Current Project Condition

Current Project Condition

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Back In Black!

Here she is almost all the way back together. The belt drive isn’t on because I have a minor transmission issue I need to attend to first.

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And the oil tank position I was talking about.

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And me filthy after my 3rd 12 hr day on the bike!

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Almost there! Almost.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

It’s Official…I Am Old!!!

Well after taking the dogs to the beach at 7 am yesterday morning and then putting in a good 12 hours on the exploding bike trick; I found it impossible to get out of bed when the alarm sounded at 8 this morning. After 12 hours of crawling around on the floor and lifting this and cutting that the old back just wouldn’t bend.

I did manage 10:30 though and as we speak the rear fender is outside drying. The gas tank is almost etched inside and ready for sealer and then I can paint that. The frame should also get done today so maybe there will be some fun pictures this evening.

I know you don’t care about any of this and just  want to see dog pictures…so here you go.

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This is why we go to the beach early and alone. This look makes the old ladies snatch up their labradoodles and go running for the park ranger. It really just means “Throw the ball damn it!”

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And of course Debo waiting for his turn with the ball!

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The Queen and her toy!

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But we don’t want to go home!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

The Exploding Bike Trick

Cool trick but you really only want to do it once.

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There’s a front end and a rear fender, the frame, rear wheel, hiding in back is the tranny on the left is a engine and an axle on the bench.

Lot’s going on here over the next few days. Check back tomorrow for a big update! As long as the weather holds out!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Welding Complete!!!

WooHoo! The only part of this project that I wasn’t sure about how I was going to get done was the welding. And now it’s done.

It was completed by the husband of a co worker of mine. His name is Chris Miloro. He specializes in stainless steel welding in the marine environment. But, he was nice enough to give up some time on his day off and take care of my project.

His welds are by far the best on the whole frame. If you need good work done at a fair price let me know and I can put  you in touch with him. Or if you work with me you can go through his wife for contact info. Thanks again Chris!

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Welding Work To Be Done

This is what needs to be done. This is the front gas tank mount.

This is a rear fender strut nut. There are 2 of these. If the nylong insert melts no big deal.

This is the rear fender support. Welded to frame not fender.


This is the rear caliper anchor. It mounts inside the leg I am holding it against. Not outside.



These are the tabs for the oil tank. I will cut them down to the right length after welding.


This is the lower oil tank tab position.



And of course the upper oil tank mount location.



And this is the rear gas tank mount.


And finally this is the rear axle adjuster. There are 2, one on each side.









Friday, April 17, 2009

The Old Lessons Relearned

Well I have had no luck finding a welder. I was supposed to go to a friend of a friend but the guy shot me a 1 line email and never emailed again so his dumb ass is out. Yesterday I went around a local industrial park and stopped at a welding shop talked to a guy and gave him my address and number and he was supposed to come by at 9 this morning and give me a price and decide if he wanted to do it here or at his shop but of course he didn't show or call either.
Lesson learned? If ya want it done do it yourself. The second you count or rely on anyone they fuck ya over. There isn't anything wrong with the economy other than it's full of lazy useless fuckheads who want a handout instead of a job. I am willing to pay $100 for 20 minutes of welding but no one can be bothered. So Sunday I will head out to harbor freight and buy a welder for $70 and do it myself like I should have in the first place!
Way to many useless jerk offs out there today, way to many.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Oil Tank

Here is the oil tank

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Here is how it will be mounted…only straight…I hope.

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Friday, April 10, 2009

What The ????????????????

 

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OMG it’s gone! Just kidding, if you are observant you probably noticed the transmission sitting in front of the couch in the lower right of the picture and the stacked boxes of parts in the background. Well, it was time. I kept putting off tearing it down because with the upcoming pause in building this seemed to me to be a big step backwards at a bad time. But, yesterday I was sitting around with nothing to do and the bike is ready to go to the welder and then paint so I figured I might as well get to it.

The funny part is it has taken me 8 months and 7k to get as far as I did and it was broken down and on the ground in less than 45 minutes. Why is it always easier to go backwards than forwards?

Accurate Feel For Ride Height

Now that she is broken down and on the ground you can get a accurate feel for how low this frame will ride. In this picture she is sitting on her own wheels at the final ride height.

It’s a little odd, I have never ridden anything that sits so close to the pavement. I bet that is going to be a whole new experience watching the road whizz by that close at  70 mph or so.

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It’s a lot like sitting in a desk chair at the computer maybe even a little lower.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Morning Off

Took the morning off today and went to the beach with the large rodents that share my prison cell. Instead of going to Fort DeSoto we stopped at one of the little roadside cuts. It was so nice not having to worry about Ginger eating someone’s dog. A good time was had by all and I will be back on the bike this evening. P.S. with this new editor the pictures are now clickable for larger versions!

Beware of the smiling Pit Bull!

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I swear officer it was big and furry, knocked me down and stole my camera!

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My ball! End of conversation!

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Which way did it go? Which way did it go?

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Good Day Yesterday!

The mock up is complete! I got the gas tank mounts fabbed up. I got the rear fender support situation resolved. I have decided where to hide all the electrics. So tomorrow on my next set of days off I will find a welder and get a estimate on how much it will cost and I may sneak it in next paycheck w/the New York trip payments. That way I can start tearing it down and I will have something to do the next 3 days. Until then here she is in her final form, minus only the head light and the oil tank which will attach to the rear frame legs on this side of the bike, right in front of the rear tire.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

No Headway

Didn't get much done today. Tried working on the tank mounts some more but did not make much headway. Will try a little harder tomorrow. Also bought the oil bag off E bay today so it should be here in a week or so and I can set that up and its off to the welder. Unfortunately this is the last paycheck for the bike until the New York trip is paid for. And I didn't have a lot left over after having to cover last weeks monetary miscalculation.
I hate to take a break now and loose the momentum but maybe a short break will clear my head a little. I think I am trying to think of to many things at once.