Suddenly we’re smoking on the Mudflap Girl FXRs, but the week after I received the frames, I had to jump a plane to New Orleans and ride a Victory to the Smoke Out. I was itching to work on these bikes.





I survived the Smoke Out, and since I just spent 1000 miles in a Victory saddle, I was motivated to get back in the wind. We looked down the barrel of the ticking calendar as I returned from the East Coast on Sunday and Monday the 27th of June I stepped back into the Bikernet shop and faced two Mudflap Girl FXRs on lifts ready to rock. I dove in making lists and started to assemble my frame and the Spitfire girder front end.




Building a bike is like falling in love. We all have our dream of the perfect woman, and each time I build a bike, that notion is the driving force. I’m building the perfect romance, with all the best intentions. I want this one to last forever, take me anywhere I want to go, and be my Mudflap girl baby in spirit, appearance, and function.




I would imagine the same mental scenario applies to a home building architect. In fact, we have focused some of our efforts on creating a vintage motorcycle coffee shop in the front of our building, Bandit’s Barista. Talk about a daunting process involving several city agencies. Let’s leave that one alone. Sin Wu came to a meeting this morning and immediately quizzyness engulfed her and she was forced to leave. “It’s too daunting,” she said.




We are so fortunate to be able to rely on our friends and compadres in this industry and build whatever motorcycle we want, then go for a ride without severe governmental restrictions. Meanwhile, back in the shop, I was completely astonished at Paul Cavallo’s talents and shop capabilities. He designed and manufactured every element of this classic girder front-end. As I installed his internal fork stops and began to assemble the front end with the Foose-designed MetalSport 2D wheel, I was constantly blown away at every intricately machined piece.




Although Dr. Willy bitched about the top motormount on the frame, I didn’t have a problem with it. It just forced us to face another brief obstacle, which will ultimately create a very cool linkage issue with a 7/16 pivoting rod end on the top like most FXRs.






But I’m getting ahead of myself. I installed the fork stops, then the Biker’s Choice neck races, the Timken neck bearings, and the Metal sport front wheel on the Spitfire ¾-inch axle. Paul set up his frames to take stock Harley 2000-2007 front and rear brakes. We are going to use factory brakes on my son’s FXR, but I’m running with GMA brakes currently manufactured by BDL.







I had to come up with a mounting system using Paul’s stock H-D brackets. It was a trick but worked out, with brass rod and steel spacers. I messed with it for a couple of hours. Ultimately the GMA caliper was centered over the MetalSport rotor and in a terrific position for bleeding.







Then I started to install the girder rockers and bronze bushings. I was careful to grease every component, and again I was impressed by the precision fit with each bushing and axle. I installed the trees on the fork stem and rolled closer to installing the girder structure. Everything just slipped together.
















Unfortunately, I was missing one element of the front end, the brackets holding the shocks in place, so I shifted to something fun, installing mudflap girls on the Spitfire side panels. They make these Zeus fitting fastened aluminum panels out of street signs. The mudflap girls came from 2Wheelers in Denver, but the Arlin Fatland and Donna team is currently headed for Sturgis to the rally, which reminded me that Sturgis is just around the corner. If I had another month, we’d be riding the Mudflap Girls to the Badlands.





Next, I needed to install the rear MetalSport wheel and driveline. FXRs are tricky in this regard. The entire driveline from the engine to the rear wheel needs to be installed at the same time. We started with the swingarm, using the Custom Cycle Engineering swingarm axle and retrofit kits. Here’s what CCE says about these conversion kits.




SWING ARM RETROFIT KITS

Custom Cycle Engineering has developed a swing arm conversion kit that replaces the stock Cleve Bloc style swing arm bushings with spherical bearings. The conversion covers all the FLT and FXR models from 1980 to 2001. The swing arm conversion kit coincides with Harley-Davidson’s change from the Cleve Bloc bushing to a spherical bearing in all the 2002 and up FLT models.





The conversion over to spherical bearings in the early models dramatically changes the handling and tracking of all the FLTs and FXRs. The sticksion at the swing arm pivot is greatly reduced with the new spherical bearings. This allows for the swing arm to react quicker to any harsh road conditions, keeping the wheel in contact with the road. The use of spherical bearings also helps negate any lateral and torsional movement in the swing arm by the shear dynamics of a spherical bearing.




The swing arm bearing conversion kit is one if the positive answers to the inherent ill handling problems of the popular dresser models.




It was easy to install the new spherical bearings using our shop press and the special tool CCE provides with their kits. We pressed them into place with the CCE guide tool and red Loctite. Then we installed the swingarm on the transmission and the whole tamale in the frame, since the oil tank was out for sealing and some flat black protection. Ray C. Wheeler gave me a hand. We slipped the JIMS transmission and swingarm through the back of the frame sideways, then turned it level and aligned it with the frame mounting system. My son scored some used bare aluminum cleave blocks, and I ordered new H-D rubbers from Biker’s Choice. Watch how the rubbers and cleave blocks are mounted. They are like a small four-piece puzzle with guide pins in particular locations.







With the JIMS 6-speed transmission in place, we jacked up the trans for engine installation. With a centered Biker’s Choice front motormount bracket in place and the rubber biscuit we were ready to rock. Willie helped guide us through the process. Willie is a master with FXRs. He’s worked on bikes, and rebuilt engines and transmissions forever. He knows all the tricks.




With the driveline in place, I started to monkey with the D&D pipe mounting, mounting brackets, and mounting the GMA rear brakes. The brakes became tricky, since Paul designed a tougher and wider swingarm, but it worked out perfectly. I’ll get to that puppy in a minute. I noticed that the trans didn’t come with the final seal and locking nut, plus we needed to reach out to JIMS for a proper offset sprocket for the 180 Avon tire. Since this is an 80-inch Evo, I wanted some gearing advice for the 6-speed overdrive transmission.










Here’s what James Simonelli wrote while packing for the Sturgis Rally and preparing for their install facility. Call them quick, if you want an upgrade while you’re in town.



MUDFLAP GIRL GEARING ADVICE FROM BAKER DRIVE TRAINS–

22-51 with normal 37-24 primary is 3.57, pretty lively! In 6th (.86)
you would have 3.07

23-51 37-24 gives 3.42 and 2.94 in 6th. I think that’s where I’d start.

To compare, most stock late models with 70/32 belt and 36/25 primary are
3.15 overall in 5th.

It’s nice to be slightly below 3.0 in 6th for 75 mph cruising. If it’s a
stoplight burner, go the other way.



Baker will be set up in Sturgis on Lazelle performing installs. If you would like your 5-speed modified into a 6-speed, or a special Baker oil pan added to your dresser, set up an appointment soon, and tell ’em Bikernet sent ya.


We ordered a rear sprocket spacer and a dished 51-tooth sprocket from Biker’s Choice. It’s always somewhat a roll of the dice and I try to build a selection of spacers to allow me a variety of spacing options. With the JIMS ½-inch offset 23-tooth sprocket and the centered wheel, the transmission lined up perfectly with my brand new O-ring chain. It had never been removed from the crumbled box after a trip or two to Bonneville. I pulled it free from its container and the bastard was covered in rust.




Chad from JIMS sent me a photo of the mainshaft seal-installing tool. I also ordered the seal spacer, but had an installation question.




“Tech says bevel side faces into trans,” said Chad. “I have attached an image of the
needed tool, #786.” I dug through my special tool bins and found something from JIMS that would handle the trick.






In the meantime, our sheet metal returned from Jim Murrillo, who sealed the tanks with Caswell and gave the exterior a protective primer coat. It was a rush to slip the two gas tanks into place but we ran into a problem with my oil tank. I almost had to take the engine and the trans out of the bike to return it to its rubber mounts. Ah, but we succeeded.





