Tuesday 30 December 2014

Four Wheels Good



I've always been a sucker for a good looking piece of automotive art. As an avid reader of Custom Car back in the '70s I was entranced by the lines of any '57 Chevy Bel Air and gobsmacked at my first up close & personal viewing of a jacked up Ford Model A compete with full chrome axle in the backstreets of Oldbury.

Sadly, my teenage income didn't run to bagging either of these and I had to make do with turning a standard 1100 escort into a Mexico lookalike (complete with padded velvet door inlays, a Ghia interior from the scrapyard and a recon engine topped with chrome cover).

There's very little I didn't fix or tweak on an Escort, Cortina, Fiesta or Mini back in the day - even down to prop shaft replacement and engine installation on a rain-soaked driveway.

But modern cars leave me cold - coupled with the lure and relative affordability of making a bike my own.

But this one I like.

I spotted this hopped-up Herbie during summer runs & recent visits to Wetherby and finally found time to snap it for posterity. Turns out that while we've never met, it belongs to a friend of a friend of a friend.

And very tidy it is too.

I've always loved VeeDubs. This one has inspired me to drop in to the annual VeeDub do at Hareward House in 2015 - a tad more interesting for me than T'Tour De T'France start held there last summer.

Two wheels without an engine? What's the attraction in that...







Tuesday 16 December 2014

Sharp end finished

Running a 'naked' front end may look cool - but it can get awful wet in the average UK summer so a quick-detach front muddy was called for.



The aftermarket, none-eBay Sportster lookalike part was surprisingly cheap and with fettling and paint by Carl, looks neat on the bike.

The entire springer assembly was lashed down to replicate the heaviest braking before the fender was positioned - leaving ample leeway for a heavy stop but keeping the muddy as close to the tyre as possible.

I was a little concerned that, while necessary for safety, the full-brake position would leave the front end resembling a cross-country scrambler when the springs were relaxed - but not so, it sits very pleasingly and doesn't spoil the overall lines of the bike.


Sorted then. A bit of good-looking front end cover for the worst a British summer can offer, a pocket-sized Easyriders fabric guard for 'naked' days when showers hit - and an easy-off muddy to make the most of sunshine when it comes...

Monday 8 December 2014

Shakin' That Ass...


Rear muddy now cut, shut, painted and ON! The custom-made sissy looks just great. Have gone for a subtle orange metal-flake against hi-gloss black.


Having planned the bike in my head for months and collected parts as and when, I hit what I understand is a regular brick wall - WTF colour scheme am I gonna go for? Shoulda thought about it a lot earlier...



I'd love a real cool old-skool pinstripe & and wild Born Free look but pennies were against me. However, the paired down paint job really pops thanks to spray booth wizard Carl. Can't wait to see the bike complete with all tins attached.


Now hitting the final stretch - wiring to redone (time consuming & fiddly but Edge is handling it) and have gone for a reworked aftermarket Sportster-style front muddy which be painted to match the tank & rear fender.





The front muddy will be easily demountable for sunny days when it will be replaced by a strap-on Easyriders fender guard - but UK weather being what it is, I decided to get splash out on the cheap front muddy so I can get on the road early in the season & keep the grime off me face & the engine chrome.

The front fender is currently being fabbed to fit on the existing mounts on the Springer - seems someone at some time went for a deep full valanced skirt front fender and kindly welded some permanent mounts on the leading tube. 

The full cover Indian/Heritage styling I can do without - but the mounts have come in handy.


Monday 1 December 2014

Sitting Pretty







Popped down to TCity to pick up the take off parts just in time to be amazed at the new seat work. Spent a lot of time discussing the 'right' solo seat for a Softail bobber. One of the big probs, as mentioned before, is the 'gap' between the rear of the seat & the rear fender which is all but unavoidable on anything but a hardtail.
The solution was to mount the seat real low and use short springs. This threw up another problem as the stock battery sits up proud of the frame line. Many of the off-the-shelf covers are big and bulky to accommodate the battery height and the electrics unit usually buried into a recess in the rear fender - in effect, an ugly seat under the seat.
The plan had been to relocate the unit behind the splash guard that will sit with the new rear fender but with space at a premium it had to sit in the well of the oil tank with the battery.
Genius Carl solved the problem  by creating a custom battery cover out of fibre-glass shaped as low as you can go. The finished job is superb - easily better than any factory or aftermarket cover.
As serendipity would have it, Harley have just released a new Bobber seat (pictured) for Sportsters, Dynas & Softails - and have solved the rear fender gap problem by producing a special 'V'-shaped seat mount that sits back from the seat cross member so the seat mounts nearer the rear of the bike. I would have given this a try if it had been available a coupla weeks ago but I'm more than happy with the custom solution.
Whatever. My one-of-a-kind Easyriders seat position is now the best seat in the house. I can't wait to get in the saddle!
Now on to the paint and wiring

