Well, its a long complicated life we live, and this poor bike has probably seen the worst of it.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30842808"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/913088cff20c4379bcf7fc1a8c559532/m.jpg" alt="This is what i had to start with, bad cam chain tensioner, bad color, bad attempt to make it a bobber..." /></a>
I personally think its the most hideous little thing created at this point.
I bought it with the intention of building a stretched chopper for my wife but after this:
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1814506&imageID=30279196"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/75/bf9a4a24dce6492085dd9cfefb663075/m.jpg" alt="yeah, thats me in the bullet proof vest. im walking" /></a>
she didn't want to ride. I've always loved the cafe racer style, but never had a good candidate, the bikes I bought were either the wrong style or just too damn good of condition to mess up in the least. Since I didnt have a purpose for it, and it needed SOMETHING done with it, its time to build a cafe! Im no stranger to bikes, so this is going to be fun for me, and Im teaching my neighbor how to fix and mod bikes.
lets start the project sorry, no pix of this part. The cam chain tensioner was trashed, so I sourced one out from colorado to repair it to make the little bugger run. The front brake was frozen, the stock pipes were hollowed out, and it appeared to be running lean, REAL lean. Got it fired up for a short burst and started to tear it apart again!
Let me explain this first by saying I broke my back in the accident above on 4-21, I havent driven a car in 4 years so I need this bike so I can get to work when i can get back to it.
My neighbor David and I sat down at about 9 am to discuss exactly what would be happening, and broke out the tool set, I told him what to pull, in what order, and he was my hands and muscle (I'm not allowed to lift 5 lbs and a BUNCH of horse hockey other restrictions like "no standing" and "arms not to chest level" ect)
we stripped off everything down to motor. Set it on its side and pulled it out as well, cut off the ears so its ready to fab up the hoop and cut off tabs.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814066"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/22bd902b0e7948e299a40eb354e26e69/m.jpg" alt="a wagon full of parts stripped" /></a>
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814059"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/5a3b73ed88a641938a48407ba48b8206/m.jpg" alt="frame ready to go for fab" /></a>
HAD to do SOMETHING about that UGLY green motor for now, I couldnt stand looking at it!
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814285"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/81/4835c42d1f2143c687741705611590fa/m.jpg" alt="motor out, eventually will rebuild it and sand blast it, till then another coat of black paint to hide the ugly green!" /></a>
He had to leave so that kinda killed that day for me to work on it.
Slow going with a broken back, even lifting cardboard can be painful, so it took me a long time to do what you see below (5 days actually) I put on some drag bars I had laying around, and stripped the controls off the old bars.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933413"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/56/83780bfc645fd064e96579122a5214ee/m.jpg" alt="front forks with drag bars on it" /></a>
There was a dent in the tank I popped out to reduce the amount of bondo time, mocked up a cardboard seat pan, and transfered the mock to 1/8 aluminum I had laying around from another projects battery box, designed a simple gage for either speedo or tach (havent decided which one I want yet) designed the cowl roughs and made a strut to replicate the shocks to get a visual of what it'll look like. within a few weeks it'll be over at a friends getting fabbed, blasted, and painted. I'll be knee denting the tank, stripping the black off the filler cap, ect ect
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933441"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/79/ff787033d8e872a31b87a72a15c6ecd4/m.jpg" alt="overall stance of the bike IF i find the shocks that will make the height." /></a>
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933428"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/442fb9c94b6a8da0db336b3885e2239d/m.jpg" alt="what my seatpan/cowl will look like debating aluminum or fiberglass" /></a>
I'm planning on Yellow frame, headlight and rims, black tank, fork lowers and cowl, with a yellow stripe or three down the center, I might do all metallics, but thats not quite decided on. the working name (so far) is "The Hornet" when I had 3 bikes here it was mandatory to name them "Frankenstein" is the bobber, and the vrod was known as "the Porsche."
