This pic is making the rounds in the blog world. if it wasn't so true and awesome I would not share it.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Well on my way
This pic is making the rounds in the blog world. if it wasn't so true and awesome I would not share it.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Top 5 Saturday
Top 5 reasons to own a chopper. Easy right? We will make a stab at it anyway.
Number1. I love the individuality of a chopper. My bike is the only one out there with the parts that are on it. I do not go through a catalog and order all the latest and greatest do dads for my chopper. For the most part I mix a good amount of one off parts with vintage items. Has always worked for me so I would imagine most guys do it this way.
Number2. Stock sucks and everybody that rides gets that. The difference is most fellows bolt on a bunch of bullshit to make there bikes look different. It takes a certain type to strip there bikes down and start from nothing. I did this today with the SR and let me tell you just stripping the bike down to the ground was great. I can now see what the lines look like and where I want them to go.
Number 3. Changes Changes is the name of the game. I am the worst or best at this. Only Tony changes his bikes as much as I do. I love the fact that nothing is sacred after you chop your bike. Fuck it just change it up when ever you feel like it. I have built the same bike 5 times and I am about to change it up again. So don't think you are gonna ride the bike forever the same way, it is liberating to change it up.
Number 4. Knowing your bike is pretty important. If you know how it went together then you will know how to fix it. Choppers can be super reliable if you do the work to get them there. Pretty nice only having 4 wires to worry about.
Number 5. CHOPPERS ARE COOL FOREVER. I am not even gonna pretend to say choppers aren't cool. The cool factor will always be a part of why guys ride choppers. It is a no brainer but I just wanted to say it out loud. You may be a dick but if you are riding a chopper at least your bike is cool, get it. So once a again I ranted and made no difference what so ever.
Number1. I love the individuality of a chopper. My bike is the only one out there with the parts that are on it. I do not go through a catalog and order all the latest and greatest do dads for my chopper. For the most part I mix a good amount of one off parts with vintage items. Has always worked for me so I would imagine most guys do it this way.
Number2. Stock sucks and everybody that rides gets that. The difference is most fellows bolt on a bunch of bullshit to make there bikes look different. It takes a certain type to strip there bikes down and start from nothing. I did this today with the SR and let me tell you just stripping the bike down to the ground was great. I can now see what the lines look like and where I want them to go.
Number 3. Changes Changes is the name of the game. I am the worst or best at this. Only Tony changes his bikes as much as I do. I love the fact that nothing is sacred after you chop your bike. Fuck it just change it up when ever you feel like it. I have built the same bike 5 times and I am about to change it up again. So don't think you are gonna ride the bike forever the same way, it is liberating to change it up.
Number 4. Knowing your bike is pretty important. If you know how it went together then you will know how to fix it. Choppers can be super reliable if you do the work to get them there. Pretty nice only having 4 wires to worry about.
Number 5. CHOPPERS ARE COOL FOREVER. I am not even gonna pretend to say choppers aren't cool. The cool factor will always be a part of why guys ride choppers. It is a no brainer but I just wanted to say it out loud. You may be a dick but if you are riding a chopper at least your bike is cool, get it. So once a again I ranted and made no difference what so ever.
Sr 500 starts getting the Chop.
2 hours in two chopping and this is where I am at. Gutted the entire bike and cut the back off. Needs allot of attention on the tank and seat area. These bikes have the fattest backbone due to the oil tank running in the frame. We shall see what transpires as the build goes along.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Redheads are GO
Been awhile since I ranted about redheads so here is a prime number 1 example. I do not like skinny girls and this is the best damn reason I've seen in awhile. Christina Hendricks is blowing my mind. Anyways my wife found this for me. So thanks
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Brakes Oh My!
So I have already got someone out there in blogland asking about my brake set up. On my other bikes the brake is on the right so I have done them a few times the same way. Use a disc brake set up on a drum brake frame is a pain. Adding the fact that it is on the left this time really blew my little mind. So I picked up a stock cross over shaft for a drum brake sportster. Cut the stop tab and the pull arm off and flipped the pull tab around so it goes in towards the frame 2 inches. The hole was all wallowed out so I welded it closed and redrilled a 5/16 hole in the right place. Next I bent up a bracket from some unknown jap bike to make a s shaped bracket or to reversed L's. One side bolts into the swingarm hole and wraps around the case. Drilled 2 3/8 holes in the other side so the master cylinder bolts on flush. Now the bracket can swivel a little so I can get the actuation perfect from the pedal. When it is set I just crank down the bolt and it isn't going anywhere. As for the brake arm I took a length of 1/2 stainless and started bending till I got it around the primary basket. I wanted it in front of the peg so I had to do some serious tweaking to get it there. For the foot pad the torch came out and a 90 was melted into shape. I took a little bit to mold all the welded joints so the pedal flows into the bracket. I love mechanical pieces on bikes and you can stare at this set up and watch it work. i was pretty happy all this worked out I was entertaining a master cylinder on the bars just to make this headache go away. Glad I did not go the short route. Disc brakes work better and that is a fact.Sure they take a little more work but when this bike is done it will look like it was meant to be. Thanks for your interest.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
One Week In....
