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Mudflap Girl FXRs, Part 10, Suspension Tuning and Le Pera Seat



Mudflap 8: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Mudflap_Girl_FXRs_Part_8_Wiring_World.aspx
Mudflap 9: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Mudflap_Girl_FXRs_Build_part_9.aspx






I’ve been riding and tuning Mudflap Girl FXR for a couple of months. We finally dialed in our rear shocks, maybe. David Zelma, from Progressive taught me the ropes regarding spring pressure and travel. We will get into that. We have also been monkeying with my Spitfire Girder shocks. Again, the problem is travel.

My son’s FXR faces similar dilemmas, but hopefully we will be able to transfer knowledge from my bike to his. Fortunately, Progressive suspension is just down the street in Orange County, so David Zelma stopped by with a variety of springs. “Your shock angle is more like a Dyna Glide than an FXR,” David said, “which makes for much more severe spring rates.”



I kept trying tougher and tougher FXR or touring H-D springs and the rate of sag was too much, indicating a too-soft spring. Also, I had to mess with additional bumpers, limiting the shock travel to prevent the fender from smacking the Avon tyre. It’s a humorous dilemma, one that any sport bike rider would scoff at, since he doesn’t care if there’s a foot of air between the rear tire and the fender.

Ultimately, we ended up with 12.5-inch Progressive Dyna shocks, but my travel, with limiters, is just over ¾ of an inch, sort of the same as a lowered Softail.

“I’m not happy with this system,” David said. “I want to see more travel for a comfortable ride.”



I like the way the bike looks, and I will ride it to Mammoth Lake next weekend to hook up with the Hamsters on their long road to Sturgis from the West Coast. That’s the iron test.

Next, I looked at the front Spitfire Girder shocks and discussed it with Rick Krost, who messes with bicycle seat shocks for custom applications. He removes the stock springs and switches them for cut springer springs. They were, unfortunately, too soft for the girders. Our problems with the seat shocks were two fold. The springs were 300-pound jobs and the shocks did very little to dampen the ride. So I went on a hunt. I discovered RockShox and Fox bicycle shocks, which run over $500 a piece. Good god! 



Rick supplied me with a couple of RockShox with springs rated at 500 pounds per inch. Again that’s too tough, so I tried running one shock in a position more directly in line with the girder, another Rick suggestion. With one 300-pound rated spring I received good movement, but again very limited, like just over a ½ inch of travel. I’m still on the hunt for 2 inches of travel, and fortunately the Spitfire girder affords me the ability to mess with the positioning of a shock. I found a Fox shock that could be perfect, but the cost was prohibitive. RockShox also allows me a variety of spring rates, but of course I can’t find a price on their web site.



While on the girder shock hunt, we worked with Le Pera on a seat for my son’s Mudflap Girl FXR. Christine and Bob Le Pera took over their dad’s company when he passed. Christine picked my brain for styling, and then sent me a seat pan.



First, I made a bracket to catch the supplied tongue, welded under the seat. Before final welding, I may move the frame bracket back a ½-inch. Even with the tongue extended, I’m still not perfectly happy.



With the pan in place, we marked mods and adjustments with a felt pen and started hours of grinding and fitment. Then Ray C. Wheeler hacked-out an extension to afford my son enough seat for a passenger.



We cut a chunk of like thickness sheet metal and made a cardboard template, which was transferred to the sheet of tin and cut out with cut-off wheels. We could have made smooth work of it with a plasma cutter, but the grinding would burn the clock, and warping might become an issue.



We spent hours grinding, hammering and fitting until we thought we were close. I would love to find an English wheel and make the time to take a sheet metal class. Then we tacked the pan to our extension, and worked on it some more. I didn’t want to send it back to Le Pera’s historical shop looking like shit, so we worked over the pan extensively, and then drilled additional rivet holes to match the traditional pattern of Le Pera holes.



Le Pera is the home of the chopper seat, the cool, low, stylish, bare bones butt pads. “We can’t make ‘em fast enough,” Christine said. They have also shifted to more dresser seats, and seats for tall guys are popular.



This is their 40th anniversary in the seat-making business, and their focus for this year is new products, not parties. They constantly study new fabrics, threads, and embossed products. While in Italy at a dealer show, a customer approached Christine and told her, “Le Pera is the Ferrari of custom seats.”



When I spoke to Christine, my first question was regarding my seat pan. “How did we do?”

“You did a good job,” Christine said. “According to Bob, it was easy to cover.”



After they inspected our Bikernet shop handy work, she sent the pan out for powder coating. Then they installed a tough rubber edging molded over a metal insert. The metal grabs the pan securely, and the rubber clings securely to the metal. Together they protect the cover fabric.

While the pan is prepped for padding, the Le Pera liquid foam formula spilled into the standard Silhouette foam mold and was clamped into place while it cured.



Bob Le Pera, Christine’s brother, glued the foam figure of the seat to the pan and started hand-shaving the foam. “He’s the artist,” Christine said. Once shaped, the seat was ready for the fabric cover.



Bob chose a long-lasting comfortable fabric, but the master of seat patterns, Gus, a 32-year member of the team, laid out and customized the seat template, extending the standard Silhouette pattern, which he transferred to the resilient fabric, cut out the various pattern segments, and sewed the pieces together with upholstery-grade, ultraviolet-light-resistant bonded polyester thread. The color selection is vast.





Another long-term veteran member of the Le Pera team, Rick, with 27 years under his leather belt, completed the seat. He attached the stitched cover over the hand-shaped foam, made sure all the lines were symmetrical and tacked it in place with a couple of rivets, starting at the rear with a rivet gun.







With the completed seat in hand, Rick carefully glued a protective template of carpeting on the bottom.





I asked Christine about ordering custom seats from them, and they are open to a variety or requests. It’s often best to work with a knowledgeable dealer who can give you tips and knows how to speak the lingo to the Le Pera staff. You can always e-mail the staff and hit them up for info. Try to nail down a style before you reach out. Styles range from thin, low, and sleek, to touring, or tall guy seats. Check their catalog for ideas, and once you’ve nailed the basics down, you can discuss custom stitching, inlays, fabrics, leathers, and or embossing, and of course an affordable budget.



With the seat in hand and the Spitfire forward controls mounted and dialed it, Frank’s Mudflap Girl FXR is ready for a ride. He just needs a plate, registration, and insurance documents, and we will begin the Eddie Trotta break-in routine.

 
 
Mudflap Girl FXR Sources:
Le Pera Seats

 

Spitfire


D&D Exhaust


Biker’s Choice
 
Rivera/Primo
  

JIMS Machine




MetalSport


BDL/GMA


Wire Plus




Branch O’Keefe


Bennett’s Performance


Custom Cycle Engineering


Saddlemen


Bub


Progressive Suspension
 
Check out my road test in the next chapter: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Mudflap_Girl_FXRs_part_11_The_First_Road_Test.aspx
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Bikernet/Cycle Source Sweeps Build Part 6 Sponsored by Xpress

Check the last episode: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/BikernetCycle_Source_Sweeps_Build_Part_5_Sponsored_by_Xpress.aspx

This process is amazing. Not only are Gary Maurer, Kustoms Inc., and Julie, the lead builders, but they dragged this roller in various stages to over eight shows and events. It’s actually set up at the Broken Spoke in Sturgis right this fuckin’ minute. When I interviewed Gary, while Jules whispered in his ear, they were just 100 miles outside of Sturgis and rolling in.

“It’s 1250 miles from Grand Ledge, Minnesota, to the Badlands,” Gary said. “Des Moines is the toughest, most congested area to scramble through.”

The Sweeps bike, nearing completion, will be displayed at the Broken Spoke, the home port of Cycle Source, while Gary and his crew nail down tent stakes at the big rig RV park near the circle track. “We can look down over Main Street,” Gary said, “and we’re walking distance from anything happening in town.”