Now all the major elements are in place, but the Sturgis Run is moments away. We plan to load my Sturgis Shovelhead onto our trailer, with the 120-inch Panhead, the Salt Shaker for Mr. Wheeler to ride. We will snap the trailer to the Bikernet hearse and cut a dusty trail in a couple of days. While I’m in the Badlands I’ll be thinking of Mudflap Girls and getting back to the builds. I’m sure I’ll return with more ideas, and next year will be the year of riding FXRs to the Badlands.







Hang on for the next installment as we mount up the Trock-modified CV carb on my ride, and the Mikuni 42 mm on my son’s bike. We have wiring harnesses from Wire Plus, and I have a rare intake manifold from H.E.S. and Branch, that was ported by John O’Keefe. We’ll be rolling close to final assembly as I install my BDL belt drive system and Frank’s mid controls. Goddamnit, I can’t wait.



Sources:

Spitfire


Biker’s Choice


JIMS Machine


MetalSport


BDL/GMA


Wire Plus


Branch O’Keefe


Bennett’s Performance
Custom Cycle Engineering

There’s an unwritten rule in the Code OfChrome that says, if you slip a set of highbarson any motorcycle you save it from mediocrity.There’s more, an evil punishment for this oftenillegal gesture towards the rebellious arts. Assoon as the unsuspecting rider throws his legover the saddle and reaches for the tall grips,his sideburns expand down the sides of hisface and a goatee springs forth from his chin.The cuffs of his t-shirt roll, and he begins tosmoke a pack a day. An treacherous grinspreads across his smoke tainted teeth, as ifa deadly rash, and before the week is out he’sleft his lovely religious wife and ravagedseveral other women. Hearts lie broken in histire-burned path. It’s an ugly sight. So what didwe do to the King next–Highbars to the stars.

As soon as a date was set for theArizona Run I called Frank Kaisler, “We’ve gottwo weeks. Let’s install the highbars.”

“You’re nuts,” Franks said, “but we allknew that. Let’s do it. Make sure you have aroll of thin 60/40 solder, soldering paste and awide variety of long shrink tubing from 1/8 to1/2 inch. Oh, and you can get a head start bydrilling holes in the bars for the wiring and aslot at the bottom for the wires to exit. Startsmall and work up to and beyond 1/2-inchholes.

With multiple drill sizes and burr bits Iformed over 1/2-inch holes after holding thebars up to the bike and trying to estimate theposition of the grips. This is critical. I unboltedthe grips and measured the distance in fromthe end of the bars where the wires would runand noted the position of the wiring.

This was nervous work since it was notprecise. Even the slot at the bottom of thebars almost 2 inches long and 5/8-inch widehad to be carefully positioned not to put unduestress on the wires.

I took the riser housing off so I could seehow the wire looms and cables ran. WhenFrank arrived he brought along a sack full oftools that included emery bits and a dremeltool to smooth out the sharp edges particularlyon the inside.

We quickly rounded out the edges of theholes so as not to cut the wiring. Frank usedhis trick of shoving a tissue paper in each holeto test for sharp edges or burrs. If it snaggedthe least amount we continued theedge-softening procedure. He also kicked meduring the process and reminded me todisconnect the battery.

Next we had to carefully strip theheadlighthousing and handlebars. To remove the riserhousing there are two screws adjacent to theignition switch (pop off the guide ring aroundthe ignition switch with a screwdriver), but thatdoesn’t do the entirejob. The headlight ring must be removed.Take the sheetmetal screw out of the bottomof the ring and then lift out and up. Thering is held by a notch at the top andsupported by a spring that will snap loose.When it pops free there are eight small blackscrews holding the headlight assembly inplace (the other silver screws are there toadjust the lens–don’t mess with them). Afterthey were removed theassembly came out easily but needed to beunplugged from the wire connection at therear.

The wiring seems daunting, but it’s notbad and very organized.

The last small bolt holding the risercover inplace goes in this hole under the nacelle strip.The strip hooks into the slot above it.

Then you need to reach up under thecowling and feel along the bottom for the verysmall nut that holds the bezel strip in place.Once the strip is removed, the riser cover canbe removed.

Here’s the cover removed. A lot of workto reach the handlebar clamps.

The two 5/16 dome nuts holding eachside of the bezel also hold the runners for thewindshield and the passing light bar, whichwe removed along with the front crash bar–Living dangerously.

Then the passing and turn signal light barwas removed for ever more, and the bezelremoved with the 5/16-inch dome nuts oneither side of the front end (make sure youkeep all the fasteners together including thewindshield runners). Set the chromed bezelaside somewhere out of harms way. That’s abig chunk of visible chrome.

This photo reveals a handlebar clampbeing removed. It’s bullshit. We didn’t removethe handlebars until much later.

If you have a pal in the garage drinkingbeer and watching, get him to take shots ofthis process. If you must wait a week tore-install all this crap you may need areference guide and photos help a feeblememory. Or, of course, come to Bikernet andprint out this tech. Don’t forget to cover the tankand fender with something soft to protect themfrom scratches.

We noted that the electrical plugs on theleftside of the bike were different color from theright. We also noted their location and thedistance from the bars were measured beforeunplugging each connection to the handlebarswitches.

Don’t remove any wires before youdraw the diagram below. This cap performs acouple of functions. It seals the plug andinternally is pinches each wire lug in place.Once it’s removed a small screwdrive will pulleach catch away from each individual wire lugso it can be removed easily.

Check your diagram twice, no threetimes, before removing any wires.

We also noted the position of the throttlecables before removing the bars. Then thegrips were removed and switch housingsloosened so we could begin on the left side ofthe bars.

We handled the left wiring extensionfirst. This shot is of the right side and doesn’tshow a helluva lot, but it’s important. Toremove the throttle cable housings from thethrottle body it takes four miniature hands andtwo dinky screwdrivers to pinch the spring ringthat holds the cable in place. Be patient.

We measured the length of the wiresfromthe switches to the plugs, then compared thatmeasurement to the new highbars anddetermined that we needed to extend thewiring 13 inches to insure the proper length.Add an inch just for safe keeping. This aspectwas measured carefully several times.

Then the left switch loom was attackedfirst by drawing the back of the plug on thestainless bench top with a felt pen. We notedeach color coded wire and position beforeremoving the wires from the plugs. Do it fromthe back so you’re in the same position whenyou reinstall the wires.

Sure, here’s another shot of a diagram,but it’s damn critical to insure the wiring iscorrect, so pay attention. Note, that we madeindications on the drawing to indicate the topfrom the bottom of the plug.

We added sections of 13-inch wirestaggered in the center of the loom so as notto stack junctions, and so we maintained theoriginal color coding. Each junction wascarefully striped 1/4-inch, soldered and sealedwith shrink wrap.

One shot we missed depicted thewires staggered. That’s also crucial so youdon’t have junctions bunched together.

Note the handy wire connection holdingtool that Frank had made while working alonein his garage for ten years. Trying to hold theconnection together, while holding the solderand the gun is nearly impossible.

The Frank Kaisler, patent pending, wirejunction tool. Send $99.99 to P.O. Box 666,Hollywood, Calif. Send only rolls ofquarters.

He spoke to an engineer at one point whodidn’t cotton to twisting wires. He suggestedthat the wires be carefully mated straight onand soldered. The “Puerto Rican shrink wrap”as Frank refered to my colorful array of shrinktubing, was cut so that it would seal 3/8s of aninch on either side of the connection. Mostchunks of 1/8-inch diameter shrink wrap werea pinch over an inch long.

