Here we go. I’m relunctantly behind the eight ball, or more likely the 5-Ball in this case. The bike is nearly complete and I haven't caught up with the articles. For the most part I was working at Primedia on the bike mags and didn’t have time to breath. No fucking lame excuses. Let’s hit it.

My original plan called for brass sculptures to hang this bastard together in a purely Bandit way. I messed with some odd heavy brass cloverleaf rod that was over a ½ inch in diameter. I wasn’t having my usual creative luck with bending or messing with this material. Kent from Lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston recommended that I use silicone Bronze rod and I’ve since messed with it. I shifted gears from Gargoyles and sculptures to pure mechanics. I started drilling holes is everything.

I discovered a piece of ½-inch wide strap that I thought was copper. Remember that the notion behind this mess is to use as much bare metal as possible. As it turned out the strap was brass so I gave it the Scotch Brite treatment and went to work. Before I made or positioned the rear Custom Chrome chain I needed to align the wheel, the transmission and the engine. I used my BDL inner primary and pulled the loose engine and tranny into position. Then I centered my chain axle adjuster and installed the chain using the CCI instructions (above). I have an old chain breaking tool, so I took out just enough links.

With the chain in place, aligned and adjusted the wheel using the Doherty wheel spacer kit (a life saver). I couldn't mess with the requisite chain guard until all was in the correct groove. Although the Paughco custom frame is designed for a belt, I choose the old school route and it worked out well. Lots of extra space to mess with.

I dug through my drawers of tabs and crap that I’ve had around for 25 years. In the old days Mil Blair would call me from Jammer from time to time and tell me when it was time to shit-can scrap iron. I picked up tabs, spacers and brackets by the fist full and I’ve been moving them from place to place ever since. But damn, when you need a tab it’s bitchin to find just the right size in a drawer. Since I was going nuts with the drilling treatment, I matched the work on the frame with holes in the chain guard and counter sunk the edges for a more rounded look.

I also hit the top motor mount with a similar treatment. To give it a bit of consistency I measured from center to center on the holes and made all the holes the same diameter, 1/4-inch.

The hole deal became an obsession. I started drilling ¼-inch holes in everything including the Joker machine foot controls. I also went after Russell Mitchell’s Scotch Brite code. I swallowed hard and rubbed a piece of chrome with the coarse material and discovered that chrome reflects everything until it’s brushed with the wiry fabric. It gave it a raw material appearance and I decided that it was cool but a pain in the ass to do.

Again, I drilled the holes the same space apart, ¾ of an inch. It’s not always that easy, though. Sometimes the formula just doesn’t work. I use a pair of calipers to hold and mark the distance from hole center to center. If a hole ends up being located too close to an edge of the material, I back off and try another formula. Make sure to plan before you start drilling.

Here’s that damn brass stock. I was determined to have Brass, Copper, Stainless, Aluminum and a bare metal effect on the frame. You’ll see shortly how it worked out. I couldn’t bend that brass shit without destroying it, so I made the shift linkage out of it. I cut it off on a bench lathe and drilled and tapped the ends to 5/16 fine threads to fit the fine thread heim joints. Then I drilled the rod and countersunk the holes to remove the sharp edge.

Here’s one of the Joker Machine control sets, rubbed with Scotch Brite and drilled. They make fine controls, some of the best. You can adjust these puppies anyway you choose to fit your riding position, inseam or foot angle.

Before I leave this chapter I’ll touch on this new petcock from Spyke. It’s incredible, if it works well. It’s designed to give you every option for positioning and spigot direction. I ran into only one problem. No wrench lands to help tighten the bastard.

Check it out. You can run it faced in any direction and still read the switch locations and turn the knob without a lever smacking the frame and components. The spigot set allows builders to face the gas line in any direction.

I used the straight spigot and took off one of the fittings because my tank threads are female. The only problem I had was tightening it down, but I’ll get to that after the powder coating returns from Foremost Powder in Gardenia, California.

This puppy will revolutionize the industry for petcocks, if it works. I’ll let you know in a week or two.

Ride Forever,

–Bandit

---

The lovely Lena Fairless, who has threatened to marry Bandit (the sixth Mrs. Ball) and make him work for her folks at the Easyriders Dallas store, has been pushing to see that this 1928 Shovelhead project is completed in time for her wedding plans. Bandit doesn’t seem to move unless there’s a motorcycle and a woman involved. There’s just one problem in this case, which Lena is well aware of, she’s under age…

The other news on this project is that we now have a corporate sponsor, Ed Martin of Chrome Specialties, and a mentor, Chica, who builds bikes in Newport Beach, Calif. Chica built “Trick,” the old-time Sportster that Chrome Specialties is displaying at all the events it attends, such as Laughlin this month. Randy Simpson from Milwaukee Iron and Arlen Ness are also building spindly retro scoots with late-model drivelines. I spoke to Arlen the other day and he told me that a number of top builders in the country are building this style of beast for upcoming shows. Arlen is now building Sportster frames, sidecar frames and the tubs for these units. He’s sold 10 sets. Don Hotop is building aluminum tanks, so soon the parts for building these retro bikes will be even more available.

The contact stateside for the European parts we used is Fred Lange at (805) 937-4972. He has access to seats, fenders, front ends, tanks, headlights and more. Let’s see if we can pick up where we left off.

 

The frame is a stock rigid Panhead configuration from Paughco, with a stock, late-model Bad Boy front end. To drop the front slightly, Jim Stultz, Rick’s main fabricator/bike builder, used a KT components lowering kit to make the frame level because the newer springers are XA length. The retro tanks are sweat-brazed together and contain the oil in one half and the gas in the other. Unfortunately, the tanks did not fit the frame at all and had to be disassembled, cut and re-welded to fit. The fun part of such a round-the-town project is that it can be a true swap meet special once you have the basics in hand, and you can slip as far back into the retro world as you want. You can roll with chain or belt. You can use any old brakes you have around. Rick chose to use disc brakes and a chain, but he’s going with a jockey shift and internal throttle assembly from Chrome Specialties. The charging system will be state-of-the-art Compu-fire and the carburetor S&S. The engine and transmission were rebuilt from the ground up by JIMS machine and the engine cases are STD.

Both wheels are 21s for that spindly look. The handlebars were designed by Jim and bent by Milwaukee Iron. With the internal throttle cables, there will be a minimum of controls on the handlebars. Since the transmission was rebuilt with the notion that it would be electric start, an aluminum inner primary will be used with an old-time-looking tin outer primary that Rick picked up at a swap meet. Rick ordered a narrow Karata belt drive for the primary.

 

Jim sliced all the mounts off the frame except the front footpeg mounts, the engine and tranny mounts. Since the oil tank is part of the gas tanks, the only additional container would be for a battery to conceal a car-type marine ignition switch and a light/toggle switch.

“I try to fabricate components to be user friendly,” Jim said. He designed the battery box so it would only take two bolts out of the seat post and two out of the rear section and the whole pan will lift out through the top. The two sides covering the battery will meet in the middle in a flying wedge configuration, and Jim plans to build a top cap to conceal the battery from the area under the seat.

 

The steel gas tanks, once cleansed of the brass, were chopped and channeled to clear the rear head. The entire center of the tanks was removed to fit over the frame. Unfortunately that reduced the gas capacity to 1.5 gallons. The European threads in the cap bungs were tapped out of sync, so they had to be re-machined.

Lena teases Bandit with occasional shots from her mother’s digital camera. Next week we’ll discuss the mounting and installation of the Compu-fire ignition. Some members of the staff will be happy to see Bandit go to Texas, others, mostly the women, are bummed. He even called to see if he could ride it back to the coast and was told that it didn’t carry enough gas to get him out of town. Evidently the tank is Lena’s design.

–Wrench

Illustration by Tim Conder.

I'm attempting to build the ultimate handling chopper. It's not designed to be a show winning, bitchin looking, artistic masterpiece. I'm going another direction, attempting to build a righteous, old school, performance, handling, and reliable machine. No, it's not a Martin Bros job, and from an artistic standpoint I believe they are the ultimate builders. I want it to fit me, handle like a dream and last forever. We'll see.

Inside the Paughco powder coated springer rocker.

This bike might look like shit, but it should work perfectly. I'm endeavoring to keep it light, tight, narrow and right. So far so good. We've even decided to eliminate paint from the equation, except for rusty metal that may need black powder coating from Custom Powder Coating in Dallas, and the front end was powder coated black at the Paughco factory.

We tried to find the smallest, strangest, most effective Custom Chrome headlight available.

Let's jump into the shop. I was jazzed to receive my Rev Tech wheel order from Custom Chrome. I needed to mock up the frame and ship an image to Tim Conder for a concept drawing. Conder's images inspire any builder. I couldn't move on it until the Custom Chrome wheels were delivered and mated to the Avon Venom tyres. I'm also going to avoid chrome and flashy stuff as much as possible. We're running bare metal in several instances: Wheel rims, aluminum tank, brass fender rails and linkage, copper hard oil lines, and thick wall copper tubing bars. Dig this, we're going to galvanize the frame, rear fender and oil bag. The XR Sportster racing tank which is aluminum was delivered from Cyril Huze. I'm going to leave it brushed aluminum, but the capacity was a minimum 1.75 gallons. I'm mounting it high on the frame so we'll open the tunnel for additional fuel capacity and weld the area shut.

I'm jumping around. Let's get back to the Rev Tech wheels. The spokes are stainless with polished aluminum rims for a long lasting approach. Even the Paughco frame came with brushed aluminum axle plates. We're going to leave 'em alone. Cyril Huze designed a new, between the heads, coil and ignition switch mount. I ordered one without polish or chrome. It's unfortunate that we can't get wheels with Stainless hubs and eliminate chrome all together. The front is a 21 with a 18 by 5-inch rear for a 180 Avon Venom. I don't want a super wide tire. I'm specifically avoiding wide tires. I think they make choppers look like fat-assed chicks. They lose their chopper code of agility and lightness.