The Bikernet/Cycle Source Sweeps build is flying along, and will be completed and offered up to a Bikernet, or Cycle Source reader at Las Vegas Bikefest, September 27-30. Hang on, join in, pitch in, sign up, do something even if it’s wrong. We’re burnin’ daylight.

The most amazing product featured this month during the build process at Kustoms Inc. was this Fab Kevin, axle-mounted, side-mounted vertical or horizontal license plate mount. With a couple of quick screws it can switch from vert to sideways. It’s an amazing product notion from the master at Fab Kevin’s, in Clinton Township, Michigan. The taillight is also Fab Kevin’s.

This product is so well thought out. It’s perfect for loading bikes and making additional clearance, for style, or to contend with legal restrictions. It’s amazing, and simply bolts to any axle for quick angular adjustments and strength. Okay, so much for product hype. If you want one of these puppies, click here quickly: http://www.fabkevin.com/

With that out of the way, you might notice slight frame modifications. Gary needed additional space above the Rivera Transmission for Jule’s hand made oil tank, so he removed the drop seat rails. He did a helluva job of adding beautiful flowing lines to his arched backbone, and then Julie added shapely gussets cut from a band saw. “That line of the frame should be shaped like a woman’s body,” Gary said, winking at Julie. He’s always nervous about her growing metal fabrication prowess. “If she ever learns how to weld, I’m out of a job.”

Gary used Fab Kevin forward control mounting kits, and demonstrated how he includes a thick washer, .090-inch, on the inside to form a spacer to allow him room to run a bead on the inside of the flame-cut Fab Kevin brackets.

“They didn’t install control mounts at Texas Frame Works, because we didn’t know our direction at that time,” Gary said, and dodged an accident on the freeway as he rolled into the outskirts of Rapid City.

Gary cut the tubing to position the controls with the proper clearance. “I’m not so concerned about exact measurements from the center of the frame,” Gary told me. “But I make sure the peg position is identical front to back and height.”

This feature includes a shot of Julie grinding tank welds, which was a Ron Harris, Chop Docs assignment. In this case, she’s acting as his stunt double. Chop Docs also volunteered to mold and paint this project, but Julie cut him some slack, since she would burn through half a day delivering parts to Ron, and wouldn’t have them handy to perform more mock-up and tab manufacturing. Gary calls over to Ron’s shack a couple of times a day, just to make sure he’s working and not at the bar.

After Sturgis Gary will pressure-test the tanks for leaks; then seal them inside with Northern or 415 sealer.

We also discussed coping the end of the forward control tubing chunks so they mated to the frame for the perfect weld fit. “I use a bench grinder generally for notching tubing,” Gary said. “I modified a grinding wheel, and can usually knock it out a joint faster on the grinder than with a $100 jig a joint.”

He also suggested welding-store magnetic drill cutters, carbide cone-shaped tools, but they cost $170 for a bit, and can snap in a hot flash. Suddenly he was forced to maneuver around a downed deer in the number-two-lane on Interstate 90 about 40 miles east of Sturgis. More and more bikes flew around his rig as he rumbled through the pristine roaming South Dakota hillsides.

The left side of the frame required an extra bung for the kickstand, which beefed up the forward control mounting. Gary planned a gusset on the right side supporting the tubing.

Julie set up the Chop Docs seat pan with a Fab Kevin hinge. Ultimately, Gary flipped the hinge and notched the frame to lower and reposition the seat. Then I learned something mighty important from the master. I noticed the shot of him drilling a hole in one of the frame rails. “The frame needs welding vent holes,” Gary said. “From time to time, if there is any oil inside a frame tube, pressure builds up, and can blow a hole in the tubing or in a weld.”

I was aware of the venting concern, but never experienced it. Next, Julie piled old towels.

“It’s our secret oil tank mounting system,” Jules said yanking the phone away from the driver. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to drive and talk on cell phones?”

Thank god she took over the phone interview, as swerving, party-going bikers surrounded their rig as they neared town. Good news, Gardner-Westcott stepped up to supply stainless fasteners for the final assembly. “We used our oil tank mounting system to mount the oil bag,” Jules said.

Their mounting brackets are massive ¼-inch triangular plates. She positioned two together in the front, and Gary tacked them into place. The Fab Kevin seat tabs come 3 inches in length, so they can be cut to fit any application.

As it turned out, Julie mounted two more of her tank tabs over the top of her hand-formed oil bag, forming a perfect base to weld the seat brackets for the seat shocks.

With all the elements in place, Gary kicked off a batch of TIG welding work, welding tabs in place and the oil tank.

Jules and Gary worked out just the perfect position for the Wire Plus ignition housing. “It must be positioned to clear the oil tank, the engine, and the shift linkage, but easy to reach for the rider. These all-in-one Wire Plus ignition switch systems give any builder a complete wiring system, including ignition switch, circuit breaker, starter relay, you name it, all in one compact, billet aluminum box.

“Watch out,” Julie shouted and dropped the cell phone, while trying to warn Gary of an impending accident, or a topless party-broad running from the cops as they exited the freeway. They had reached motorcycle nirvana in the Badlands. I wasn’t there, bummer.

Just make sure to sign up for this contest by subscribing to Cycle Source or Bandit’s Cantina on Bikernet, or just fill out the form and duct any payment. We don’t care. We just want someone cool to win this bike. It’s going to be a masterpiece, any two-wheeled enthusiast will be proud of for decades to come.

–Bandit

Here’s a link to the next episode: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/BikernetCycle_Source_Sweeps_Build_Part_7_Sponsored_by_Xpress.aspx

BIKERNET/CYCLE SOURCE BUILD SOURCES


Xpress
http://mysmartcup.com/

Crazy Horse
http://www.crazyhorsemotorcycles.com/


Texas Bike Works
www.TexasBikeWorks.com


Kustoms Inc.
KustomsInc@hotmail.com


Chop Docs
www.Chopdocschoppers.com


3 Guyz
www.3Guyz.com


Accel
Accel-ignition.com


Fab Kevin
http://www.fabkevin.com/home.htm


Evil Engineering
www.evil-engineering.com

D&D Exhaust
http://www.danddexhaust.com/

Wire Plus
http://www.wire-plus.com/


Barnett
Barnettclutches.com


Rocking K Custom Leathers
howard.knight@montana.com

Rivera Primo
www.RiveraPrimoInc.com


Spectro Oils
www.Spectro-oils.com


Bell
www.moto@rcn.com


Metzeler Tires
www.metzelermoto.com


Hawg Halters
www.HawgHalters.com

Handy Industries
www.HandyIndustries.com


Grip Ace
www.gripace.com

Biker’s Choice
www.bikerschoice.com


Aeromach
www.aeromachmfg.com


Ride Wright Wheels
www.ridewrightwheels.com


Biker Pros

www.BikerPros.com
 


Bare Knuckle Choppers
www.bareknucklechoppers.com


K&N
www.knfilters.com

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Mudflap Girl FXRs, part 11: The First Road Test

Mudflap Girl, chapter 10: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Mudflap_Girl_FXRs_Part_10_Suspension_Tuning_and_Le_Pera_Seat.aspx

I can’t make it to Sturgis this year. We are focused Bonneville builds, like mad starving dogs, and the two events are only separated by two weeks. Ray is tuning and I still don’t have an engine, but we’ll cover that later. The engine could be running today, in Richmond, Virginia, at Departure Bike Works.

Okay, so what’s a poor bastard to do, when he planned to make the run to the Badlands with his brother Hamsters? They ride out from the West Coast every year. Some of the members, including Arlen Ness are in their 70s and riding custom Victory bikes. Some rode from Spearfish, South Dakota, out to Mammoth Lakes, California, to ride back to the Badlands with their brothers. So, what’s the least I could do? Meet them at their first stop in Mammoth, just east of Yosemite? 