We also washed each connection withalcohol to remove the flux, which could harmthe wires or insulation, then with wet and drysandpaper, brushed any sharp edges thatmight cut through the shrink wrap.

We cleaned the connections usingalcohol with this brush trimmed in half tomake the bristles stronger.

After each wire was carefully soldered andprepped we covered it with shrink wrap, thenusing Frank’s handy tool we heated the areaand moved onto the next stage.

Then the looms were carefully coveredwithadditional 1/2-inch shrink wrap. Finally thebars were carefully blown out with the aircompressor and wiped clean before thelooms were fed into the grip ends of the bars(first we wrapped the pin connections withpainter’s masking tape and created a guidingpoint).

I used a painters masking tape to wrapthe connections and form a guiding point. Ididn’t want to use a tape that would requireawkward or violent stripping to remove it(which could damage the wiring).

Feeding the wiring into the bars fromthe grip end.

Once carefully pulled through the bars andthe switch housings positioned, we beganthe process of installing the connector pins.

Gently pulling the wires from thebottom of the bars.

After making sure the wires are exactlyin the right position we snugged down the torxscrews, but not permanently.

While refering to the diagram on thebench we carefully replaced the wires in thebottom of each plug.

Note the wedged caps that force eachwire clip into a locked position.

This depicts the same procedure fromthe other side of the bars. What a great shot,huh?

Only then could we snap the plug backinto place on the bike. Of course the plugcolors matched.

This was a nervous time. We hadextended 8 and 9 wires respectively (on eachside of the bars), carefully worked themthrough the bars and guided them out thebottom. As we replaced the plugs the sweatbeaded on my brow. Had I correctly solderedeach wire? Was each wire replaced in theplugs properly? Did I call a wire white withgray stripe, when it was actually white withblue stripe? It had taken almost four hours tocomplete the operation on the left side of thebars.

We put the levers in place just to checkthe position and see if we didn’t blow it. It wascool.

After a needed lunch break we tackledthe right side of the bars with the sameprocedure. Now with the wiring installed in thebars they were returned to the motorcycle. Iswung my leg over the 100th anniversaryCobra-styled seat and perched my ass down.Frank turned the ignition switch on, “try it out,”he said.

Torquing the bars down to 15 footpounds. Torque the front Allens down first,then the rear according to Pablo.

Continued On Page2

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 intakes and wanted me to try one.

With John’s assistance, these guys are building hot rod twin cams with some very special confidential products. I’m hoping to bring you the story and access to some of these secret products in the near future. I mounted his intake with stock clamps.

After installing the rear wheel, we discovered the oil tank could not be installed from the front with the engine and trans in place, and we had to remove the rear wheel. It wouldn’t install from the rear without removal of the wind guard and one frame-mounted rubbermount. We made it work without removing the engine and trans.

At this point, we jumped around the bike looking for any project affording completion, without trips to suppliers, missing fasteners, or parts orders. We took a hard look at Spyke’s new BDL starter jackshaft fix. I’ve used BDL systems for ten years without a problem, and no starting hassles. It took us a while to understand this system. Basically, it allows the starter gear to bounce, not jam into the ring gear. Once we understood how the Spyke fix operated and the lack of spring travel in the BDL system, we came face to face with the benefits. We moved on to fitting the fender.

This tough 9-inch fender fit perfectly with some slight modification grinding on the Spitfire fender rail tabs, but the bottom front of the fender smacked the oil bag and prevented perfect alignment. With some heat and our shop press, we pushed a buffing groove in the fender. Then we cut the massive notch for the chain and the fender was getting damn close. Ray took up the grinding duties after I cut the notch with the plasma cutter.

Then we turned back to the oil bag, which we had grown nervous about some characteristics. This was a one-off, first attempt by the Spitfire motorcycle crew. They did a helluva job, but we noticed that the return and vent oil bungs were down the face of the bag, restricting oil capacity. We stopped by Gard Hollinger’s LA Chop Rods facility and asked for a couple of 1/8-inch pipe threaded bungs. Gard doesn’t manufacture that size, but he does make ¼-inch pipe thread bungs, which seemed foreign to me, but we stepped up.

This was a tough, and scary operation. I didn’t want to risk drilling and dropping metal shavings in the tank. Jim Murillo recently sealed the tanks and coated the interior. The alternative was a 2.2-quart oil bag over a 4-quart oil bag. We swallowed hard and started the operation of drilling the holes in the top of the tank. I turned the bungs down slightly so I didn’t have to drill ¾-inch holes in the tank.

Ah, but for every obstacle, there’s an opportunity. We discovered a perfect exterior clear oil gauge, fucking beautiful. We started to drill the holes in the top of the tank for the return lines.

We also had a squirrelly obstacle with the top motormount. The frame came with a chunk of tubing protruding directly down from the backbone under the tank. In the end of the tubing, the Spitfire crew welded a hearty bung, and it was drilled and tapped to 7/16 fine threads. I went on the hunt for some 7/16 hiem joints and McMaster Carr had a couple in stock. That was my initial direction, but it had its drawbacks.

I kept looking for alternatives and discovered a tab that was part of the Biker’s Choice top motormount kit. The slot in one end was 7/16-inch, and it pushed the hiem joint anchor spot out far enough for the pivot point to reach the stock hole in the top motormount. I went to work welding it, but Dr. Willie didn’t like my fix. I want to give it a shot.

We also ran into a return line problem with the stock Softail engine configuration. The return oil line from the filter pointed directly at the transmission. We straightened it and ran the line, then thought about running an oil filter. We went on a search for an old Cadillac power steering oil cooler. This turned into an afternoon excursion, hitting junkyards in our ghetto area and all the auto parts stores. At the last Auto Zone, we scored this Cadillac power steering oil cooler and made a mad dash back to the shop.

We considered running one of those front motor-mount regulator brackets, but I didn’t like the way it interfered with the mount and the engine fasteners. Since the frame was built perfectly for this application, we cut and fitted a chunk of rectangular tubing stock between the frame rails to house the Spyke regulator.

We drilled it, installed fasteners from the back, and welded them into place, forming studs on the front. It was good to go once we tacked it into the frame. This project has a devilish twist, since we plan to build it, then test ride for a month or two before a paintwork teardown. I’m not using nylock fasteners this time around, just lock washers. Some items will be TIG welded, whereas some will be MIG spot welded for the tryout period.

When I grappled with the Biker’s choice CV carb mounting system, including breathers, I discovered the Branch/H.E.S. intake difference. I was forced to slice and weld the bracket in an alternate position. That puppy will need to be ground and reshaped before powder coating. We moved ahead and I discovered my Goodsen Fantasy in Iron air cleaner was built for a Mikuni, so I traded with my son for his Roger Goldammer, hand-pounded, stainless steel unit.

What a sharp, well-thought-out chunk of artistic workmanship. Everything about his air cleaner was well configured, from the backing plate to the position of the fasteners. It came with all the necessary fasteners and two foam sock-like filter elements.

I have never liked the single bolt rear axle adjuster. It allowed the axle to float and shift from its required setting, which can be downright dangerous. I ordered some special fasteners and set to drilling and tapping the stern of the swingarm bosses. They were massive, solid chunks of Spitfire steel. It took some time, but now the axle is locked into position.

Then we started to grapple with the kickstand. The obvious choice was a weld-on unit from Mr. Lucky, but he didn’t have any in stock.

I needed to install the 3-inch BDL belt system, to see where the kickstand would hit. Some kickstands can be a bear to reach, or take up much needed ground clearance. The more I looked at the Spitfire forward controls, the more I didn’t want to mess with that area. The only kickstands available that might fit this configuration were pricey jobs, and I suspected they wouldn’t fit. I started to dig around.

