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Mudflap Girl FXR, Part 5

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Click here for: Mudflap Girl Part 4, the Spitfire Frames to Roller   Life is nuts, but we are scrambling on the Mudflap Girl FXRs, at least mine. Us old farts constantly have discussions about how unmotivated kids are. I want to work on my bike constantly. Every waking minute I’m thinking about it, about new ideas, innovations, and who I can reach out to for resources. My son just complains: “I’d have to drive over there…” I constantly come up with Plan B, another connection, or build it myself. We crawled out of the Sunday sack at 6:00 a.m. to haul ass to the Long Beach Swap Meet, just to scour rows of vendors for parts, to find a handful of pieces, and we scored. If it wasn’t for the Sunday Post, I’d comb the isles once a month, at least. Whatever, I’m about to wire and fire-up the first Mudflap Girl creation with Spitfire, H-D, and JIMS. But let’s back up to installing the Trock-modified CV carburetor. I ran over to Branch O’Keefe next to Bennett’s Performance on Signal Hill to discuss an intake manifold. I don’t have anything against most dealers, but I like to work with the talented independent shops, owned by guys with history, who go the extra mile for performance, quality, and their customers. I feel Bennett’s and Branch O’Keefe work hard to keep guys on the road, with high performance motorcycles. John O’Keefe dug around and came up with a very rare H.E.S./Branch Evo intake manifold. I helped Andy Hansen get Harley Engine Specialties off the ground in the ’70s. Andy passed, as did Trock a few years ago. He was a great guy with veins full of 60-weight. John told me he still has a few of these rare, tested, flowed performance […]

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Mudflap Girl FXRs, Part 6 Wiring with Wire Plus

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  Click here for: Mudflap Girl FXR, Part 5  Wiring is always a treat, unless you use one of those systems in a box like Phil’s speed shop systems. I ran one on my factory racer, and it was a breeze. I’ll try to find a photo. It was designed to mount to the frame seat post. Inside it contained the circuit breaker, the starter relay, the ignition switch, the starter button, high low beam, and horn button. Then a ream of wire rumbled out of a hole. I guided them to the appropriate spots and hook them up. Nothing to it. In this case, we worked with Wire Plus since they are the masters of wiring kits, Speedos and assorted equipment. They sent me a complete wiring harness with a starter relay, flasher system for turn signals, a 30-amp circuit breaker with mounting strap and rivets. They also included an installation and operator manual for model Wp192, Mid Frame Mount System, with Chopper style harness, with or without turns. Their manual affords the reader a lighting circuit flow chart, an ignition flow chart, and an accessory flow chart. It demonstrates several ignition switch wiring circuits and handlebar circuits. It even comes with a Wp143 lighting control system for auto-canceling style harness. Actually, I checked the Wire Plus web site and they do make a seat post ignition switch wiring system unit, in a coffin shape, classic, and old school. They also make a cylindrical shaped engine mounted ignition switch housing, and ignition and toggle switches. They have systems that include compression releases–Amazing. Wire Plus also makes individual wiring products, like their lighting control modules, power modules, plus custom power ports, for plugging in accessories. There’s a reason for going on and on about Wire Plus. Wiring can be a

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Saddlemen Mods To The Shrunken FXR

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In a world where over promising and under delivering has become all too common here is a gem I must share. The Bikernet built Shrunken FXR has become my daily rider and needed a couple small adjustments to be just perfect for me. One detail was the too small seat or the bike was too fast (pick one). So I rode my bike over to meet the nice folks at Saddlemen and see what they could do to help me out with my seat. Upon arriving at the Saddlemen facility I spent time with guys from the front office to the guys in the shop ( all of whom took great interest in my motorcycle and the seat they were going to design and build). I noticed from the get-go these people were all riders. I shouldn’t be impressed by that, but there are so many folks in this industry who don’t even ride anymore. We discussed what I needed (lumbar support) and a lip on the edge of the seat to keep me from being bucked off or sliding onto the rear fender. We also discussed the lines of the bike and that in the case of the Shrunken FXR , less was more. After the team and I spent a great deal of time figuring out what we wanted and didn’t want I was able to walk around the shop and see the whole seat making process from start to finish. man was I impressed! We will bring you the whole story in a Bikernet tech article next week. –Buster Cates Advertisement

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Saddleman Improves the Amazing Shrunken FXR

