Hey, here’s quick bit on George The Wild Brush who handled the Pin Striping on the 2005 Sturgis Shovel project. He’s pin striped several other bikes for me in his 47 years behind the brush. Born in Hanford, California, a miserable military town, in 1944, he kicked tumbleweed while his mom worked on a base.

She moved to the safety of Southern California away from the miserable summer central Califa heat, to Long Beach then Lakewood (next door) where he went to school, but didn’t graduate.

He was warned that the fad would die so his vocation would fail. “The fad’s still rockin’,” George said. “My first car was a ’54 ford and I custom painted the driver’s side. I couldn’t afford enough paint to finish the passenger side, so I had the only cool side.”

He studied Von Dutch work, Larry Watson and George Barris. “I’ve striped refrigerators, toilet seats (new ones), and 50 and 110 Tom Gentry trans Atlantic ocean racing boats. He’s taught me a thing or two about striping. “It’s best to have the parts off the bike for the best quality art.”

It’s difficult to paint bare aluminum—“Paint won’t bond to it.” without a primer.” I worked at Gasoline alley for 15 years painting aluminum dragster bodies.

It’s also difficult to pin strip chrome—“It won’t hold up due to the lack of porosity.”

He only uses One-Shot enamel paints—“Can’t use any paint.”

With motorcycles it’s a good idea to clear over striping—“People don’t pour gasoline all over cars, but they do bikes.”

Cars don’t generally need to be cleared over striping work.

His number is (310) 488-5488 for classic pin striping and good stories.

George came to the shop just after I picked up the clear powdered aluminum sheet metal from Foremost Powder. He usually tells me what I’m going to have striped. I have a vote and initial color selection, then I best get out of the masters way.

He striped the Goodsen Air Cleaner, which was treated to my holy treatment, then brushed with Scotchbrite to remove the polished appearance.

Then he striped the panel polished, highly-modified, XR750, Cyril Huze donated tank and Lucky Devil, custom made fenders. I polished the panels and brushed the rest for a two-tone effect. Not sure it worked, but George gave it a final touch.

George suggested the 5-ball addition to the center of the tank. Not the gas cap. Ultimately I filled the center-mounting hole with a small 5-Ball to commemorate our company and all the women who put up with my shit over the years. In case you don’t know the story, I’ve been married five times, that’s five misses Ball.

Helluva weekend. Anytime there's lots of motorcycle carnage,sex, whiskey and writing, I'm all for it. Maybe it's Valentines Daycreeping up. Make a note. Here's the deal on the Sturgis Shovelhead. Sincethe engine was in and mounted I went to work on the exhaust system,then seat mounting, position and played with the bars. I made a runto a local steel joint, because I had a notion that I doubt will worknow, but I'm still investigatin'.           

Let's hit the highlights. I'm fortunate to have a young,talented fabricator/builder who I'm sharing ideas and resources with.Kent from Lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston is on the phone dailyfor tips and knowledge sharing. It's damn healthy to have someone whois in the trenches daily to assist. In fact I had a couple ofcrucial metallurgy question that morning, but let's hit what Iaccomplished.           

A crucial aspect of building any bike is planning. That'snot to say all my eggs are in a row. We'll see, but the more you canaccommodate, the less redo's will be necessary. Also, don't throwanything away. That junk part might be a critical bracket tomorrow. Idug through my partially organized pipe bin and found a set of oldglass pack, shorty muffler, shot gun pipes. I could use the rear one.I decided, since noise issues are a concern and performance issue area constant priority, I would build a set of shorty mufflers withBandit tuned baffles.

Then I spotted the fishtips in the pile and myconsideration changed. I dug further. Kenny Price from Samson allowedme to dig through his warranty bin when I was looking for stanchionsfor my Bikernet office railing. I remembered touring mufflers withfish tips, I kept digging.

Sure enough I had a set and in quick movesI sliced them into chunks. You know me, I'm a gambler. I cut themwith no methodology in mind past the size and looks, but I came uplucky. Samson designed a baffle system with a cone at the front toguide exhaust pulses into the baffle and it seems to be working fortouring applications. I cut off that portion and discarded themajority of the baffle. But there was still 2 inches of baffle and astandard donut in the rear of the muffler. That's where fate movedit's evil hand over Richard Kimball again. Or in other words I rolledthe dice.           

I spoke to Kendall Johnson recently and he told me aboutperformance stepped exhaust systems and reversion cones used to tunesystems at the rear of the pipe. I couldn't make this donut move upand back, but I had the makings of a reversion cone at the stern.With a torch I cut out the remaining baffle, then after speaking withthe HOT BIKE staff member, Craig Murrow, for a reversion cone descriptionI knockout out the remaining baffle, then with various cutting andgrinding cones I formed and smooth departure for the exhaust pulses.Then I had to remove the old touring mounts with a die-grinder andthey were ready to weld.           

The rear pipe was comparatively easy since the pipe wasalready made except for the muffler and brackets. Shovelheads arenotorious for louse exhaust manifold connections and tearing out thesingle stud, so I wanted to mount them in the front and rear for asolid, secure connection. The only port for the connection at thefront was the oil bag. That was a bad choice and I'll run a bracket off the seat post before all is said and etched in stone.