This new BDL belt drive fell into place after I drove the pins into the engine pulley. The clutch slipped right into place, and then I carefully selected washers and shims behind the engine pulley until both pulleys were aligned.

This new system has just two big, tough, 3/8-inch stud fasteners and stand-offs. One has a step in it, and it took very little time to determine which position it was machined for. The rear stud hung over the ring gear and needed additional clearance, but I goofed. I used red Loctite on the stud, and I should’ve stuck with blue. I’ll have to remove the aluminum stud anytime I remove the clutch.

Then inspiration surfaced with the notion to run a rear kickstand. In searching my parts bins, I came across a wild kickstand base. Unlike the old ones from the ’30s to the ’70s, this one worked the same, but was heavy and cast. With Ray’s assistance, we came up with the materials and the notion to bolt it to the swingarm cap, which is held with two 7/16 fine bolts. I went to work while Ray peeled out for Cook’s Shootout in Bonneville.

I tacked and tested it until I was convinced I hadn’t completely fucked up. Then I cut off the tabs, and ground and shaped the massive chunk of steel. I TIG welded this puppy together, mounted it, and made a cool stop threaded into the frame.

Next, I’ll start wiring with Wire Plus products and the bike should run within a week or two. Then it’s off to Saddlemen for a seat. Hang on, the Mudflap Girl will live.

But wait, I forgot that we installed the Spyke Push-Button solenoid starter. It eliminates weak connections, starter relays, and starter button wiring. It’s a breeze to install, but it’s important to make sure, once the button is released, it’s fully clear of contact.

Sources:

Spitfire

Biker’s Choice

JIMS Machine

MetalSport

BDL/GMA

Wire Plus

Branch O’Keefe

Bennett’s Performance

Custom Cycle Engineering

I couldn’t think or speak. I had a week and a half to insure that this puppy ran. I could sense fangs growing under my upper lip. I began to snarl as my fingernail extended beyond my cold hard hands. My eyes reddened, and I wanted to ride. Without the throttle cables I could use the cruise control, if it still worked. I could jam it into gear and fly. Frank hit me with a torque wrench. “We’re burnin’ daylight,” he snapped, “Let’s measure the cables and install the left Knuckle style grip.”

After wiping the grip end of the bar down with alcohol, the grip interior was coated with the rubber cement, that came with the grips. Then it was immediately slipped into place.

I snapped out of my Werewolf London fog. We measured the clutch cable then compared our findings with the throttle cables. As I suspected, lucky 13 inches to make up for the 12-inch taller bars that were an inch wider than the stock units. Frank made a B-line for the phone to call Barnett’s and ordered the cables. We were scheduled to roll up to the fleet center for a performance upgrade on Friday. It was Tuesday and the cables wouldn’t arrive until Thursday. It was going to be a close call. “Barnett has been around since Moby Dick was a minnow,” Frank said. I’ve been ordering custom cables from them since I was in my 20s and first influenced by Apehanger madness. “They are as reliable as the sun on the coast,” Frank continued, but I was still nervous.

We weren’t done yet. We torqued (15 foot pounds) the bars into place and began to cut and fit Goodridge brakes hoses, distributed by Barnetts and Custom Chrome. Another delicate operation.

The King has dual disc brakes and the fittings had to be installed just right, tightened properly and finally torgued into place. From the bottom of the triple-trees we used the stock measurement to the calipers from the existing junction under the trees. The new lengths of Goodridge hose were cut with the largest, strongest side cutters I had. Before any fittings were installed we slipped a 2-inch piece of black 3/8-inch diameter shrink tubing over the hose. Next a chromed pinch fitting was slipped over the cable. Frank brought the tools and supplies including a tool to spread the braided hose after the rubber housing was stripped away to allow the new fitting to be installed.

Stripping the rubber sleave back from the end about an inch.

Here’s all the components involved in the process.

The tool used to spread the braided steel shield.

Then a small brass round furl (like a brass ball-bearing with a hole in it) is slipped over the plastic lining. It must be pushed to the point where the internal brass ridge meets with the end of the plastic liner. The other half of the fitting with the long tube is shoved into place. In each case we clamped the fitting between two sheets of leather then began to tighten the sleeve onto the fitting. In each case they were a bear to tighten down indicating that we had succeeded in a strong, secure grip.

The spreading process involves shoving the tool into place and swiveling it to make sure the braided area is spread consistently.

Installing the furl is simple, just slip it on carefully then push it into place. But, inspect the inside to make sure the plastic hose is against the interior ridge.

Now tighten the pinch fitting. Note the leather pads in the vice to prevent damage to the banjo fitting. These puppies are tough to tighten down, take your time.

Here’s another way to hold the banjo fitting for final tightening. Be careful not to bend or damage the sealing surfaces.

Note the two bronze washer/gaskets on either side of the banjo fittings for proper sealing which is critical to your brakes.

After each line was carefully constructed, they were installed on the bike after some jockeying with the Goodridge billet junction under the tree which fit precisely.

For some reason, this Goodridge junction mounted extremely snug between the fork tube guards. For awhile we thought we were in trouble.

We followed the original routing of the stock brake line through the nacelle. With the lines in place we torqued them down (17-20 foot pounds). I took the easy way of bleeding the brakes. I pulled on the lever gently allowing the bubbles to pass through the master cylinder. It took a while, and I had to keep filling the reservoir as the the lines drained the supply.

We used the stock 12-point fittings which torqued down easily to 17-20 foot pounds, which seemed like a lot.

We had completed all that was possible for Tuesday and I swung my leg over the saddle once more. As fire and smoke poured from my ears Frank crept out of the garage and into the night.

Thursday morning I paced the vast porch in front of the headquarters waiting for the UPS man. The truck sped past without a hint of slowing. I called Frank, he called Barnetts. I called the Fleet center after finding that the cables wouldn’t arrive until Monday morning, guaranteed. We had an American Rider magazine deadline, but more importantly I had a run-to-Arizona-deadline for the following Friday. I started pacing the garage and bowing to the new 16-inch apes. I knew, by the power of the Ape, we would succeed.

At 9:00 a.m. in my boxer shorts, Monday morning, I met the UPS man and signed for the Barnett package. I started to lube all the cables then decided that I should get dressed.

In order to install a new clutch cable the face of the transmission must be removed. I was surprised that this was the first item that I ran across on the King that was a pain in the ass to install. The entire exhaust system had to be loosened all the way back to the rear muffler isolator. before the clutch release housing could be removed.

With large clip ring pliers the throw-out mechanism was set free to release the clutch cable which virtually snapped into place. Then the cover was spun to allow the cable housing to unscrew. Next the new cable was fed along the same route as the stock job.

Once the clutch release cover is removed and the clip ring snapped out, you can see the outer ramp with the coupling ready for the cable.

If you look close the cable has been fed through the hole and is heading towards home.

Now with the new cable attached the outer ramp heads back into position. Watch you don’t tilt the case. The ball bearings will escape.

This shot shows the entire clutch release assembly complete. Remember as you reposition the clip ring to put the sharp edge up for the most secure bond.

We discovered that we had a lot of slack and rerouted the clutch cable outside the front motormount to eliminate some. Then the tranny cover gasket was wiped clean and the cover replaced (torqued to 10-12 foot pounds), then refilled with tranny fluid to the appropriate level with the bike upright and the dipstick threads just touching. We filled it to the top dipstick mark, about 3/4 of a quart capacity.

With this assembly you spin the cover onto the cable, not visa-versa.