I will update it as things happen, but for the next few months, it might be slow going.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30842808"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/913088cff20c4379bcf7fc1a8c559532/m.jpg" alt="This is what i had to start with, bad cam chain tensioner, bad color, bad attempt to make it a bobber..." /></a>
I personally think its the most hideous little thing created at this point.
I bought it with the intention of building a stretched chopper for my wife but after this:
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1814506&imageID=30279196"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/75/bf9a4a24dce6492085dd9cfefb663075/m.jpg" alt="yeah, thats me in the bullet proof vest. im walking" /></a>
she didn't want to ride. I've always loved the cafe racer style, but never had a good candidate, the bikes I bought were either the wrong style or just too damn good of condition to mess up in the least. Since I didnt have a purpose for it, and it needed SOMETHING done with it, its time to build a cafe! Im no stranger to bikes, so this is going to be fun for me, and Im teaching my neighbor how to fix and mod bikes.
lets start the project sorry, no pix of this part. The cam chain tensioner was trashed, so I sourced one out from colorado to repair it to make the little bugger run. The front brake was frozen, the stock pipes were hollowed out, and it appeared to be running lean, REAL lean. Got it fired up for a short burst and started to tear it apart again!
Let me explain this first by saying I broke my back in the accident above on 4-21, I havent driven a car in 4 years so I need this bike so I can get to work when i can get back to it.
My neighbor David and I sat down at about 9 am to discuss exactly what would be happening, and broke out the tool set, I told him what to pull, in what order, and he was my hands and muscle (I'm not allowed to lift 5 lbs and a BUNCH of horse hockey other restrictions like "no standing" and "arms not to chest level" ect)
we stripped off everything down to motor. Set it on its side and pulled it out as well, cut off the ears so its ready to fab up the hoop and cut off tabs.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814066"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/68/22bd902b0e7948e299a40eb354e26e69/m.jpg" alt="a wagon full of parts stripped" /></a>
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814059"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/5a3b73ed88a641938a48407ba48b8206/m.jpg" alt="frame ready to go for fab" /></a>
HAD to do SOMETHING about that UGLY green motor for now, I couldnt stand looking at it!
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30814285"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images02/81/4835c42d1f2143c687741705611590fa/m.jpg" alt="motor out, eventually will rebuild it and sand blast it, till then another coat of black paint to hide the ugly green!" /></a>
He had to leave so that kinda killed that day for me to work on it.
Slow going with a broken back, even lifting cardboard can be painful, so it took me a long time to do what you see below (5 days actually) I put on some drag bars I had laying around, and stripped the controls off the old bars.
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933413"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/56/83780bfc645fd064e96579122a5214ee/m.jpg" alt="front forks with drag bars on it" /></a>
There was a dent in the tank I popped out to reduce the amount of bondo time, mocked up a cardboard seat pan, and transfered the mock to 1/8 aluminum I had laying around from another projects battery box, designed a simple gage for either speedo or tach (havent decided which one I want yet) designed the cowl roughs and made a strut to replicate the shocks to get a visual of what it'll look like. within a few weeks it'll be over at a friends getting fabbed, blasted, and painted. I'll be knee denting the tank, stripping the black off the filler cap, ect ect
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933441"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/79/ff787033d8e872a31b87a72a15c6ecd4/m.jpg" alt="overall stance of the bike IF i find the shocks that will make the height." /></a>
<a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=167805595&albumID=1834034&imageID=30933428"><img src="http://hotlink.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/442fb9c94b6a8da0db336b3885e2239d/m.jpg" alt="what my seatpan/cowl will look like debating aluminum or fiberglass" /></a>
I'm planning on Yellow frame, headlight and rims, black tank, fork lowers and cowl, with a yellow stripe or three down the center, I might do all metallics, but thats not quite decided on. the working name (so far) is "The Hornet" when I had 3 bikes here it was mandatory to name them "Frankenstein" is the bobber, and the vrod was known as "the Porsche."
I will update it as things happen, but for the next few months, it might be slow going.