We reached out to a couple of LA-based Hamsters and started making plans. When I say we, I mean my main man, Dr. Hamster, or Christian Reichardt, a chiropractor to the stars in Santa Monica. Dr. Hamster and I have been friends since my third wife, about 25 years. He’s German, the best chiropractor you’ll ever run across, and one of the best friends I’ve ever had. If he says he’ll be there, he’ll be there. So the good doctor and I said, “Yep, we’re going.” Others signed on and dropped off, but the doctor stuck with the initial plan, made reservations, and we peeled out from his Santa Monica office at 1:00 Friday afternoon.
 

 

The good doctor has owned several motorcycles, including a 1934 VL I helped get running, but one motorcycle stuck with him, a 1989 FLH. He had clocked over 200,000 miles when he decided to rebuild it. Bennett’s Performance handled the semi-stock Harley engine (the rebuild was covered on Bikernet). With a couple of thousand miles on his rebuild, and 50 on mine, (another 80-inch semi-stock Harley engine, assembled by S&S, with headwork by Branch O’Keefe), we rolled out of Los Angeles.

About 15 million folks know rolling out of Los Angeles is the biggest challenge to any weekend excursion to someplace less congested. It’s amazing, like no-man’s land at the front of any war zone. Just try to slip out of Los Angeles on a Friday. Try to peel by noon or before. If you don’t you could be faced with serious bumper-to-bumper malady, or a lane-splitting conundrum. We recently published a report about splitting lanes and the benefits. They actually made a case for increased safety in areas supporting lane-splitting.

I’ll make one case for the freedom to split lanes, maybe two. Well actually, the published study pointed out the benefits of keeping motorcycles moving during high-congestion back-ups. My point included any rider’s sense of alertness. When splitting lanes the rider’s acute awareness is on high alert. Even while putting past a myriad of parked cars, a brother never knows what could blink, so his senses are hot wired. He or she is aware of anything that moves, from a slight wheel shift, to a nod, or a turned head.

So, I split lanes as soon as I hit the 405 freeway, off the 110, the oldest freeway in the US. It runs directly into the heart of Los Angeles, downtown, from my digs in the Port of Los Angeles. As I pulled out of Wilmington, two concerns stirred my humble sense of motorcycling comfort. First, I discovered my rear chain smacking the Spitfire hand made oil tank. There was always a bothersome noise bugging me, and I finally discovered the treacherous origin, the rear left corner of the FXR-styled, rubber-mounted oil bag.

Fortunately, the Spitfire team had welded a threaded bung into the corner, and a tab off the frame. I ran across the problem during assembly and removed the tab for more clearance, but evidently not enough. So the night before the run, I removed the chain, cleaned the threads with a tap, and made a countersunk Teflon bumper to protect the tank, but would it last? Or would the chain disintegrate my protective barrier, cut a hole in my oil tank in the middle of the Mojave Desert, dump all my oil onto the highway, seize up the engine, and leave me to be tarantula bait, after I baked under the 107-degree blistering desert sun?

I also made one final adjustment to my Wire Plus speedometer sensor stuffed into the JIMS Screamin’ Eagle over-drive 6-speed transmission. I had tried everything. I was at a strange juncture. It’s been so long not working, if it worked I would have been shocked. As I pulled away from the headquarters, I wasn’t disappointed. It still didn’t work. Now, I have another idea. I didn’t connect the wire from the sensor to the speedo wire directly, but to a connection board. Maybe a direct connection would be the trick.

Somewhere in the sizzling desert, with the afternoon sun baking my feeble skull, the notion of this road test article was spawned. The Mudflap Girl FXR contained only 50 break-in miles so far; this 700-mile jaunt would be the iron test. I had followed the Eddie Trotter break-in regime, almost to the tee. With each longer and longer ride, I returned to the headquarters to make corrections, repairs, and adjustments. It was time for the acid test, a long road into one of the hottest regions in Central California, a total round trip of perhaps 700 miles in 2.5 days. That’s a big deal for this old guy.

There I was, splitting lanes across the LA airport toward Santa Monica and the good doctor’s office, where he was leaning over his knockout secretary and adjusting a tall tattooed redhead. Tough job. Sticking around his office near the coast, with a bottle of something, would’ve made my weekend.

Oh, one more concern disturbed my peace of mind. I started to write peach. I was still with the girls in the office. I hand-made the two mounts holding the single RockShox to the girder. My mind whirled with 80mph impact, a bottoming out shock, and the stress on the mounts. Would they last or toss me into the fast lane of a crowded Los Angeles freeway? Ah, for the days when we would build a bike, smoke a joint, down a shot of whiskey and ride some half-wired together chopper across town at breakneck speeds to her house. Hell, we felt so good, it didn’t matter if we made it our not.

While parked at the good doctor’s office, I inspected my Teflon pad. It was sliced severely, in just 40 miles, but the next 40 or 100 would finalize the experiment. My shock mounts hung tough, but what about the next 100 miles? We gassed up and peeled out onto a crammed 10 Santa Monica freeway. Splitting lanes and dodging merging traffic we weaved onto the 405 Freeway. It peels over the notorious Sepulveda Pass, into the San Fernando Valley, and beyond toward the 5 Golden State, high-speed direct link from Los Angeles to the bay area and San Francisco.

We just needed to cut across the 101, to the 5 for a five-mile stretch, and then off on the 14 toward the Mojave mile airport landing strip and land speed trials location. I felt every bump and groove in the crappy road as I leaned into the fast lane and poured the coals to this 80-inch beast. It ran sweet. I set up the dual-fire, Compu-Fire ignition according to instructions, and installed the Trock modified CV carb, but never adjusted any aspect of it, except the idle.

The week before we peeled out I rode to Bennett’s Performance and Eric popped the cap off the air fuel adjustment behind the float bowl, and adjusted it—it was too lean. Trock removed the cap, so the adjustment screw was operational. I rode the bike, noticed an intermittent cough, and called Eric. He recommended backing out the needle one-quarter turn. She seemed happy, and in Mojave we refueled and checked our mileage against Christian’s trip meter. We had covered 90 miles and I reloaded with 1.82 gallons for 49.45 mpg. It pulled well in any gear, even in sixth gear. The JIMS Screamin’ Eagle Overdrive transmission shifted like butter and never missed finding neutral. I geared it slightly high for a 6-speed with a 23-tooth trans sprocket and 51 on the rear wheel. 

So far, we flew along big wide freeways through the Soledad Pass, Palmdale, Lancaster, and then into Rosamond. At over 90 degrees, the freeway started to die and turn into a two-laner along-side the Pacific Crest National Trail leading into the Sequoia National Forest. It looked sorta bleak and hot to me, as I pondered the welds that held my chopped Spitfire bars together. So far, the riding position was a dream. My legs were stretched out nicely. I could move around on the very comfortable gel-impregnated Saddlemen seat with the spine relaxing channel, and just a touch of lumbar support. The bike handled well, as I adjusted to the long bike vibe.

Another rambling rural 50 miles in the desert with only rolling hills in the distance, and the 14 Highway disappeared to be replaced with the well-kept Highway 395 in Indian Wells Valley. We passed more deserted truck stops, than active ones. They were extreme sun-dried out buildings. Chipped paint was sandblasted by desert winds, and busted windows gave the dilapidated structures, gradually turning to dust a war zone appearance. I set the bike up to be a chopper for the long road, with rubber H-D pegs, old styled thick rubber Knucklehead grips, and Custom Cycle Engineering rubber-mounted traditional dogbone risers. Since the drive train was rubber-mounted, it all worked to minimize vibration.  

We followed one billboard to an old gas station turned into jerky sales headquarters. It bragged “Good jerky.” It was actually so-so, and small packages were priced at nine clams. I wanted to support their sticker-scattered cause. The smiling Hispanic broad behind the counter gave me the okay to plant a Bikernet sticker on the building, yet I couldn’t cough up nine bucks, plus tax for a bag of so-so jerky. We peeled out.

