le Pera metal flake vinyl seat coverings, I thought it would be perfect for my old-school chop, so I ordered one through MCA Liverpool – (02) 9601 8276. The seat is a small spring-mounted solo. You can check it out along with the entire Le Pera range at www.lepera.com.
1. Nothing like hacksawing through steel on a sunny day to get the sweat going. I was careful not to cut into the parent metal as I got rid of the ugly lower engine mounts. The bottom of the engine will be mounted through the existing frame rail (after strengthening) – effectively dropping the engine an inch.
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2. More chopping fun – this time it’s off with the centre downtube. Note the safety visor – not only effective protection against metal shards and sparks in the eye, but also an excellent fashion accessory.
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3. Kelly, with his deft touch at the angle grinder, neatly cut out this section of tubing completing the first half of the old ‘cut-and-shut’ technique that I was soon to learn.
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4. We then drilled out the hole so the new section fit snugly around the old centre downtube.
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5. I smoothed the cutout section using a belt sander so it was easier to bend.
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6. We had to chock the tube so it could be gripped tightly in the vice for bending, without being crushed.
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7. Here is the tube getting bent thanks to our good friend the Acetylene torch. As always, slow and steady was the method.
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8. You can see how the new tube allows room for the engine, and with a bit of tidying up should still look neater than a modern softail chopper frame.
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9. A magnet held the cutout tube section in place while Kelly welded it back in. It will need some fiddly tidying up at a later stage.
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10. Here Kelly is welding the whole new section firmly into place, attaching the bottom directly to a frame crossmember.
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11. Billie Jane’s engineering advice is always taken seriously – in this case she knew exactly where we should fit the seat.
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12. While Kelly is a big fan of using shock-absorber type suspension, which worked so well on other rigid bikes of his, I opted for the traditional spring setup as I think it looks cooler. My chiropractor will no doubt thank me for it in years to come.
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13. The stainless backing plate was a bastard to drill and it murdered two bits before the night was over. We drilled slots rather than holes so we can adjust the seat position slightly if necessary.
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14. The end of the backing plate was bent in the vice, before two rose joint screws were welded on by a specialist.
[IMG][/IMG]
15. The idea of the ball-and-socket-type rose joints is that it won’t wear like your normal bolt-through-a-sleeve setup will. The rose joint setup has worked very well on some of Kelly’s bikes, though he used it in conjunction with straight shock absorbers instead of springs. Time will tell if our method is feasible...
[IMG][/IMG]
16. But don’t it look cool! I’ve obviously made the decision to go metal-flake red now, so look out for a red tank with white pinstriping by Von Daz! Next job is to finish the engine mounts, and look at mounting the rear guard and the fuel tank.
[IMG][/IMG]
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 2:52 AM from IP address 58.105.90.46
all too familiar. one time i stabbed myself in the leg when i was bored. accidentally, of course. with a spyderco. that shits so not cool! you get stitches on the inside and outside. well, that day in particular i managed to get myself twice before my roommate made me go to the hospital. they wanted to give me a psych evaluation when i told them the truth, so i said i was lying to cover for some big gangster fool that stabbed me; i guess they assumed that sounded more palatable so then they sewed me up. idle hands and the devil's workshop and what not. but on the other side of the coin, when you can juggle knives without doing it regularly it's super fucking cool. (and every time you get stuck you definitely know that however you did it is most definitely NOT to be repeated!) it bleeds an awful lot when you pull the knife out. but then it kinda stops and you can see in it and shit.
the beauty of the whole situation is THEY HAVE PICTURES!! and boy do they kick ass! way to go, guys! i'm proud to kick in on the operation. sucks it gets boring on the ocean... you find yourself doing some pretty weird shit. i got shanghaid for a hitch on a barge in the bering sea and in the aleutians. we'd have to go for days with nothing to do and some of the weird shit that you come up with! i was making booze with raisins, gambling with the philipinos, lifting weights, smoking cigarettes, and hiding my monster salmon head who was like my hand-puppet friend on a daily basis so that he didn't get thrown out... his name was murray. we smoked banana peels, raced deck laps, poached fish, had frozen king-salmon swordfights... weeeeeeeeird shit.
hahahah!
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 12:45 AM from IP address 72.76.94.242
.... years ago I was a cook for awhile and always liked knives anyhow so I got pretty good flippin' and catchin' 'em. The sharper and more pointed the better.
Time goes by and I get outta practice, but occasionally will show off....
Christmas Day 2006, I'm cookin' in my kitchen and my new girlfriend and her dad are there along with an old biker buddy. So I gets ta showin' off and do pretty good for awhile .......
Henkel fillet knife, straight down into the palm of my left hand. I'm right handed and was doin' a "right to left double flip and catch". God DAMN that motherfucker hurt, of course I kept on my game face until I went outside. The bad thing is, I had already successfully done that trick but noooo I didn't stop then.
Velvet Elvis On Flat Black Sporty Tank.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:11 AM from IP address 70.245.230.17
I'm a kind of butt head in teaching. I handed him the handlebar top triple tree section and a round file. Pointed to the ridge from the welded tube seam and told him to clamp it in the vise and file it out. Of course had to show how to rebed a file into it's handle, and tell him not good enough a few times. After he was done I took out the rotory hand grinder and cleamed up the cut off saw ridges in the new DOM tubing. Work smart not hard. LOL Had him measure both IDs and then we fired up the lathe and banged out two dowel scabs for the fork tube replacement (sprung-nonshocked front end). Didn't show how how grind a lathe bit as we used indexible carbide tooling. Had him meausre the scab diameter with the vernier, then the micrometer. Pretty happy with how he took to it. He acted intimidated when I first started banging the machinist math at him three weeks ago, but has got it fast.