I had to make sure the pipe could be removed with the tabs onthe bottom, then I spaced the tabs apart with a heat sink material. Imay use Teflon, then the notion that the oil bag is rubbermountedfloated to the surface. What bearing would that have on thiscoupling? Hell the frame will vibrate like a mad dog. I'm stillquestioning that link, but we'll see, maybe a spring between the tabs? The final decision was the seat post bracket to come.           

There was one other pipe design consideration–the length.I try to keep the pipes somewhat equal and between 32 and 38 inches.Buster's Sportster runs sharp and crisp with his hand-made 38-inchesfrom the Bikernet Headquarters, as seen in Street Chopper. So Idesigned this pipe to be 38-inches and not protrude past the tire. Mygoal was to make the front pipe curve out the other side and be ofequal length.

At the end of Friday night, one pipe was complete, toolswere scattered all over the shop and I had a couple of Hooker Headerchunks of 1 3/4 pipes segments cut and was fooling with the frontheader. The front was tricky as hell. I wanted to scoop out the leftside of the bike, which added length. I also had a bitchin Rohm Engineering oil filter/cooler system that mounts to the front motormounts and aims the filter at the ground for ease of removal anddraining. The pipe had to clear it significantly. This puppy was alifesaver. I planned to run an oil cooler (Shovelheads run hot) andfilter, for a lasting driveline and more oil capacity. My originalplan called for old school mounting on either side of the oil bag.This eliminated all of that and the plumbing for two elements, the cooler and the filter, wasreduced to one hot looking job in front of the engine for maximum cooling.           

I spentall day long on Saturday, dodging the phone and working in thegarage. I had all the tools and materials I needed, even two new setsof welding glasses, which came in damn handy. The trick was to lineup the pipes, make all the right decisions, hope for the best andtack 'em. I did and with a level I constantly compared the pipe tothe top of the lift. The spacing worked out fine.           

I cleared the top of the Rohm bitchin' oil cooler/filter mounthopefully by enough to allow the pipe slip down and out of the head (I was recommended to use a CCI Filter part number 270126).I tacked the tab with a spacer between the two for some jiggle room.And I made damn sure that the pipe tab was below the frame tab. Atthe back, the muffler was fabricated the same as the other one with aslight exception.

I shaped the reversion cone the same, cut off thetouring mounts and ground the tabs. Then I used a couple of V-blocksto hold it perfectly in line for tacking the halves together. Then Isliced off the crush tabs on the front of the Samson tapered muffler.They were wider and different than the other side, so I cut them off.You'll notice the difference, if you check both side.           

The front parts of the pipe were Hooter elements and theyare smooth mandrel bent segments. I used another one for joggedstraight piece between the muffler and the head. I took the 13/4-inch exhaust to my Muffler Master bender and bent it slightly oneway, then reversed the sucka and bent it the other way. It fit like adream and looped out enough to pass the oil bag. I used Hooker headeralignment sleeves to hold the front pieces in perfect alignment. Donedeal, I tacked them, constantly comparing the level with the lift,the pipes then the muffler. After the tacking was secure, another tabwelded to the frame, avoiding the oil bag (a Lucky Devil concern,since the oil bag is rubbermounted), then all elements wererechecked, I removed both pipes and MIG welded them as complete aspossible.

I find that MIG welding is a pain and blows holes in pipes easily.I also discovered that after I MIG weld a pipe I can flow the weldeasily with a torch and smooth out all the welds, fix holes and fillgaps. I actually found a piece of old steel rod, not much bigger thana piece of wire. I usually use old coat hanger, but it pops andwheezes from the paint coating.

After the pipes were welded, flowedand checked twice, I ground all the surfaces with an emery disc andpainted them with whatever barbecue heat paint I had laying around.The lovely Layla is currently on her way back from Home Depot withsome flat black heat paint. We'll see how that works.

Kent from Devil hand fabricated the seat pan, brackets andbungs. I set them up and welded the parts in place. Then it was timeto roll the bike off the lift and see how she fit and where I mightneed heat shields. I discovered a couple of things. Yes, the scootwould require left side heat shields and nothing on the right. I alsotested my notion to sculpt claws out of brass, unsuccessfully.           

I also found that the existing bars wouldn't cut it. Igrabbed the old '48 Panhead TT-bars, narrowed them by 4 inches, and Isorta like them.

Okay, so I grappled with the sculpting business fora couple of hours and discovered that I can't control the brass likeI can steel. I spoke to Kent from Lucky Devil and he recommended thatI try TIG Silicon Bronze rod. I'll try that next week. In themeantime, my first brass sculpting attempt ended up on the shop door.Let's get the hell out of here.           

Ride forever,

–Bandit

We were fortunate to hook up with Heather New, of New-Line Engraving several years ago. Since I was about to switch out my CrazyHorse engine ignition with a Blackhawk Motorworks cone cover I needed to come up with a classic point cover for the new unit and the 5-Ball Factory Racer. It was a natural choice to send her a chunk of aluminum, or I shoulda sent a piece of brass, but oh well. Either way I knew she would bring the project to life.

Heather started engraving in a small shop in downtown Edmonton in the Early 80’s, where she took care of over 100 jewelry stores. “I was engraving everything from I.D. bracelets to wine goblets to pocket watches, and more,” said the raving redhead, “items which other engravers said could not be done, I soon learned to do!!! This was when I first met Frank.”