Just a handful of small towns peppered the highway with reduced speed signs, some as slow as 25 mph, perhaps a fund-raising effort. We rolled into Lone Pine and the Dow Hotel, which was packed with tourists and bikers heading to Sturgis. The Dow, built in 1923, was specifically constructed to house movie crews, since a large number of westerns were shot in the region. What a roll of the dice, but it paid off. We topped off and compared notes this time. We had sliced through 111 miles and I took 2.3 gallons, for 48.3 mpg. The doctor grabbed more fuel between stops, so he crossed 38 miles and took 1.2 gallons for 31.6 mpg. He was disappointed, and we discussed options for the future.

The good doctor noticed some drops of oil on the pavement next to my bike. My oil cap isn’t correct for the screw-in bag bung, so I found a press-in rubber cap, with a small dipstick. It worked, but loosely, and a small amount of oil seeped onto the roof of the Spirfire steel oil bag, then some trickled down the right side, onto the frame and dripped onto the pavement. I pressed the oil cap deeper into place and check the oil level, and then it dawned on me. I noticed a softening in my rear GMA brake action. That was the cause.

[page break]

I checked the Teflon pad, and it didn’t indicate any more chain damage, plus the tank was well clear of the carved edge. It appeared very secure, and my shock mount held fast. Vibration was minimal, and at every stop, folks confronted me about the Mudflap girl bike, the traditional chopper appearance, and almost every onlooker said, “Is it a rigid?”

The next morning, we faced just 99 miles for our meeting with the evil Hamsters at the Westin lodge in the heart of Mammoth lakes. The roads were perfect and our 80-inch Evos purred as the elevation increased from sea level to 4000 feet, and we were expecting another 4000 thousand and more pine trees as we cut a dusty trail toward the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, just east of Yosemite. We stopped in picturesque Bishop for breakfast, but the two hot spots were jammed. We strolled into Whiskey Junction without a problem, then rode the remaining 40 miles to the Mammoth cut-off. I was expecting winding, twisting mountain roads into the mountain/sky resort community, but it was virtually a straight shot. My memory reminded me of a similar stop the year I hit a deer inWyoming.

We didn’t pop for the high-dollar rooms, but stayed down the street at the Sierra Motel, where the doctor pointed out a concern with his front wheel. We rode up the street to hang with the Hamsters as they rolled in as early as noon. Some rode in from Spearfish, but the Bay Area contingent, including Arlen Ness chose to fight traffic in slow lanes through Yosemite National Park. They weren’t scheduled to arrive until the early evening, so we returned to our digs to take a look at his front wheel. Under the backdoor hotel overhang, we found a massive cinder block, jacked up his FLH and removed the front axle. One of the bearings demonstrated serious damage and we attempted to remove it with the help of the Hawaiian biker handyman.

We easily had enough tools between my Bandit’s bedroll and the doctor’s tool bag. Concern grew as we discussed our issue with other riders, and Ted Sands, from Performance Machine. “Did you powder coat the wheel?” Christian scored a couple of late model Twin Cam, 1-inch axle mag wheels, powder coated them, and replaced the bearings with ¾-inch axle jobs, but there was some question about the internal spacer. The spacer needed to be solid against the inside bearing race, and that didn’t seem to be the case. The left bearing demonstrated serious wear. We started to make calls.

The Mudflap Girl bike handled the roads to Mammoth extremely well, although we are hoping to step up and buy another RockShox with at least 2-inches of play and a 250-pound rated spring for testing in the future. I’m sure with the correct resources, we can make this girder ride like a Cadillac. I ran into one problem with the Mudflap girl. The left stock H-D foot peg with massive rubber padding for comfort, wanted to slip off the stem and depart. I thought this bastard wouldn’t budge, but I continually fought it.

We called for local bikes shops, but it was Saturday night and resources were limited. Christian made a run on my FXR to an auto parts and bought a jug of bearing grease, a spray can for chain-styled foam lube, and a small container of Buffalo-snot glue for my peg. I actually needed rubber cement, but gave it a shot.

 

“The FXR Chopper is one great looking scooter, with just the right stance to have attitude, without being obnoxious,” said the Doctor. “Everyone twists their neck when she goes by.

“She is going down the street like a steam locomotive, no wobbles or trailing off and runs great at slow speeds or out on the Highway?” 

We operated as best we could on the doctor’s wheel but could not remove the bearing to correct the inner spacer problem. We packed that bastard full of grease and called for a U-Haul truck rental in Bishop for the next morning. The final question: Could, would, should the good doctor risk riding his Bessie down the hill? We confirmed with U-Haul; the regional office would open at 7:00 a.m. The Bishop franchise opened at 8:00 a.m., and a 14- foot box truck was available with a ramp. We would need to score a batch of tie-downs.

We returned to the Westin to hang with our brothers, Buckshot, a Bikernet and Thunder Press contributor, and Marilyn Stemp, the editor of Iron Works. That’s when Ted Sands told us about the drawbacks of powder-coating the interior of late model hubs and the impact on bearing spacers—bad news. I rode the FLH, and it rattled like marbles in an empty tin can, but I didn’t sense any grinding in the bearings. I didn’t want to make a recommendation. This had to be his call. Then I mentioned the 40-mile distance to Bishop. He was thinking 100 miles to Lone Pine.

By the way, we gassed in Mammoth for another 98 mile run. My bike was feeling the pain of reduced oxygen at 8,000 feet, and the night would drop to 41 degrees, but she still ran well. I struggled to squeeze the nozzle into my tank and loaded it with 2.5 gallons (39.2 mpg), and the doctor refueled with 3.2 gallons (30 mpg). He will look into a jetting change for his S&S carb.

As we hit the hay, the doctor decided to attempt the slow ride to Bishop. We set the alarm for 6:30 and tried to sleep.

***

The weather was amazing, just a tad cool in the morning as the sun slipped between pine needles to warm the streets. We packed and rolled down the hill to the first coffee shop. We were gassed and ready for the 40-mile delicate, risky ride to Bishop, a town of 5,000 along 395 just below Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the continental United States. We were so focused on surviving the Bishop run, we didn’t think about the cool breeze, my wandering peg rubber, or any distraction. I’m sure Christian was as tense as an over-tightened drive chain as we rolled serenely down the mountainside onto 395 south at 45 mph.

 

“Going 40 miles down the hill towards Bishop was a bit nerve wrecking, since the bearings were grinding and clackering like marbles in a bag being tossed on the ground!” Said the doctor.

The good doctor rode almost 20 miles, his hands, like vice-grips on his bars waiting for the bearings to scream and spit from their housing. The hefty front mag would wobble, then lock against the twin Performance Machine 4-piston front brakes and scream for relief, maybe locking up and tossing the doctor and his gear in the weeds. I asked him to ride on the right for easy access off the road, just in case.

Nothing happened, other than the rattling of the loose internal spacer. At about 20 miles out, on the open ponderous highway, Christian looked over his shoulder back at me and lifted his left thumb into the air and smiled. His confidence renewed, his speed increased to 50 mph and we rolled quietly into Bishop in one piece. And so the fun began as he hunted for the U-Haul franchise, next to a farm equipment supply store.

“But after about 20 miles the sounds and noises started to be less and less,” said the doctor. “Once we got to Bishop it had subsided 80%!!!!!”  

We arrived right on time, and spotted a women in the U-Haul yard. “They don’t open until 11:00.” Her husband arrived and confirmed the bad news. Disillusioned, we rumbled into town for a hearty breakfast at Jack’s and made a number of phone calls. If we could make it to Mojave, we could find another U-Haul, but then we would only be 100 miles from home. The Doctor could ask his girl to meet us there with a trailer. He called U-Haul, bitched and sought alternatives. None were forthcoming.

 
“Then when the guy at the truck rental was such a jerk,” the good doctor said. “I knew we just had to chance it and keep rolling.” 
 

We said, “Fuck it,” and kept rolling. With each 50 miles, his confidence grew, but we remained at a mild pace of 60 mph, them 65. I finally got fed up with my spinning peg rubber and pulled off the side of the road and strapped it down with tie-wraps, pulling them damn tight.