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SADDLEMEN MODS TO THE SHRUNKEN FXR–In a world where over promising and under delivering has become all too common here is a gem I must share. The Bikernet built Shrunken FXR has become my daily rider and needed a couple small adjustments to be just perfect for me. One detail was the too small seat or the bike was too fast (pick one). So I rode my bike over to meet the nice folks at Saddlemen and see what they could do to help me out with my seat. Upon arriving at the Saddlemen facility I spent time with guys from the front office to the guys in the shop ( all of whom took great interest in my motorcycle and the seat they were going to design and build). I noticed from the get-go these people were all riders. I shouldn’t be impressed by that, but there are so many folks in this industry who don’t even ride anymore. We discussed what I needed (lumbar support) and a lip on the edge of the seat to keep me from being bucked off or sliding onto the rear fender. We also discussed the lines of the bike and that in the case of the Shrunken FXR , less was more. After the team and I spent a great deal of time figuring out what we wanted and didn’t want I was able to walk around the shop and see the whole seat making process from start to finish. man was I impressed! So many talented folks all working together to put out an amazing array of products designed by and for riders! It was a real treat to see this and made me truly appreciate what they do much more. Great companies, in my opinion, are made of the people

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Road King 4/18/03 Part II

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The nacelle came off with the four dome nuts that hold the detachable windshield, but when we looked at the chunks of chromed steel we came face to face with the rubber mounted brass fasteners that hold in the headlight. With a little twisting and tugging they came away from the case. There were fastener locking tabs in the front fender which were a bear to reach and punch away from the hex head bolts. Yeah, I know, this photograph sucks, but we had to use it to show the locks. We removed the wheel first. Not so fast. I had to unbolt the calipers first and discovered the 12-point metric sockets. Everything on that Showa front end was metric even the Allens on the bottom of the lower legs. One was easy to reach, the other a pain in the ass. I needed a long metric Allen. Here’s a quirk. The lower legs were drained of 11.1 ounces of front end lube. I thought that the lower legs would just slide off. Not so. You need to remove the seal retaining rings then off come the lower legs popping the seals free. We were forced to replace the seals. I removed the two screws that hold the taillight lens in place. There’s a junction box behind the taillight held with one large 1/4-20 Phillips screw. The plugs for the turnsignals all snap out of the junction box. The box came loose easily, but the chrome taillight ring was stuck. I thought for sure there were fasteners on the inside of the fender. Not so kimosabe. It was just stuck with an adhesive pad. Once loose we discovered that it was plastic along with the rear fender tip–can’t go to powder coat. We had to sand (wet and dry 600)

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Mudflap Girl FXRs, Part 7 My Son’s almost Grip Ace Wired

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Click here to read the chapter 6: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=10268 This is a blast. The year is just starting and shit is flying at us everyday. Gary and the gang from next door delivered enough steel I-beams and C-beams to build a deck, and in two days a gang from Long Beach will deliver a pool table into the Bikernet barracks and gym. And if we are lucky, (today is Wednesday the 3rd of January 2012) we will have all the elements in place to fire my son’s Mudflap girl bike on Tuesday, while IKustom films the event for his TV series. We may even have a live Mudflap Girl in the shop. While my Mudflap baby is waiting on a custom Saddlemen seat, I hurriedly shifted back to my son’s version of the FXR. We needed to wrap up some minor elements, and hit the Ace Grip/Wire Plus wiring. Then we would be ready for another Saddlemen seat. Before I could finalize the primary system, we needed to order a rear belt from Biker’s Choice. One of the major benefits of chains over belts is the mechanics. We had to pull the whole motorcycle apart to install the belt. It had better be the proper length–it was. It took a while to clearance the outer primary around the Rivera Primo Inc. inner belt drive system. I needed to have the mid controls in place before I could install the weld-on Mr. Lucky kickstand that contoured the frame. All the appropriate elements needed to be in place. With the final linkage in position through a plastic tube that acts as a bushing, we moved forward, we installed the Primo Rivera belt and clutch system, but I still had to make a clutch pushrod. I removed the tranny pipe-side cover and checked the

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Road King 4/18/03 Part III

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Bad shot, but it’s the horn all blacked out and still grimy. A shot of the spacer made to eliminate the rear shift lever. We were getting stoked by the changing appearance of the King. The black was giving it unity. I re-greased the shifter shaft and installed the back linkage in a vertical position then tightened it. We eliminated one of the shifter pedals for my big feet and installed the remaining one with Loctite and a 1/4-20 Allen or socket head fastener. We cut a 3/4-inch chunk of 1-inch O.D. mild steel tubing for a spacer to eliminate the other pedal. The main part of the linkage to the transmission we had powdered but sprayed the flexible links and fasteners at each end. We powder coated the center section of the shift linkage, but had to spray paint the flexible adjusting links and fasteners. We assembled the kickstand by putting the jiffy stand in place then hooking the spring to the tab, then all four blacked fasteners were unscrambled and slipped in place. The two short 5/16 bolts went toward the front. A long one with a nut fit in the top rear bracket hole and a long one without a nut screwed into the rear footboard bracket. Then the footboard was replaced. We had one element left to complete. We still needed to put the front end back together. I cleaned the interior of the lower legs with solvent to insure we would have a solid seal at the bottom since there are no gaskets. We had to slip the fork tube out of the trees. We replaced the small aluminum collar and inserted the tube into the lower leg. Then the socket head bolt was replaced and carefully tightened. I must apologize for not taking shots