This is the springer axle and spacers available from Paughco.

With my Doherty wheel spacer kit I was able to set up wheel spacing quick, for the time being. It's a trick working in the shop by myself and I will try to explain some operations from that perspective. We all face shop blues from time to time. Makes me kick back and rethink various operations when six hands are needed and I'm limited to one on the part and one on the arm of the drill press.

Custom Cycle Engineering risers in place with studs.

So alone one night I grappled with the installation of the CCI neck bearings (I need a JIMS tool for the races), to install the Paughco springer front end. After a trip to a local fastener store I was able to weave two studs into the rear legs of the front end for traditional, vibration dampening Custom Cycle Engineering risers. The studs needed were 1/2 inch about 2.5 inches long with 1/2-20 threads on one end and 1/2-13 on the riser end. The shop only had two different-length studs and one needed additional tapping to fit.

Here's the CCE risers with 1-inch longer, tank clearing, stems . I don't throw away a goddamn thing. I had these laying around from another bike project. Worked perfectly. I'll black powder them before it's all done.

I use these risers on most of my bikes because of the traditional, old school appearance and the vibration element for long runs, but they take a degree of thinking since they shove the bars toward the rider (and often the tank) about 2 inches. I needed to watch for the appropriate amount of tank clearance and ultimately needed the 1-inch longer stems. Very high bars can be a problem with the leverage against the flexible rubber, but with patience, they will work fine. Since each riser is a single unit, they will flex and pivot until they're aligned and tightened down.

I installed low rise drag bars from Custom Chrome/Khrome Works. I'll see how they fit as the seat is mounted. I ordered a seat at a swapmeet this weekend, black with brass buttons by West Eagle. My plan is to bend thick-walled copper tubing and polish it for the final bars.

Here's a Doherty front axle spacer in place. What a dream it is to have a kit of varying lengths at my fingertips. Actually, a girl named Bree would fill my dreams more appropriately, if you know what I mean.

Now Imagine the first time I installed the front wheel, wrestling with the slipping front end and frame, the front wheel, the axle and the spacers simultaneously. Fortunately my 11-year-old grandson was on hand with a rubber mallet to assist. For the rear I used a crate to hold the wheel and the approximate height so I could muscle the axle and spacers through to align it with the frame. It was time for a Corona.

Bikernet Warning: When mocking up your ride don't sweat the wheel spacers just yet. Install the wheels as close to center as possible, but keep in mind the slop before you install your fenders only to discover, under final spacing, that the fender is out of whack. Beware

The engine is currently in the hands of S&S for a breast reduction from 103-inch to 93 smooth inches of reliable horse power. I'm waiting on the engine build images to share with you.

Again the Doherty spacer kit made my midnight working conditions shine. It comes with a variety of spacers from over 2 inches to 1/4 inch polished aluminum jobs.

Here's the CCI chain sprocket. I like the old school notion, O-ring chains are reliable and not sloppy, and I like the size that's not an obstacle to view the wheel.

Hold on, I'm slipping the clutch again. Next I mounted the Rev Tech rear wheel with another Avon Venom within the Paughco frame. Unfortunately my Kraft Tech Fender is 9-inches wide and the tire on the 5-inch wide rim runs only 7-inches. I need about an 8-inch wide fender. I'm waiting for the shipment to arrive.

I bolted on the Joker controls and the Custom Chrome kick stand to easy parking if the bikes was removed from the lift.

The stock XR Sportster racing tank in place.

Then I moved onto the tank. I needed to create a couple of bungs for rubber mounting the rear of the tank and tap them for 1/4-20 threads. It was the first time I used our new/old lathe. This is all a new learning experience at the new Bikernet Headquarters. I grabbed a lathe that was rusting in Japanese Jay's backyard. He wasn't using it and I wanted one to cut wheel spacers. I reworked and cleaned the lathe until it was operational then the Doherty crew created a wheel spacer kit? Ah, but the lathe has a myriad of uses, like cutting bungs from a chunk of aluminum. Worked great.

Then I tapped them using the lathe chuck. I discovered that the tank petcock bung needed moving to the rear, since the tank was mounted at an angle. I cut it out with a die grinder and returned to the lathe to machine off the welds.

Here's the new petcock bung hole drilled at the rear of the tank for maximum capacity.

Next I need to learn how to use my new/real old, milling machine. My dad was a machinist most of his life and ultimately an engineer in the oil well industry. As a teenager I worked in machine shops and picked up equipment experience between smoking joints. I swear I learned something.

I'm not going to attempt to weld the tank. Just up the street is a 40-year pro, but I need to have all the parts and pieces ready to weld.

Let's see, what else. I dug through our parts bins and found the exact bracket I needed to mount the Kraft Tech oil bag. I need to cut off the existing coil and oil bag brackets and make a new front mount.

Wait a minute I'm slipping again. I dug through my bracket drawers and pulled a couple of old Jammer brackets 1/4-inch thick. I drilled 1/2-inch holes for the rubber mount grommets from Cyril Huze. I bolted them in place.

I made sure to bevel the holes slightly to prevent a fit with the rubber and insure the steel wouldn't cut the soft material.

Next, I carefully measured the backbone tubing of the frame and figured the dimensions of the tabs and carefully marked and cut them, then beveled the edges for strong welds.

Here's the tabs ready to rock.

I used a level on the frame, ultimately on the front motor mount then on the top of the tank to make sure the tank was level with the frame.

At 1:00 a.m. I turned in, but just before I tacked the tabs to the frame and used my air hose to cool the tabs, so I didn't smoke the rubber sleeves. I discovered in the morning light that the tank wasn't in the center for the frame rail, and it needed to be dropped 1/8-inch in the front.

The next day under a sober sky, I refit the tank, tacked and MIG welded the tabs. Once the Bill Hall, pro-welder, welds my tank bungs in place and the tunnel is capped, I can make the final rear tabs and mount the tank semi-permanently. Is that possible?

I'm not sure about this operation. I drilled several holes in the tunnel for gas to flow in and out. I hope it's cool and enough flow. Any suggestions? I didn't cut the tunnel completely out for structual reasons. It's an aluminum tank on a rigid frame. I don't want it to crack between here and Sturgis.

After positioning the bungs and petcock several times, I decided to run the Petcock back as far as possible for the most gas capacity. Then I positioned the round tab forward enough to clear the petcock.

Next, I will mount the Kraft Tech Oil bag, the rear fender and sprung seat mechanism. I'm also dealing with the rear drive. The frame was set up for belt, but more and more I like the chain notion.

The JIMS machine tranny is set up for 4-speed applications with 6-speed gears. First, I ordered the wrong Custom Chrome tranny plate, then I was twisted about the sprocket vs. belt pulley needed to drive the bastard. I dug through old parts bins until I found gears, since it looked like a gear-driven job. Then the sprocket didn't fit. I'm still trying to figure it out.

I'm going to meet with Jim of JIMS in the next couple of days and get to the bottom of it.

Although the frame is set up for a belt, that means if I run a chain, I'll have plenty of alignment flexibility. Hang on for my next report.

–Bandit

Doherty Machine
1030 Sandretto Dr Unit L
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-541-7744
mailto:Dohertymachine@aol.com

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What hit the American Motorcycle industry like straight pipes and tire sizzling burn-outs, at 4 in the morning? Television, in the form of Motorcycle Mania one and two. The introduction of chopper building skills and rebel attitude, unleashed broadband, to citizens all over the country, rocked the biker world. Then chopper heaven in the form of Biker Build-offs struck with round two. Who was responsible for this Tsunami boon to our lifestyle? It was Hugh King, the producer/director/writer and editor at large of Original Productions.

Hugh felt the crisp freedom and wild wanton wickedness of the chopper industry in 1947 as a Milwaukee youngster, with his nose pressed against his living room window. An older neighborhood wildman, Billy Brody, screamed down the street on a bobbed ’46 Indian Chief. He tore across his folk’s lawn and slid to a stop on the front porch ignoring the driveway and garage alongside the house. That scene, on the Oak shrouded street, was emblazoned in Hugh’s expanding creative mind for years to come. In fact he added a wild black and white scene of a biker burning into a bar, to his documentary resume while living off grants and making social action films.

In 1989 he hauled ass to California and scrambled for a position cutting Easyriders Home Videos.

Through the reams of vast, rough-shot, motorcycle footage he learned the Harley biker industry, from event coverage, to land speed record attempts. Hired by Original Productions he produced reality shows. Then one fateful day, while warm California rays graced his small Original Productions, office, Tom Beers, his boss, wandered in.

“Discovery Channel called,” he said. “They want a feature on the custom motorcycle industry. You’ve experienced the motorcycle world. It’s your assignment.” Since the offices were located in Burbank, California, Hugh investigated valley shops and called motorcycle mag editors. A mystery connection was made, and an old crocked finger pointed toward West Coast Choppers. “And the rest is history,” Hugh said.

“Discovery didn’t billboard the first Motorcycle Mania episode,” Hugh said. “They only mentioned it one-half hour before it aired, but by act 4 they knew we had hit a home run.”

By Motorcycle Mania two, Jesse became a star. “Viewers wanted to talk to him,” Hugh said of growing audience. “We filmed it for the average Joe and sensed immediately that people wanted to reach out and touch tools. There was a deep longing for the ability to make something out of nothing.”

Jesse smacked a cord in young American viewers with a ballpeen hammer against a flat sheet of aluminum. Fans witnessed pure raw alloy shaped into sleek gas tanks. “The footage of metal being annealed was graphically inspiring,” Hugh said. At that stage he was the producer, director, writer and editor (Tom Beers was the executive producer).