Frank Gurney was (and still is) the best Hand-Engraver in Canada. “He is a true artist and craftsman, and along with the Alberta Apprenticeship Program, arranged for me to be his understudy,” Heather said. “I was thrilled!!! I learned so much from Frank in those years, confidence, trouble-shooting, and above all HUMOR!!!! We spent hours working and laughing (hoy-deedle-doy!!). He taught me so many things before he eventually retired out near Victoria, B.C.”

She then moved on to the largest Jewelry stores in Canada. “I was doing all of their machine engraving, as well as custom wedding bands, and one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces,” Heather said. “They treated me like gold, and I will always be thankful for the kindness I experienced there. I relocated near Calgary, Alberta, and began working for a gigantic company with more talent than I had ever seen gathered in one place. I naturally did the engraving there, and also moved on to operating CNC machines, and hand-carving moulds used in casting.” She became a programmer, writing the programs, which would later be used by the CNC machines to cut the actual moulds.

She started New-Line Engraving in the summer of 2005. “I hand-carved an inspection cover for my good buddy ‘Chicken’ and with her over-whelming encouragement, (she cried when she saw it) I decided to branch out into custom bike carving too (after all, a derby cover is just like a signet ring, only BIGGER.”

So here’s how the short, two-week process rolled:

Cover the piece in white water-soluble paint, and transfer the artwork onto the surface

I highlight the general outline, scratching the paint leaves a more permanent mark than pencil, and you don’t rub it off as you work!

For removing large areas you can try a dermal, but they tend to vibrate too much for any fine work…I used small gravers hooked into a pin-vice to cut in between the letters,
as this cover was done mostly under a microscope.

I also use fine sandpaper, jeweler’s files, and burnishers to “round-off” curves (as seen on her legs), and give some dimension to whatever artwork you are dealing with…
Details like hair, the features in the face, and fine shading are all done with fine gravers and files.

I then add an aluminum-oxidizing agent, which blackens the entire piece. When it is re-polished, the highest surfaces will become shiny again, while the black remains in all the nooks and crannies of the background. (I only do this by hand—a buffing machine can remove hours of work in a heartbeat!!)

“If anyone out there in Cyberspace wants to give it a whirl, I am always here with support and tips,” said Heather

Sources:

NewLine Engraving: http://www.new-lineengraving.com/

Blackhawk Motorworks:
http://www.blackhawkmotorworks.com/

Compu-Fire Ignitions: http://www.compufire.com/

Custom Chrome:

S&S:

Okay, you have the story behind this build, and Chris Kallas is refining the concept drawing. My engine arrived from the factory, and Eric Bennett immediately noticed the return address, in Viola, Wisconsin.

As it turns out, the factory hired the S&S crew to assemble their Evo line of engines. What a natural. I liked that notion all the way around the block. First, it means more American hands in my new engine. Plus, what could be better than to have the best performance engine company on the planet working with the factory on the last and most refined V-twin configuration?

For this crew, and lots of riders all over the world, the FXR Evo is the best of the best. So, for Bikernet, this became the year of the FXR and the Evo engine. I asked the factory about their Evo engine program and received the following information.

A Modicum of Harley Engine History
The first 74 cubic-inch V-Twin engine on the JD and FD models was introduced in 1921 and the 45 cubic-inch side-valve V-twin engine (later to be known as the Flathead) on the D model debuted in 1929. The Flathead engine proved so reliable that variations of it were available on Harley-Davidson motorcycles as late as 1973 (servi-car trikes).

In 1936, Harley-Davidson introduced the EL model with an overhead valve, 61-cubic-inch engine. With increased horsepower and bold styling changes, the motorcycle earned the Knucklehead nickname, due to the shape of its rocker boxes.

New features were added to the 61 and 74 overhead valve engines in 1948, including aluminum heads and hydraulic valve lifters. New one-piece, chrome-plated rocker box covers shaped like cake pans earned this engine the nickname Panhead. The engine introduced on the Electra Glide models in 1966 to replace the Panhead became known as the Shovelhead, again due to the shape of its rocker covers.

Sources:

Bennett’s Performance

Branch O’Keefe

We're starting another project at Bikernet, the Ultimate Chopper. I dediced that title was bullshit. I look at some of the bikes built nowaday and mine pale by comparison, so screw it. It's the Bandit/Sturgis 2005 Chop. It's been a couple of years since I built a bike for myself. Hell, I can't ride the shrunken FXR, it's too small. Besides I need a rigid chopper for everyday flying. I gotta tell ya, I love choppers, like women. They're sleek, slim and move with an indescribable grace.

Here's the design notion. No we're not trying to compete with the Martin Brothers, Paul Yaffee or Matt Hotch, who are all master craftsmen and artisans in the custom motorcycle world. They are incredible and I have the utmost respect for each one of them. I'm sorta Indian Larry West. I want to build a light agile chopper for the ride. I'll attempt to explain. I've been riding choppers most of my life. I've tried out many styles, but consistently come back to the mighty light weight chopper.