“Do you want to cinch them down with a pair of pliers?” said the good doctor.

“Nah,” I responded. “We’re good to go.”

Yeah right. The sonuvabitch still squirmed and tried to escape. At the final refueling stop in Mojave, I broke out the pliers and pulled those tie-wraps as hard as I could. The bastard never moved again.

The doctor, comfortable with his FLH, resigned himself to flying into LA by himself. I would cut off at the 210 and dodge the rough, jagged, concrete 405, heading directly into one of the most congested intersections and construction zones in Los Angeles, the 101 junction, over the Sepulveda Pass to the 10 Santa Monica interchange. I could fly into the city on the foothill freeway against the San Gabriel Mountains into Glendale, cut south on the Glendale freeway for just 10 miles and pick up the 5 for one mile before I jumped onto the 110 south directly to my door through downtown Los Angeles.

As I peeled off the 5 at the 210, Christian gave me a final thumbs up and rolled into congestion for just another couple of miles, then cut off at the 405. It was just about 3:00, the bewitching hour, before a city of half-drunk yahoos, talking on cell phones and playing grab-ass with their girlfriends, headed home from barbecues, weekend camping beer-soaked outings, cantinas, bars, ballgames, you name it. This is the most notorious crew of inexperienced drivers, on unfamiliar freeways, buzzed, and distracted, heading home after too much fun. This group of millions, in tin overseas boxes and SUVs, with stereos blasting, is in contrast to commuter traffic, made up of professional, daily migrants, who know every inch of their incessant trips back and forth to work.

Both Christian and I have ridden LA freeways for over 35 years. We both rolled into our respective digs within 20 minutes of each other and checked in. Within an hour and after my first Jack on the rocks, I wrote some compliments and foreword thinking thoughts to Paul Cavallo, the Spitfire master, and he immediately responded:

“Hey brother, good to hear from you. Glad you had a great ride,” Paul wrote. “I have you covered on the oil cap. I just finished up a re-design on the girder trees that eliminates the shoulder bolts. I will update yours to the new gear.

“Bill Dodge rode his out from Kentucky for Born Free, and loved the ride, but after a 5,600 mile round trip, those little thrust washers wore thin. I doubled the strength of all of the pivot components, and machined pivot pins into the trees, and cross bars. I even designed a retro kit for all of the existing front ends.”

We discussed RockShox with increased travel, and I also mention raked trees for better cornering. The more you rake a bike, the more it wants to go straight, which hinders cornering. Bikers generally love to corner, and I discovered, with my blue flame that even a chopper can corner with adjusted frame geometry.

“When I update your front end, I will give you 3, and 6-degree links for it,” said Paul in his response. “The girder is so easy to change the rake on.”

There you have it. The first 700-mile distance test of our Mudflap Girl FXR. Scooter Tramp Scotty is right on: Evos Rule and Choppers never die.

 
Mudflap Girl FXR Sources:

Spitfire

D&D Exhaust

 
Rivera/Primo
  

Biker’s Choice

JIMS Machine

MetalSport

BDL/GMA

Wire Plus

Branch O’Keefe

Bennett’s Performance

Custom Cycle Engineering

Saddlemen

Progressive Suspension

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Timbo’s ’64 FL Restoration (Part Two)

1964 was an interesting year for Harley. it was the last year of the 6-volt electrical system, and last year for the kick-start only. In 1965 they stepped up to 12-volt system and the first electric start and massive batteries started to appear. So let’s get started, I removed the primary, to my surprise it had a belt drive in it.

Someone wanted a step-up from the original chain drive, unfortunately it’s covered in oil that leaked from the main shaft seal and chain oiler that was never shut off. I might be able to save it with a healthy cleaning, we’ll talk about that later. After removing the primary drive and clutch, I thought the transmission would be a good place to start the restoration.

I did the research and found out all the parts I needed to rebuild the stock 4-speed transmission were available from J&P Cycle, and manufactured by JIMS. So off to the catalog I went. I ordered all the gaskets and seals I needed to rebuild it, except one, the main drive shaft seal (which was the worst one out of the bunch). According to the manual and other people I talked to, you need to invest $250 in the special tool from JIMS. It removes and installs that seal. However, I found an old friend (older than I) sorry Danny! LOL, who knew how to R&R the seal without the so called special tool, no big deal, according to him!

I ordered the parts and after a serious degreasing, I started in with the rebuild. I Drained the gear box oil and removed the kick start assembly, top case ratchet shifter cover and shifter timing assy. I also removed the main drive sprocket so I could gain access to the main shaft seal.

Be careful not to lose the gear shaft key for the sprocket. Also, there’s a small keeper key (looks like a flat L). It holds the sprocket far enough away from the seal, so it doesn’t ride on the seal. Keep it just in case. I later found out the new seal came with the keeper, but it’s better safe than sorry, if ya know what I mean.

There are some measurements you can take with feeler gauges for the shifter forks and spacers, refer to the manual.
Also you can check the timing shifter notches for alignment after the cover has been removed, also in the manual.

I actually ended up with two manuals, the original 1964 Harley service manual and a Clymer manual. Out of the two, I prefer the original service manual, it’s so easy to read and understand an idiot can follow it. Wait a minute! It’s also a good notion to pick up a parts manual for a variety of parts illustrations not found in service manuals.

For the serious rebuild the Wolfgang Panhead Restoration book, by Rick Schunk is an excellent guide. We were fortunate to have a low mileage transmission, and only a clean- up was required.

All the schematics are hand drawn in detail, very cool and definitely vintage. For the main shaft sprocket seal, I used the old school method my friend suggested, a slide hammer. Simply drill a couple of 5/32 holes in the seal, not too deep, about ¼-inch, screw in a sheet metal screw, and slam away!

It came out on the second slam of the hammer, YEAH! Installing the new one was just as simple, add a little Vaseline or WD40 to the outside of the seal and gently and evenly tap it in. I used a brass seal installer I had lying around, moving it back and forth on the seal so it doesn’t bind. Tap it down flush with the case, and your done. The JIMS tool insures that the seal is installed perfectly square into the case.

The rebuild kit came with all the gaskets and seals. There’s an O-ring seal in the kick-start shaft that rides between two brass bushings, be sure and replace it.

You can reach in with a dental pick or small screwdriver, and remove it without pounding out the bushings. The kit comes with new gasket for speedometer cable and neutral light indicator.

I polished up all the chrome it had and added a brass kick-start pedal, it looks great! Yeah, I know, not OEM pedal, but it looks cool and is pretty close to the era. I also ordered all new chrome case screws, the old ones were rusted, plus the chrome looks better anyway. I painted the inner timing cover and polished the out cap. You will find that almost all the transmission and engine cases are cadmium platted.

Lots of guys polish or chrome them, my customer wanted them to look as factory as possible. Here it is, the finished product. Not sure what I’ll tackle next, if you have any requests, let me know, I’ll be glad to accommodate. I’ll probably go right into the engine. That’s all for now, Tail Gunner out till next time.

 
 
 
Just recently Frank Kaisler finished this DVD about rebuilding 4-speed transmissions. They are sold through Low Brow Customs: www.lowbrowcustoms.com/
 

 

 

www.wolfgangpublications.com/

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ACORN NUTS MEET THE MUDFLAP GIRL

ACORN NUTS MEET THE MUDFLAP GIRL–

P/N: MK731: 110-Piece Solid Brass Acorn Nut Assortment Tray 

Brass is class, and a great gift idea for old school bikers! Conveniently stored in the heavy-duty Tray with lid is a 110 piece assortment of Solid Brass Low Crown acorn nuts in 12 of the most popular UNC & UNF nut sizes. 

Available along with a collection of classic inspired parts at www.mrluckys.biz . Or, call “Mr Lucky” direct at 832-559-8560 and get the whole skinny!

The brass acorn nuts add a nice finishing retro touch. Don’t remember if I sent you the press release on the assortment tray or not, so image & copy are attached. The tray as well as the individual bags of 5 & 10 are selling well, and make a good holiday gift.