Pretty much ready to blow apart and finish all the welding and prep. So knocked out the coil, fender, sissy bar, brake, foot pegs, tailight, and tank all today. So a very productive day indeed. Take it all apart next week and get ready for chrome and paint. I all I have left is the oil filter and key set up. Bang
Top 5 Saturday
Ok folks here we go. Top 5 simple ways to maintain your cycle.
Number 1. Tire pressure- This is as simple as it gets but a huge thing if you are running on half flat tires. Not only does your mileage go down but your tires are wearing out uneven. If you ride allot just checking once a week or so but if the bike has sat check them every time you take it out.
Number 2. Chain Dummy- Ever had a chain break? It sucks and not only leaves you stranded but can seriously mess some stuff up as it goes flying. When adjusting your chain there should be the width of the chain slack. That is as you move the chain up and down it should not be looser than 3/4 of on inch. On the flip side of that you do not want it to tight. A chain that is to tight is also prone to breaking and ruining your drive shaft bearings. Also lube that bitch up. If the rollers are shiny than it is dry. Chain lube is cheap and simple to use. Spray it on all center area as the wheel is spun. Go in a back and worth motion until all roller area is coated. Most chainlube says to let sit for 20-30 minutes so lube has time to adhere. Then ride.
Number 3. Valve adjustment- Unless you riding a new bike your bike needs valve adjustments. Get the manual for your bike out, find the page with the lash measurements and go for it. I will say some bikes are easier to do than others.Once you do them a few times it will be a snap and your bike will be running better than ever.
Number4. Timing- This should of been number 1 in most important thing to do. Another deal where your manual will have what you need and the steps to do it. My Ironhead gave me fits but once I got the timing dialed in it has been a one kick wonder since. Another job that is overlooked but if you have a problem check your timing first then move on.
Number5. Wiring- The gremlin of the bike world. Granted I have got pretty damn good at wiring a chopper most people are scared shitless. Once your bike starts with the wiring drama it is all down hill from there. My advice is to gut the entire bike and start over. I know I know people have anxiety attacks thinking about wire, electricity, fittings, but if I can learn anybody can. Crappy wiring on a bike is a big thing and if you have a cool chopper with a spaghetti mess of mismatched wires then your bike is a pile. My advice is to go buy a good set of wire strippers and wire pliers at the local tool shop and just practice on some scrap wiring. Wire fittings as well as the tools have all the sizes on the tool. If you are working with 16 guage wire then you buy 16g fittings it is simple. That is where most hacks go wrong. Again if you use the right parts and tools things go allot easier. My first couple of wiring harnesses I laid out on the floor and just cut all the crap out of the stock harness. Then shorting all the the rest to size and just plug it in. Yes I had a learning curve but now it is one of my favorite jobs at the shop. I love a really clean wiring job and so does everybody else. What you can't see is the key folks.
Number 1. Tire pressure- This is as simple as it gets but a huge thing if you are running on half flat tires. Not only does your mileage go down but your tires are wearing out uneven. If you ride allot just checking once a week or so but if the bike has sat check them every time you take it out.
Number 2. Chain Dummy- Ever had a chain break? It sucks and not only leaves you stranded but can seriously mess some stuff up as it goes flying. When adjusting your chain there should be the width of the chain slack. That is as you move the chain up and down it should not be looser than 3/4 of on inch. On the flip side of that you do not want it to tight. A chain that is to tight is also prone to breaking and ruining your drive shaft bearings. Also lube that bitch up. If the rollers are shiny than it is dry. Chain lube is cheap and simple to use. Spray it on all center area as the wheel is spun. Go in a back and worth motion until all roller area is coated. Most chainlube says to let sit for 20-30 minutes so lube has time to adhere. Then ride.
Number 3. Valve adjustment- Unless you riding a new bike your bike needs valve adjustments. Get the manual for your bike out, find the page with the lash measurements and go for it. I will say some bikes are easier to do than others.Once you do them a few times it will be a snap and your bike will be running better than ever.
Number4. Timing- This should of been number 1 in most important thing to do. Another deal where your manual will have what you need and the steps to do it. My Ironhead gave me fits but once I got the timing dialed in it has been a one kick wonder since. Another job that is overlooked but if you have a problem check your timing first then move on.
Number5. Wiring- The gremlin of the bike world. Granted I have got pretty damn good at wiring a chopper most people are scared shitless. Once your bike starts with the wiring drama it is all down hill from there. My advice is to gut the entire bike and start over. I know I know people have anxiety attacks thinking about wire, electricity, fittings, but if I can learn anybody can. Crappy wiring on a bike is a big thing and if you have a cool chopper with a spaghetti mess of mismatched wires then your bike is a pile. My advice is to go buy a good set of wire strippers and wire pliers at the local tool shop and just practice on some scrap wiring. Wire fittings as well as the tools have all the sizes on the tool. If you are working with 16 guage wire then you buy 16g fittings it is simple. That is where most hacks go wrong. Again if you use the right parts and tools things go allot easier. My first couple of wiring harnesses I laid out on the floor and just cut all the crap out of the stock harness. Then shorting all the the rest to size and just plug it in. Yes I had a learning curve but now it is one of my favorite jobs at the shop. I love a really clean wiring job and so does everybody else. What you can't see is the key folks.
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