Let's get specific. I needed something stretched to fit my 6-foot, 5-inch frame so were going with a stretched Paughco Rigid with 4 inches in the downtubes and 3 in the backbone. But I'm sticking with a very moderate rake of 35 degrees for handling. I'm running a 9-over light tapered leg Paughco springer for class and city handling. I'll run my traditional Custom Cycle Engineering risers for limited handlebar vibration and traditional appearance.

One of the notions is to make this bike a very reliable, rideable chopper for long hauls, maybe to Sturgis next year. I would generally run a 96-inch Evo to fit the rule, but this time a brother, Richard Kransler cut me a deal on a Shovelhead engine with 3 5/8 bore and 5-inch stroke. That over 100-inch monster would tear this bike apart in short order so I called S&S for advice.

We're going to roll with a tried and true S&S formula for street power, reliability and balance–same bore with 4.5-inch stroke will give me 93 inches of grunt. I tore the engine down for modifications last week and shipped the lower end to Viola, Wisconsin for a S&S blessing.

In keeping with the chopper code of the west, no fat assed tire will cramp the handling. I'm going with only an Avon 180/18 and a 21 on the front. No wild billet wheels but clean Custom Chrome polished aluminum rims and 40 stainless steel spokes. This bike will have a touch of chrome, but not much. I'm going to start a bin of Stainless Allen fasteners to take care of assembly.

I'm not going to run anything that sticks out from this bike, no sidemounted license plate bracket or wide bars, just tall risers and what I call TT bars that I will narrow for splitting lanes on LA freeways.

I may use a flush mount Sporty tank, or perhaps a Cyril Huze job like the one on the Shrunken FXR. What a sharp tank. I'll use a BDL belt, Compu-Fire alternator/ regulator and single fire ignition for reliability. We're mounting Kraft Tech fenders and oil tank, making our own pipes and brackets. Dewey's custom pegs will be used because they're light and contain just enough rubber to keep vibration away from feet and hands. The foot and hand controls are all Joker Machine for true reliability and simple clean design.

The Jim's 6-speed overdrive tranny is waiting a Custom Chrome Sprocket and Rev Tech O-ring chain. Finally I'll research the best possible sprung seat for comfortable, vibration free ride.

We're shooting for a bike that will be solid for the long run. It'll run strong, won't vibrate to shit, be reliable enough to ride to Sturgis, a street fighter in the old school fashion. Not a lot of flash, but tremendous class. Watch as it comes together right hear on Bikernet. Oh, I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve that will be revealed as we turn this pile of parts into a running gargoyle.

Moving right along, I overcame the Wilmington Mung and slipped back into the shop. It’s like self-induced Christmas for the homebuilder each week when UPS arrives or I score something at the bike swap meet. Ya plan, save small bags of gold and reach out to vendors to make deals, then wait.

I got all pumped when the bronze risers drifted in from DPPB in Europe, and I immediately tackled the mounting and handlebars. I hit two hardware stores looking for the proper length hardened studs and the second score was doubtful, but I rolled the dice and bought them anyway. As it turned out, 3-inch ½-inch studs with coarse threads on one end and fine on the other worked perfectly.

I tested the fitment by wrapping masking tape around the fine end 3/8-inch up from the bottom. I screwed them into the narrow Paughco leg, and then installed the riser components to see if I had enough length to reach the top bronze nut. I had plenty of threads, so I move the tape to 5/8 inches of securing fine threads and installed all the components. It all fit like a dream.

Then I went to work searching the shop for a set of bars that would give me the look and be reasonably comfortable. I’m shooting for that 5-Ball Factory Racer look, but a bike comfortable enough to ride to Sturgis. That’s always the acid test, and the road-test adventure. I found a set of sorta TT 1-inch bars sans the dimples, since I was going to turn them upside down. I mounted them to the risers, and then determined that I could cut almost three inches out of the center.

I searched the shop for a chunk of mild steel rod that would make the perfect alignment, strengthening slug for the bars. I removed the burrs from the split tubing and marked the slug center. I tapped it into place, strapped the bars down, so they were perfectly aligned, and MIG-welded them. Just having the bars and risers in place was a rush.

I finally muscled enough cash to have all my welding tanks filled. I took the opportunity to have one tank filled with pure Argon for welding stainless or aluminum. I’ve never welded aluminum, so I broke out my welding book and read the appropriate chapter. I needed twice the gas pressure and almost twice the rod speed and power.

Let me back up for a second. The project was mounting the Crime Scene Rapide headlight. It was a bolt-on procedure, except for the simple aluminum-mounting bung. Once in place, it was impossible to remove the headlight-mounting fastener. I reviewed my options. The fastener would actually touch the top Paughco springs. I looked for an option and found one, but it required welding the existing square bung to the fine-threaded round spacer. I tapped the spacer for clean threads, and then proceeded to weld the two together.

This was a trick. Aluminum must be extremely clean before welding. And since this piece was very small, it could heat up and melt like butter before one pass was completed. I also had some problems with the welder. Since aluminum heats and expands faster that steel, I needed to bore out the tip or run a larger welding tip. The tips come in various sizes, and natch, I didn’t have a slightly larger tip. So Jeremiah grabbed a micrometer and all my tiny drill bits, and started to study the sizes and attempted to drill the tips out. Interesting procedure. We broke bits and jammed them into the bronze MIG welding tips. Finally we succeeded in boring out a tip and the welding moved along.