P/N MK731, $74.99. Made in USA. 

–Mr Lucky
6411 Saffron Hills Dr. Spring, TX. USA 77379

P: 832.559.8560

Here’s the link:
http://www.mrluckys.biz/Shop/c13/p137/110-piece-Solid-Brass-Acorn-Nut-Assortment-Tray/product_info.html

Advertisement

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Timbo’s ’64FL Panhead Part 3, Engine

After the engine was removed from the frame, I mounted it on an engine stand and clamped it to a work mate. This worked perfect, as I have limited working space due to all my daunting, ongoing projects.
 

I got lucky with this engine, as I later found out it had recently been rebuilt and had just .010 over in the bore. However, the rocker covers were both leaking and the front head gasket blew. This was a perfect time to for a complete top end job. I planned to replace all the old leaking OEM gaskets with state of the art new gaskets and seals, and check all the tolerances, while looking for any potential problems.

Tear down was straight forward, first I removed the carburetor, followed by the oil pump, gear drive housing, push rods, tappet blocks, rocker covers, heads and barrels. After the barrels have been removed, place a couple of shop towels around the connecting rods to keep debris from falling into the crankcase.

I carefully cleaned all old gasket material from all the mounting surfaces. I ended up using razor blades and plastic scrapers. Be careful not to gouge any mating surfaces as you scrap. Any abrasion could create a leak if the gouge is deep enough.

I also rebuilt the generator at this time, which included new brushes and a new paint job.
 

 

You can follow the generator instructions in the manual. It’s extensive and takes patience, but not overwhelming. I just hope it works, as a new costs around $400! Ouch! I also found “Rene “at National Starter in Lancaster, California. He Put the 6v through its paces to make sure we have a strong working unit, Thanks Rene!! The old mechanical voltage regulator was replaced with a new solid state unit and the OEM dual point circuit breaker was replaced with a state-of-the-art electronic dual contact unit from Quick Start 2000.

Ed from Quick Start custom builds electronic circuit breakers specifically for vintage motorcycles, and he spilled a wealth of knowledge, always willing to help in any way he can, yea ED!!!!

Important note: Before restarting the bike, you need to flash the generator polarity. It’s simple, run a jumper from the positive battery pole to the term marked -A- on the generator, touch it for a second, and the polarity will be corrected.
 
Since the engine had been recently rebuilt, I took all the measurements for the fly wheel and connecting rods for clearance as specified in the manual, just to make sure all was within limits, and it’s right on, how lucky can I get?
 
 

So off to J&P Cycles again to order new rings, wrist pin bushings and all the required seals and gaskets. I also replaced the main drive seal on the left side of the crank case, it had been leaking bad.

Rebuilding the oil pump was a simple task, you can get the complete kit from J&P Cycle. The gear case cover was removed and the timing marks were checked for alignment.

With the gear case open, you can remove and clean the oil pump screen.
 
 

I removed the tappet blocks and tappets, cleaned them and miced them to see if they are within tolerance, they are. Be careful when reinstalling the tappets, they need to go in the same position (same hole) they came out of, with the oil passages near the rollers pointing inward (refer to manual). Failing to do this will cause the engine to seize, and we don’t need that.

Timbo wanted the barrels to be blonde, so I had them bead blasted to remove the black Bar-B-Q paint someone had put on. In my opinion, they look way better blonde. As far as the heat transfer, I don’t think it makes much difference. Most Harley engines of today are blonde, the black is a cosmetic option. I have built aircraft engines for 20 years, and almost all are bare metal cooling fins. I coated the bare metal with clear 1500 degree heat paint, just to make sure they don’t rust up on me.

 

We can argue the “black heat dissipation thing” at a later date! For the barrels and heads, they suggest you purchase a special wrench to ease installation and removal. I found a little patience and a standard 9/16 and 5/8 box end wrench and 12-pt. deep socket worked just fine for removing the barrel and head bolts. I was fortunate to have the original manual, a Clymer manual and a cool restoration book sent to me from Bandit.

 

Follow the rebuild information in the manuals and all will go smoothly. This old gal has a Linkert model M-74 brass carburetor, again, all the parts you need can be found at JP Cycle, and the internet has endless parts suppliers. The carb was completely cleaned and rebuilt, with all new jets and gaskets.
 
 
I found lots of Linkert carb tuning tips on line, simple too!! They give you needle starting points and adjustment procedures, I probably found no less than a dozen info sites for the many models they made. For the rocker cover gaskets (pans) I used the new neoprene and steel ones from Genuine (J&P Cycle).

The Pan gaskets I removed where virtually made out of paper. No wonder they leaked! Here’s a shot of the new gaskets installed, you can see the thickness!
 
This bike came to me equipped with a narrow belt drive and standard clutch. It may have been a famous SuperMax Belt Drive, and it will probably last forever. Phil Ross, one of the Belt Drive original designers passed a couple of years ago. “What a great guy, and hard rider,” Bandit said.

Unfortunately when I pulled the primary off, the belt was soaked in oil. No one had ever bothered to shut off the chain oiler. It’s controlled by a needle screw on the oil pump. So not only did I shut it off, when I rebuilt the oil pump, I also reengineered the crank breather system so it now is vented to the outside inner primary via a tube and K&N breather.

The clutch was taken apart and cleaned along with the clutch plates and belt. The plates were measured for wear and the belt was degreased and dried.

So hear it is, the old Pan looks great. She’s been timed with the new electronic breakers, the pushrods have been adjusted, and new seals installed, top end rebuilt, new seals and gaskets everywhere, oil pump rebuilt with the addition of a pressure gauge along with the original light switch.
 

New rings installed along with the cylinders cleaned and honed. The heads looked really nice, no gunk had built up yet and the valves were lapped just to make sure. I also cleaned out all the oil passages, don’t want any debris mucking things up!!

 
 

At last, the engine is complete for now. Since beginning this article, I have already installed the engine and trans in the frame, another article on the frame will follow soon.

Tail Gunner out for now!

 
 
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Doug Coffey’s RetroMod Panhead Part 1

 
 
Having been in the aftermarket Harley business since 1969, I have pretty much done everything  from lacing wheels and custom painting to establishing a performance specialty manufacturing company known as Head Quarters.
 
 
Over the years everything in Harley-Davidson aftermarket world has evolved. Today finds old timers like myself better skilled with better tools and far better parts to work with than we had back in the day.
 
I have built probably thirty motorcycles from the frame up  and they have all been builds that kept pace with what the current factory offerings were and the style of the day. The latter builds being Evos and Twin Cams in rubber mount swingarm frames.
 
That being said, I didn’t find I got the same buzz I used to get when I first started out building those rigid framed choppers back in the early 1970’s.
 
Some people count sheep to go to sleep. I found myself planning a new rigid frame chopper to send me off to La La Land for a good night’s sleep.
 
This went on for two or three years before I decided the time had come to act upon my dreams.
 
After twenty five years of manufacturing performance parts for my company Head Quarters, I realized most of the people I had met over that period had no idea I could actually build a custom bike completely by myself so I decided I would do everything possible in my own shop.
 
As I preferred the look of the choppers built in the 1960’s and early 70’s but preferred the technology of the parts offered today, I refer to my build as a Retro Mod Chopper combining both old style and new improved parts.
 
Allow me to show you how this new bike evolved. 
 
 
 
 
 
The first thing I needed was a frame and I acquired this mid-70’s Shovelhead frame with a Fabricator Kevin hardtail welded on.
Other than the missing sidecar sidecar loops, it has a strong resemblance to a 1957 straight leg rigid frame. Exactly what I wanted.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now it was time to get busy and clean up the frame by cutting, grinding and yes, milling unsightly castings off the frame.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I needed to replace the cross bar for one that would enable me to slide the battery in and out of the oil tank. here you can see it in place ready to be welded. Once I had it tacked in place I was able to remove the original cross bar. 
 