According to the book, the torque specs call for 10-12 foot pounds of torque to snug up the clutch release cover.

With a 9/16 box end wrench snug the cable housing down with a new o-ring attached.

We jacked-up the gas tank to afford us access to the fuel injection throttle cable routing. With the three tank mounting bolts removed the tank was lifted easily until a chunk of wood could be wedged under the front of the tank. Then I figured out which cable was what. With a small Crescent wrench, I loosened the throttle cable adjusters and took out all of the adjustment to allow lots of cable slack.

The unit with the small spring around the cable at the throttle body end was the push cable. I fed the braided cables through the runners as if they were stock cables. You will note, if you attempt this, that there is a Cruise Control connection in one of the stock cables at the neck. We unplugged it with trepidation. I wasn’t sure what havoc it would cause. I hadn’t tried the Cruise control. As it turned out, it’s a sensor to kill the control, if you back off the throttle abruptly.

Lubing throttle cables starts with wrapping the cable housing with a little masking tape to create an oil container. Fill it with a light 3-in-1, silicone, or Marvel Mystery oil and let it seep into the housing. Fill it several times.

Feed the cables up through the throttle casing. With a little force they will snap into place.

Make sure to grease the brass barrel before installing it to the cable end. The grease will help hold the barrel in place.

With the Barnett cable set at the most slack position, slip the barrel and cable onto the greased throttle guide grove.

This is not a good shot of installing the cables into the guide slots in the intake module, but it’s easy. Just make sure you have the right cable in the right slot. It doesn’t hurt to grease them which we forgot.

Here’s the cables in position. That odd short cable on the side is the cruise control job.

Make sure you oil the throttle cables before they are snapped into the throttle housing on the bars, because the spring clips that hold them into place are a bitch to remove. The cables were both put into place with brass rollers, “After you grease the throttle and cable runners with a Q-tip,” Frank reminded me. Be careful not to lose those tiny brass suckers. I was told later to try to adjust the cables evenly under the throttle and make sure you have slack in both lines so you don’t have continuos drag on the cable fittings.

Here’s the throttle body in place waiting for the front brake mastercylinder.

According to experts, you should adjust the cables so that the adjustment screws are approximately equal in length. My adjustment had to be straightened out at a later date.

Finally we replaced the air cleaner backing plate using Phillips screwdrivers to hold the gasket in proper position. Next the breather hoses had to be pushed onto the head fittings and lined up with the air cleaner element. Lastly the cover was installed. It was time to ride.

But not so fast Kimosabe. We had to install the riser cover, the nacelle trim and the headlight assembly. We were hauling ass.

The actual breather fittings hold the air cleaner backing plate into place.

Use small Phillips screwdrivers to hold the air cleaner gasket aligned.

Push the hoses into place keeping in mind that they feed into the air cleaner element.

This little nut and screw are a bear to replace but must be handled before the nacelle strip can be installed.

This slightly out-of-focus shot shows the little stud that slips through the nacelle. Make sure the strip is locked into the riser cover slot before you tighten the nut.

Tighten the nut lightly with blue Loctite to keep it from rattling loose.

Don’t forget to plug the headlight in before you install it, like I did.

Install the headlight assembly with all eight black screws. Leave the bright adjustment ones alone, unless you lowered your bike. Then it needs adjustment.

We could screw the riser down with the Phillips screws and replace the snap-on ignition ring last. I still don’t like the way it fit and need to check it again.

By noon on Monday we had completed the Highbar installation and I was itching to hit the road. We had moved our appointment at the fleet center from Friday to Monday morning, then to Monday at noon. We didn’t roll up to their doors until 1:30 p.m. and Alan, the master mechanic announced that he was leaving at 4:00. We were burnin’ daylight once again. Would the pressure every end?

The final Frank shot with one hand hanging outside of a van window. I want to thank Frank for the use of his tools and his photographic and technical skills. Those elements and my bumbling hands make these techs as complete as they are. Believe me, it’s a bastard to build a bike, write a tech and take the shots at the same time. We’ve done it before, but a team efforts helps a helluva lot.

Next, we’ll install a performance package with Screamin’ Eagle heads, cams, air cleaner and two into one exhaust that we had jet hot coated. Hang on.

–Bandit

The King lives again, thanks to the Harley-Davidson Spring catalog supplement. The factory now offers complete blacked out Road King front end components. We replaced the warped nacelle.

With a small brush and a 1/2 pint of gloss black Rustoleum, we touched up chipped fasteners over a couple of Coronas. What’s next? The rear fender needed touch-up. The all-black King was cool, but the damn thing needed some color. That called for old school pinstripping. Finally we liked the new mostly black mags except for the tits around the rim. They seemed out of place. We pondered a solution.

There’s Henry with a Jitter-Bug orbital sander.

We rode over to Henry Figueroa’s Auto Restorations, a steel corrugated building on the wrong side of town. Henry worked for his dad as a kid fixing cars. His mainstay is restoring antique autos and custom paint jobs for four-wheelers from the ’20s through the ’60s (310) 218-9097. Henry said he would fill the holes in the bottom of the fender and prepare it for George, The Wild Brush, to perform his pinstriping magic (310) 488-5488.

Since we didn’t change the color scheme, paying homage to the 100th, we decided to snatch the gold from the edge of the silver band and expand it to other elements of the King. We removed the license plate holder and plastic fender tip in preparation for reworking the fender and filling three holes.

Henry handled the small holes with Z-Grip bondo and welded a plate behind the large quarter-sized hole (used for accessory wiring, then filled it with bondo. With nasty-rough 80-grit sandpaper he shaped the bondo to conform with the fender. Then he used finer sandpaper to continue to smooth the surface until it was as slick as a baby’s ass. Sheet metal and bondo work takes a trained eye and artistic patience. Henry buzzed through it like it was second nature and with a block sander massaging the surface before painting it with House of Kolor primer filler. More sanding with finer, wet-and-dry grits took place before the final black coats were laid over the tip.

It’s the magnificent George, the Wild Brush.

Then we were graced with the talent of George, the Wild Brush, a pinstriper who has been wielding Blue Liner striping brushes for 30 years. As a youngster he worked in the Los Angeles Gasoline Alley. He created wild paint schemes for Mario Andretti, Bill Simpson and Dale Armstrong.

George mixed and matched enamel stripping paints for just the right hue.

He used only enamel striping paints for drying flexibility. He can test, paint and tinker and wipe the surface clean if he’s not happy with the results. “Metallics are much more difficult to work with,” George explained mixing paint and testing the consistency on his delicate brush. “Gold is particularly difficult and may not flow. Anytime I reload the brush there may be a matching problem.” He used talcum powder, to keep his hands from sticking to the metal face being striped, for a pure clean line. With a grease pencil he marked the center of the fenders and went to work freehand, without so much as a sketch.

Sometimes George uses masking tape to find the center of the fender.

Pinstriping is a delicate art form often administered in public.

The front fender gave George the best vantage point and position for striping so it received the finest workmanship.

We wanted an old school appearance and his seasoned talents were perfectly suited for the task. With the rear fender tip touched by the Wild Brush, he moved onto the front Street Stalker fender, then the horn cover and finally a small touch to the jet hot, flat- black-coated Screamin’ Eagle air cleaner cover. George instructed us to wait three weeks before adding protective wax to the finish. He suggested Turtle wax as a polish that works without harmful abrasives or chemicals. That’s it for this issue.

Here’s before and after the Jet Hot flat black coated Screamin’ Eagle Air Cleaner was striped.

Keeping his striping brush loose and flexible before completing the rear fender.