Discovery was rocked and wanted more, so Hugh directed the first four Monster Garage segments, then kicked off the Build-Off series.

“We shot Borget versus Billy Lane and Discovery ordered three more,” Hugh said. “It was another grand slam.”

Life kicked into high gear for Hugh and again Original Productions was approached by Discovery Channel to make Motorcycle Mania III or “Jesse James Rides Again” starring Jesse James and featuring his buddy, Kid Rock. Jesse worked with wheelwright, Fay Butler, in Massachusetts to learn the intricacies of copper fabricating. Fay manipulates old yoders like an artist’s brush shaping copper. Yoders were used in WWII to fashion sheets of metal for fighter fuselages and wings. Jesse and Fay worked together to shape the copper chopper gas tank.

The MMIII film endeavor raised the bar for Hugh. “I had the opportunity to work with high def film and top quality camera equipment,” he said. “We got to use the highest standard automobile commercial equipment like a Shot Maker and Chapman cranes for dramatic rolling angles.” His life hit overdrive as he filmed the building of the Copper Chopper for Jesse, American Bad Ass Chopper for Kid Rock, and they hit it to Mexico. “Nothing went according to plan,” Hugh said. “We changed the itinerary constantly. The people of Mexico were terrific as we shot from El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, in 125 degrees, through 350 miles due south to Chihuahua.”

Hugh filmed spectacular footage of the two riders passing smoldering sand dunes, sweeping vistas and lumbering Iguanas crossing the rugged roads toward Copper Canyon.

“We suspected trouble from Federales,” Hugh said, “but Jesse and the Kid befriended the law. They stood alongside the smoldering highway and blasted sand dunes with the cops’ weapons.”

Having the time of their lives they rode south to Chihuahua, a growing city, and searched through the old market place. Riding west they climbed 6,000 feet to Copper Canyon, in the middle of the Sierra Madres, which is six times longer than the Grand Canyon. They slept in a small village on the lip of the gorge, in a town of 65.

Jesse and the Kid accomplished their goal of escaping fame and fortune as they continued West toward the coast over torturous curved roads through blinding lightening storms and over a territory where the only vocation is hijacking. “We slept in the camera van,” Hugh said, “since there was no place to stay, until we reached the white sand beach on the Sea of Cortez. It was a transcendental experience.”

Motorcycle Mania III will experience limited theatrical release later this year, followed by Discovery Channel airing. Hugh has a year and a half invested in the film while directing Biker Build-offs with Billy Lane, Dave Perewitz, Roger Borget, Paul Yaffe, Indian Larry and currently with Yank Young, Chica, Eddie Trotta, Russ Mitchell, Arlen and Cory Ness. “Choppers have turned my life upside down,” Hugh said. Although the family man doesn’t own a bike, he rides constantly. “I’ll jump anything the builders let me straddle,” Hugh said. You can see the motorcycle mania fever boiling in his gaze.

What’s the future hold for Hugh King? The Biker Build Off series is rockin’ through another chrome and flamed season and even hotter segments are headed for next year. “We kicked off the series with Billy Lane and Roger Borget,” Hugh said. “Initially it was intended as an elimination competition, but no builder can manufacture one ass-kickin’ bike after another, every 30 days. We currently pick builders by regions and diverse styles.” In 2005 he hopes to throw a massive live finale in Las Vegas and take the bike voting interactive.

At 65, Hugh ramped into an all-time high with custom bikes. He’s riding it for all it’s worth and the entire industry benefits.

HUGH KING SIDEBAR:

THE LAUGHLIN BUILD-OFF– On April 20th ten of the world’s greatest bike builders thundered into Laughlin, Nevada. For 72 hours in a secret desert shop they worked non stop to create BBO X, a one-off 124 cubic inch, rigid, right side drive, black and chrome, spear-like chopper. Then they presented it to Hugh King, producer of Discovery’s Great Biker Build Off. The geniuses who came together to make this awesome steed were Arlen Ness, Cory Ness, Russell Mitchell, Eddie Trotta, Mitch Bergeron, Kendall Johnson, Matt Hotch, Joe Martin, Chica and Hank Young.

Chica hand fabricated the gas tank. Hank Young made the oil tank. Kendall Johnson was responsible for assembling and tweaking the 124 cc. S&S motor and the Baker 6 speed transmission, Mitch Bergeron was responsible for the frame and the billet down tube (in which was cut in the Roman Numeral X and the Discovery planet), Matt Hotch fabricated the fenders, Joe Martin built the pipes and did the pin striping, Russell Mitchell and Eddie Trotta built the front end and Arlen Ness and Cory Ness were responsible for the paint and the overall supervision of the project.

A special guest appearance was made by legendary seat maker, Danny Gray who fabricated a black leather seat with a zebra stripped manta ray inset.

On Saturday night, April 24th, before thousands at the Laughlin River Run, BBO X was unveiled and formally presented to Hugh King.

Each of the ten builders had competed in Bike Build Off before. Their ten bikes were on display at the Discovery both where the people voted on which motorcycle they thought was best in show.

Matt Hotch’s low slung, blue beach cruiser took the prize. Watch every Monday night for a new Build-Off on Discovery.

Old Harley-Rider and professional artist, Chris Kallas, brings many of our 5-Ball creations to life.

I'm in a daze this morning. Too much Quervo Gold last night and too many discussions about the sinking economy. It's a bastard when they lay off port crane operators. What does that tell you? I don't want to go there on this dank gray morning. It's warm outside, but even the dogs, Tank and Cash, feel the gray skies. They look hung-over, droopy and drained. I haven't shaved in a couple of days, need a shower and a kick-my-butt workout.

Here's the version before the Crime Scene Rapide headlights.

Chris added the Rapide Headlight to his illustration, but the project kept changing.

All the women left me and ran off to the mountains this weekend. I know why Sin Wu needed a break. Have you ever tried to maintain a 10,000 square-foot, old dilapidated building, clean and care for two lumbering, sloppy dogs, two house cats, and a stray that wanders through and bitches if the food supply isn't consistent with her desires? The Macaw needs to be fed and moved into and out of the sun at the end of the day and now we have a fuckin' fish.

Both Crime Scene lights are featured in this version.

There are also construction workers, electricians and plumbers to deal with. It's never a dull moment around here. I'm a big proponent of running off all the costly pets, who can't do except shit and care for a half dozen concrete gargoyles. At least they keep the evil spirits at bay and involve zero upkeep.

With vintage Paughco tool box.

Okay, I'll get to the tech. I was on a hunt for a vintage seat and Duane Ballard stopped by with this vintage BMW seat. I used chunks of wood to hold it in place while I pondered the little Hispanic girl who works at Shamrocks, the Mexican fish market two blocks away. Since the seat was made with a number of springs incorporated in the structure, I didn't feel additional springs were necessary. I played with my options, but nothing – graceful, stylish, art deco or vintage – came to mind. Then I grabbed the springs that came with the prototype Paugho frame and voila, it all came together using the existing frame bungs, the mini-seat shocks and a slight modification to the BMW seat.

I drilled new holes in the brackets and cut about 4 inches off the arms. The front of the seat bolted directly to the Paughco seat hinge and I was good to go. Duane stopped by again, blessed my creation, and took the seat for top-notch leather upholstery action. He's the best.

I shifted to my shift linkage system and called Jeremiah for the mathematical configuration from the system we build for his bobber. I wanted a tank shift and had several strange components, plus heavy, solid cloverleaf brass rod to use. I don't have any idea how I come up with this shit, but what the hell. It has class.

With this system I probably added 5-pounds to the Racer's weight. That's okay. I want it strong.

According to Jeremiah, from the pivot point down, the shift arm was about 6 inches in length, and the distance to the shift knob up was almost three times that length. That made for a vast throw and I needed to make sure I was clear, fore and aft, for shifting without smacking the bars or anything else. I checked my '48 Panhead with stock jockey shifting and the ratio was closer to two to one. In addition, jockey shifting is a different animal. There's no back and forth spring action on vintage tank-shifted bikes. The shifter banged through one gear after another from first to fourth, done deal.

I had a bunch of holes to drill and tap.

That's the reason jockey-shifted bikes are best with jockey top transmissions. If you need neutral, just pop it out of any gear and you're back in neutral. Ratchet tops force you to bang through one gear after another down to the only neutral between first and second, often missing it. In our next tech, we will install a Baker 5-and-1 drum in this transmission to afford neutral at the bottom for easy reach.

Okay, so back to the job at hand. I'm trying to use as much brass on this bike as possible, so I dug through drawers and boxes of old machined parts and trinkets and came up with these brass-bearing supports. Then I machined a piece to fit these, then the axle piece to mount to the frame. Then I had to bore and tap the pivot, drill and tap to anchor the brass bushing, drill and tap to create a pivot stop and machine and thread the brass rods, plus machine an end to fit a heim joint connection to the transmission shift linkage. I spent hours tinkering and figuring, drilling, tapping and testing, and I'm reasonable sure I have a tough, working shifting system.

Here's a shot of the original threaded frame tube.

Then I shifted to the dreaded tanks. The tanks are fine, but more involved than normal one-piece, bolt-on tanks, ready with bungs for rubber mounting. Since this was a prototype Paughco Factory Racer frame, the first one of the batch, they bolted the tanks to the frame by drilling and tapping the top frame tube. Problem is, that afforded each 5/16 coarse bolt about three threads in mild steel tubing. In just a matter of time, those threads would fail, the tanks would rattle and come loose.

A Bung King Master Bung in place.