Explained the whyfore of a scab and how they are made to give the strongest tube graft. Took the time to explain the forces of flex and why the tubes weren't simply welded at the bottom of the bottom triple tree where they broke. Instead they were grafted an inch and a half above the bottom tree. This meant the whole assembly had had to come apart except for the top triple tree and bars. Had him tack, align, tack align a few times, then bed everything home. Quite happy with the results. We cleaned up the mess we made and called it a night.
If we don't get snowed in as they are rpredicting tomorrow, we'll give her a day and finish cleaning off the welding table and puting stuff away or at least up on shelves out of the way... After we clean for several hours (the shop has become a real stye catch all the last three years) I'm going to have him practice welding some thin wall stainless. While he is doing that, I'm going to turn the scabs for the gooseneck frame tubes. Once he is good enough with the stainless welding, he can start welding the many feet of stainless weld the sidecar needs. LOL, sure, I'm giving him something, but he'll pay his way.
Oh CRAP! Saying six fucking inches by 9am. Guess he might have tomorrow off.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:02 PM from IP address 72.128.207.219
I wasn't able to get back to my computer after my post. Thanks for all the help. I guess I will keep at it. Oh, BDub I am in Clayton about 25 min. SE of Raleigh.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 9:35 PM from IP address 71.70.198.127
some eastern NC participation on the Board. I grew up in Raleigh and know the Garner/Benson/Clayton/Four Oaks/Nashville/Smithfield area real well. Nice ride and good luck with getting it legal! If you're ever in the Charlotte area, let me know and we'll grab a cold one. Later, Bill
------------------------------------------
"Work is the curse of the Drinking class."
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 11:23 PM from IP address 75.181.153.254
riden one hard, and I mean real hard now for almost 8 years with no problems. Good time to buy a bike like that...wish I had some extra cash right now. Good luck.
------------------------------------------
"Work is the curse of the Drinking class."
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 11:28 PM from IP address 75.181.153.254
Me and the ole lady are thinking about going to the grand canyon from Flaggstaff. We are from upstate NY and were wondering whats the best time of the year to check it out?
Anybody live near there?
Eric
Upstate NY-Siberia
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 7:17 PM from IP address 69.202.100.190
April and it was cool, 60's during the day and 30's at night. I went in April because I don't like crowds. I usually travel in April or September and have been to Arizona numerous times. If you have time fly into Phoenix and spend a few days there. In April Phoenix is nice and warm. You can drive up and see Sedona, stop in Flagstaff, etc. on your way to the grand canyon. I did a trip like that a few years back and drove to Vegas from the Grand Canyon. Arizona is the most beautiful state in my mind.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 7:28 PM from IP address 68.192.241.129
I had to put a clutch in and rear main seal, and also new trans seals. It was a shit load of work and took alot of time and education, but I have about $5k in the thing.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:10 PM from IP address 65.42.231.167
Depending on the snow fall, the road to the North Rim is closed from mid-November to mid-May, and from mid-October to mid-November the lodge is closed.
I took my wife to the North Rim for our 10th anniversary around the 4th of July 5 years ago. I've also been to the South rim and I liked the north rim better, because there's much fewer people around. The 4th of July is kind of cool, because the staff at the lodge on the North Rim have this annual tradition of a water fight right out in front of the lodge. We just kicked back in the little bar and watched it all while downing a few cold ones. We'll probably do this again when our 20th anniversary rolls around.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 7:55 AM from IP address 68.0.151.100
Long story short my mom moved to AZ. a few years ago but misses the family so is moving back. We are going out next week to visit her there one last time and the kids want to go to the g.c. I have been trying to get some info the last couple of weeks to see if we can and if it is worth going this time of year. Any ideas?
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 9:31 PM from IP address 63.228.5.54
me and my ol lady went in july of 04, on the old softail. had a blast it was our first big rode trip put on 3000 miles on the bike and are sore asses. would love to ride back down throw there agian. i dont remember but i think it 180hwy that is suppose to be a good ride but dont quote me on that. have a good time and dont give the indian's any money once you give it to one they all start hitting you up.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:06 PM from IP address 138.210.233.58
...but the advantage is no crowds. However, I live in the Phoenix area and went there in November once. I personally think that the cold weather hampers the excitement of the view. In other words, the ol lady and / or kids kept saying "It's too cooooooohld dad....lets goooooohh!!! In any case, we all enjoyed it just the same and the kids still talk about it. The photos you see aren't squat to what it's really like. The whole thing about the Grand Canyon is how vast it is and how DEEP it is. You can't get that from any photo.
Anyway, I'd check with the AZ Office of Tourism to see what they say about it. Here's the link:
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw (1903)
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:39 PM from IP address 72.201.252.64
I went there with my family when i was 12-13 we walked all the way down that mother fucker and all the way back up! The way down is longer 19 miles down and 11 miles up. Other than than the day that my shovel was stolen that has got to be the worst 2 days of my life!
Squiggy
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 11:57 PM from IP address 75.132.155.35
yes it does snow in AZ. Probably not much like Denver, but plenty of it just the same.
The winter up there isn't very long, but it's known to get snowed in and the canyon closes down no matter whether you're in or out.
Spring is nice of course. I'm with FXRocket. Go in on the South Rim to see all the stuff you see in the movies and postcards and get your tourist fill. North Rim for the real rugged stuff. If you go in the south rim make sure you take the long way out (or in) and take the highway from the Tuba City/Cameron area. Take plenty of gas. If you're a real road tripper, go up towards Kayenta, that's the western version of God's country. Then you can always cut down through the painted desert. Or go up to Four points and the Chinle area. If you're the earthy spiritual type, here's where to dig into the peyote and do some chanting.
Can ya tell I love this state? P.S. East of the canyon, Indians are no longer the minority. The land is sacred to them, try to treat it that way.
And CARRY LOTS OF GAS. Can't remember how many years ago, but I ran out once. Thank God some old dude stopped and was carrying a spare 5gal. Extra gas and water is common sense up there.
