Okay, doesn't look much, but this is two months work.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscee73b06.jpg
Engine next....but doing it as I can afford it.
Kj
Printable View
Okay, doesn't look much, but this is two months work.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscee73b06.jpg
Engine next....but doing it as I can afford it.
Kj
I love bobber projects, but PLEASE put the hardly ableson motor onto your weed whacker and get something decent for the bike :P
Farting armchair!
Cool project tho
Haha... going harley all the way, engine and trans mounts all ready welded in. Should have motor within the next couple months. Shocking how expensive they are, could buy a nice car for less...but living the dream!
I've got a very clear picture in my mind how its going to look, but there will be some compromises along the way mainly due to cost and availability of parts in NZ. Americans don't know how lucky they...all the things I love like V8`s, Harleys, pistols, rifles...available for half the prices we pay and you can have most of these on a next day courier!
Kj
Needs more length in the forks Mr Fonda :)
Hard tail. Brave man!
Please tell me it's getting a knuckle or even better a flathead??!
Cool project mate. Here's a Harley a good mate of mine in Tassie built up for another mate of mine. The boys love hunting...
I've never liked Harleys, until I rode this one. Some of our Aussie members may have seen this bike, it's been in a few mags etc.
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Cheers,
JoshC
good for you. I'd like to as well or an engine (v8) for a street rod.
I'd just make mine a soft tail.
There's a lot of time and money involved and it's all too easy to get something late model. But you won't know every nut and bolt and you can't say I built that, it's like that because I wanted it like that.
the other thing a lot of people arnt brave enough to do is leave there fairly well paying shit job for a entry level paying dream job.
good stuff!
the weed eater engine might be more reliable :D nice job you've done so far
You must have amazingly smooth roads nearby if you have a hard tail. Either that or you have an irrational hatred of your kidneys. Lol.
Good luck with the build. The bottom has dropped out of the custom build market here in the US. It is not odd to find a bike that sold for $60K US a few years ago to be now on the market below $20K.
Scotty.
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It's hard to place a value on these eh Scotty, Labour alone would add up to a huge amount of money if I were paying someone else to weld it etc. But I'm not in this project to make money, I just want a kick arse bike and you can't buy one from a dealer that looks like this, so you're only left with two options; make one, our pay someone else to make one for you.
Kj
KJ,
Let me know if you need parts sourced here in CA. I am always happy to "share the spoon" with another motorcycle junkie. I would imagine that it may be easier to find and cheaper to buy here.
Scotty
swap the handle bars from the weed whacker on to it i reckon :thumbsup:
Keep me in mind when you are deciding what to do next. There are many "old school" builders in the area, e.g., Simms, Arlen Ness, that are likely not readily assessable for you.
Check out the Simms Thug Engine if you're interested in something insanely large.
Scotty.
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Small win, found a wheel cover off a 1939 ford (read a book on building old school bikes and this was the go to fender recommended by the author). Found it at a car swap meet in the weekend, just sitting there in a pile of rubbish...score!
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse0218c7c.jpg
Kj
Looking good.
That guard is near on perfect fit.
Look forward to the updates.
I'm also partway through a hardtail harley bob, but haven't actually worked on it in about 18 months.... Where did all that motivation I had a the start go??
Mines an old ironhead. Here's a shit picture as it currently sits gathering dust as a garage ornament...
Attachment 37333
Dude, you're nearly there...come on buddy, slap yourself in the face and repeat "I know I can, I know I can"...
Had a bit of unexpected time off looking after sick kids this week. So during their nap time...it's shed time for me, score!
So time to properly mount the seat and gas tank.
Seat:
Machine up some raised spring seats to captivate the springs...more work than it looks, took about 2hrs
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc7e8d89f.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps174a075a.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1ceaa0d5.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbde8f730.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps87b61af5.jpg
Next up the tank. Will machine up some threaded plugs that will be drilled and welded into the backbone of the frame.
I've made the plugs...just need another set of hands to help align. Hmmm what are New Zealand's laws on child labour?