I decided I wanted to strengthen the tank mounting for the long road. I ordered some ¼-inch bungs, ¾-inch deep for a lasting hold. Later, I discovered that since the mainframe strut was 1.5 inch tubing, I could have used the 1.5-inch deep bungs from the Bung King (check their site for all available variations). I needed to re-drill the holes to a larger diameter for the bungs to slip into the frame. Adding the bungs and welding them enhanced the strength of the frame. At first, I though about machining a bung with a lip on it, but the tanks didn't have the clearance above the frame for a lip.

There it is a smooth, tight Bung King Bung–perfect.

We used 3-4-inch long ¼-20 bolts to hold the bungs, assist with alignment and prevent weld from damaging threaded holes. Before welding we sprayed the parts with slag protectant.

I laid on the welds for maximum penetration and strength. Wish I could crawl in the backbone of the frame and weld the underside.

After drilling the frame holes, I tapped the bungs into the hole and as far below the surface as possible for the strongest, deepest weld. I would also need to grind off any protruding weld so the tanks would fit again. One tank protruded into the frame and rubbed at the back, so I moved it as far forward as possible for clearance, which amounted to about ¼ inch.

With the bungs in place, welded and ground, I grappled with the tank mounting holes. I thought I had it made, since I was dropping from 5/16-inch bolts to ¼-inch, but not so. Only one hole lined up. I grappled with these bastards for hours. Then I gas-welded the hole slots, refilled them and ground them to a reasonable size.

Since the tanks were very narrow I was forced to watch out, that the straps didn't stick out from under the tanks. I was lucky, sorta.

Bung welded into place.

Next, I welded bungs, I believe from Lucky Devil, into the bottom of the tanks and used the Bung King’s rubber mount kits with straps and rubbers to attach it to the frame. In a sense, this was overkill, but I've experienced leaky tanks and poorly mounted tanks on my way to Sturgis a couple of times. One time, Randy Aaron from Cycle Visions saved my ass and my tank paint job. Later on, Paul Yaffe replaced my piece-of-shit Blue Flame tank with a properly rubber mounted Independent tank. So, goddamnit, this needs to be right the first time. I ran rubber mounts front and rear.

Since the Bung King straps are 1-inch wide, I use 1-inch masking tape to test locations. I had to make sure I could reach the mounting holes without a spacing problem and support the tank.

There's a trick to this operation. You need the rubbers in place to make proper measurements, cuts and tack welds. Ah but, too much heat will destroy your rubbers and sink the process. I've done it during mad welding spurts. This time I kept my Bonneville salt sprayer handy, so I could tack near the rubber insert and cool the strap before I damaged the insert. I removed the inserts before final welds.

Inserts removed, then final welds and grounds. I could have bent these and tested the welds like a welding school.

With the tanks securely mounted, I was confident, except for one aspect: capacity and turning radius. I needed to pull the bike away from the lift clamp and flop the Paughco taper-leg springer from side to side. As I suspected, it was going to hit the tanks. Over the next couple of weeks, I will operate again, slicing the tanks for turning.

I shifted to making a top motor mount, which worked out like a champ. I made a strap from one Crazy Horse head to the other, then discovered a couple of tabs that would give me the strength and position I needed to hook up with the frame. Top motor mounts are also tricky. They need to be flexible and somewhat adjustable. I made sure the engine was positioned correctly with my BDL primary backing plate, but you never know if something might shift slightly during final assembly, and the top motor mount must be flexible and iron strong.

Without too much fanfare, I attached a piece of modified angle iron to the right side of the motor mount for a coil hanger. I angled it slightly so the spark plug wires wouldn’t bang or rub against the tank.

Cutting a slot in the fifth tranny mount.

It just happened that I'm building a railing for my mom's house. She's getting feeble, in her old age and needed some additional support. That meant a trip to the local steel supply house, where I stumbled onto some small chunks of angle iron. I didn't like my original number 5 transmission mount, so I decided to remanufacture it with a heftier piece of angle iron that also reached the frame without a problem. It also allowed me a tad more positioning flexibility for the master cylinder and pedal adjustment.

In the next segment, I'll run the progression of Dick Allen illustrations, so you can see the progress. It's as if I'm building the motorcycle, while Dick and Chris Kallas develop the visual story.

I don't know about you, but these illustrations give me hope and inspiration throughout the build process. Next, I will modify the tanks once more for enhanced Paughco Springer turning radius, then we'll mount the Phil's Speed shop ignition and wiring system to a plate I'll make that will bolt to the top of the tanks behind the gas caps.

Forgot to mention, we mounted an old American Legion badge to the BDL Primary. Class.

Also mounted to same plate of steel will be a manual, vintage Sportster replacement, Bikers Choice speedo driven off the rear Black Bike wheel. Hopefully, the wheels will roll in, I'll find some 23-inch tubes and Larry Settle will mount and balance the Avon tires. I'll set up the wheels in the frame and springer, and then haul the bike to Chica in Huntington Beach. He's going to help me with fender design and mounting. In the meantime, I'll watch the inauguration unfold and stay away from tequila. There's more coming, though. I'm going to modify the trans with a 5-1 Baker drum, and build a set of exhaust with D&D bends and pieces. Hang on for the next installment.

Editor's Note: You've seen the “American Iron” feature. Chris Maida, the editor, asked us to reshoot it, but we kept the original shots near the Wilmington, Califa, Port of Los Angeles rail road tracks. Just happened that a train rolled past in the middle of the shoot. Enjoy.–Bandit

I just did the Old School bit and rode this bike to Sturgis on our Bikernet.com 2005 run from the West Coast.

I cottoned to the pure machine marquee. I didn’t plan to paint it at all, unless absolutely necessary. I wanted to leave most components unblemished metals and incorporate as many iron types (for color) into the mix as possible. I wanted this mess to contain brass, copper, aluminum, steel, and stainless. Of course the steel corrosion dilemma dictated that we use some powder coating for a protective seal. The front end came in black to avoid chrome, so I supplemented the bike with a few additional black pieces, but the frame and some others were powdered to mimic a copper patina. Some aluminum parts were clear coated to prevent complete dulling and afford an acceptable pin striping surface. Some brushwork was applied.

It started with a Shovel engine that a brother gave me with a title. I loaned him a bike when he was down. Due to family illness he was forced to sell everything. There’s nothing better than an engine with a title. I took it from there and ordered a Paughco classic frame to fit me and handle like a midnight dream. Too many choppers today look good but don’t handle worth a damn. I wanted a bike to fit, handle well on freeways, yet be light in city traffic and parking lots. I spoke to Ron Paugh at Paughco and they built me a 4-inch up, 3-inch out, 35-degree raked rigid, wide enough to handle a 180 tire.

I don’t care for wide tire, fat-assed, beachball monsters. I decided to set my limit at 180 and run an O-ring chain for the traditional look. I stuck with a Paughco front end to top off the chassis. It’s one of their new tapered leg springers, 9-inches over with three degrees of rake in the trees. It worked out to be almost 5 inches of trail and handled as light as a dirt bike.

Hand made brass alternator plug holder.

The engine had early stock heads, House of Horsepower cases and was a 105-inch stroker, too much for a rigid chassis. I wanted this bike to last, be a beater, but not be a dog. I contacted friends at S&S and they suggested 93 inches of street power for a balanced, reliable drive train. The stroke was reduced to 4.5 inch with 3 5/8 inch bore. The bike is fast but not a vibrating monster. I also spoke to Lee Chaffin at Mikuni and he suggested a 42mm, flat slide, Mikuni carb. “It will give you sharp throttle response,” he said. If I planned to run the Shovel on the salt flats he would have suggested a 45 mm venturi.

I have a couple of codes when it comes to building choppers. I like to keep them as simple as possible. On the other hand I like an oil cooler and filter to keep the drive train alive. I came across a system that bolted to the front motormount and doubled as a cooler while holding a spin-on filter (Rohm billet oil cooler mount). It was perfect. Other chopper codes include having enough taillight to prevent being run-over and enough gas to take you 100 miles before you hit reserve, or you’re looking for gas stations constantly. In this case I nearly broke the code a couple of times.

Here’s that cool oil filter/cooler mount.

The Sportster gas tank originated on the verge of being beneath the acceptable fuel capacity, 1.75 gallons. It was an old Aluminum XR 750 race tank that we heavily modified. Get this: Some aluminum tanks are against the code, they’re too weak, notorious leakers. I broke the unwritten rule because it was a factory tank—cool right? Not so. “They broke during flat track races,” Berry Wardlaw, the Boss of Accurate Engineering, said at dinner in Deadwood, South Dakota, after I welded it twice on the way to Sturgis. “They ain’t worth the powder to blow ‘em to hell.”

I put more work into that tank than the Martin Brothers pour into a set of one-off artistic sheet metal. First I added additional rubber mounted bungs to the base of the tank for added support, since I didn’t on the last Sturgis rigid. It broke twice. Because the tank would reside on a severe angle we moved the petcock to the rear, also for more fuel capacity. We drilled the tunnel and welded in a plate to allow the entire center section to augment petrol storage. Then I installed a Crime Scene speedster cap for an old school hot rod appearance.

Kent from lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston supported the aluminum theme by hand fabricating an aluminum fender to match the tank, front and rear. We scrapped the front job.

Back to the code. Remember the taillights, so a semi will at least recognize that it’s a motorcycle under his rip-roaring wheels. This is a tough one for me. I like the minimalist approach, but endeavor for some level of survival. The crew at Eye Candy Custom Cycles (.com) developed this hot looking, side-mount ’59 Cadillac taillight. I thought it was the cat’s paw and that I could mount it to glow through to both sides. I installed it to the BDL inner primary, so close and tight to the frame that no one could see it. I broke the code.

I also grappled with some elements of the wiring, but it worked out fine—that’s another story. I’ve been tinkering with bikes for 30 years, yet learned a tremendous amount with this build.