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Bikernet/Cycle Source 15th Anniversary Subscription Sweeps Bike Build, Sponsored by XPress Lids

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That’s right. You can enter by filling out the coupon, subscribing to Bandit’s Cantina on Bikernet, or to the Cycle Source Magazine. With a Crazy Horse 100-inch engine, and a frame from Texas Bike Works this build is already flying together. From issue to issue you’ll see your motorcycle being built on the pages of Bikernet and Cycle Source. You’ll witness Gary Maurer from Kustoms Inc. and Ron Harris from Chop Docs bend sheet metal, create one-off components, and shoot one of the sickest old-school paint schemes that you have ever seen… The team will carefully select components from the best in the industry, including wheels from Ride Wright, electronics from Accel, leatherwork by the master, Howard H. Knight, and controls from Tim at Grip Ace. “Also, please look at Barnett clutches and let me know what you need,” Prince Najar said. He’s the manager of this process and partner at Biker Pros, who is working closely with our builders, editors, and suppliers. “Also, Blacksmith Baggerville is interested in creating one-off pegs, brake pedal, grip, internal throttle and air cleaner,” the Prince said. The parts list for XPress lid chopper build, including a Fab Kevin seat pan and hinge, expands daily. Gary Maurer plans to split a set of stock fat bobs, modify them and mount them to the Texas Bike Works frame. He will take possession of the frame and Crazy Horse engine this week while the Prince searches high and low for forks cups, a springer front end, tires, rear fender, rear axle, final chain drive components, forward controls, a battery, a Mikuni carb from Rivera Primo, a primary drive system, an air cleaner, front and rear brakes, and the list goes on. Of course the Prince plans on using the D&D performance exhaust system. “Let your wings

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Road King 4/26/04

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There’s two shots of the stripped King by Markus. The remaining amatuer shots were taken of the loaded King after a 650 mile weekend run to Laughlin and back to the west coast. Over the last year we’ve tore into this classic 2003, 100th anniversary Road King. I figured I wanted a touring bike for the long haul. The notion was designed around maintaining the 100th theme, adding to the blackness and durability. I wanted a tough black bastard to ride, not detail or polish for shows. A bike for years to come. What could be better? We used 90 percent H-D parts including a modified taillight bracket, Screamin’ Eagle turnsignals and narrow light bracket. Much of it was powder coated by Custom Powdercoating in Dallas We kicked it off with light styling and safety accessories like a blacked-out dash, lowered shocks, rewired turnsignals, touring components and detachable back rests. Here’s the lowered backrest which was black powdercoated. More items need to be blacked out. We worked with a dealer for more involved tech mods and performance enhancements. Our formula was designed around beefing the low-end torque with cams, Screaming Eagle heads, air cleaner and two into one pipes. I ran it directly from the lift to a dyno, for a comparison test, which resulted in 68 horses, an 8-horse increase and 76 pounds of torque, a 6-pound increase. With 16-inch apes from Custom Chrome and new cams it was a different beast as I rolled the King out of the service area and peeled down the street. Here’s a shot of one of the Screamin’ Eagle ported heads. I went with the silver heads for the old Shovelhead or Pan look. My old school notions leaned toward blacking out the king. If the frame had been another base color

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Bikernet/Cycle Source Sweeps build part 2, Sponsored by Xpress

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Hang on for a chance to win this bike. The odds will be terrific, so step up and enter, or subscribe to Bandit’s Cantina on Bikernet.com, or Cycle Source Magazine, and we will take care of your entry into the drawing towards the end of the year. In the meantime, grab a beer and enjoy this build process monthly on Bikernet, or on the crumpled pages of Cycle Source magazine. Last issue, we discussed the myriad of top-notch components flying at this build, and how Jason built the frame, at Texas Frame Works, around the master’s configuration and the pre-bent contoured backbone. The master is the boss of the 28-year- old shop, Kustoms Inc. and Evil Engineering, Gary Maurer. Gary recently took possession of the Texas Frame Works rigid frame, the magnificent Crazy Horse 100-inch engine, the Baker transmission, Accel electronics, and of course, an Evil primary drive system. “I like to design the sheet metal and frame around the complete drive line,” Gary said. He has a build theory based on the major components in place during the frame and sheet metal design process. This time, the frame was built behind his configuration, then in went the engine and trans, so he could design sheet metal befitting the lines of the frame and make it cup the engine and trans. He asked Jason to stretch the frame to allow him the space to install the battery behind the trans and in front of the fender. “I like to build bikes with the battery under the transmission,” Gary said, “but they’re a bastard to work on.” In this case, the bike will be built as an everyday rider, so ease of maintenance is a major consideration. Here’s the twist of the month, and a major element in the formula behind

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