A 8 A 8 A
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 2:43 AM from IP address 68.0.139.192
Dan, your post is real informative, thanks. makes me want to do some traveling into the good ole south western USA. and I'll remember the x-tra gas! LOL. & water, both feel like lifesavers at times I'll bet. especially having to wash down all those peyote buttons! have a good one.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:14 AM from IP address 72.70.245.118
Dan is right. Kayenta is something to behold, but yes, by all means, hit the north rim. When I useta haul fuel for a living, from time to time I'd take loads of jet-A to helicopter companies on the north rim who would sell rides to the tourists, and believe me, that side of the canyon is something to see. Also, as long as you are in northern Az, go east and check out Windowrock, well worth your time, you will be on Navajo land, but as Dan said-be respectful.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 10:25 PM from IP address 207.200.116.135
He works at East carolina Custom Cycle in Greenville, NC. He's an awesome fabricator and does kick ass leather seats. One of his bikes the "Sludgehammer" was in Backtalk and he has submitted a story on his 77 ironhead the Shitster. ECCC is backstreet shop for the working class guy.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 5:19 PM from IP address 65.190.178.162
enjoy the pics. the bike took about 5 months to build. 74 cb750 sportbike wheels, home made frame, brake conversion, lowered forks, right side drive jackshaft, custom alum oil tank, everything touched and modified. labor of love
***This is a buildup series I did for Ozbike Magazine in '04-'05. I'm republishing most of it here for your enjoyment. It was my first build and first buildup story, so it may not be as "slick" as a biker buildoff TV show, but hopefully you'll find it interesting! I will post parts as I get time - hopefully at least one per day.***
Now that we had a rim, we could whack a dummy axle through it, and work on getting that beautiful Paughco Springer into place. Obviously the rim size will affect ride height, and push the front end either slightly up or slightly down. Yeah, I did all the calculations when ordering the springer, but it was a great relief to see that with the springer and wheel sitting in place, the ride height of the bike was spot on.
The Paughco springer was a great motivator to get the job done – everyone wanted to see how nice it looked in the frame. One night we (Kelly, Wasko, Country, Dick) spent a good three hours in the shed discussing how to best adapt things so the springer would fit the Triumph-style neck. We thought it would be wise not to fuck with the Springer too much, it being a fairly valuable item. This was a classic case of look and think and look and think again before you leap, because in the end we came up with a great solution that left the frame untouched, and only required minimal adjustments to the springer’s bearing adjusting nut and the top clamp. This solution also means the springer can be used later in a Harley frame if need be. If you’re really keen to get it back to brand-new springer specs, you can buy a new top clamp and bearing nut anyway.
1. First things first – get Wasko to do some meaningless physical labour. In this case he’s cutting off the old and crappy fork stops using naught but a hacksaw and poor technique (as explained by Country, who is hanging on the back of the bike for dear life). I’m sure there was a perfectly good grinder lying somewhere in the depths of Kelly’s shed…
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2. Whoa! We’ve jumped ahead. Well sorta. You’re looking at the springer sitting snugly inside the Triumph neck. The standard Harley Timkin taper rollers are held in place by the two adaptor housings at the top and bottom of the neck (skillfully turned by Kelly). You can see in this pic the extra length that adds to the neck. This will create a problem later.
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3. Because of the extra length added to the neck, we ran out of space on the springer stem. To make more space, we cut a good ¾” off the bearing adjuster nut, which you can see here. If the nut was left its original length there would be no room for the top clamp. You can also see the Timkin taper rollers sitting inside the adaptor housing, which is sitting inside the neck. The outer diameter of the bearing adapter is 45mm – exactly the diameter of a Triumph bearing. Ah, lovely.
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4. Now this is the top clamp with ears for dog-bone risers (underside showing). Even with the bearing adjuster nut shortened, it is still pushing up too closely to the top clamp. To solve this problem, Kelly turned out the underside of the clamp a good 6mm on each side, allowing room for the nut to sit up in the clamp when the clamp is attached to the springer. Yes, we cut through the chrome on the clamp, but you can’t see the underside, and we’ll put a protective coating over it…
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5. This is where the new fork stops will be added – basically rubber stoppers attached to the frame will work.
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6. Ta dah! Paughco Narrow Springer sitting in a Triumph frame with minimal adjustments made to either. I reckon it looks pretty neat too. To see the modifications you’d have to stick your head up under the top clamp and look at the nut. The bearing adaptors look neat as hell anyway. The good thing? With a new un-cut adjustor nut, or a home-made spacer, I can fit this Springer to a Harley as well.
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7. The traditional mock-up! Less need for imagination this time. You can see the front wheel is not the one we built – instead it’s a cool alloy Brit wheel with a perfect little drum brake. I’m trying to persuade Kelly to hand it over to the cause. I’ve been convinced by the three wise chopper builders that the engine should be an inch or two lower and further back. We’ll have a go at that in a future edition. Next edition we attach risers, handlebars and the teensiest headlight you’ve ever seen!
[IMG][/IMG]
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 4:13 PM from IP address 58.105.90.46
.... well I didn't really read it yet... I do better with pictures - and you
have lot's of them that made it a nice post !!! I have to try and remember to
go back and read it... kick me in the nuts if I forget
Gazza
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 4:21 PM from IP address 24.58.93.194
I can say that I knew GTP when he was a complete nobody, a homeless, starving painter and writer, someone who never knew where his next meal was coming from or when the next semi would knock him for a loop. Look how far he's come.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 6:42 PM from IP address 69.244.141.157
first I wrenched on my buddy's cb750 for a bit, then put new lifters in the shovel and went for a ride.
The weird thing is... when I came home, the leaves were still laying in the front yard!
I must drink a beer and plan my next move.