The bike continued to roll together like a dream with the Kraft Tech oil bag, hard copper oil lines, the Lucky Devil sprung seat and 5-speed Rev Tech Transmission. The wheels were Custom Chrome aluminum rims, stainless spokes and chromed steel hubs. This was the first time I ever used Brembo brakes, no problem and I’ve worked with Joker Machine controls for the last five years.

Let’s focus on mistakes I made, so you won’t make them in the future. The hard lines were cool, but I could have installed rubber hose and been finished in a half hour. Plus, since the Kraft Tech, round oil bag, was rubber mounted and the hard lines solid, the street vibration fucked with them and they cracked. I needed vibration resistant furrels. Let’s stick with the oil bag. It’s cool, solid and bolted right up, but battery choice is critical. There was very little space between the battery terminals and the frame. Ultimately, a Bikernet babe was called to the front, to stitch a rubber protective cushion to prevent shorts. That’s too close for everyday comfort.

I broke in the bike using the Eddie Trotta formula for success, but missed one element, high-speed interstate travel. If I had put a few miles on the bike at 80 mph, which is against the break-in code, of 55 or less, I would have noticed the severe gearing. That’s where I went wrong. I started with a JIMS 6-speed and stock gearing. Then I discovered that the new Starter system from Compufire, that runs off the engine, wouldn’t be available for Sturgis, so I had to punt. I mounted the Dyna coils under the oil tank, which prevented a standard Compu-fire starter from being installed quick. A kicker was the answer. It fit with my hand made exhaust system using modified Samson mufflers, but I was forced to shift back to a Rev Tech 5-Speed transmission, because I needed the kicker. I should have considered a gear change at that point, but didn’t.

So what happened on the 1500-mile trek to the Badlands? The bike ran like a raped ape, strong and true. The handling was superb, everything remained in place except for the bullshit running lights I attempted to use for more visibility. They vibrated, spun, popped the bulbs and tore at the wires running through the fender rails. The ragged glitch in the road was the gearing. I ultimately replaced the running lights with these no-count reflectors and a H-D teardrop turnsignal under the right muffler.

Draining gas at first breakdown location, alongside the 10 freeway.

The bike clocked 300 miles before I left town. Another 200 miles down the road toward Arizona, it had the mileage numbers to afford me enough break-in miles to drop the hammer and let her fly. At 90 mph I peeled past big rigs on Interstate10 heading out of the vast Los Angeles plague of concrete and stucco homes reaching dangerously close to the Arizona border. Crossing the state line, into the helmet-free state, I felt relieved to experience 100 degrees in the open desert flying toward Phoenix, another blight of concrete and southwestern architecture. I sensed the buzz in the frame and handlebar grips through Custom Cycle Engineering rubber mounted risers. The Shovel was over-revving and I needed that 6th gear release from extensive vibration, but I kept pushing for the love of speed, a light 520-pound, 93-inch chopper can deliver. She sliced the open road like a high-speed rotary knife through French bread.

I was beginning to buzz my feet off the Joker Machine pegs and adjusted them at the next stop. Rubber inserts on rigid pegs are mandatory, but I flaunted that rule with impunity. Just 60 miles out of Phoenix with the temps cresting 104 degrees and our group, of a half dozen, barreling along at over 90, the Sturgis Shovel quit, pure dead in the fast lane. I reached for the plug wires, then the ignition key that hovered less than a ½-inch from the whirling BDL belt drive. Better not go there, I thought as I signaled to lean right into the slow lane then onto the rough texture of the emergency lane where my baby came to a stop. That’s when I noticed the terrible, over-flowing gas leak at the back of the tank, all over the rear head.

As if the devil knew, one more mile and I would burst into flames in the middle of the searing desert. He flipped my ignition off. I never found an electrical problem or mechanical woe. She turned herself off because the vibration had taken its toll on the aluminum tank.

Loading the chopper in the desert for the repair run to Phoenix.

The next morning I was back on the road after Nick and Charlie at Custom Performance, (Turbo builders for Harleys, in Phoenix), had my tank rewelded and Nick recommended larger, softer rubber mounts. We were back on the road, where I took care of the beast for the rest of the run to Sturgis (kept my speed down), or until I could change the gearing. As it turned out, as I pulled into Deadwood, gas dripped onto that rear plug again. Bad news. There are codes and builders who know which ones can be broken—none. You can check the entire Sturgis Shovel Project build in our Bikernet Tech Department. The tank was repaired in Rapid City, but just two weeks ago I was forced to have it welded for the third time in Los Angeles. When will I learn?

Ride Forever,

–Bandit

Sturgis Shovel Tech Sheet

Owner: K. Randall “Bandit” Ball
Home: Wilmington, California
Builder: Bikernet.com
Year/model: 1956 Sturgis Shovel
Time to Build: 9 months
Color: Shit brown

Engine/Transmission

Year/Model: 2005 S&S
Builder: Richard Kransler, Phil’s Speed Shop, and S&S
Displacement: 93 inches
Cases: House of Horsepower
Flywheels: S&S side-winder
Balancing: S&S, 1300 Bob weight
Connecting rods: S&S
Cylinders: S&S with longer skirts
Pistons: S&S forged, 8.2:1 compression
Heads: 1966 Shovelhead by Phil’s Speed
Cam: S&S
Valves: Black Diamond
Rockers: S&S rollers
Lifters: Custom Chrome
Pushrods: Custom Chrome

Carb: 42 mm Mikuni
Air Cleaner: Fantasy in Iron

Exhaust: Bandit and Samson
Ignition: Compu-fire, single fire
Charging: Compu-fire
Oil Pump: S&S

Transmission

Year/model: 2005 Rev Tech, 5-speed with kicker
Case: Rev Tech
Gears: Rev Tech
Clutch: BDL
Primary Drive: BDL open belt
Kick Starter: Rev Tech

Chassis

Frame: Paughco Chopper
Rake: 35 degrees
Stretch: 3-out, 4-up
Front Forks: Paughco tapered-leg springer
Swingarm: none
Rear shocks: nope

Front Wheel: 21-inch Custom Chrome
Rear Wheel: 18-inch Custom Chrome
Front Brake: Brembo Caliper and Springer Bracket
Rear Brake: Brembo Caliper and Softail Bracket
Front Tire: 21 Avon
Rear Tire: 18/180 Avon Venom
Rear Fender: Kent Weeks
Fender struts: Bandit

Headlight: Custom Chrome
Taillight: Eye Candy Custom Cycles
Fuel Tank: Aluminum 750 XR
Oil Tank: Kraft Tech
Handlebars: Custom Chrome narrowed
Risers: Custom Cycle Engineering dog bones
Seat: Lucky Devil Metal Works
License Bracket: Eye Candy Custom Cycles
Handlebar controls: Joker Machine
Foot Controls: Joker Machine

Gotta honor my bike feature with a Redhead!

It's resting on the tail end of June and I'm riding to Sturgis on 27th of July. I'm burnin' daylight. Assembly will begin this 4th of July weekend, if I don't party the whole weekend away. This tech will take you through all the final preparations for shipment to paint, since I'm avoiding chrome. In this case, we're hauling down this old school road with only flat powder coating and pinstriping from George the Wild Brush.

No bondo, hand-rubbed lacquer, heavy clear coats, just some pinstriping and graphics from the master will insure this vintage Factory Racer peels to the badlands. Let's kick this tech square in the ass with the basics. We will cover an Exile rear brake mounting, Paughco footboard bracket gussets, welded pipes, final mods to gas tanks, fork stops, LA ChopRods wiring guides, and some fender-wiring guides.

This is the stage of bike-building that's frustrating. It's the notorious time of little bullshit obstacles hindering progress at every turn. I need to clean and seal the tanks. I must hunt down a couple of vintage parts and FlatheadFern.com is helping. I need the parts painted before I can begin my Phil's Speed Shop wiring, but I need to relax. It will all come together, I say, brimming with confidence as I drink more whiskey.

Let's get movin', so I can figure out what I'm missing as the weeks peel by, like deadlines to a Times sports writer. First, we installed the Exile black sprocket brake kit with a 48-tooth highly polished sprocket for the proper gearing.

Amazing, they didn't roll under the lift. Wait, one is missing.

I dropped the special, chromed 7/16-inch supplied flathead screws on the deck. I bolted up the sprocket and prayed for alignment with the JIMS transmission sprocket, which was a ¼-inch offset. They distribute a number of trans sprockets with a variety of gearing and offsets from zip to 1 inch. I ordered another JIMS sprocket with ½ inch, since I feel it will afford me perfect alignment position. We'll see.

Russell Mitchell mentions in his Exile directions to consider a spacer between the hub and the Sprotor for alignment or tire clearance. The Black Bike wheel spacing seemed to be very cool.Next, Exile recommended machining the axle spacers so when the caliper and the bracket are installed and the axle nut is tightened, the caliper can run centered over the Sprotor.

I didn't want to machine the spacer and make it dangerously thin, so we bored out the caliper bracket.

I bored out the caliper bracket to allow it to float into the proper position over the axle spacer. Then I positioned the steel anchor tab against the frame. Exile supplied a fastener and a spacer for mounting, but I was able to weld the tab on the inside of the frame, very close to the caliper, which had its drawbacks. I also made sure there was some space and some chain adjustment space, so I wouldn't be caught without adjustment flexibility.

Russell made certain to point out that the tab needed to be absolutely parallel to the caliper, or braking efficiency will be hindered. He also pointed out the need to bleed the caliper before it was installed, but lifting it, so air could escape. I often take a file and slip it between the pads, to mirror the rotor surface. We'll get to bleeding over the weekend, I hope.

I'm having a problem with my shop camera. Can't be operator error…

That's better.