Then I took to grinding, filing, and rewelding until this headlight bracket was completed. Not bad. I need Jeremiah, the master shaper, to return and give it his final touch.

Next, I had a plan to use as many vintage H-D parts as possible. I snatched a stock 1936-1957 mechanical brake pedal and mounting plate, which also acted as the front peg or footboard mount. Paughco already made a bracket that bolts under the front motor mount. It makes the stock mounting bosses available for these components.

This effort placed me eyeball-to-eyeball with a couple of challenges. I needed to make the old mechanical brake pedal operate a hidden hydraulic master cylinder and somehow I had to create a mounting bracket for the rear of the footboard.

There was one more element rearing its ugly head at this point, but yet we turned it into an opportunity. There was no fifth stud mounting plate on the frame, so I started to tinker with a chunk of angle iron. Then I discovered a complete ’98 Dyna rear brake set-up with linkage and the master cylinder. Suddenly, lots of answers were available using the fifth stud-mounting placement.

I had to stop dead in my tracks right there. I needed to make sure the transmission was aligned properly for the whole system to work. The brown Santa arrived with a new BDL Softail, 2-inch enclosed belt drive system I’d ordered just a couple of days ago. I pulled out the inner primary, loosened all the mounting bolts for the engine and trans and started my historic alignment procedure. First, I bolted down the rear of the engine and looked for any gaps at the front motor mount. It had a .020 gap. I found a shim and slipped it into place.

Next, I attached the BDL inner primary and pulled the JIMS tranny into alignment with the Crazy Horse V-Plus engine. Then I started on the fifth tranny stud-mounting bracket. I planned to run a kicker, and since this power plant is 100 inches strong, the additional mounting element will strengthen the entire driveline.

No, this system didn’t fall into place. I had oil lines to contend with and the brake pedal and master cylinder didn’t align. At first, I had a grand plan to bend the linkage rod into a jog-over to reach the tab I had welded onto the brake pedal pivot tube. That would have created more problems, specifically with the rear footboard mounting. I needed to straighten it out and machine a 2-inch offset link from the pedal over, which kept the entire system in alignment. The critical aspect will be my tab welding. There will be considerable strain on that puppy, but I think it will work.

Then I ran a ½-inch rod off the top of the pedal bracket and machined a spacer that would catch an original classic footboard-mounting arm. I’m trying to tack-weld everything so I can make final adjustments or catch mistakes before it’s too late. I like welding and sometimes can’t stop myself. I tack my handiwork, step back, eyeball it, check it twice and weld the shit outta it. The next morning I discover something I forgot and I’m fucked.

Since I was into footboards, I moved onto the left one. With the help of Sin Wu on her knees, we checked the angle of my 2003 Road King footboards and attempted to match that angle on the 5-Ball Factory Racer. Again, I used a stock mounting plate with foot clutch pedals. I’m going to make the racer a tank shift, so I bolted up the mounting plate and a vintage kicker arm and bracket, but I needed to drill and tap the Paughco bracket for the lower left 5/16 kickstand mount.

I tried to handle a few moves at once and failed. I broke off the tape in the kickstand mounting hole and I’m still pondering my options. I shifted back to floorboard mounting. I was burnin’ daylight trying to remove the tap. I mounted the front of the footboard and snugged it down at the Sin Wu estimated floorboard angle, then pondered how to mount the rear to the BDL outer primary.

I had to insert the BDL mounting studs into the inner primary with red Loctite first, then the aluminum stud arms, and finally the cool, clean outer primary cover. This turned out to be a breeze. I took a vintage footboard mount, cut it off, and welded it to a Bandit-made bracket. It had to carry my weight, so I added a strengthening gusset to the bottom and believed I was good to go.

In the next segment, we will start to tackle the shift linkage system. Duane Ballard’s wife, Lisa, a contributor for the Cycle Source magazine, delivered this vintage tractor seat assembly for us to test and you’ll see our wacky test next issue. We might also start to tackle mounting the Paughco/U.S. Choppers tanks, Phil’s Shop wiring system and the Biker’s Choice Speedometer, which we hope to mount in the tradition of rear-wheel driven speedometers of the ’20s.

It’s all headed your way in the next couple of weeks.

Shrunken FXR mid-controls by Giggie at Compu-Fire. Note: we need flat-headed Allens.

Giggie our master machinist from Compu-Fire rolled up to the Bikernet Headquarters last Saturday. We haven’t seen him for months due in part to his work on new starting systems for the custom market. They are dancing through the final development stages of a system configured to drive off the crank shaft of the motor with a 60- to-one ratio compared to stock 48-to-1. That will leave the area about the tranny available for custom applications or lower seat heights.

Giggie brought some wrong fasteners but lots of them and counter-sunk drilling tool.

Currently Compu-fire is soon to release a standard starting system, the Gen-2 HT, with 33 percent stronger magnets, 6-roller longer clutch (32 percent longer) with 30 percent more cranking while drawing the same amps from the battery.

Here’s the tranny without the brake pedal components. There’s some tight tolerances going on.

I spoke to him about our cooling debate and here are some of his thoughts. “You want your oil to run at a minimum temp of 205 to eliminate water vapor or condensation that accumulates in oil,” Giggie said. “At 240 to 260 degrees petroleum based oils begin to break down, although synthetic lubricants could be good to 360 degrees. I have my doubts.”