My Outer Child is trying to kill my Inner Adult
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 1:02 PM from IP address 24.74.248.198
I can see myself somewhere in the southern hemmesphere (Middle of summer there now) maybe Adelaide, on a rented big twin right now, on my way to a air conditioned hostel and another VB.......
But instead....
I got to rip out a hundred feet of fence and clean up all the shit that's been piled up in the old garden and then go to the dump......
At least it'll be warm..... Supposed to hit 62F today and rain after dark.....
Hope I get done in time to ride some.
HAPPY EARLY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!
[IMG][/IMG]
Keith in SB
I'd rather scare myself than bore myself.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 12:11 PM from IP address 68.6.123.73
So I could come back & pull the carbs on the Goldwing/sidecar project.
Tried jumping the car off. Replaced battery terminals. Now I'm headed out to put a new starter on.
Worst part is, me & my kid were supposed to go to Nashville tomorrow to the science museum (and get in a visit with Nglshbiker/Rich in Nashville). Now my ex-wife is bitching about us taking a trip in "that unreliable car".
I have until the 2nd to get the Goldwing up & running, though
jred
caution, inc.
I'm not a real mechanic but I play one in my garage.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 3:08 PM from IP address 75.64.153.188
Got up so I could be on the road for 6am... went to warm up the work van, and the damn started shit out on me too... Spent 3 hours this morning getting it towed, and then wasted a couple more hours on a replacement for tomorrow.
Was supposed to have tomorrow off... now I have to fuck up today and do today's work tomorrow.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 3:47 PM from IP address 24.195.98.16
I replaced the starter but it didn't fix the problem. It's not worth the $130 I paid for the new starter to pull it back out & put the old one back in. It only took me 6 hours, so I'll keep the old good one for a spare, or ebay it.
Now I'm back to the starting (har har) line. Going to recheck the fuses, run a jumper cable directly from battery to the starter, and test the ignition switch.
Know any good tech sites for Fords?
jred
caution, inc.
I'm not a real mechanic but I play one in my garage.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:46 PM from IP address 75.64.153.188
Had a couple of Toyotas that wouldn't start. Ruled out the starter, solenoid, and ignition switch.
The problem ended up being a relay or two between the ignition switch and the solenoid. (There are a couple of them; neutral safety switch, etc) The manuals don't show you the location of the relays, and I knew that a hot wire to the solenoid makes it turn over.
I installed a fused hot wire from the battery terminal to a push button on the dash, and back to the soleniod. Cut some insulation from the solenoid wire, and soldered it to the existing wire. (Keeping the original circuit in tact.) On my Aunt's car, I installed it just under the key switch to make it convenient. Installed it to look proffesional as well. She was very excited about her "custom starter button".
My Outer Child is trying to kill my Inner Adult
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:19 AM from IP address 24.74.248.198
On my 80's Dodge slant 6, I had a fusible link go somewhere in the ignition circuit, and didn't know it. So it would RUN just not START. So I put a button on the dash and ran that for a couple months till I had time to get with my Dodge guru. Got it straight in no time, just a pain to find if you didn't know.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 9:02 AM from IP address 24.195.98.16
like I said it's a company vehicle and I need to go get it today. They had it fixed ~8 hours but then the dealship knows all the stupid normal shit. Where as guys like you and me have to spend time figuring it out.
Like fixing the front axles on my 90's Chevy Silverado. 6 hours to do the left side, 2 hours to do the right side after I got the left figured out.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 9:05 AM from IP address 24.195.98.16
Turns out the cap + rotor busted. Every now and then it would catch one of the points and fire, but it was severly retarded and would try to reverse the engine rotation.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 10:47 AM from IP address 24.195.98.16
I've got to get into the crawlspace under the kitchen to put the fallen insulation back up. This, after putting the waterline heater on the cold water line to the sink to thaw it out. I hope it didn't split again or I'll be soldering again too.
I'll probably find a little time to get in a few loads of laundry as well.
I did get a little garage time yesterday...to fix the snow plow.
Not at all how I planned to spend MY week off, but it sure beats going to work.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 4:42 AM from IP address 72.73.118.106
I live in North Carolina, built my bike, had it inspected "FIVE" times, finally cleared inspection sort-of. Now the inspector wants an indemnity bond for the bike. What the hell is an indemnity bond, he said call my insurance co., hell they don't know what it is. What is it, and what is it for? Is there any way around it? I'm to the damn point that I will sell the bike just to quit fooling around with the damn inspection process in this damn state. I've had the bike finished over a year and still can't put it on the road (legally). Tired of looking over my shoulder all the time. Any help or any takers for that matter? Thanks. Oh yeah, hope all had a good Christmas.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 7:36 AM from IP address 71.54.37.221
Beautiful bike. Would it help to title in Indiana and then transfer? That may or may not open a different can of worms for you in your state. I have titled many bikes in Indiana that were lost, abandoned, or uncooperative. Let me know if you want to look into this further.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 7:50 AM from IP address 69.246.232.213
your frame, engine, transmission, and other purchases, you should be able to get it titled. Not without hassle, of course, but eventually you'll get it. It took a buddy of mine several "appointments" with the DMV "man", but now has it titled. Just keep hammering away at it.
------------------------------------------
"Work is the curse of the Drinking class."
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 8:51 AM from IP address 75.181.153.254
...a bond is usually needed if the DMV can't prove that the bike is legally yours, but then again can't prove that it's not. I'm not sure what this has to do with inspections tho.
Bonds cost about $100-$200, depending on the value of the bond requested. In return, your insurance company removes the DMV from liability if the (so-called) actual owner ever happens to show up at your house and say "Hey! That's MY bike!". If that person can prove it's his, then has a legal right to take your bike right out from under your ass (or sell it to you). The DMV doesn't get sued, the insurance company already made their money, and you are out $100 and a bike. So who get's the better of this deal? Bonding is not in your favor unless you are out of options altogether.