The rear fender, while on the bike, was awkward to stripe without a lift. The paint still needs final polish.

George pointed out a little trick for the powder coated point cover. Instead of striping it, and since our powder crew coated the back side, he rubbed some of the gray enamel into the slots and left it to dry with a light coat of gray on the surface. “That’s not a problem,” George pointed out. “Leave it for a couple of days then polish the cover. It will look as if it was striped.”

That covered the striping but not the wheels. We rode back to the headquarters and jacked up the King on the lift. We dug out a handful of tools, bought some model car gold paint and plain old black enamel.

I sanded the tits on the wheel with 400 wet and dry just to create a surface that would hold the touch up excercise. I was determined that the legs of the wheels are powdercoated flat black, perhaps over a clear coat that covers the entire wheel. This was a test. The right way might include taking the wheels off, machining the tits away and re-powdercoating the entire wheel.

I used a rag and harsh electrical contact cleaner to prepare the surface for touch-up.

This will tweak your mind. I painted the tits on the alloy wheels with the gold paint first. Then I stood back and eyed the job. It looked sharp and added a touch of color. On the other hand it had that gold-trimmed Cadillac appearance. That was a bastard to swallow.

What’s a poor Bandit to do? I went after the other side of the bike with cheap brushes and black touch-up paint. The exact same procedure on the right, but without the gold paint. Let me know what you think.

That did it. We installed the bags with the left side touched in gold and the right handled with hardened black. I still can’t decide what side I like the best. The women lean toward the gold. Let us know what you think? I still might stripe the wheels, machine them, then black powder both entirely. That’ll answer that goddamn question. See ya next time for our oil cooler install that’s currently being featured in American Rider.

–Bandit

The Australian Connection standing in the Bikernet Headquarters shop.

Around mid June Kerry and myself were organizing our trip to Sturgis, when Bandit contacted me an asked how would I liketo ride the Road King to Sturgis. Immediate thoughts were Wholly Shit, I’ve read all about the King on Bikernet and watchedthe different stages Bandit has put it thru, so I was very familiar with it, and for Bandit to be asking me was really a big deal, meaning, I felt honored enough when Bandit invited Kerry and myself to join them on the ride, let alone ride his bike. So youprobably guessed the answer was a big >>>>>> Yes Sir !! thank you very much.

For the readers who aren’t familiar with the Road King, I’ll enlighten you. It started life as a stock 2003, 100th Anniversary model.Bandit said he designed the bike be a big bad assed, blacked out touring bike with heaps of attitude. Bandit and his crew wanted to use as many H-D parts as they could to prove you could build a mean assed bike out of Harley Davidson’s catalogue. They started by blacking out the dash, a set of one inch lowered air shocks and a detachable back rest along with some neat touring components. With the help from a dealer for some more involved tech mods to gain horsepower and some low-down torque, they came up with a formula by adding performance cams, Screaming Eagle Heads, air cleaner kit and two into one pipes powder coated black, giving them 68 horses compared to 60 and torque was 76 pounds with a 6 pound increase. Next they installed a factory oil cooler which Bandit tested on a run to Barstow saying how it kept the oil at a very reasonable temperature which is critical for long term, Twin Cam reliability.

Fast forward to Sturgis, August 2005 and Kerry, my wonderful bride, and myself arriving at the Bikernet Headquarters being greeted by Bandit and the lovely Nyla. We were enjoying a beer while having a grand tour of their unbelievable home when Bandit said, “Get ya helmet Goddamit, we’re going for a ride.”

It’s hard to explain the excitement that was welling up inside of me, especially when I first laid eyes on Bandit’s bare boned, mean as shit Shovel, I swear it had a look like, let’s go, I’m ready. And right beside it sat the Road King.

It definitely looked like itwas ready to do some very serious miles, man. It looked beautiful, all blacked out like a road warrior ready for action, 16-inch apes reaching for the sky, a very comfortable looking seat and a detachable back rest for Kerry. I gotta tell you these two bikes were like chalk and cheese, the Road King had all the creature comforts and Bandit’s Sturgis Shovel had absolutely nothing, excepta little back fender and a sprung seat, Shit !!! and he’s riding it to Sturgis, tough sonofabitch, I thought to myself.

Bandit trying to fondle my wife in Arizona.

Just as the sun was setting over Long Beach we fired those puppies up and peeled out of the Bikernet Headquarters like two crazed maniacs going for their first ride after a long cold winter, ( sound familiar Bandit ). Seriously thou, we cruised around Long Beach taking in the sights and both of us getting used to our rides. We both had grins from ear to ear, especially when we twisted the wick on these babies, I was blown away, the King with it’s sheer size and weight, had some serious acceleration, man. I was impressed plus having a lot of fun and Bandit’s shovel went like a rocket, with it’s power-to-weight making it an awesome ride.

This was going to be my 4th trip to Sturgis (beginning in Australia) and I knew 100 percent this trip was going to be very special, I was feeling right at home on the Road King, everything was perfect except for the bloody windscreen, I think it was set up for Bandits 6′ 4” frame and I could not get used to it, but Harley had it covered. Two seconds and it was off, no problem.

Famous Bandit “Map Check” stop.

I would love to tell you about our trip to Sturgis, but it’s been covered by Bandit and Johnny Humble, the young gun from Texas, both really great stories and you can still check them out by going to The Events Coverage in Bikernets Department Site.

That’s Charlie out front riding a 124-inch Evo with a sidecar. In back from left to right is Glen, the author, Chris Tronolone, Johnny No-Notes and Bandit.

It’s hard to put into words, the true feeling of this road trip with such great company, I will say that we were very privileged to get to ride with them, even thou we live on the other side of the world, I know that Kerry and myself have forged life-time friendships and hopefully will get to do it again some day.

Glenn and the famous Queen Joerline.

I have been privileged to ride a lot of bikes in my time and I must say the Road King was bloody brillante, we covered 4000 miles all up, came across all types of weather (as we all do) including high altitudes where the King never missed a beat with it’s superb fuel injection and very smooth motor. Seating was great, and I just loved the apes. Not only do they look really cool with an attitude, they were really comfortable.

There’s nothing like apes, even for Glenn who is 5’10”. I gotta tell ya, nothing like doing big miles across your beautiful country and checking out the scenery thru a pair of 16-inch apes Awesome. Not forgetting the handling was unbelievable, even two up and loaded made no difference.

I will post some photos of our trip that you haven’t seen and would like to do a follow up of our trip from where Kerry and myself parted company from the rest of the crew, returning to L.A. via Denver, Santa Fe, Sedona and Vegas.

I would like finish up by thanking Bandit and Nyla for their friendship, hospitality and giving us such a great time, not forgetting the use of their Road King.

Nyla and her lovely daughter Karley. They managed the back-up truck.

Okay guys thats a wrap, hope you like it.

Yep, these techs will be backwards. I just rolled in fromArizona after the first 1,000-mile test ride after installinghighbars, performance parts, and modifying the windshield to fit thehighbars. So why publish the techs backwards starting with thewindshield? We’re lazy. This one will be short and the next two,since Frank Kaisler was involved, will be mammoth techs withthousands of photographs. Hang on for them, but if you’ve installedhighbars on a Softail or a King model and have long arms like myself, the windshield may be a problem to attach, but there’s acareful, simple cure.

First put the shield in place and decide if you can endure ahandlebar adjustment or not. If you pull the bars back in line withthe front end, the windshield will fit without a problem. You mightcheck it for 80 mph flexing which could cause rubbing against thebars, cables, brake hoses or wiring (if you didn’t run the wiresinternally). I took short wire ties and held small soft stripes ofrags around the cables that would have been damaged.

