Top 5 Saturday

 Well my lack of post means I have been busy. I am head deep into the Norton project and now I have a 77 ironhead with a ton of work to do. Good for me but the time issue is very apparent right now. So I squeeze out ten minutes of work in 5 and keep my head down. So Top 5 Saturday is gonna be about parts. More importantly Top 5 parts I like to build.

Number 1. Hardtails- It has taking me awhile to fine tune this skill but at this point I can hardtail any bike. Done all kinds of weird bikes but I have to say hardtailing a ironhead is the best. I have my way that works real good and I can usually have one done in about 4 hours. I buy axle plates and then figure out the stance then start cutting. All I have is a cheap tubing bender so I can't get to radical just keep it simple stupid.

Number 2. Oil Bags- For the price of a bought one you can get a custom one built for a little less I suppose. I really like the wrap around oil bags on early sportsters but the are a pain to build. So most times I use a 5 inch piece of tubing and go from there. I have been cutting 1 inch circles out of 1/4 inch plate to make my bungs. The fillers if you are gonna use a harley plug is 1 1/4 id. So I go to the metal shop and for about twenty bucks you can get all the metal you need. My taste are pretty simple so again I never go to crazy.

Number 3. Bars- I like all kinds of bars. It is normal for me to change out 5-10 sets of bars on all my bikes. I think the bars can make or break a build and they still have to be comfy. There are still a few sets around town of my first batch of t bars I built. I suppose I should sit down and build another round of them but now you can get on Egay and find everything at a cheap made in korea price. 

Number 4. Bracket geometry- I like how bikes are put together. I like knowing that a part I built with my two hands will last forever. I do not have a laser cutter, water jet, plasma etc etc. What I do have is a jigsaw, cut off disc and hand files. You want to talk about instant gratification build something from a chunk of steel and know that it looks good and its the only one on the planet. There are so many little pieces on a motor bike that make it the whole picture. I try my best to have a flow with my bikes/builds. It is a hard way to balance the aesthetic and the functional aspects of a motorcycle. 

Number 5. Fucking Wiring- This may be the most important part of your build. There is nothing worse then have your chain rub through you wiring because some retard didn't check it. Sorry. So a tidy bike through and through has to have tidy wiring. I don't want to see a single wire except the headlight and tail light. People are terrified of wiring which I was a victim of as well. I had to learn because after a few bike builds I knew that trying to cut down stock wiring harnesses was for the birds. Now it is one of my favorites to do, when your wiring that means the bike is almost down. Hook up the battery check the lights and start kicking.

As a side note my shovel is on round 3 and will still not start. At this point I think the cam was installed 180 degrees wrong so I will do that next. Friday was one of the raddest days.