If your bike is old enuf, you can get a legal title from Broadway Title (www.broadwaytitle.com). It also costs about $100 but the bike comes back with clean paperwork to bring to your DMV and trade for a title from your state. Good luck.
.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw (1903)
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:11 AM from IP address 72.201.252.64
I had to get a bond when I got legal.The chop build was a hoot but the paper work was a pain but well worth the effort in the end.The bond cost me 100.00$.After what I had to spend up to then the 100$ was not too bad.
My insurance agent did the deal in about 10 minutes,with the bond in hand I was legal and riding in about an hour.Got a real title in about 10 days.
Keep pluging away at it,you don't want to miss riding a bike that looks that good.
Bulletbob
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 4:31 PM from IP address 68.210.114.161
It means a lot when you're out there floating around the friggin ocean on a steel ship. For those that never experienced enlisted life on a ship, it's like time stands still and it sucks. Your friends and girlfriend are back home going on xmas vacation and spring breaks while you are working 12 hour shifts everyday until you hit port. Wearing same jail clothes being bossed around by no load losers...
I don't regret doing my 4 years but it definately wasn't for me.
Mags are a nice escape. Without magazine, a walkman, and the weight room I would've lost it.
Actually, tomorrow is my anniversary of my eaos date. 12/28/84-12/28/88
last fri I found on craigs list 68 pan/shovel $6,000. it was Thursdays add. wtf I called It was 1:00. the guy still had it, so I called the CU on the way, yes I can have the cash, wednesday. so I get there 100 miles, 68 sure enough hardtail mostly all new stuff, get the guy to come down 500 and then take 1,000 down till today. get to CU today, get the coin and less than 1 mile later, ticket. speeding, damm. get to guys house get everything loaded up except for motor go to sign paper he cant find the title. I know its there I seen it when I checked the #s fri. Florida title were in MI. any body ever do a lost title from a different state? This guy aint trying to fuck me. I took home everything but motor for $1000. should I take the motor with bill of sale? I'll try our DMV. FUCK-K-K this motor is B-U-T-FULL
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 9:03 PM from IP address 75.100.150.65
the title was good, you saw it? Correct? If he know's how to get ahold of the person who's name is on the title then it is no brainer. You can send the guy who is on the title a registered letter requesting him to go get a lost title for it (10.00). He then sends the title to you. I would offer something for his time. I have done this before with great results. Of course if he don't know who was on the title then it's a little more difficult, but doable. take the numbers down to DMV or state patrol office and get a print out of the last owner name, address...then proceed like before. As long as there is a clear title for that number in the system then you should be able to get a title for it. Around here if you do the registered letter thing and don't get a response you take the letter when it returns UNOPENED to the title office with a bill of sale and they should transfer it for you (they assume that the person is no longer at that address or dead or whatever). All this is assuming that everything is fine well and good with the title. Sssnake
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 9:51 PM from IP address 24.176.97.169
as long as there are no ghosts in the closet, I got my 49 pan from Nevada back in 73, no problems except for the bitch behind the counter, got a new title and paid the bucks, I guess she was pissed cuz she wanted to get on the back, good luck and post a pic if you can,
'Hell, when the man said Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, I just thought he was making a delivery!'' ~John Wesley Rawles
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 1:03 AM from IP address 71.105.196.2
I'm headed to Michigan's DMV shortly. This guy is living out of boxes, no living room stuff only 2 kitchen chairs, a bed and boxes,selling everything. He will start looking throu a stack of papers, fumble them onto the floor and have to start over. He used to be a machinist for years, but he got hit it the head. Hard. He'll say stuff thats way over my head, then ask me where I live 4 times in 5 minutes. This motorcycle is probably the last real thing this guy owns, And I'm going to treat him right. I'll post pix if I can figure it out(I always get stuck on "file to big")
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 8:17 AM from IP address 75.100.150.65
Open the file, then where it shows "100%", click on drop down menu and make image "fit to window".
Then, say it shows "31%" size after you make th eimage fit the window.
Click on "Image" button. When drop-down menu appears click on "resize". Then adjust from 100% to 31%. Then save and close. This gets the memory way down but allows for a decently sized image upon upload.
Velvet Elvis On Flat Black Sporty Tank.
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 8:32 AM from IP address 70.245.230.17
Then you can take that registration to your state and transfer it for a TITLE. Bikes around here are sold all the time with Ga. Registration to people in other states, who then get a Title with that paperwork.
Tell Your Girl friend I said Thanks !!!
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 8:39 AM from IP address 205.188.116.66
THe browdway title thing won't work here either. You can NOT title a car or bike here without a title. They will NOT take a bill of sale only here. You HAVE to give them a title BEFORE you can get a title here.
I know I lost a LOT of money over an El Camino I bought that was registered in GA.
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 11:54 AM from IP address 208.189.214.181
...and ask them for a replacement title for the one lost. Once handed to that seller guy, you should immediately have him sign it over to you in front of the DMV clerk who can notarize it. Then have that same DMV clerk issue you a new title in YOUR name. Bada-Boom! It's your bike now.
.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw (1903)
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:16 AM from IP address 72.201.252.64
MI DMV told me this morn that if what I am buying is under $2500 to fill the "Bill of Sale" form that they gave me, that they would isue me a HD title in my name. she suggested? just buying the motor for 2499 and the rest of the bike seperate. I think I like the DMV (time will tell)
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 10:37 AM from IP address 75.100.150.65
back to them(same lady) all filled out, and she said 7-10 days I'll have a title. Over heard her talking to the guy if front of me and her 'ol man just bought another 69 cutlass, he's been restoring old cars 30 plus years. maybe thats why she was so helpful? Keeping fingers crossed for ten days
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 7:30 AM from IP address 75.100.150.65
The lad has a few too many irons in the fire, but he's a good kid. Church choir, school band, a play, christmas concerts, and even Santa Clause at a Kmart... Was a bit too busy to put in proper time at the shop. The last day I had him I sat him down for damn near four straight hours of welding training. Inbetween the shop digging out and the welding, I was tossing machinist math at him. I think his head was spinning.
