Time to get her running

So I figure I should put in the effort to just get the motor running before I pull her from the frame.

First thing first. Rewire the bike, simple and clean. I won't be running any of the stock accessories which will keep this pretty basic. Battery-ignition-capacitor-front and rear lights and that is about it.

Previous to this job I had rewired a 2009 Victory Kingpin which was fuel injected and was probably a million times more difficult so I am hoping that my assumption regarding the simplicity of this one isn't a mistake.

This front end is starting to look mighty fine.

So I put the wheel back on just to give her a look see. What a wonderfull thing!

CB750

I like to bounce around on a project. I have very little patience for this stuff so I ofter start a bunch of projects and lose track of everything, so with this bike, I am going to just start from the front and work my way back.

Milling the legs for speed...

CB750

Well I haven't touched it in a while and I figured it is about time to get movin. What should I do with this thing?

Destroyed vacation

On our way out to Sturgis we got T-boned in an intersection by some idiot. We did end up making it out to Sturgis a couple days later and with zero functioning bikes. But hey we had all the gear packed and the passes for the Broken Spoke campground had already been paid for. We still had a blast partying and walking around town looking at the yuppies. I would do it again without bikes but not for a long time.

To clarrify on our "T-boning" Tim's bike had a few grand in damages. My dads bike was totalled and my bike has been totalled.

Time to work on the honda!

Sturgis

Well I got the bike together just intime for sturgis. Tim, Pops and myself are taking off just after work come Wednesday.

SHould be a blast. If it is anything like last year we will have the time of our lives and then some.

Pics soon to follow.

The music makes it funny

http://vimeo.com/12604672

Who's Coming With Me???

The Blind Lizard Rally on Nicollet Island. I've never been to this show but the add in the Star Trib says it attracts cool and weird two-wheelers.
http://www.blindlizards.com/

Ahhhhhhh is Sunny Sunday ever going to come.

There is nothing like a cold beer and the open road.

What a song!

Johnny Paycheck - Angel of the Highway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O29HpwlXjT0&feature=related

Weather or not to go

Well I've finally gained some confidence in my bike. The first few runs, or shakedown runs as I'm told I should call them, did not go so well. Carb issues, starter issues, etc. I've tacked on a few miles now and am willing to point her towards the WI border this Saturday morning. Sandy claims to have found a chopper fest of sorts and while I know nothing about it, I trust his judgment completely on this sort of thing. I tested the bungy straps today on the way home from work and am convinced they will hold down a tarp, an extra t-shirt, and a leather coat. Anything more for a chopper fest seems pretentious. The only thing that troubles me now is this April weather we're having here in June.

The beginning

It started awhile back when most of us where introduced to the "idea" It could have been a magazine a movie or a friend or a family member. For me it was my dad and a shed full of old bikes.

I grew up with my dad giving me rides on his Yamaha. If my feet couldn't reach the pegs I was riding up on the tank and when I got older...

So many years later I finally got my own bike and the adventures began.

Chopper fest

Heading out to the Chopper fest and the Broken Spoke campground in Earl Wisconsin this weekend. Looking forward to just getting away.

I have been working on the bike alot and not riding nearly enough so I decided to throw the bike together and just get away for the weekend.

The rally is only a couple hundred miles from my house but it will still be a good shake down run for the stuff I have done on the bike.

Seat on the bike

So here is a pic of the seat on the bike. Plain an simple smaller looks better.

fender work

As you can see below in the pics I have a different fender on there. It looks all chipped up but really, it is a clean fender that is duct-tape remaining after I had covered the paint while I was cutting it down to size. The fender was an Ebay deal. It started as a Kingpin, long fender with some heavy straches/denting (below the breake light) where I was going to cut it.

This is just a portion of what I will do with the rear fender. I might either cut it down more or drill out some holes following the curve of the wheel about a half inch up from the bottom edge of the fender.

Jockey clutch pics

Finally here is some pics of the jockey set up I am running. Like I said before super smooth and easy to use. Much more fun riding this style. It reminds you of something like driving a manual car compared to an automatic.

Jockey Clutch

Well I finally got the bike out on its shake down run. The new bars made it feel like I lost all my power steering but I will get used to that. The clutch is smooth and easy to manuver through the gears. What I was most impressed with is the ease at take off.
I was expecting much more difficulty but it was cake. Steering during take off was the biggest challenge with the narrow bars and one handed take offs, it takes a tight grip and a firm sholder to prevent fop in the front end.

New set of bars.

Just mocking up a new set of bars. Whata ya think?

The Evolution of Asstasticness

Here is the seat I have been working on. I have about 7 hours into this seat. I am sure I could make them faster but this is my first one and this is just how it always goes.

So first you can see the template I made from a paper grocery bag. OK first I make a half pattern on lighter paper and then traced out both side on the one brown bag.

Then I used the template to make the pan out of 16 gage steel. Once i had this made I used a couple kneeling pads from Menards. They are high density and only five bucks. some 3M spray adhesive and clamped it down. Once dried I shaved it down and filed the edges to my desire.

So you can see this in one piece the seat pan padding and shaped all in one. Sorry I should have pics of that process somewhere but I cna't find it.

Then I started a design for the leather work. I just freehanded a bunch of shit I thought looked cool.

The next pic is of the leather where I transfered the image. I had to free hand some more things into this just because I thought it needed more. The tooling is just slightly done a whole lot more to go.

Progress

Well of course I only get an hour here and there to actually do stuff so it is always slow.

So last night I did some welding and grinding on my clutch lever and my new bars.

Well, I will start from the beggining.
I am not running a traditional Jockey set up. Going for something a ittle different, where the typical behind the left leg hand shift is, this is going to look the same but will be the clutch.

I had heated and bent a piece of round stock into the shape I "thought" I wanted but ended up being to long. Blessing in disguise since it was to long and slightly off from the angle I wanted. I ended up cutting the round stock into three peices and turned and marked and measured and got it in the shaped that I wanted. I also had a problem and that the tap and die set that my good pally Tim borrowed me didn't quite fit the roundstock I had. It was a little bulky but I really like the larger diameter look. So I ended up adding a two inch section just for the Die work.

I was using some thinner gage stock to get the shape I wanted and it was just off a little bit and then with trying to bend and grind the larger diamter stock made it a little more out of wack. Fortunately once it was all cut gelded and groudn back into shape it worked perfect.

The Victory

I have had 2 Honda's both 750's but they are or should I say were over twenty years apart in age. I have had a Kawasaki and now this Victory.

So I liked the bike at first but just like every other bike I have owned they all come apart no matter how new or old. This one is no exception to my disease.

So here is the Vic. I am in the middle of taking it from the stock look with is a very smooth cleaned up hidden component look and doing the complete opposite.

1st post El Numero uno

I will highlight on the MN backroad trips, a couple builds in progress, the local motorcycle scene and repost anything I see on the intermess that I find absolutely amazing like the pics currently shown.