Friday, April 30, 2010

Projects




Here are a couple of photos of Ian's projects. The first couple of pictures are of an interesting find. It's a 1948 Panhead wishbone frame. I believe this is the first year they made them. The axle plates on this are sick (sorry about blurry photos).

The last couple of photos are of his Pan-Shovel project he is currently working on.

Ian's Pan



This is Ian's S&S Panhead in an original '51 or '53 Panhead frame. Jockey shift madness.

Oil Tank


Remember that $50 wheel? Well, I traded that to my buddy Ian for this oil tank. He probably got the better end of the deal but he's done so much for me and my bike in the past, I figured I owed him the difference. I still need 2 mount bushings and tabs.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Not Bad for a Guestimate


I ran around Ellettsville, IN yesterday looking for a scrap piece of exhaust pipe that was 2" OD and 13 gauge. It was suggested that I check Extreme Performance. I went there and they didn't have anything I could use. They said I should check an auto parts store for exhaust extensions. I checked Napa a few doors down; nothing I could use. I ask where the nearest muffler shop was and the gentlemen there suggested Stop & Go downtown Ellettsville. They ended up having exactly what I needed and they just gave me a piece.

Then I headed toward Spenser, IN to OJ's Custom Welding where he hooked it up welding a 2" section of the pipe I acquired from Stop & Go into the part of the exhaust that exits the rear head. That 2 inches gave the clearance I needed to run the rear pipe without butting against the rear frame rail.

Scratch off pipes from the list.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Tapered bolts

I believe this to be a common problem. I broke a hex-head socket trying to remove the tapered bolts that hold my rear rotor on. I took it to Vee-Twin to see what they thought. They tried heating up the bolts one at a time with a torch to loosen the loctite holding them in place but to no avail. So they proceeded to weld bolts on top of bolts to remove the damn things.

I'm 93, you're 16.



Wheels


I received my second set of wheels Monday after getting the first set and discovering the chrome flaking on the rear and some strange piece of metal inside the front hub! I took the wheels to Vee Twin yesterday and had them mount and balance the Avon rubber I bought for the Paughco 21" front and 18" rear. My friend Zack found the wheels through a company called Choppers Cycle. They were extremely helpful on the return of the first set that arrived.

Grindin'


There is a little tab made of 3/8" thick steel that braces my rear caliper I had to grind down in order for my rear wheel set up to go far enough left to make center. Photo courtesy of Zack Shear.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Don's Bulbs

I spent some time doing research on the fog lamps I bought at the Antique Machinery Association swap meet and found this amazing site with every imaginable bulb from common to extremely rare. This guy will research your bulb and find it! Check it out: Don's Bulbs

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Swap Meet Scores

My buddy Zack and I drove up to Indianapolis yesterday morning to check out the 27th Annual Midwest Motorcycle swap meet at the Marion County Fairgrounds. I didn't find anything but Zack scored some aluminum cast passenger pegs and a couple of aluminum mounts off a different set of crappy pegs.

On our way back, we were looking for a place to get some grub and spotted a sign that said swap meet. After eating at Indy's Family Restaurant in Martinsville, we checked it out. It turned out to be a swap meet held by the Antique Machinery Association. This is what I scored:

  • Stroh's beer belt buckle
  • Taurus "decorative medallion"
  • A miniature Wabico vise from West Germany
  • A super thin 3/4" - 5/8" wrench
  • Hall Fog Lamp
  • B-L-C 5.75" Fog Lamp
I'm stoked on the yellow lens'. I already had a rectangular light I wanted to run on the Sporty but I may use the smaller of the two fog lamps instead.
So I purchased a motor mount off eBay that was supposed to fit Sportsters 1995-2003 and my heads came off a 2003 1200. The frames must not be the same because I had the same problem with fitting. I talked to Dave about modifying it and he said, "No problem." He had it to me the next day! He even painted it for me. Thanks Dave.

Monday, April 5, 2010


After I got the motor in (with the help of my good friend Zack), I discovered that my top motor mount is off 5-6 mm! Bummed. Add make/find top motor mount to the list. In the photos, I have the top bolts to the mount cranked down and that's where the two bottom mount holes fall.

Pipes


Rear pipe won't fit with the hard-tail modification. Add make pipes to the list. I might be able to use the front one but while I'm at it, I might as well do a custom pair.

Set her down


I don't think I'll have to modify the kick stand. It sits pretty low in the back in this photo but I plan to run an 18" in the rear and 21" in the front. So that'll raise it up a hair. I'll probably end up lowering the front end with some Progressive drop-ins as well.

Blurry

Wrangler


I got the motor back from Kirby on Friday. He owns Vee Twin High Performance Center in Ellettsville, IN and is the one who converted my 883 to a 12oo. This here is how you wrangle an Evo into a frame.