With school holiday vacation in affect, I have him for a firm four 8 hour days, and a few eves. Today we dug, cleaned out the oil cabinet, paint cabinet, and chemicals cabinets, spent time with the CNC mill (made a plaque with his name), a few hours running beads, shop math, and taught him how to read a micrometer, and a vernier caliper.
Tomorrow we'll do some lathe time to make some dowel scabs for his minibike front end that broke the fork tubes. I was supposed to fix it three and a half years ago, but flat lined and things went into the shitter for a long, too long a time. With his new welding ability and the weld table 3/4 cleared off, we'll do the fork tube scabs and replace the broke tubes with new DOM I picked up just for the fix. As the handle bars are part of the fork tubes and they're chrome, we're scabbing the lower portion to keep the chrome bars.
Call it a whirl wind shop course, but with it one on one and eight hours long, a lot of info gets learned. Of course the shop heat, consumables, and electricity is gonna be my contribution to his education. He got a kick out of my stand-up wheelchair at the mill today. Once we get the minibike front end out of the way, the chop off's frame will get yanked out and the goose neck front end will get started. Things should start progressing faster once the frame is finished. His education to bring him up to speed (and digging out the shop to find room to work has taken priority over the chop off bike. Even if we come in dead last, it will have been a great time passing on the knowledge. Kid is bright and not afraid of work.
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 8:16 PM from IP address 72.128.207.219
Er…did I say ‘bobber’…things are looking more ‘chopperish’ all the time…
Today I have a rolling chassis with front end almost complete. To get to that stage however, I spent about three weeks buying rims, trading hubs and twisting spokes to come up with an appropriate solution to the front end dilemma. The ‘dilemma’ was that the Paughco narrow springer, while looking sweet as hell, is actually narrow. Who’d a thunk it? So the wheel to fit it will require a narrow hub and narrow brake setup.
We began by somewhat naively thinking a standard Harley front hub would fit. Kelly had one lying around, so I bought it off him, acquired a brand-new chromed steel rim from MCA Parramatta, and a set of spokes from MCA Liverpool. Kelly then gave me a lesson in spoking a rim (and in patience).
1. First we removed the old spokes from the hub. Usually these will be fucked anyway, so chuck them. But if you’re like Kelly, put them aside for…um…just in case…
2. This is Kelly polishing the hub. Came up pretty well pretty quickly.
3. This is our ‘kit’. 40 spoke hub is a standard Harley item. Chrome spokes for 21” rim and 40 spoke 21” rim were bought from MCA. If you’re mixing and matching hubs and rims, be very careful you’ve got correct spoke hole numbers all round. Nothing more difficult than lacing a 40 spoke rim to a 36 spoke hub…
4. Now I’m not gonna get too much into numbers or I’ll confuse myself. The best way to get the spoke pattern is to look at another Harley rim. The basic idea though, is that you cross each spoke over as shown in the picture.
5. Make sure you cross all pairs over the same way (right over left for instance). If you lay out the hub and spokes inside the rim like this, you should be able to see by the hole placement where they match up in the rim.
6. Then it’s simply a case of working around the rim, placing every fourth spoke in the appropriate hole and attaching the nipples. You screw them only a couple of turns at first, so you have some flexibility to move things around. The best person for this type of job is the young bloke, because it’s repetitive and you can blame him if he fucks up. When one side’s done, flip it over and do the other.
7. And there you have it – a shiny Harley wheel with the hub sitting decidedly off centre. We realised later that the rim has to be put on facing a particular direction. At picture 5 we should have flipped the rim over and we’d be right. Once the rim is together, your best bet is to get a professional to ‘true’ it. To do some home backyard truing, you can place an axle vertically in a vice, and spin the wheel off that, tightening nipples gradually to get the wheel spinning true. We did a rough true, but will leave it to Chivo’s to finish the job.
By no means is this a complete explanation of wheel-building. But you can see that it’s really not that difficult to put a wheel together if you use your noggin, take your time and be patient. There’s no way in hell I’d ride on a wheel that I trued, but I’m more than happy to have a go at doing the groundwork and putting one together before getting it professionally finished.
To be continued...
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 7:10 PM from IP address 211.31.116.192
the last time i was in daytona for bike week i ended up at some great events and i can't remember where they were (couple years ago). one was at a raceway and there was a bike demo-derby and someone drove a car through a camper; anyone know of some stuff like that? looking for the off-billet-boulevard kind of fun, i can do without the pretty crowd.
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 6:53 PM from IP address 168.103.198.189
is packed full of cops and chumps, last time i went. hell someone said they saw me on cops in sturgis bout 6 years ago. heh. coulda happened. spose its worth a shot once in a blue blue moon.
-c
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 5:59 PM from IP address 72.76.94.242
I never did Daytona because Florida had so many "anti-chopper" laws - helmets, fenders, exhausts, handlebar height, etcetera - and the cops were tough on bikers. My understanding is that the situation's much different now. Cops are cooler, and the merchants glad to see ya. Maybe the Daytona Chamber of Commerce finally figured out there's GOLD in them thar saddlebags!
[IMG][/IMG]
As for Sturgis: I went once (above, in '82) and really enjoyed myself. You couldn't park on the streets of Deadwood, but Sturgis and Rapid City were glad to see us, and the cops were cool. It was fun being where bikes outnumbered cages, for once, but it was also a clusterfuck 'way back then, with a reported 30,000 bikers in attendance. Can't imagine what it would be like with half a million, as supposedly showed up in '90. I did it just that once, and never felt the need to return.
However, I did think about going back this year (riding the same rigid shovel 25 years later) just to see how things have changed, and maybe even document it on film and in writing, but I was still recuperating from another surgery.