Base bracket to be bolted to the transmission.

Giggie developed an oil cooler for his FLH that kicks on at 220 degrees and off at 200. It has an in-line thermal switch continuously reading oil temp. He installed his cooler in a box with vents and two small electric fans wired to the thermal switch (to cool while idling).

Giggie’s mounting bracket bolted in place.

Regarding our project Giggie dropped off hand machined mid-controls for shifting and rear brakes. Next, we must buy a H-D slave cylinder with remote reservoir with a built in brake switch. We will hide the reservoir behind the oil bag and design a bracket to hold the slave under the trans.

This shows the pedal and shaft in the mounting bracket.

Giggie will supply us with four more bushings to run behind the shift and brake levers, two 1/8-inch thick and two 1/2-inch thick, to allow us variable spacing away from the engine pulley or point cover on the cone.

Giggie will supply two different bushing to be installed between the brake lever and the mounting sleeve. We’ll need the space to clear the point cover.

Unfortunately the sleeve hit the oil pump cover. We may be able to remove enough material or just polish the pump. The oil pump inlet fitting will also need to be turned down. It’s close.

With the bushings in hand we can develop our final linkage behind the BDL belt drive plate and Giggie’s tranny plate to connect with the slave piston.

In both cases we need to cut and machine the other end of the shaft, depending on the linkage.

I’ve decided to remanufacture the exhaust system which is now a tight fit around the new brake linkage. Giggie also machined the foot peg mounts to accept any standard, pivoting foot pegs.

The slick new mid controls for shifting slid through bushings machined into the BDL outter and inner covers.

Next we need the bushings, slave cylinder and a day in the garage hammering and welding a new set of pipes.

–Bandit

Back To Part 10, Page 2

This was actually one of the easiest bikes I’ve ever wired. It’s not a bad notion to sketch out a wiring diagram with consideration for the placement of the components. Think about it long and hard, then take your time. Below this mess I ran the Hardcore Choppers basic wiring diagram and tips on wiring anything.

First, there’s the regulator that bolts over the front motormount. I use Compu-Fire regulators for reliability and they are wired not to over-work the alternator. So you plug the regulator into the case for the alternator connection, run a ground strap under the frame where the rubbermount bolts and the final hot wire to the hot side of the battery, or the hot side of the ignition switch. That wire feeds the charge back to the battery. Presto, goddamnit, the charging system is complete.

I’m lazy and want the wiring system to be as easy and component free as possible. No extra lights, no turn signals, no horns, buzzers or ringdings. I use Bob McKay’s marine ignition switches for toughness, reliability and ease of wiring. They are distributed by CCI or, if not in stock, contact Bob directly (519-935-2424).

The switch is so complete so you don’t need a starter relay. All it takes is one wire to the starter, one wire from the battery and one wire to the circuit breaker. From the breaker a wire runs to the Compu-Fire single fire ignition system via the coils, one wire to the brake switch, one wire to the taillight and one wire to the highbeam switch. From the highbeam switch two wires ran to the headlight. From the Compu-Fire electronic ignition wires ran to the two Dyna Coils, front and rear and one hot wire that runs to both and the ignition circuit breaker. I ran only one 30-amp H-D circuit breaker, just a couple of inches from the ignition switch.

Since I don’t have space for idiot lights (there’s a highbeam indicator on the headlight), I need to run a oil pressure gauge on the engine.

I only use Terry Components brake cables for their service and flexibility. The trick was to find and place the ground straps. The Terry ground strap ran comfortably from the negative side of the battery to the 5/16 starter mounting bolt. That grounded it to the driveline, but I needed a ground from the tranny to the frame. I worked that out by bolting another strap to the sidemount license plate frame bracket (welded to the frame), by making sure the paint was shaved away. I also used the 1/4-20 Allen to support the taillight ground strap. Let’s see, have I forgotten anything?

Just before we completed wiring, Giggie, from Compu-Fire, and delivered the new Compu-Fire 53700 hot starter designed to fit any big twin H-D from’90 up. All the special hardware is included and it’s rated to 2KW and was actually shorter by .150-inch for clearance dilemmas with Softail oil cans.

The starter roller bearings are 30 percent longer and it comes with shims to allow builders to install the starter perfectly. The Air gap between the pinion gear from the starter to the ring gear on the clutch basket needs to be between .75 and .125. If it’s too short the pinion gear can’t spin before engagement and collides with the ring gear. It needs to get a tad of momentum going. On the other hand, if the distance is too great, the starter gets up to full speed and fights engagement.

The measurement is difficult and Giggie uses a 1/8 Allen which is .125 across the flats. The shims are .026. Even the coupler on this new Compu-Fire starter is designed for lowered bike, to duck the belt.

The wiring was completed and we were ready to fire the beast, but first Giggie recommended that we burp the bubbles out of the engine by removing the pump relief cap and using an Allen to pull up the valve and let bubbles pass for a pure oil lubrication.

The bastard fired right up, the Mikuni gushed gas, but as soon as it fired the Mikuni float bowl settled down.

We often get calls for basic wiring diagrams. Here’s one that was taken from an old Easyriders and expanded by the wizards of Hard Core Chopper Magazine in Japan.

