Tech

Hey, it's the start of the official Sturgis 2009 project bike, the 5-Ball Factory Racer. For decades guys have built vintage- looking scooters with late model drive-trains. Hell, I built another one at Strokers Dallas in the '90s. Before I dreamed of it, Arlen Ness built a '20s vintage scooter and sidecar around a Sportster […]

Building bikes was simple until Harley-Davidson threw in a myriad of models, new engine configurations and now the axles are larger, which fucked with the bearings, sprockets, rotors, frames, etc. At one time we all built rigids, using the same frames and components. That lasted for 20 years. I digress. It ain't so no mo'.

We love a visual stimulation, mystic guide to stimulate any bike project. We're fortunate to know several inspiring biker artists, including Tim Conder who created this eye-candy to kick us off the mark and get us started on the mini-bob. I was also inspired by Sin Wu's diminutive size and the former Russ Tom's artistry

Click to see morefrom Lucky Devil When the package arrived with the new BDL belt drive system in it we had a little problem. Unfortunately when our hell hound doesn't get the chance to chase the delivery truck he takes it out on the cardboard. Fortunately none of the contents were damaged (this time) so

Click to see morefrom Lucky Devil The build up for the Root Beer Bobber designed specifically for our own Nyla Olsen has been painstakingly stretched out over the past two years. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, delays have hung their weary shadow upon the build causing the queen of Bikernet to sit back patiently…tapping

Big wheels, big paint and classic drag-bike attitude meet modern refinement. Then we stuff it brimful with raw power. What do you bet, next year with the new M-8 engine. Nothing like a fistful of American street muscle. Feast your eyes on the Breakout. Its profile is low, stretched out and undeniably aggressive. We top

The bike started out as a Sumax frame that was sitting around for years. I found an H-D Evo motor and tranny, fresh out of the box a few years back. We used Boyd’s Mid-Glide 41mm trees and fat boy lower legs turned down on the lathe. Top caps were made to match. A swap

Many of us madmen started with Sportsters. Not long ago, there wasn’t much a guy could do with his Sportster to make it sing, but now there is. So we went after a complete list of parts and recommendations for a strong, better handling Sportster. We started with Bartels’ Harley-Davidson. Bartels’ is a family organization

Deacon, the master, taking a break. Photo by Chris T. I ran across a master mechanic, in Oahu, Hawaii, at ProStreet, who recently produced the first Choppers Only Show in Wakiki.He explained the differences between the Evolution configuration andthe Shovelhead and how you can alter your Shovel for reliability andbetter performance. I was intrigued, grabbed

Wheel spacing is an important part of any ground-up bike building project.It also must be addressed when customizing an existing bike.With the vast selection of frames and wheels available today, there is noway any manufacturer can fit every different wheel combo to their frame andprovide exact fitting wheel spacers. Some frame manufacturers provide a wheel

Let me lay out the background for this project. Scooter is anattorney. Maybe that makes him a yuppie, who the fuck cares? He’s acriminal attorney of the highest order, in fact recently herepresented a prostitute and we will have a full report on thatepisode. In this case, he was representing a jealous Bouncer from a

Sponsored By Once the engine was back in place, the bolts were placed and the tape was removed. Then it was on to the area where the transmission was to be placed.   The transmission plate from Custom Chrome and the rear fender mounts were put into place and bolted down.   The transmission was

Sponsored By At this point I needed to make sure the front and rear pulleys were even at their outer edges. This was to make sure the belt does not rub on the pulley rim. A long level or other straight edge can be used to do this. If you need to move the front

We’ve collected a number of parts for the rigid over the last few months – but one key item was missing. That’sthe engine. When it came time to decide on a power plant for the project, there were a couple of factors thatwarrented consideration. The first is of course, cold hard cash. None of us

Sponsored By It was then time to put the Revtech engine in place. Caution and ease are the keys to success here. One thing to note: If you build a ride of your own and are using the type of stand I do, which sits under the frame, make sure the rails are around where

Sponsored By This project uses a BDL open drive system to drive the tranny, so the motor plate was put into place and bolted down while the engine bolts and transmission bolts were still loose. Make sure to use Loctite 242 and to torque the bolts to spec per the instruction sheet provided with the

Sponsored By Now here’s the test. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that I DIDN’T put on the secondary belt before we put on the motor plate! Just remember to do this and save yourself the removal of the assembly to fix this mistake. With everything in place, I put the friction plate back

Sponsored By Once the tape was removed, a small Dremel tool was used to strip the area down to the bare metal.   The area was cleaned and the engine was placed back in the frame over the bare metal spots.     On to Part 4, Page 4…. Back to Part 4, Page 2….

Sponsored By Although you haven’t seen it in a fully assembled state, the rigid has actually been mocked up to completion. However, anyone who’s built their own sled knows that an assembled bike without paint and powder just isn’t quite the same as the finished product. Although a primered mock-up will show you the lines

OK, I know….. It’s a shitty photo. Sorry folks. The good news is, it’s promted me to goout and buy a new camera – so keep an eye out for some high quality photography in the nextinstallment. So here it is. Actually, as I write this, the project is a little further than the photowould

The above photo details the back end of the Atlas Precision ‘Roadrunner’ frame. Attached is a 9″ wide stubby fender, also supplied by Atlas. Both the fender and the frame are designed to handle 200 mm meat. We’ll be using a 180 for the project. Since wide tire aftermarket frames require special fenders, you have

Using a tape measure, or if not available a piece of string, raise the bike to upright position. Start by holding the tape measure straight down from the front axle to the floor. Put a mark on the floor at that point. Then, place the tape parallel to the steering axle, following the angle of