Maybe in 2012?
Bill J. from Austin
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom, and I'm trying to get there as fast as I can!"
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 9:36 AM from IP address 66.68.91.55
first time i went to sturgis i kinda threw up a little in my mouth. i was dodging big fucking camper trailers on my jap bike left and right, all day long... i was absolutely dumbfounded at what a colossal clusterfuck it was. i was in town about 20 minutes; i was so ready to high-tail it out of there. i was going to visit this chick i knew from college that lived there- she wasn't calling me back right away, so i figured i'd give her an hour. just as i was getting ready to leave, she showed up. naturally, i ended up hanging around. good times were had by all, but we took off and hung out in the hills too...
maybe by 2012 it'll be back to the way it used to be in the "old days" fabled in song and poem...
-c
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 1:38 PM from IP address 72.76.94.242
I think my next big get-together ride is gonna be SOW next fall. Wanted to go this year, but too much other stuff was going on. From the pics I've seen, I missed a good party!
Bill J. from Austin
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom, and I'm trying to get there as fast as I can!"
Posted on Dec 28, 2007, 8:50 PM from IP address 66.68.91.55
you can get away from it all. We always got up early and got the fuck out a town befor the rest of them. Lots of good day rides, then back to camp(Glencoe) for all that comes with it. Found none of that in Florida, ride all day, still in trafic. Its been a few years sence I've been to either.
Posted on Dec 29, 2007, 8:03 AM from IP address 75.100.150.65
Part 2 was a story about how to fit a tyre to a bike without equipment. What was I thinking? Ha ha! I'll spare you that and go straight to part 3.
Tales From The Shed – Bobber Buildup # 3
words and pics by Wasko
Wasko’s finding it’s a bit hard to work on your chopper when he doesn’t have one…
Hallelujah! Praise the chopper gods – my Paughco springer finally arrived from the US and my frame finally returned from the frame master! For the past month I’ve been sitting on my hands waiting for this stuff to return. It’s not like on TV where you get the guy on the phone and say, “I fuckin’ asked for it yesterday, and now, frankly, I’m pissed off!” There’s only one frame bloke in Sydney and he’s got frames lined up outside the door, with racers lined up asking that their bikes be ready for the weekend! Old school chopper projects aren’t high on the urgency list!
The man in question, Laurie Alderton, is the best. I’ve promised him I won’t give out his number, ‘cause he’s busy as hell. But here’s a hint – he’s based in Smithfield.
When I initially took the frame to Laurie to be straightened, he ooh’d and ahh’d for a good twenty minutes before agreeing to take it. It seemed that a rigid Triumph frame was far too interesting a proposition to turn away. He immediately spotted the fact that the frame “had a banana in it” (a bend), and set to thinking about how he’d line it all up. He explains the process, “You’ve gotta get this (rear axle) and that (steering head) in the same spot, then you’ve gotta make it look like it’s straight as well. Sometimes it’s not the case.”
“I centreline the wheel. I put tape around the wheel along what is the centreline of the whole bike, once I establish what the centreline is gonna be. I centred it on the centre of the rim, then I put a line on the tire for the true centre. I put a bar throught the steering head, with cones on it, and that establishes a straight line. Then I wanna relate the steering head line with the vertical line I put over the wheel, by running a stringline over the top. Then I can tell what’s happening as I straighten things. If you get that right it’ll work.”
While the frame looked reasonably straight to my naked eye, Laurie spotted some work to be done. “The frame was banana’d. I had to sort of un-banana it. The wheel here has gotta be off-set. The chain-line’s good, but the wheel needs to move about 7mm across. It’ll be touch and go whether you can use that same tire, as it might rub.”
To ‘get it all right’ though is not so easy. You need to bend things back into shape. For that you need heat and patience. When one part of the frame is bent it often has an effect on other parts of the frame. It takes a professional to know what each bit of tampering will do. “It’s all heating and bending. I didn’t weld anything. I had to lift one side up to get the back wheel square. Once I’d bolted the engine in I could use the straight edge of the engine case to line things up with that.”
“You’ll find that once you unbolt the engine now, the mounts will be pretty much spot on – they won’t spring out. That’s why a lot of the heating’s down here, to get that (the engine mounts) to come into the motor. You don’t wanna be bending the frame when you do the engine mount bolts up. The whole thing’s under a lot of stress otherwise, and it’s likely to crack up on you, or shake the bike to bits.”
With all things mechanical, attention to detail is key. The tiniest of deviation can have a huge effect on performance and even basic running and handling. In this case, getting the frame as straight as possible could make the difference between this chopper being rideable or un-rideable. And it’s sure gonna make lining things up a lot easier.
Those of you with two eyes will have noticed the beautiful Paughco springer sitting on the chop. Well it’s being held in place with the help of a sock at the moment, as we need to make a sleeve to adapt the Harley-style springer to a Triumph steering head. We’ve gotta do that while maintaining that cool and low ride-height. Next step is to organise a 21” rim and all things being equal next month we should have a fully rolling chassis!
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 6:38 PM from IP address 211.31.116.192
I didn't realise there was a limit for uploading temporary files. I'll have to post as much as I can once a week instead of daily, unless you have any other suggestions.
While I've got you here - did you get that column, and was it what you wanted?
- Wasko
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 7:13 PM from IP address 211.31.116.192
....but that remark about ''one frame man in Sydney'' is bloody chilling though.
After 15 years with a Harley here in the UK and having **every** kind of service at my disposal just down the road, from powdercoaters to frame experts to welders and stainless bolt suppliers.....I sure hope Melbourne is not gonna be a horror wake-up call when I move there in a few months!!!!