 
The right side axle plates on the old rigid frames have an elongated slot for the purpose of easier wheel removal. The old bike used drum brakes and the extra length in the slot enabled a long Allen wrench to slide in and remove the five bolts that held the wheel to the drum.
 
 
Since I would be using a more modern disc brake wheel I wouldn’t need the long slot so I close it up to match the left side. 
 
 
 
Finally a frame back from the sand blaster. If you compare with the original frame you will see I have done more modification work than covered here in these images, I will be explaining some of those modifications over the next few articles 
 
 
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Doug Coffey’s RetroMod Panhead Part 2

 
 
I’m using a Baker DD6 transmission and they mount on a 5 speed transmission plate as used in Evolution Softail frames. I don’t care for the flimsy stamped sheet metal trans mounting plates available commercially so I opted to make my own.
Back in the day we used to have V shaped rear foot peg mounting brackets I always thought looked pretty cool and they helped fill in an empty spot in the frame for a ‘tighter’ look I prefer. 
 
 
Here you see me getting started. 
 
 
Four holes later
 
 
With a little machining, we have a transmission mounting plate.
 
 
Here we see the old style foot peg bracket bolted on.
 
 
Now the transmission is in and will line up perfectly with the engine using a Baker billet motor plate that comes with their 3 inch outside belt drive. 
 
Hold on for part 3, when Doug turns a couple chunks of aluminum into a one of a kind OilTank — Richard Kranzler
 
 
 
 
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1964 Pan Head part 4 (frame)

Well, here we are, past the point of no return. In this chapter I cover the reassembly of the 1964FL restoration. I have been working on this classic for the past nine months. I know it says frame above, but the frame was bone stock, no dings, or mods. The customer requested paint over powder, so off it went. We sandblasted it clean, checked for cracks, magna-fluxed the frame for imperfections, and checked all dimensions for tweaks. This puppy was straight. With new neck bearings and cups from J&P the frame flew back together. We cleaned the paint off the engine and transmission mounts and went to work. Assembly was straight forward, almost the reverse of the disassembly. Engine goes in first, followed by the transmission.
 

Primary with belt drive is next. However before the inner primary goes on, make sure you hook up the shift linkage, otherwise there’s not enough room to install the pin and cotter pin. After the linkage and inner primary are on, you can install the main shaft pulley and belt drive clutch. Loosen the transmission and adjust it all the way forward to ease the belt installation. After the belt is on, adjust the transmission rearward to achieve the proper belt tension.
 

I figured this was a good time to install the rear wheel and chain, making sure the proper alignment and chain tension are acquired.

Oil tank and lines were next on my agenda. I opted for a more modern spin on oil filter adapter, it looks nice and makes oil changes a snap. I kept the original oil filter that was polished just in case the owner wants to go all original some day.

The front forks have been completely rebuilt with all new modern seals, I had them polished also, looks nice! My customer decided he wanted a old school look on the wheels like they did in the ’30s and ’40s, so we blacked out the spokes and hubs leaving the star bearing plates and lug bolts the original parkerized coating.

Just about everything that is aluminum was polished like chrome. We kept to the OEM look on the primary and oil tank, which was black with touches of chrome.

The original bugle horn was restored and polished.

As for the clutch shift linkage (mouse trap), it also was completely gone through and restored, polished and looks like new. I did find out why they call it a mouse trap! Got my Fuckin’! finger snapped twice while trying to adjust it, IT HURT BAD!

The brakes have all new shoes, lines and fittings. Front brake is mechanical and rear is hydraulic, all juiced, adjusted and ready to go. Tires we picked are replicas of the day. They are Shinko reproduction white walls. Not the best, not the worst, but fit the budget just right. They have all new tubes, rim belts and have been balanced and trued by me.

The new exhaust went on comfortably with new head clamps. We kept the original muffler. It was salvageable. All the footboards have been rebuilt with new rubber and rivets and foot controls were installed.

The original generator in chapter 3, was a no go, it had a bad armature and wasn’t cost effective for a rewind. So I ordered (cust. request) a new 6v generator with built in voltage regulator, it too looks very nice. Just a quick rundown, the electric system although all 6v, has all new solid state components i.e. electronic dual breaker distributor with a solid state voltage regulator, no mechanical parts.

The electrical has all been installed and wiring is complete less the head light and tail light. Both electrical junction boxes have been rebuilt with new insulators and wiring harness.

There’s a lot of little things like the $5 chrome chain guard I found at the swap meet and some odds and ends I also found in good condition cheap, at the swap meet. You can see them in the photo’s if you look hard. The steering head lock was a nightmare. It took me months to track one down on eBay. Shortly after I purchased the one on eBay, JP Cycles informed me that they finally had one in stock, go figure!

So here she is, just waiting for the tanks to come back from the painter. 
 

ETA on the tins is end of June, then on they go. Hooking up the fuel system and tins installation will be the next chapter, followed by all systems start and run. I plan on giving the bike to Timbo at his semiannual “Ranch Party.”
 
He goes all out with a dozen live bands, free food and drink to all his friends, which is about a thousand or so. People show up weeks ahead to help construct stages, dance floors and the Bar-B-Q area. It is truly a sight to behold, covering five+ acres, your never board, everything from darts to wild monkey sex is going on! But this year is special.
 
Timbo is retiring with 30+ years of service to the Boeing air craft company at Edwards AFB. The bike is his gift to him, so it all has to come together. No pressure for me, HA! If you guys have any questions, feel free to write, or if I left out anything you deem important, ask!

–Tail Gunner out! Checking back with you in July.
 
Sources: 
 
Note: Some 90% of  the parts I used were from J&P Cycles with the exception of a few swap meet finds and the dual electronic ignition from a previous chapter. We found the seat on Ebay. It’s a replica ’48 tractor on pogo. Pipes are classic Paughco replacement units. It looks like a Primo belt drive. The only clue I had was a clutch spacer that was left out for some reason. I contacted Primo, and they said it was an early system and I needed to install the spacer. — Gunner  
 
J&P Cycles
 
Rivera-Primo
 
Paughco
 
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Bikernet/Cycle Source Sweeps Build Part 7 Sponsored by Xpress

Don’t miss the last episode: 

http://www.bikernet.com/pages/BikernetCycle_Source_Sweeps_Build_Part_6_Sponsored_by_Xpress.aspx
 

Hang on. We are two weeks away from running out to Vegas for Bikefest and pulling the winner of this most magnificent custom motorcycle, specifically built for Bikernet and Cycle Source fans, readers, and subscribers. You need to sign up, if you haven’t, or come to the Cashman Center in Vegas to grab a card and sign up for the drawing. You don’t need to be on site to win. After Bikefest, the scooter will return to Kustoms Inc. near Detroit, for final tuning and break-in before being shipped to the winner.

So here’s the update in a flash, after Bonneville, and heading smack dab against a Cycle Source Deadline. “I’m way behind,” said Chris Callen, the esteemed Editor da Emperor, in Chief, in Charge, in Trouble. This year has turned into the scrambling year. We are scrambling to finish projects; builders are scrambling to finish bikes. Chris scrambles every month to finish a magazine. It’s bananas.
The bike was displayed in Sturgis at the Broken Spoke. Then it returned to Grand Ledge, Michigan, down the street from Ron Finch, for final manufacturing and paint by the master of Chop Docs, Ron Harris, but let’s finish the pieces first.

“I kill batteries no matter what I do,” Gary Maurer said as we started to discuss the battery box. “When I carefully rubber-mount the bastards, they vibrated enough to rip the battery cables to shreds.” So now he puts a small rubber lining under the battery and bolts the unit down hard with Jules-made steel battery straps. He is now using Brail and Ballistic batteries with some luck. This is where I started to learn more manufacturing processes from Gary and Jules, again.