So I shoved the bars forward until the windshield would havefallen off the front-end. I’m not a big fan of windshields, but whenyou plan a ride through a 1,000 miles of rain, cold and wet highways, it’s a plus. I used the adjustable windshield from Harley-Davidson which allowed me to raise or lower it. I discovered that the lowered position is actually more comfortable in the rain. If I had raised it, I would have looked through the shield which was scattered with water and streaks. Visibility sucks and distraction wasoverwhelming, so I lowered it and my visibility was perfect while stillmaintaining the comfort and protection of the shield.

So what the hell did I do? I cut scallops in the plasticshield. First I marked off the area of the shield that had to beremoved with 1/4-inch masking tape and began to grind through theplastic with a bench grinder, the finer of the two stones. I tookcare to keep the edge of the plastic aimed down so the stone wouldn’t grab the sonuvabitch and crack it. I ground one corner then the next to search for a basic rounded feel. I avoided sharp edges or grooves that could crack. Since this was no perfect established science, I took my time slicing notches then slipping the windshield into place. I went back and forth to the grinder over and over. You might want to wear a breathing filter during this process and eye protection.

Once I was close to the finished area on one side, I took thewindshield to the vice and with leather pads on either side of themounting bracket clamped it down. Then with a high speed drill and a burr bit began to cut and shape some more. This, I found was difficult and took care not to allow the bit to grab and cut into theclear surface, but I was able to clean the edge some more. Ire-installed the shield again and determined that I was damn close.

Keep in mind that this was a last minute operation onThanksgiving day, between writing projects and packing for a run tothe desert. As the evening closed in it began to rain, a rarity inthis neck of the woods. I jogged in the house and flipped on theweather channel. The gods of the Roulette table had decided that Iwas not supposed to ride this weekend. The only rain east of theMississippi was dead over the 10 interstate from Los Angeles to theArizona State line. That made the windshield project even moreparamount. I dashed back to the garage.

Once I was close to the necessary fitment, style andprecision matching became a consideration. I ran a piece of maskingtape up the side of the stainless steel strut straight up the shieldas a measuring guide. Then I measured up from the horizontal strut to where the cut began. With these measurements I was able to compare them on the opposite side for an even scallop into the shield. I went back to the grinder and to the burr device for the final shaping. I continued back and forth a dozen times from the grinder then the high speed drill and back again. Once I had it nailed down, predominately with the grinder, I used an emery bit to smooth the edge of the Plexiglas.

That completed the cutting and shaping although the unitdidn’t lock entirely into place. I knew that once on the road thewind would prevent it from escaping. One small wire tie held thespring lock on the detachable windshield to the clutch cable foradded insurance. Just under 1,000 miles later I pulled back into SanPedro with a completely successful ride under my sore ass, provingthat careful mods to the Plexiglas windshield are completelypossible. Rah, rah.

–Bandit

Editor’s Note: Our 5-Ball factory racer was feature in Heavy Duty Magazine in Australia recently. It’s the largest selling custom bike mag Down Under. The story and the photos were handled by the amazing Smilin’ Doc Robinson, the longtime tech editor. I’ve left the story alone for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.–Bandit

Many interesting and colourful characters populate the biker world and Keith “Bandit” Ball walks tall among them. And not only because he tops out at six-foot five inches. Lifetime biker, author, longtime Easyriders’ editor, custom bike builder, salt racer, founder of the premier web site Bikernet.com, Bandit is all this and more.

Get him settled in the comfortable lounge seat in his Los Angeles abode, pour him a stiff whisky, and sit back as he shares tales of the road, some that would make your hair curl, others that are genuinely side-splitting and always among them, lessons to be learned about life.

I figured that the best way to introduce this build to HEAVY DUTY readers is to give it to you in Bandit’s own words: “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 engine.

Randy Simpson built vintage kit bikes. Don Hotop built some of the finest vintage-styled customs and recently I saw a ’20s styled bike at the SEMA show in Las Vegas built by the Shadley Brothers for House of Kolors. Beautiful piece. So I ain’t the first by a long shot. But there is something in the air recently about respecting the old iron and bringing it back to life. Some of it has to do with restrictions, and building older bikes is unrestricted. Some of it has to do with nostalgia and some is just a wild departure from the last project. I’m excited every year about this learning process.”

I asked Keith to sum up the vision that drove this build: “Well I built it in the teens vintage style, but with my height and long limbs I had to scale it up a bit. It’s built for long miles, with floorboards, a sprung seat, rubber grips, tall gearing and a spare gas tank. Every custom motorcycle build is an adventure. It takes me from one crazed time in my wild life to another. Fortunately, I’m not spilling my guts about another woman I lost during a knuckle-busting build. But this build did represent turning points. I’m rapidly closing in on my mid-sixties and about ready to sign up for Social Security. It also represented our stinky economy.”

Bandit is such an industry icon and it is not surprising that many of the leading lights of the motorcycle aftermarket were involved in this build, blokes like Ron Paugh of Paughco, leading manufacturer of custom parts and accessories for the past forty-three years, Rick Krost of US Choppers, Chica, who needs no introduction, Gard Hollinger of LA Choprods and HEAVY DUTY photographer Glenn Priddle who made the sweet seat.

Here’s Bandit again: “The key to the success of this project is the drive train. I sought a Crazy Horse V-Plus, 100-inch engine for several reasons. It has a classic design, renewed performance, cool looks and a left-side carb. I coupled it to a JIMS 5-speed transmission with a Baker kicker unit and Baker N1 shifting drum, so I can run the tank shifter and find neutral without a problem. The rocker clutch system I put together from old H-D parts while I fabricated the tank shifter.”

When he hasn’t got a fast motorcycle between his legs, or a whiskey in one hand and a beautiful redhead in the other, Bandit is happiest welding, soldering, wrenching, milling and turning metal in his secret and damn well-equipped lair beneath Bikernet HQ. His other love is writing, usually upstairs in his 1923 shop, behind his glass-topped Panhead-motor desk, rattling his computer keyboard, churning out another fiction book, a book for motorbooks, magazine articles (sometimes for HEAVY DUTY), or news, or one of dozens of tech articles for Bikernet.com.

And for those of you who are truly interested in the real guts of bike building, let me recommend reading the whole story of this build on the Bikernet.com web site. It runs over some eleven parts and is well illustrated with photographs showing each and every step of this build.

If you only read one part of the full story, make it Part 6 where you’ll see the immense amount of work that went into the rear fender fully detailed as master metal shaper Chica gets to work. But once again, I strongly recommend you read the whole thing as a salutary lesson on just what goes into a ground up build. Without the space limitations of a magazine Bandit is able to show and tell stuff that you won’t find elsewhere. To find it, go to Bikernet.com and click the Free Departments button and select Techs and Bike Builds and scroll backward through the various articles until you find Part One and take it from there.

I really dig this bike in every aspect; the concept of honouring old iron in this way, the marriage of old school looks with a nod here and there to practicality and safety, given that brakes back in the first two decades of the twentieth century were mighty primitive to say the least. I love that shifter in all its brassy mechanical glory, the vintage touches like the chain oilers and the leather strap holding down the battery and the cool fuel tank mounted up top to extend the bike’s range.

Having examined it closely, both during construction and in its completed state, I can attest that the fit and finish all over is excellent and detail touches like the pin striping are icing on the cake. Keith thanks Sin Wu for her part in this build and reckons this woman is a keeper, and I can understand that. This bike is a beauty and will look just as cool in fifty years from now. Way to go Bandit, I’ve seen several of your other builds but with this one you’ve climbed a pinnacle. HEAVY DUTY is proud to feature it in our pages.