Posted on Dec 27, 2007, 2:21 PM from IP address 143.252.80.100
Right, for some reason I've had a brainwave and decided to re-publish my Ozbike Magazine chopper buildup that I started in 2004 and ended in '06. It's the holiday season and the spirit of giving is upon me, though I think this will turn into a massive chore as I have to resize all the pics each time I post on here.
My plan is to do it one part a day, though I may submit parts 1-4 just to get us rolling. If you enjoy, let me know. If I should stop posting, let me know!
A word of warning though - it was my first magazine chopper build and sometimes the writing style leans towards being a "how-to", which is stupid, because I was being taught 'how-to' at the time. I've since changed my style to "this is what I did" rather than "this is how you do it."
Enjoy!
- Wasko
Bobber Buildup #1
words and pics by Wasko and Kelly
Wasko wasted no time getting moving on the Trumpy Chopper project. At this rate, he'll be finished before you can say 'Orange County Choppers'…
Well I obviously didn't keep my acquisition of a rigid frame a big secret. The plan was to not mention it to anyone so that I could start it at my own pace, when I felt I was "ready". But for some reason I mentioned it to Kelly, who "mentioned" it to the whole Ozbiker Nation, and now I'd better bloody get stuck into it before someone asks me, "How's the chopper going?", and I have to say, "It's not going anywhere."
But as they say, "when is the 'right' time to have a baby?", so too may they say, "when is the 'right' time to start building a chopper?" Well, the wrong time to start building a chopper is probably when you have no time or money, and your ute is off the road, which means that I've started smack bang in the middle of the 'wrong' time! Having said that, most of life's interesting stories don't start with, "I had twenty-five grand in my pocket ready to spend…" Do I hear some wanker of an infantry officer whispering the words "character building" in my ear? Only time will tell if that's true I guess.
The upside to all of this is that the ever-increasingly-enthusiastic apprentice has an enthusiastic 'master' to draw advice from. If only master and apprentice lived closer than the Northern Beaches and Liverpool, we might get some more work done!
But I was super keen to get started, so Wasko, the frame, and the rear wheel hung out in Kelly's shed for some guidance. As you can no doubt see in the pictures, we have a rigid frame designed for a 750 Triumph donk, and we have a 16 inch spoked rear wheel - all fairly straightforward. My general plan is to build an old-school 'street' bobberr: sprung saddle, low bars, mid-controls - nothing overly fancy. The rake of the steering head appears to be at a nice angle - not overly-extended - and I don't plan on changing it. So I think it will turn out looking more a 'bobber' than a 'chopper', and that's the sort of look I'm going for.
What we wanted to achieve the first night in Kelly's shed, was to check that the frame was straight, and get a rough idea that what I wanted to do was indeed feasible. We set the frame up on a frame jig, which is a big heavy cast-iron mutha', and it's absolutely dead level - well, it was after we adjusted it. The jig's got a centreline marked on it, and we lined up the frame's centreline with the jig's centreline. Then, using Kelly's ingenious 'rod-and-cone' setup, we placed a steel rod directly through the centre of the steering head, so we could get an idea of the angle it sat at.
As Kelly says, " So we've first established that this is the centreline of our jig, or the ground, or whatever. You don't necessarily need a jig, but we've got one so we might as well use it. The first thing you gotta do is get this (the steering head), perfectly perpendicular to the ground (laterally of course - not front-to-back!). Anytime you're building a bike, that's what you've gotta do. The next thing is the back axle must be perfectly parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the centreline. Anything else in between doesn't matter a shit. Once you've got that, you can build your bike. Until you've got that, you're pissin' against the wind."
We placed rods through the front and lower engine mounts, and along the line of the rear axle, so that these lines became more obvious to the naked eye. For our backyard analysis of the frame we took a spirit level to key points, checking to see what was flat and straight, and what was not. It was pretty obvious that this was no laser-level frame, but it was in fairly good shape. The steering head appeared to be perpendicular to the ground, and both engine mounts were at least in line with each other. The rear axle could use some improvement though, as the left side appeared to lie a little low, and the sidestand lug seemed to have moved north over the years.
We sat a 'dummy' engine in the frame, and thankfully it fit, though the 'fit' could be a little tighter around the mount areas. We then rigged up the rear wheel to get a rough idea of wheel and sprocket alignment - without either an engine or a wheel sprocket of course. When we say 'rough' and 'general', we mean exactly that.
While we had the engine and wheel on, Kelly couldn't resist rummaging around his spare parts warehouse and gathering potential limbs for the chopper. We sat various tanks on the frame, some of which seemed to have a lot of potential. Kelly's greatest find however, was arguably an old plastic dirtbike mudguard, that seemed to look right at home with a sleek black tank we'd set up. While I was having visions of a Darth Vader tribute bike, time was ticking and we got back to summing up our findings.
While the frame was decent, we both agreed that we should get it dead straight. We resisted getting out the blowtorch and vice, agreeing that it would probably be better to let a real master have a look at it - and the real master at this sort of stuff is the frame man, Laurie Alderton of Smithfield. Stay tuned as we build up 'The Bob'.
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 6:30 PM from IP address 211.31.116.192
I let her ride her x-mas present yesturday, just threw on 11" shocks
and a lapara bare bones seat and she can reach with room to spare,
I thought I was gonna have to move the shock mounts back but I didnt.
Just gotta get the mid controls back on and it will be perfect.
Just waitin on a couple of other parts, and then the teardown and rebuild
will start, mite ride it like this till next winter though.
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 3:08 PM from IP address 69.142.50.83
Seems Christmas isn't a properly motorcycle oriented topic for the help forum next door now. Do seem to remember that there was no problem with it last year. Oh Well. Just my personal peeve// Enjoy the season one and all. Jm
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 2:42 PM from IP address 216.211.15.116
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw (1903)
Posted on Dec 26, 2007, 4:57 PM from IP address 72.201.252.64
®
Heres my project, getting close.
Heres my other project 1987 IROC-Z.
>
Bill in SC
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