Moving right along, I spoke to Gard Hollinger like a panhandler at a coin convention. He offered a couple of his cable guide bungs for the project and I took him up on the notion. The code is to build a bike without using tie-wraps.

This LA ChopRods bung was going to work perfectly to connect the spare handlebar gas tank to the Paughco flatsided jobs.

Here's the patch for the tanks, to allow for simple fork stops.

With the tank cut away, I had room for stops.

With Gard's bung welded in place I can run a line from the handlebars to the spare gas tank. It's gonna be interesting.

This is the bottom of the spare gas tank. I used another ChopRods bung to hold the line when it's not in use. The good Dr. Hamster brought me a quick-release in-line fitting.

Gard makes a terrific product line of cable guides, tank bungs, and wiring loom guides. I crept through his shop slipping this guide and that runner into my pocket, and then I slithered out the back door.

Gard's cable runner and a standard tab.

finished final speedo cable runner.

Some of Gard's hose or loom runners.

I made fender wire loom guides with thin tubing and welded them into place.

Guides tacked into place, spaced evenly and aligned, I hope.

Hope I remembered all the needed wiring loom runners.

I made a final speedo guide runner and tried to figure out my wiring system with the Phil's Speed Shop wiring harness. I tacked several loom runners and made some tubing runners for the fender.

Then I moved onto installing the new and improved LA ChopRods internal throttle. They simplify handlebars and since no clutch lever was in the mix, my bars were destined for cleanliness. Gard, the boss of La ChopRods, the designer, welder, and janitor, went out of his way to redesign the LA ChopRods internal throttle with builders in mind. It has double bearings that won't fall out during installation. All the measurements were clean and simple, such as you cut a simple 4 inches off the bar and drill a tiny 9/64-inch hole just 1.5 inches in from the end and tap it to 8-32 thread. It was finished in a hot flash. I used an emery grinder on the inside of the bars to allow the internal throttle to slip in easy.

The first hole drilled for the internal cable exit. I made in larger and rounded the edges with a Dremel tool.

You can order the throttle cable from LA ChopRods. They recommend a Barnett 6B or similar universal throttle cable. They sell them in black vinyl or clear-coated stainless steel braid. In case I'm too harried to shoot the assembly, Gard suggests that the adjuster be collapsed and the cable installed in the carb first. He pointed out that the inner cable needed to protrude 1 11/16 inches beyond the outer cable.

I'll run my front brake lever clamp over this Allen set screw, and it can't escape.

Insert it into your bars and out the right end. Remove the screws holding the bearings in place and disassemble the ChopRods internal throttle. Gard designed a 3/4-inch brass sleeve to grab the internal cable and not damage it. In the past, I was concerned about screws coming loose and finding myself alongside the freeway. It happened to me on my way to the Exile open house. Gard made sure all the fasteners have no place to escape. And the handlebar fastener can be secured by running my GMA front brake lever clamp over the Allen 8-32 set screw. Done deal.

I think I'm going to seal the pipes with Kreem sealer just to be on the safe side.

Shortly before teardown.

I ripped the Factory Racer apart after thoroughly thinking through the oil line placement, wiring, brake lines, and battery cables. I made a throttle guide and guesstimated it the best I could. With the bike in pieces, I finish-welded all the tabs and bungs in my sloppy MIG welding fashion. I drilled the frame for fork stops and busted the fender tab off the Paughco battery box. Positioned too close to the battery, I made another tab and welded it 3/16-inch closer to the fender. The head of the fastener won't rub against the battery. So far, it's the only item I forgot to weld completely. I missed the inside weld. Not sure what I will do, maybe panic. Maybe I'll grind away the fine Worco Powder Coating and weld it anyway. Or perhaps I'll just go for it.

I made a support gusset for the Paughco footboard bracket. This was a prototype for mounting footboards to the new Factory Racer frame.

This is a shot of the bracket with the gussets welded between the motormount and the mounting arms. Should be seriously strong.

Don't forget to take shots of the parts going to powder. I took a print out to Tony Pisano of Worco Powder Coating, so he could keep track of what was being painted what.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll deliver on the Baker kicker system installation. What a fine piece this puppy is. Then you'll witness George “the Wild Brush” pinstriping various components and final assemble. Of course, you'll also experience the ride to Sturgis. Hang on.

I'm using standard brass fittings for the hoses. The nipples shown here were designed to be used without clamps. I decided, since I will use clamps and take the lines off and on, to trade these in for the regular jobs.

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 about to step off into my 62nd year and sign up for Social Security. It also represented our stinky economy, and for the first time I pulled the plug on riding this bike to Sturgis.

Imagine for a second, the middle of July. Days were long and hot, and the Bikernet shop boiled with activity. The Sturgis deadline was fast approaching. I needed to plan stops, hotels, food funds and a place to stay in the Badlands. Then suddenly we were forced to shift gears. Actually, we took the planning process out of gear. One day, I scrambled for the finish line; the next I coasted. I couldn't find the stress switch for a week and relieve the pressure.

Most of my parts were baking in the Tony Pisano, Worco powder-coating ovens. It took me a week to realize the Sturgis Rally would survive without me, and I could relax. I was no longer under the gun to finish this build and risk my life riding an untested motorcycle halfway across the nation. Then it dawned on my feeble brain. I had a terrific opportunity to finish this bike and test it for a year before riding into the Mojave Desert and across several Indian reservations. Plus, I could kick back and enjoy the summer, pressure- free. I bought an ice-cold six-pack of Coronas, a couple of fresh limes and grabbed a sun tan. Not bad.

I didn't slip the sheet under the frame for the photo. I did it to protect the powder on the bottom of the frame.

Tony is a pro powder-coater of the finest order and knows what it takes to tape off motor mounting plates and plug threaded holes. He saved long days under a grinding wheel. The powder work came out supreme. This year I tried something new. I powdered even the sheet metal, then asked a pro to paint panels on the tank and a flat black stripe down the Chica rear fender. He handled that aspect in a flash. Then I turned the job over to George the Wild Brush for the 5-Ball Racing logo on the tanks and pin-striping.

George drives around Los Angeles in an old Toyota truck with a camper shell, the home of paint headquarters. He folds down the tailgate, uncovers his vast, dripping assortment of paint and goes to work. He's old school to the bone. He pinstriped the giants' drag race funny cars in the '70s.

Here's where my fuck-ups began to surface. After the tanks were powder-coated, I decided to test them for leaks. I had planned to coat them with a sealer, and received Kreem tank sealer from Bikers Choice.

Here's the quandary: You can't seal tanks and then have them powder-coated. It might all go to hell in 400 degree ovens. So I held off. Then I decided to hit a local radiator shop for the test. We discovered one small leak where I welded in a rubber-mounting bung in the bottom. I ground it clear of paint and re-welded it. No problem. The painter touched it up for me. It was on the bottom of the tank and I was good to go. I thought.

Next blunder: Instead of pressure-testing my handmade exhaust system, I decided to try another sealant available from Kreem and Bikers Choice. It's blue madness and can only be used on new pipes. I followed the directions, but it's a messy operation, and of course, I attempted this process for the first time, after I painted the pipes. What did I learn from these hiccups? Test tanks and pipes before you coat them with anything, period.

The first item to be installed was the new Paughco narrow, taper-legged springer front end. It slid right into place. If only I had four arms when I'm working in the shop alone. The front end already had the 23-inch Black Bike Wheel installed with a special Avon Tyre. I just needed to grapple with the front end, fasteners, bearings and top crown. No problem. I also installed the GMA front brake bracket and spaced the front wheel for the 14th time. It's a tight fit, and I need something art deco to mount on the front of the bracket. GMA, now owned by BDL, only builds a springer front brake bracket for the right side. I was forced to flip this one over. I could have machined the leading lip off, but I decided it could be used for some unique reflector, or quirky hood ornament. We'll see.

When I disassembled the bike, I carefully collected all the parts on this table. I also zip-locked all my fasteners and wrote their job descriptions on the back of each card. That was seriously helpful during assembly. Next, I dropped the Crazy Horse 100-inch engine in the Paughco frame, with the JIM's transmission and the Baker kicker system installed. Since the chain ran against a portion of the frame, I ordered a ½-inch 24-tooth tranny sprocket from JIMS and installed it with this special JIMS nut, designed with a built-in locking device. Unfortunately, no matter what I did, the holes wouldn't line up, so I safety wired the nut to the sprocket to prevent it from backing out.

Then I faced one of the toughest assembly jobs, installing the Spyke alternator stator plug in the right engine case. It's easy and difficult at the same time. This time, I smeared the tunnel and the plug with Never Seize and tried to push the plug through the case tunnel. I also carefully backed out the set-screw and scraped any burrs of the case edges. That didn't help, but I ultimately wrestled it into place. I'm always careful of electrical connections, wiring, proper grounds, etc. Nothing leaves us alongside the road more often than electrical problems. So, I don't like pushing and prodding charging components.

Once the stator was in place, I used self-locking fasteners from Harley-Davidson to fasten it down. Spyke is careful to supply all the proper assembly instructions, but it's always tough with aftermarket engines. Because it was somewhat of a guessing game, I installed the Spyke rotor a couple of times to make sure all the clearances were proper. Then I could move onto driveline alignment and the installation of the BDL narrow enclosed belt drive system.

When you order a BDL belt drive there's a series of offsets available. Make sure you order the correct one.

I've worked with BDL components for at least 15 years. They are solid as a rock. I used the inner primary to pull the engine and transmission into alignment. I left both major components loose in the frame until I pulled it up tight with the inner primary. Don't forget the John Reed Code. I use Never Seize on all bolts rolling into soft aluminum. John warned about damaging porous aluminum threads by running hardened steel against them over and over. Never Seize allows them to glide in and out of the cases without stress or abrasion.