BIKERNET EXTREME GUTS&BOLTS TECH CHART

ENGINE
Type: Crazy Horse Power Plus 100
Capacity: 100ci
Cases: Stock
Crank Stock
Bore: 3.874″
Stroke: 4.25c
Heads: Stock
Ignition: Thunderheart
Carburetion: S&S Super E
Manifold: Stock
Air cleaner: powder coated by Worco
Exhaust: Bandit built
Muffler: Stainless Scorpion from John Reed
Estimated power: 80hp

TRANSMISSION
Year: 2006
Type: JIMS
Number of gears: 5
Gearchange: Bandit built
Baker N1 Shift Drum
Clutch: BDL
Primary drive: BDL Classic powder coated by Worco
Rear Drive: Exile chain

SUSPENSION
Front: Paughco narrow tapered leg springer
Triple Trees: steel from Paughco
Mods: 2″ under length
Rear: Rigid U.S. Chopper design

WHEELS
Front: Black Bike dimpled 23″
Tyre: Avon
Brake calipers: GMA by BDL
Brake rotor: H-D
Brake lines: John Reed
Rear: Black Bike dimpled 23″
Tyre: Avon
Brake caliper: Exile
Brake rotor: Exile Sprotor

FRAME
Type: US Choppers vintage rigid
Make: Factory Racer by Paugho
Year: 2009
Rake: 30 degrees
Seat: Glenn Priddle

CONTROLS
Handlebars: Narrowed Flanders
Grips/levers: H-D, BDL/GMA
Risers: DPPB bronze dogbones
Master cylinder: GMA front
Mirror: Lowbrow
Headlight: pinstriped by George the Wild Brush
Footpegs/forward controls: Paughco vintage footboards
Rear brake master cylinder: H-D
Speedo/tacho/oil pressure: Biker’s Choice Vintage Sportster
Taillight: powder coated by Worco

Other modifications: rocker clutch system made with old H-D parts, Phil’s Speed Shop wiring harness and ignition system, alternator charging system by Spyke

GUARDS/TINWORK
Front guard: missing
Rear guard: Chica
Fuel tank: Paughco
Trim: gone
Oil tank: Paughco
Other modifications: Vintage H-D tool box and brake linkage by Paughco, Reserve gas tank by Mike Pullin

COMMENTS: This bike was built in the teens vintage style, but built for long miles with footboards, sprung seat, rubber grips, tall gearing, and spare gas tank. The plan was to ride to Sturgis, but I never got out of Dodge. Now the plan is to ride it to Arizona for the too broke for Sturgis run to Salome, a little sun burnt town in the middle of nowhere. But it has a very cool or western saloon on the edge of town.

Partners in Crime:

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 nightmare, and I’m a lazy. I want to be as minimal as possible, for ease and reliability, but I’m fulla shit. Just about the time I think I need to cut turn signals out of my system, someone is wiring in heated grips, or a heated seat, a some sound system, or neon lights under the engine. I avoid anything extra, like the plague. Hell, wire plus make engine mounted electrical port systems, so you can plug in your heated vest, helmet sound system, or whatever.

This is going to be a terrific test. My son’s bike will contain more bells and whistles, and Grip Ace controls in the bars. Tim from Grip Ace from Rivera is coming over to show us how easy it is. On Frank’s bike, we will install turn signals, so anything is possible. We will also wire a metric bike, the XS Yamaha bobber. So, over the next couple of months you will witness three variations, with Wire Plus products.

I start wiring by finding all the components and placing them somewhat in position. Then I search for a place to hide the circuit breaker and a circuit board, or bank of connections. First, we made a trip to the local Marine store and ordered an ignition switch. This included a starter switch, but we were using the Spyke push-button starter mounted to the solenoid. It eliminated the starter relay and any starter switches.

Once I determined a handy location behind one of the Mudfap Girl FXR panels, I drew up a wiring schematic, while referring to the Wire Plus handy manual for guidance. I came up with this nuts notion of hiding the ignition switch under the seat nose, which would position it perfectly for some of the wiring, and run some of it through the backbone of the frame. I grappled with a mounting notion, but Danny came up with the final notion, which took a lot of work, but was highly secure.

Wire plus makes several digital speedos, and several mounting systems for different applications. It was a breeze to mount and wire once I found the mysterious neutral switch connectors, which I ordered from the factory. The WP speedo mounted like a dream on the bars, once I plugged the wiring harness into the rear of the unit, ran the wires under the tank, back to the nerve center for power, then to the speedo sensor, and the neutral switch. Nothing to that one, although I wouldn’t mind running the wire loom through the frame in the future.

Since I was thinking about the rear brake pressure switch, I started to work out my GMA brake systems, and we made some measurements. I ran over to Baker Performance products and in five minutes we had new brake lines cut to size. This was probably the easiest bleeding process I have ever encountered. They were bled and working in no-time. Unfortunately, GMA doesn’t make a clutch lever to match.

On rubber-mounted bikes, I run two grounds. I welded one to the frame and I use one of the Spyke starter mounting bolts as an auxiliary ground. I don’t want to take any chances with the charging system, or the ignition system missing a grounding connection.

I needed to mount an On-On switch in the headlight bucket. It took some hunting for the correct sized switch, then a headlight seal beam from Biker’s Choice, and a lot of digging for a three blade connector. My headlight came from a spot on a police car in the ’30s.

Almost all of my electrical components came from Spyke or Compu-Fire. The Compu-fire ignition system is a breeze. This time I’m running a Compu-Fire single fire ignition system, with their single, dual wound coil, which mounts between the heads, in the standard stock position. It’s all too tight and convenient. Two wires to the coil and one to power and the system is good to go. It’s about that easy to time.

My son showed up with the missing parts for his Bub Bare exhaust system, and we started mounting it. I wish the exhaust guys would make kits with the flanges and retainer spring rings. Some systems come complete, but it’s a drag to run to the dealership, when you’re ready to rock. I understand why they don’t supply them with many system. If the system is replacing a stock system, we just switch out the parts. And these four pieces would jack up the price, but give the customer the option, and the manufacturer could make an extra buck and save the builder time and hassle.

This system slices damn close to $350 and you paint it with whatever heat paint, or heat wrap you like. It’s very similar to my D&D system.

Sources:

Spitfire

Biker’s Choice

JIMS Machine

MetalSport

BDL/GMA

Wire Plus

Branch O’Keefe

Bennett’s Performance

Custom Cycle Engineering

Saddlemen

Bub

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 who work for them. So I left my bike for mock-up, and received a call back in a week.

When I showed up I saw the foam of the seat had been formed and pan had been constructed. We discussed coverings and stitching, again less is more. They got it and even pointed out to me the lines of the bike would be reflected in the seat.

Three days later I returned to pick up my bike and see my new seat! A seat is the finishing functioning touch to any motorcycle (much more than something you sit on) it must reflect the bike while being comfortable and a key suspension element.

I was so happy to see the seat. It looked amazing and really I could not have imagined it any better than they had built it. I put my helmet on, thanked them and jumped on the bike to ride away. First thing I noticed was the lumbar support made the bike so much more comfortable to ride and kept me in the perfect position to reach all my controls.

The biggest difference was when I hit a huge pot hole (tons of em’ in area) was my ass stayed firmly planted in the seat and the impact was minimal. The seat made my bike complete.

Can’t say enough about how impressed I was with the Saddlemen crew and facility, in short they made my custom bike have a perfectly functional and stylish seat. The perfect blend of function and form. I suggest anyone who needs a seat built or customized give them a call. They are a family team of bikers designing and building products for bikers. I like it!

–Buster