Take your time. Keep those copper strands away from sharp edges, moving stuff (like chains) and hot items. Cover everything with shrink wrap. Use extra layers of shrink wrap for more protection and stronger connections. I like to solder connections for a solid, vibration free contact, but some prefer crimping connections to avoid wicking. Watch out. Some of the littlest, coolest switches go to shit in a week under 100 mph vibration.

The Frank Kaisler, patent pending, wire junction tool. Send $99.99 to P.O. Box 666, Hollywood, Calif. Send only rolls of quarters.

Don’t forget to work in circuit breakers and fuses. If one blows, disconnect the battery and research the problem. I like Terry battery cables for their flexibility, and they allow more amps to flow to the starter because of their low resistance.

Couple more tips: Watch out, wiring around the front-end. That sucker needs to turn. Don’t run the electrical connections too tight. If you run wires through the frame, debur the openings and use extra shrink wrap to protect fragile insulation.

Bandit generally uses 16-gauge for most of the wiring, 18-gauge in the bars and 12-gauge from the battery to the ignition switch.

I called Frank Kaisler, a tech writer for decades, and before I finished reading the above he shouted across the line, “Yeah right, but you’re forgetting plenty, dipshit. Don’t forget to tell ’em about the breakers. Use a 30-amp breaker between the battery and the main electrical circuit (or the battery and the ignition switch). You can use one of the breaker lugs to attach the regulator hot line to minimize wires to the battery. Use 12 gauge wire for the main leads. Use a 15 or 20-amp breaker between the ignition switch and all the lighting connections.

“Goddamnit, you didn’t explain wicking. Solder creeps under the insulation when it flows. The wire will flex against that soldered area and may break.”

“Yeah right, after two hundred years,” I muttered

“Shut up and listen,” Frank lit another cigarette.

“Quit smoking,” I babbled over the phone.

“The way your ride,” Frank coughed, “you won’t last another week. Let’s get back to the wires. I like to remove the plastic insulation on lugs and run shrink wrap right onto connectors, for a clean, stronger lead, and damnit, use the correct connectors. Blue for 14 and 16-gauge wires and red for 18 and 20. And make sure to use the proper ring sizes for stud connections, like the battery, circuit breakers and brake switch studs. Floppy lugs make for lousy connections.”

I was beginning to lose it. We could go on all night about wiring. He muttered something about using rubber grommets with wires that must run through sheet metal and additional ground straps from the headlight to the frame to maintain a solid ground to the front end.

“Don’t forget the final show bike detail,” He said and I remembered all the rats bikes I built in the ’70s with wires running everywhere. “Run wires down the left side of the bike. The hot looking side is always the pipe side.”

“Okay goddamnit,” I said. “I’m not writing a book. Just a handful of hints.” I sensed a lecture coming from a guy who edited bike magazines for 30 years.

“Do it right, Snake,” He coughed lighting another Marlboro, “or don’t do it at all!”

“Thank you, sir,” I said and hung up. Fuckin’ guy is worse than Bandit.

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Not long ago an issue of American Rider was devoted to lowered models contrived for shorter more compact riders. It was natural to feature a custom devoted to the tight-is-right crowd. In a custom world gone nuts with bigger, stretched, wider, fatter and pumped up motorcycles it was a lengthy chore for Buzz Buzzelli to find a bike designed for a concise, agile enthusiast. But fortunately after long arduous months, digging through one sordid garage after another, he discovered the only majestic model of it’s kind on the planet, the Bikernet.com Amazing Shrunken FXR. It was right in our own back yard. All he had to do was call me.

The bike was built by K. Randall Ball, of Bikernet and a writer for American Rider (the entire series of build stories are archived in the Bikernet Tech Area). “I generally build a bike every year to ride to Sturgis,” Ball said,

I’m too tall at 6’5″.” Pissed at the nasty notion that he couldn’t fly along desert highways into the red rock of Wyoming to sweep his same-time-next-year girl into his arms, he moved to build a dinky custom.

The bike was built to enhance the Rev Tech, 88-inch V-twin drive train and become the anti-big-bike representative. “So many bikes are long and fat, we decided to haul ass in the other direction.” There’s nothing like a small, tight custom bike, like Chica or the Zero guys build in Japan.

“We wanted to go in all different directions,” Ball added, “small rear wheel, black and chrome engine, no stretch and no passenger carrying elements.”

The Kenny Boyce Pro Street frame was modified by Dr. John in Anaheim, California. “The neck was dropped and shoved back toward the engine almost six inches,” Ball said. “We cut two inches out of the Pro Street swingarm and shaved off and tapered the fender struts.

In the process several talented sources were utilized to create the design and components. “We relied on Cyril Huze for most of the sheet metal,” Ball added. The rear fender originated as a Fatboy front fender modified to ride the swingarm as a unified component with the ability to remove it for repairs. The Bikernet crew including Dr. Terry the mad grinder bitch roughed out fender rails, sliced the Cyril Huze tank, modified the seat pan and nearly destroyed the Huze front bender. “He ain’t no Jesse James,” Ball said.

“A Hamster came to our rescue,” Ball said. There’s a talented worldwide group of builders called the Hamsters and one owns a structural steel shed in Harbor City, California. James Famighetti, who works I-beam forms for buildings, with his Brother Larry is actually incredibly talented with sheet metal and fabrication projects since both brothers ride with the group. “James took every bastardized element we created including the tank, front fender, rear fender rails, oil tank and seat pan and hand-formed them into works of art,” said Ball.