Kj
And now the tank:
I made up some threaded inserts. These get welded into place and restore some of the lost strength you'd get from drilling a hole in the backbone.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc6779ed2.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psee9aa893.jpg making out the centre's.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psea5ce772.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2a238925.jpg inserts...um inserted? The long bolts stop the inserts from falling into the frame. By winding them up, you can set the height prior to welding. The fit was so tight that I didn't really need them...but it seamed like a cool idea :-).
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps374e25a5.jpg bottom hole done...and now the proof, Will the top hole line up???
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps1cf3d4d4.jpg
Success!!!
Kj
And then the rear fender:
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf3151e20.jpg
I made some studs in the lathe.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps3fdbfa2d.jpg
Then I used a string line to find and mark out the centre position of the bike. Note, these bikes are wider on the left to fit the chain, so you can't just measure in from each side.
Also the wheel is as far forwads as possible, with a bit of hose taped to it to set clearances.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps57043cad.jpg
And all tacked up with the welder...stand back and admire for a little while...then on to the next job.
Kj
Looking good :thumbsup: you decided on a colour scheme yet ?
I'm a big fan of Russell Mitchell's stuff : white walls, red rims and clean build.
Attachment 40747
Yeah he makes nice stuff, ultra clean bikes. I'm somewhere in the middle, I actually like nuts and bolts showing, and mechanical stuff you can see running. My bike of the moment (and it changes every week) is one of these two:
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps96e497ea.jpg
[Treverleen
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6e5ea6f3.jpg
[Spitfire reaper
But who knows, it may change again...but those two particular bikes have been my main inspiration to date.
Kj
Everything is now fully welded up. Once upon a time I got fully certified as a welder...but it was never something I thought I did particularly well, and if someone else was about who thought of themselves as a gun on the welder I'd always happily step aside. But to date no one has helped out on this build, so I manned up and did it once again.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0194166e.jpg
Doesn't look much different, but it's now a fully welded rolling frame. All the main fabrication is done now. Just need to source a motor and then it's pretty much ready for certification.
Kj
Mean mate
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I'm not a bikie type of guy, but thats bloody impressive!
Well done
Looks good.
You're a talented bugger by the looks of things.
Talented that's for sure. I enjoy making my own stuff also. But mine is a lot less complicated. I.e. ute crate or trailer
Cheers guys, great encouragement thanks.
Another step closer, oil tank arrived today...beautifully chromed up and looking pretty
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8qtt0jll.jpg
Not the usual girl you'd see in a biker mag. My youngest daughter, the only one in my family who seams to show any interest in my projects:)
Holden and a Harley I'm not surprised they don't take any interest, seriously it's looking nice, brought an old 58 triumph hard tail frame that I thought would make a good project but it seams to be taking money away from guns, turning more into a 20 year project.
Yeah, its not everyone's taste, but it has a fuel injected 350 Chev and a 6 speed manual in it...lots of fun!
Triumphs are seriously cool. I did think long and hard about doing one. I was offered one 80% complete for a couple grand, but in the end I decided to go this way. Post up a pic if you have one, would love to see it.
Here's a closer view of the tank. It also holds a battery in the rear.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8xy2fmpm.jpg
Kj
Coming along nicely.
Are you going to powdercoat the frame ?
Word of advice, don't scimp on tyres, two small contact patches are your only points of contact with the road.
You'll find bikes, and bike bits, are as addictive as firearms.
Made up the headlight bracket today. I've had the idea in my head all week, but I've been away from home and had to hold onto the idea all week until I could make it today.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...pstnvzbbpw.jpg
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...pskrcwgnm4.jpg
Stoked with the exaggerated look it gives, exactly what I had in mind.
Kj
Another angle.
http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5n31s88u.jpg
When you see bikes in magazines they're always shown from very flattering angles, same with cars like Holden Monaros or Chevy Impalas etc that look terrible side on...but if photographed quartering away they look amazing! I've tried my best to build this bike to look as good as possible from all angles, its pretty much there now.
Im still looking for a secondhand motor, but having no luck. May have to go new, which isn't the end of the world and it would still be a cheap bike all thing considered if comparing to the cost of buying a full custom harley.
Kj
What's the oil tank for? Harley donkey's aren't that badly built that you need to cart around extra oil? or is it a dry sump? Or are you going for a 2 stroke [emoji53]