It’s interesting. I don’t consider myself a builder, and when I work with someone with the manufacturing knowledge of the Kustoms Inc. team, I know I’m just an enthusiast, not anywhere near a pro builder. This story contains a couple of fine examples of their expertise. The battery straps are easily bent after marking the position for the bend on the top corner edge of the battery. Jules made the hand bend with a solid bar of steel, and then noted the amount of metal used in the radius and worked it into the formula for the next bend so the strap fit the battery perfectly.

“There is a mathematical formula for this process,” Gary said. “You need to add or subtract material from the next bend, but we bend one side and then adjust the other.”

I also noted how perfectly the fender edge fit the line of the tire, since most fenders do not align with the tire radius. “We often scribe the radius of the tire on the fender and cut it to match perfectly,” Gary said.

He uses thick welder ground cable stock taped to the fender to give him the proper fender clearance. “Sometimes we use chunks of busted rear drive belts,” Gary said. “Sometimes, if need be, we can double the belt, or mesh the teeth for a slightly larger space.”

They break the chain to be as close to the center of the adjustment path as possible, with the engine, primary and transmission in place. Then they adjust the chain to be bowstring tight, and then they tape the spacing material to the tire and start mounting the fender.

This Bare Knuckles fender was bobbed and channeled on both sides by Jules. She often cuts with a plasma cutter, and then works the edge with Matabo grinder with flap wheels. Bare Knuckle fenders are made with solid, thick spun steel. They are as strong as a battleship hull and easy to work with. “Our plasma was toast,” Gary said, “so she used a high-speed cut-off wheel, then the Matabo and flap wheels.

I like the exhaust system he built with D&D components and a carbon fiber muffler. I asked how he held the components accurately together for tacking. “I start generally, but not always, with the muffler in place and move forward,” Gary said. “I hold the chunks in place with three fingers and tack them.” If his weld pulls away from the joint, he adds a small ball of rod to one piece, then holds them together, and heats the ball until it flows to the other tubing piece.

Note how Jules fashioned the lower fender mount to the frame so it acted as a battery strap mount and fender mount.

Then Gary built the sissy bar by hand-bending the steel rod. He machined each chunk of bar stock for the frame rails, and drilled them ½-inch so the rail would simply insert into the welded boss. Then he drilled and tapped them for setscrews. On the top, he welded a machined bung to the bar, and a drilled and tapped the bung to the fender, so the fastener simply slips through the sissy bar tab and screws into the solid bung on the fender.

With all the components tested and brushed with flapper wheels, Ron Finch stopped by and picked up the components for the trip to Ron Harris, a third generation paint and body shop guy. “I couldn’t touch a paint gun until I could bump a fender,” Ron said of his granddad. Back in the day, bodywork was hammered and filled with brazing and lead.

“My dad called Bondo Chinese lead,” Ron said. Then he ran down the Chop Docs custom paint process. From the photos, paintwork slides along like ironing an old pair of Levis (who the hell does that anymore?), but any top-notch painter has the talents of a concert violinist. It may look easy, but there’s a refined eye and level of perfection that turns any steel surface into a perfectly smooth piece of art.

As soon as Ron Finch dropped off the components and peeled out, Ron Harris cleaned the welds with a cookie wheel, and then scuffed all the surfaces with 80-grit for a world-class bonded protective coating. Initially, paint was used solely to protect a surface. Now it protects and adds the final illustrious finish.

Then he coated all the sheet metal surfaces with a filler Bondo skin coat and block-sanded the surfaces. This is where perfection and talent come into play. I’ve been there. I couldn’t Bondo a baby moon hubcap and make it look like new. There’s an eye for sanding just the right level of Bondo to capture the perfect slick surface.

He followed the Bondo coating with a skim coat of putty to capture imperfections, and then tested his eyes with various levels of Emory paper from 80-grit, to 150, to 320, so he can minimize his primer usage.

“I’ve been working with Stage 5 Coatings for two years,” Ron said.

SIDEBAR:
 

Stage 5 Coatings was established in 2008 and is the newest and one of the fastest growing coatings suppliers in the United States. We are committed to selling jobber direct and establishing an exclusive territory for anyone that carries our lines. We strive to offer the best values available in the market. We are a small company that is personal and ethical. We build a personal working relationship with every customer, whether they are our largest or smallest. We believe when a customer buys from us, a partnership is formed, and is not just another customer. We have the industry experience to put ourselves in your shoes and understand the everyday struggles in the body shop business. From us to the jobber to manufacturing, we have the personal hands-on experience in all areas of the aftermarket coatings industry.

States with Stage 5 or Technico:
Michigan New York
Illinois Missouri
Texas Oklahoma
Wisconsin Oregon
California Arizona
Washington Georgia
Maryland Caribbean
Virginia

Ron is working with Ken Dudley on a line of Chop Docs candies. After he primed all the surfaces, he used a black spray bomb dusting to cause imperfections to surface. After any pits or surface maladies were dealt with, he water-sanded everything with 400 grit wet and dry, and then hand-sanded with 600 grit and finished off with Scotchbrite.

With the components hung in a booth, he primed them with two coats of sealer, and then hit them with the silver base coat and inner clear before taping off for the black pearl inlay. Then everything was cleared again and sanded with 600-grit.

This was Ron’s first attempt with green variegated leaf* using Mona Lisa glue to attach it to the paint surface. “It’s like a very thin, watered-down Elmer’s glue,” Ron said. “The leaf is so thin, it’s like dust in your hands.”

Once the leaf was glued into place and the area cleaned with a cotton ball or a brush, Ron hit it with another coat of inner clear, which locks the base down and leaves sort of a satin surface to adhere any art to, such as pin striping by John Harrow, who used a one-shot enamel sign paint called Kansas City Teal.

Now for the final six layers of gloss clear coats and 1500 grit wet sanding, followed by 3000 grit with water, and then buffing with polishing compound, finishing glaze, and spit shine. It’s Saturday, and by Monday, all the elements will be returned to Gary and Jules and Kustoms Inc. for final assembly. Ron volunteered to help. Unfortunately, he’s 140 miles away, but he drove out and spent all day, Sunday, helping with assembly. “It’s 80 percent there,” Ron said on his way home.

Speaking of volunteer efforts, this has been an amazing build with efforts from a variety of sources, all to create a bike we are giving away. No one made a dime off this puppy. It’s all American-made, and the whole gang pulled together to offer Bikernet and Cycle Source readers a shot at a world-class custom motorcycle—thanks. Chance of a lifetime, goddammit.

Variegated Leaf
 
Variegated leaf is a metal leaf composed of a metal base, such as pure copper leaf or imitation gold leaf that has been treated chemically to create color patterns. These leaves have been heat treated to create metamorphic random patterns of intense color.


Dimensions: 5½” x 5½”

BIKERNET/CYCLE SOURCE BUILD SOURCES


Xpress
http://mysmartcup.com/

Crazy Horse
http://www.crazyhorsemotorcycles.com/


Texas Bike Works
www.TexasBikeWorks.com


Kustoms Inc.
KustomsInc@hotmail.com


Chop Docs
www.Chopdocschoppers.com


3 Guyz
www.3Guyz.com


Accel
Accel-ignition.com


Fab Kevin
http://www.fabkevin.com/home.htm


Evil Engineering
www.evil-engineering.com

D&D Exhaust
http://www.danddexhaust.com/

Wire Plus
http://www.wire-plus.com/


Barnett
Barnettclutches.com


Rocking K Custom Leathers
howard.knight@montana.com

Rivera Primo
www.RiveraPrimoInc.com


Spectro Oils
www.Spectro-oils.com


Bell
www.moto@rcn.com


Metzeler Tires
www.metzelermoto.com


Hawg Halters

 


Handy Industries
www.HandyIndustries.com


Grip Ace
www.gripace.com

Biker’s Choice
www.bikerschoice.com


Aeromach
www.aeromachmfg.com


Ride Wright Wheels
www.ridewrightwheels.com


Biker Pros
www.BikerPros.com


Bare Knuckle Choppers
www.bareknucklechoppers.com


K&N
www.knfilters.com

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