With the driveline aligned, I tightened down the rear engine mounts and then checked the front ones for gaps. I shimmed the front motor mount perfectly, then tightened it down.

The trans in this position seems odd, kicked up in the front, but installing these shims, makes the whole driveline run cleaner and reduces wear and tear. Phil Ross, who passed the other day, explained all of this to me in the mid '70s when he helped me install my first SuperMax belt drive.

Next, I focused on the transmission. The Paughco mounting plate was tight and the JIMS trans case was fine in the rear, but slightly elevated in the front. I dug around until I found the correct shim washers and drove them under the trans and around the front tranny studs. It's key to go through these motions for proper alignment and to save problems with the belt. It's surprising how easy the BDL system slips together if the driveline is aligned.

That mainshaft thread (in the center of the clutch) has left-handed threads.

The engine nut has standard threads. There's on thing to look out for. Sometimes the nut runs out of threads before it's tight. Make sure to check it, or everything runs loose.

I followed the BDL instructions and bolted the engine shaft insert to the pulley then drove in the alignment pins and tightened down the Allen fasteners. I pulled the pressure plate pins out of the clutch and removed the clutch plates. With the clutch hub and the engine pulley holding the belt, I carefully slipped them on simultaneously. I attached the left-handed clutch nut and tightened it with an impact gun. I did the same with the engine main shaft nut. I turned over the engine and checked belt alignment and pulley alignment. I spaced out the front pulley slightly with a shim and was good to go.

BDL TECHNICIAN NOTE:I received a call from BDL, “You fucked up, Bandit,” Dan said. He pointed out how I didn't mention using Loctite on the transmission mainshaft splines when I installed the clutch basket. “That's more important than many folks realize,” he said. Vibration from the spines can tear up the basket splines and ultimately the clutch plates.

I generally don't Loctite the mainshaft splines until the bike is tried and true, encase I need to remove the clutch. “Harbor Freight sells a cheap vintage steering wheel puller,” Dan said. “They work like a champ for pulling BDL clutches. If a hub is too tight a little heat does the trick, melts the Loctite.”

It's the gap between the pinion gear and the ring gear that causes concern.

With the clutch back in place and all the elements tightened down I installed the Spyke starter and pinion shaft. Giggie, who just passed away the other day, told me years ago, how to check the spacing. To keep the starter strong and not fuck with the ring gear, the starter gear should rest about 0.150 back from the ring gear. Too close and it doesn't have the space to begin turning and jams against the ring gear. Too far receded and it won't make good solid teeth contact.

With the primary almost buttoned up, I moved to the LA Chop Rods new-fangled internal throttle installation. Internal throttles are cool but precarious. If a bike stumbles and falls over, the first damage is generally to the bars. It's easy to replace an external throttle or a grip. But what the hell. We're not building a bike to fall down.

About this time, the Sturgis event hit the summer calendar, and folks arrived from Australia for the ride. Doc from Heavy Duty Magazine, in Australia, picked up a Victory for the run. Nicole Brosing, an Australian tattoo artist, flew to the coast, rented the same Road King she rode last year, grabbed her girlfriend and split north to San Francisco then east to the Badlands.

Gard, of LA Chop Rods, designed his sharp internal throttle system with dual bearings for a smooth roll-on. He also designed it to be easy to measure and install.

See the brass sleeve? It makes clamping more secure and won't damage the actual cable. I have a distinct tendency to damage everything.

I wrenched in the shop, drank Coronas, smiled and caught a sun tan. Gard Hollinger from LA Chop rods slapped extra engineering into his internal throttle system. His instructions were detailed, but I was still nervous as I attempted to determine the proper length. It's always a sharp notion to take the bike off the lift so the bars can rotate for testing the overall length. It's actually a breeze to install, although I honed out the bars slightly, for an easy slip. Gard devised the cable lock-down with a brass sleeve to prevent damage to the internal cable and afford a solid grip for the set screw. This throttle, with extra bearings, is smooth as silk.

Then I turned to the classic spark plug wires from Low Brow. This is a cool system and adds class to any ride. They come in a kit form with all the elements needed, except a roll of solder, flux, and a gun. It was a simple operation, but I actually mounted the coil a tad on the tight side to the underside of the tank. Fortunately it all fit. Make sure to slip the boots onto the wires before you solder the brass fittings into place. Lowbrow attaches the other ends before shipment.

I simply attached the spark plug wire to the spark plugs, ran the lines out of harm's way to the coil, added an inch for safety, cut the wires, trimmed them back for soldering, and crimped and soldered the fittings into place. Frank Kaisler told me to make sure to wipe all the flux off after soldering. So I did as Commander Kaisler instructed. He uses alcohol or solvent to clean the area, preventing future corrosion.

I took a day off to help Nyla's brother, Brad, build some diesel motor mounts for their 32-foot Cho Lee motor sailing vessel. They were smack in the middle of a complete restoration. It's a beautiful boat. I've sailed it to Catalina Island several times, when it belonged to an old friend of mine. Another deadline loomed. Less than a week away, the Easyriders Bike Show would rock the Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis. Bikernet sponsors the Panhead Class each year and I needed to create the trophy. Panhead Billy won the award. When I can reach him, we will feature his classic rat pan.

Custom finish handled by Jim Murillo, with the Rollin Sixes ultimate green flake.

Click on this image to see Phil's product line.

I shifted to the wiring. I used Phil's Speed Shop wiring system. It's designed for lots of custom applications and makes wiring a breeze. He includes instructions and a wiring diagram. The billet chromed box includes the ignition switch, the high-low beam switch, circuit breakers, starter relay, neutral light and starter button. I just ran the wires, used my Frank Kaisler soldering tool and ran the wires through the old H-D soaked canvas loom. I know that's not the correct term for it, but it's a close description.

I made two of these special tools, one wide and one narrow, for tight spots.

I ran into one problem that held me up for weeks. I like the CrazyHorse bottle cap engines. They offer three ignition alternatives. First, the original Thunderheart unit, an adjustable timing Thunderheart, and finally a cone motor system. Unfortunately, they don't tell you enough about the stock system. I thought it was like a Compu-Fire system in the cone. It's a one piece unit. I reached out to other Crazy Horse engine builders who told me I needed a Thunderheart ignition module. So, I ordered the system from Thunderheart, but when it arrived it didn't jive with any wiring diagram I received from Thunderheart or Crazy Horse. It was a riot. Every time I received a wiring diagram or a box from Thunderheart, I thought I was good to go. Then some goddamn thing wouldn’t match, and everyone had split to the Badlands. I paced the garage waiting for answers.

The Thunderheart tech guru sobered up after a week in the Broken Spoke swimming pool, doing belly shots with the lovely waitresses. He dropped me a simple e-mail: “There's only three wires goddamnit, black for ground, red for ignition and green to the coil. Go for a ride.”

That solved that mysterious issue and I moved on. Three more puzzling obstacles surfaced. I cleaned the Paughco oil tank with solvent and small nuts and bolts. I counted the fasteners before I slipped them into the tank. It was sorta rusty, and I didn't want to roll without cleaning it. I poured a cup of oil in it and flushed it out. I hooked up the oil lines, and Crazy Horse sent me very specific instructions, but this will blow your mind. I couldn't figure out venting. I'll get back to that.

I hooked up my gas lines. I filled the tanks and one leaked. I threatened to fire myself on the spot and another challenge surfaced. The pinhole at the front of the tank, where I cut away a section to allow for fork stops, stuck out like a sore thumb. It was obvious, but we didn't spot it during testing. I called Jim Murillo, a professional painter and cried for assistance.

“Don't use Kreem, it peels,” he said. “Use Casewell two-part Phenol Lovolac System.”

I ordered some and their customer service was supreme for a small $36 order. Some companies get it, when it comes to taking care of customers. This is where tank seals become terrifying. I needed to kick my ass into the middle of tomorrow. Make sure your tanks are sealed before any finish is applied, including powder coating. I suppose I was over confident. What the hell.

We took a break to work with Frank at Nino 925 to remake my old wheel ring. They're now for sale.

The directions called for cleaning the tanks with lacquer thinner, nuts and bolts, sand, you name it. I tried the lacquer thinner and immediately fucked with George's pinstriping. I called him, panicked and drank whiskey heavily. Fortunately a Bikernet reader shipped me a fresh bottle of Bulliet Whiskey, and Dusty, one of the 5-Ball Racing Team Salt Flat members, hand-stripped several pounds of walnuts and shipped them out.

Incredible. I let the tank dry thoroughly, made up a small portion of the Casewell sealrant and poured it into the tank. I knew where the hole was, and fortunately it rested in an easy-to-reach corner. I tilted the tank in the sun and returned to the whiskey. George saved my ass once more.

With the tanks fixed and returned to the bike, all was well, and I put a key to the Phil's ignition switch for the first time. Here's another quirk. Crazy Horse doesn't tell you how to time your new 100-inch engine. It times itself. The bike didn't whine, growl, spit or cough. It fired immediately to life and purred. I checked the oil pressure, perfect. Then I unscrewed the cap off the oil bag to make sure the lubricant returned to the oil bag properly. Yep, it was returning, but the cap popped off into my hand. I wondered about venting. Everything was fine except for pressure in the oil bag.

Again, I started a research project. The Crazy Horse installation material didn't mention a crankcase vent and I searched the engine. There are two 3/8-inch spigots between the heads, as if for a cross-over oil line. As it turns out they are designed as vents. I found out from Dar at Brass Balls that they just run a line under their gas tanks. I pulled one end, no oil flow. It had to be the vent, so I improvised and used another old machinery oil fitting to hold a screen to prevent crap from strolling back into the precious engine.