Electronically the bike took on the simplest form with the assistance of Giggie from Compu-Fire. “We installed a Compu-Fire charging system, starting assemblage and single fire ignition combination. Then we mated all the electronics around the Custom Chrome top motormount. Giggie also used the Compu-Fire machine shop to fabricated the mid controls for an even more compact motorcycle. Recently Giggie took his talents to the Rivera R&D department.

The final details included LePera’s seat upholstery, Harold Ponteralli’s teardrop paint scheme, crazy John’s machine tooled CCI brake calipers, Performance machine wheels with a 90/90/18 in front and a 150/70/18 Avon in the rear.

When completed and Buster hauled ass down the street the bike was trimmed of all frame elements on the downtubes and along the bottom of the frame on the right side to reveal the entire Rev Tech drive line. On the left only a Custom Chrome chromed, welded-on kickstand interrupts the frame flow around the BDL belt primary drive system. The pipes were hand made in the Bikernet Headquarters and only sprayed with flat black heat paint. The Front end is 39 mm narrow glide enhanced with black powder-coating and Joker machine trees and controls.

“I remember the first exhaust system,” Ball said, “and the sparks flying around the shop. While I wrenched Nuttboy, who is a college professor, ground the welds. Complacent, I twisted bolts and worked on the bike as hours passed.”

Like some psychedelic fantasy the sparks mesmerized the doctor and the harsh Makita cut through the exhaust system until large gaping holes emerged.

“We tossed those pipes in the trash and started over,” Ball added. “Dr. Terry was banned from the grinder.”

Okay, a short rider stock to custom comparison is in order. The seat height is 23 inches compared to the Softail Deluxe at 24.5 inches, the Buell CG at 28.5 inches, Dyna Low Rider at 25.5 inches and the new 883L at 26 inches. Overall length even with 38 degrees in the neck was 86 inches compared to the Sportster’s 90.3 inches, Dyna at 94 inches, the Softail’s 94.7 and the Buell Lightning series kicked the FXR’s ass with 76.2 inches.

 

There you have it. The Amazing Shrunken FXR built for the trim and lean rider who wants class, tight ride. It’s for sale (310) 830-0630

 

Specifications

Owner: K. Randall Ball, Bikernet.com
Where: Wilmington, California

Builders: Owner, Dr. Ladd Terry
Year and Model: 2004 Amazing Shrunken FXR
Fabrication: Owner/James Famighetti
Chrome: Long Beach Plating, Long Beach, California
Paint: Harold Pontarelli, H-D Performance, Vacaville, California and
Henry Figueroa (frame), San Pedro, California
Powder coating: Custom Powder Coating, Dallas, Texas
Color: Black with emerald tear drops

 

Engine:

Year and model: 2003 Black and Chrome Rev Tech from Custom Chrome
Displacement: 88 cubic inches
Cases: Rev Tech
Flyweels: forged 4 1/4-inch stroke Rev Tech
Cylinders: Rev Tech
Pistons: forged 3 5/8-inch Rev Tech
Heads: Rev Tech
Cam: Andrews EV38
Valves: Nitrided stainless Rev Tech
Lifters: S&S solids kit
Oil Pump: Polished oil regulated Rev Tech
Heads: High flow Rev Tech
Carb: 45 mm Mikuni
Air Cleaner: Fantasy In Iron, Denver, Colorado
Exhaust: Hand made by Bandit
Ignition: Compu Fire single fire
Coils: Dual Dynas from Custom Chrome
Coil bracket: Custom Chrome with CCI ignition/starter switch
Transmission: 6-speed overdrive Rev Tech
Clutch: BDL
Primary Drive: BDL 3 inch belt
Final Drive: Custom Chrome belt
Rear Pulley: Custom Chrome Billet
Front Motormount: Billet by Paul Yaffee

 

Chassis:

Frame: Kenny Boyce Pro Street
Modifications: Neck cut and set back 4 inches
Rake: 38 degrees
Swingarm: Shortened 2 inches with CCI stainless axle plates
Front Forks: Joker Machine narrow glide
Risers: Custom Chrome
Rear Shocks: Short Progressive Suspension from CCI
Front Fender: Cyril Huze
Oil Tank: Cyril Huze
Gas tank: Cyril Huze modified by James Famaghetti
Rear Fender: Modified Fat Boy by Bandit
Hydraulic Lines: Good Ridge
Wheels: Performance Machine
Tires: front Avon 90/90/18, rear Avon 150/70/18
Brakes: Billet-6 piston from Custom Chrome engine turned by Crazy John
Brake rotors: H-D

 

Accessories:

Headlight: Custom Chrome
Taillight: Aeromach
Handlebars: Custom Chrome
Seat: Custom Le Pera
Speedo: None
Hand Controls: Joker Machine
Mirror: Aeromach
Foot controls: Handmade by Giggie at Compu-Fire
Pegs: Chrome Spur from Custom Chrome

 

 

Electrics:

Ignitions Switch: Bob McKay at CCI
Starter: Compu-Fire
Regulator: Compu-Fire
Alternator: Compu-Fire
Wiring: By Bandit