Monday 24 November 2014

Tanking it

I've gone with a traditional Frisco tank fitting using a flat bottom King Sportster tank. There's room for enough fuel for around 80 miles-ish I reckon - OK for most local runs but I may have to invest in a 'just in case' top-up fuel bottle at some point for longer journeys.
The square backbone of a Softail doesn't make this an easy fit so there was some fettling to do. Now on, the tank hides the modern backbone so the traditional look is achieved. 
Although the modern mid-frame rail is unattractive compared to older machines, having the tank sit high does mean the aftermarket Panhead-style covers will get a proper showing.
The covers are very realistic - even down to the oil leaks! (hopefully now fixed with a new set of gaskets and goo)
The tank has been fitted with a Lowbrow external fuel line - old tech but will mean I can keep an eye on the juice level.
The 'gap' between the front of the seat and the back of the tank was worrying me a little - so I popped down to Leeds HD to see how Harley do it. There's a nice "speed hole" link across the backbone of the latest Sportsters which looked like it could be fix. Problem is you can't get the link as a separate piece as it is an integral part of the tank, so a one-off copy would have to be scratch made.
However, turns out the Biltwell seat hinge hides the gap in style. Even neater than the stock solution - though I do like that stock HD seat!












Monday 17 November 2014

Reachin' for the Sky

The sissy-bar is now smooth as Kim Kardashian's rear - and a lot more attractive. Mounts onto the swing arm have been cleaned up & painted and neat grub screws inserted on the inner side of the mounts to fix it in place yet leave it removable when necessary.
So now off to chroming...
Big thanks to welding genius Carl for this amazing job.


Friday 14 November 2014

Hot stuff




Great to get the opportunity to see the sissy-bar being created. I envy skills like this.

A little less top angle? Certainly. A little more taper to the top end? No problem.

And after all this, there's a need to fill every tiny nook & cranny so the chroming doesn't show any blemishes.


Monday 10 November 2014

Tail end tinkering




Popped down to T-city to talk rear muddy lopping and sissy-bar angles. Most US bobbers have very short rear ends and I can only presume that's cuz they don't get the rain we get here. 
I'm no big fan of soaking wet sprays of rainwater and road crud up my back so have opted for a less extreme bob. 
Some of the look - but hopefully none of the water cannon effect.
Also talked sissy-bar height & angle. One of the probs of a softail, rather than hardtail, is that its far harder to get the angle onto the frame right. 
In addition, fitting the rear muddy as an integral part of the rear swing-arm leaves a yawning gap between the seat area & the fender which can never replicate the flowing line seen on a hardtail when the frame line runs straight down from steering head to rear axle and the seat can sit tight back against the rear mudguard.
In this case, I know I'm gonna have a gap - just need to ensure the eye isn't drawn to it.
The sissybar angle is part of that. Too upright or too laid back and it will jar. 
And because this is a softie and the bar's hard welded to the moving swing arm, it can't be too high or smacks in the back of the head may be the new reminder every time I've ridden over a speed hump.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Twin Pan makeover in progress

First pix of the Fat Boy makeover.  FX Springer front end sourced from the States. Pricey as fuck even before the import charges - but totally connected with the moniker of this blog.
Came with claims of 'fully checked' but the front damper was rusted so a new Harley shock is on the way.
So far, looks like no headstock mods needed as original fork stops look like they are gonna work so here's hoping the shocker is the only shock.
The new King Sportster tank looks like it will sit very nicely. Swapping the tank out has required a new mini speedo, yet to be mounted, on the bars and a new way of checking when I'm outta gas.
Still unsure about seating. Bates style seats seem kinda small and sprung seats can look awkward on a Twinkie softail. Maybe RSD solo mount welded low is the way to go. We shall see.
Big thanks to Andy & the Leeds Thundercity team for all their work & advice so far. Lookin' good guys.


Friday 19 September 2014

Used Panhead for sale - $1.2million

Up for grabs:
http://www.streetchopperweb.com/bikes/easy-rider-captain-america-motorcycle-goinggoinggone