Duane is a helluva good guy, hardworking and talented. In the past he helped with seats for our Bonneville bike, but this one didn't work.

That solved that issue. I was ready to rock, but my seat hadn't arrived from Duane Ballard. It was a wild old sprung BMW seat he scored. When it finally arrived, it didn't fit. It was too high and too far back. I was faced with another quandary. If I moved the bars, I could barely place my boots on the footboards. I scratched my beard, looked at the box of walnuts, and then it dawned on me. Glenn Priddle, a leather seat master, who studied under classic saddle makers, made me a seat a couple of years ago for the 10th Anniversary of Bikernet. It was a wide, classic solo seat. I dug it out, dusted it off and it fit like a glove, dropped the seat height 2 inches and move the seat position forward 3 inches. It actually fit the frame better than the old classic from Duane. I dodged another bullet.

Every year when I build a bike, my mantra includes a solid, tough, rideable, unique bike that will last. But each year the unique project throws a few curveballs. It's part of my Zen education. Life is not meant for perfection. We need challenges to test our endurance levels and help us through the tough spots, find answers or solutions and persevere. Often my predicaments are caused by a lack of experience. For instance, if I ever use a Crazy Horse engine again, I'll know all the quirks and set-up issues.

We took another break and ran out to El Mirage, with this '30s Indy Racer and Rick's most recent board track build. The frame I used on the 5-Ball Factory Racer was designed by Rick Krost, or U.S. Choppers.

Now, let's see if I can ride it for any distance. I would love to ride it to the Badlands next year or to Arizona for our Too Broke for Sturgis Run.

One of the Bikernet Security Team, Cash, the dog.

We'll see what happens next, as I take her through the Eddie Trotta break-in routine. Eddie starts a bike for the first time, let's her run and checks her over. Then he takes it out for a one-block jaunt, and checks it over again. Then he ventures forth for one mile and returns for another inspection, then 5 miles, then 25, then 50 and she's ready for a cross-country blast. Hang on!

Now, for a real whiskey break.

Click on the banner to reach Chica directly.

Last episode I was hit hard with life's bullshit obstacles to freedom and creative expression, but that's how it goes. I generally build at least one bike a year and each one represents a milestone of sorts. Or each one represents another year in the life and times of Bandit. I'm not unique. This notion applies to everyone and every project from building a new home, to building a boat or finishing a book. We're so damn lucky to have the freedom and resources to accomplish our goals, small and large. As you sit back and relish any accomplishment, you know it represents a moment in time–hopefully a good time.

I mention a couple of chapters ago, an illustrator, who has graced Bikernet with his presence, Dick Allen. That name is so revered in the dark halls of the old school biker world. Dick Allen was one of the first and foremost backyard mechanical engineers of the '70s. He designed on of the most sought-after springers, helped kick off belt drives and several Southbay innovations. But another Dick Allen surfaced recently into the grease-stained halls of Bikernet, with illustrations that captured the excitement and action of our Bonneville efforts and now the first 5-Ball Factory Racer.

It's as if he crawled into the shop after the lights are turned off and the dogs are sleeping. He sketched the roller perched on the lift, sniffed the rags for clues to the essence of the build, and the open road dreams behind the late night efforts. Then he captured the action and desires with pen and ink. I asked him recently to send me a bio, because I sensed a long illustration career. Here was his response:

That's very kind of you to offer to runmy bio but honestly it makes me wantto take a nap just thinking about it.How about a pic instead of my stumppulling flathead single '40 Ariel? Wewere born in the same year and havebeen working together for about fifteenyears to keep my bank account drained.As the bike approaches completion itappears to be getting younger and youngerwhile I am definitely getting older and older!

Here's an example from my sketchbook of life observedduring our recent trip to Oaxaca.

Bitchin' segments from D&D, but only 1.5 inches in diameter. We stuck with 1 ¾ inch stock components.

So, recently we tore the March page out of the Calendar and flew into April. A running Racer by the end of April–for the Smoke Out in May, is the goal. The pipes were a major obstacle, yet Jesse James, Illusion Cycles, and Roland Sands inspired me.

I made an adjustable bracket for the muffler, so it could be bolted on in several position, until I knew what the fuck I was doing.

I spotted a tight shotgun system on one of Rusty Coones' Dyna Glide custom built in his Illusions shop. That's the direction I wanted to go for the racer look, not along the bottom of the frame in stock 1915 fashion. The muffler on Rusty's bike was a short/short Supertrapp developed with an exhaust guiding cone built by the Illusion team. The two-into-one pipe was designed at WCC, but I decided to give my own spin to the action for the Crazy Horse 100-inch engine.

It's a puzzle.

I also recently featured a bike built by Roland Sands with his own shotgun Vance and Hines system. Check it out. It also has a very short muffler system, but I had an all-stainless Scorpion sport bike muffler from the mad designer John reed.

A level always helps with a base, but make sure the bike is leveled first.

With Roland's design inspiration, I went to work. I had to make the system run tight to the bike, so ultimately I could install a Baker Drive kicker system to the JIMS 5-speed transmission. It had to run high enough not to mess with the rear axle and not too high for leg burning threats. I had one break; the Crazy Horse engine was designed with the intake manifold running out the left side of the engine. That allowed me to manufacture pipes as high as I wanted–watch the legs, damnit.

My second bracket to the transmission.

Making pipes is a tricky business. This system is teamed with lots of exhaust manufacturers, so I initiated a phone conference with D&D, and they supplied me with various ends and bends to give me a head start. Vance and Hines and WCC were involved with the design and inspirational aspects, and the Boys from Bassani stopped over for lunch and brought a hand full of bends and a chunk of muffler tubing for my speedometer mounts, a very diverse team. Plus nowadays, when you mess with pipes, the diameter fluctuates from below stock diameters to over 2-inch Bonneville racing exhaust performance demands. I took a day dealing with various sizes and ultimately decided on a 1 ¾-inch system to the two-inch muffler opening.

Getting close.

Then I had one of those calm and serene days in the shop–everything fit. It's a Zen thing, when the stars are aligned, and I drank just the correct carefully measured amount of Jack Daniels the night before. For some strange, inexplicable reason, I was tranquil with the dogs wrestling at my feet. The R&B Sirius station shop background music didn't spin any Michael Jackson tunes, and only the 4-tops and Jerry Butler lured me into a false sense of mechanical confidence. I patiently cut, ground chunks of pipes and brackets, then tacked them into place.

In this case, I didn't struggle to make the headers the same length. It will be fast without that, but they're not designed for Bonneville.

I've been making exhaust systems for about six or eight years, and each year I learn. For instance, I was through the roof to find Hooker Header alignment sleeves, only to discover they hinder performance. That meant I had to move more slowly, meticulously and make sure each segment fit perfectly. I also learned that exhaust wrap can also hinder ultimate performance, by being a heat transmitting barrier. Plus I'm still working on my MIG, pipe-segment welding skills. This year I'm going to clamp a bunch of pipe chunks together and weld them at different feed speeds and electrical settings. I'm determined to nail it down.

The first cut and grinding action.

Next, I moved onto a dash plate, cut with a plasma cutter out of a chunk of 16 or 14 gauge sheet metal. My crazy thought was to install the Phil's Speed Shop ignition system onto this plate with the Bikers' Choice Speedometer. In 1915, Speedometers and the constant loss oil pumps were mounted to the top of the tanks, right out in the open, so I decided to follow suit.

The speedo mounting tube from Bassani.

I cut that strap in two and welded the pre-drilled tabs to the inside of the speedo tube for mounting to the studs.

Bassini supplied the tubing for the Speedo, but I needed to be reduced the diameter a 1/2 -inch. I cut it with the Makita and pinched it down until the speedo fit in, and I could still wrap it with something to prevent vibration from beating it to death on the roads to the Badlands.

Phil's Speed Shop supplied me with a template so I could mark the holes and weld in studs to hold the ignition system down. It housed, circuit breakers, ignition switch, starter button, starter relay, neutral light and high/low beam switch.

Mechanical speedo drive running off the rear wheel. Who knows what my speed ratio will be with the 23-inch Black Bike Wheels?

Gard's cable guide, from LA Chop Rods, tacked into place–very cool.

I ran the Biker's Choice speedo cable and drive off the rear wheel in 1915 fashion, but with late model components. I used LA Chop Rods cable guides and grommets tacked to the frame. I played with the plate and position for hours and hopefully got it right. I also cut a notch in the Bassani Speedo mount so I can hopefully reach the trip gauge adjuster. It's going to knat's ass close. In each perplexing case, I shot for functioning symmetrical positions, that don't interfere with other components, like turning the bars.

Next, I had the spare gas tank ready to rock, but needed to mount it above the bars. Talk about angst, I looked around for something to use for mounting, like other fire extinguisher clamps, then it dawned on me to use the an old set of handlebar risers, upside down. I found an old set of Jammer risers and bolted them to the bars between the DBBP bronze risers, so far so good. Then I cut them, estimating the height needed to clear the bars, but I was wrong. What happened with harbinger to my Zen aura?

Here's a shot of those beautiful risers cut too short–whatta bitch.

I don't know about other crazed builders, but often a glitch turns into an opportunity. I turned to my lathe to cut a couple of extensions. They widened the base for greater strength. I reached out to NICK Trumbo at Bassini exhaust for a couple of straps. My notion was to weld the brackets to the straps, so if something went wrong, it wouldn't crack the tank and create a dangerous gas leak. I've had my problems with gas leaks in the past.

There you have it. Next, we'll mount the fantastic Black Bike Wheels (Avon Tyres), with GMA brakes from BDL, slice the Tanks for fork stops and Chica is going to build a Factory Racer ribbed fender. Rock and roll.

How's this for a real factory racer from 1926.