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This is my first post to the site since joining the other day. I have been riding bikes all my life (about 40 years). I started on Hondas and Suzukis. I have also been been building "traditional" styled Harleys for about 20 some years. I have a 1976 FXE that I've owned since I was a teenager. Anybody who knows Harleys knows that the old shovelheads can be reconfigured from full dresser to stripped down drag bike. Anyway, I've decided to give it a shot to try and build a cafe style ride. Not sure I'll be very welcome on the site, a lot of people really have an issue with Harleys and Harley riders. I'll try and post some pics of the build if I can figure out how to post pictures. Just thought I'd say "hi", and I really enjoy the website.
~Rick
Nah man, sounds like a cool project, don't let anyone push you around just because it's a hardly. Pics are easy, there are some instructions in the member intro subforum but I recommend using imgur.com instead of photobucket, you don't need an account and it is a lot more strait forward. Good luck and keep us posted.
Welcome to DTT man! No (real) HD hate here. Im building an Ironhead chop and have another Ironhead lump thats going to end up as a cafe eventually. This is honestly one of the most openminded forums out there. If its got two wheels, and youre building it, its probobly rad. Where are ya located?
VonYinzer, I live in Connecticut. It's 29 degrees here tonight and I just replaced my fork tubes with shorter ones to drop the bike down a bit. I'm working in a garage with no heat and can only do about a half hours worth of work before running into the house to warm up. I'll try and upload some photos tomorrow...I'm at the "engine and trans in a bare frame" stage right now. ;D
Not a big modern Harley fan, but I do love the old ones. Excited to see your build. Some one on here is building a sweet old Harley hummer it's great. (can't remember who at the moment)
Good luck and welcome to DTT. Like Von said if it has two wheels, someone will get excited about it on here.
Very cool. I know all about (as do many here) the unheated garage in the Northeast winter! Isulated coveralls, and 3 pairs of socks. I find whiskey helps . Looking forward to seeing what youre up to. Like I said, I have been working on a plan for my other Ironhead motor. Once I get the rest of the top end (all I have now is the bottom end and heads that need completely rebuilt) Ill start gathering bits for the rest of it.
Well, here's a shot of the bike after I stripped the engine and trans and the rest of the guts; as you can see, it was set up in a "traditional" Harley style.....raked front, big and small tire, buckhorn bars, etc.
Wow that's nice. Triple disks, you don't see those on Shovels. You'll need to convert to an 18" rear wheel to bring the back end up. And a shorter narrow glide front end would look more appropriate.
Yeah, dual front discs were available for time on the shovels and they are UNREAL for stopping power. Well then, here is a shot of where I am right now. Went with identical 16x3 rims front and back, swapped out my upper fork tubes for ones 4 inches shorter, added Pirelli Sport Demon tires, then put a set of 41mm, 1-inch clip on bars from Woodcraft Technologies (it’s easy to find 7/8” bars, but 1” ones that Harleys use were tough). I'm kind of on a budget, and 18" wheels with my original hubs would means costly re-lacing. I decided the "fat" look of the 16" wheels with the wide glide front end would look pretty beefy if I cut the fork length down. It's not easy to make any Harley big twin not look "heavy", it's the nature of the frame. The tank on the bench I’m hoping to use; I figure a more rounded type café rear fender/seat would go pretty good with it. As you can see, I have a LONG way to go!
Cool man. I'm stoked to see what you end up with. I like the wheels ya got on there now. The bike I'm building now has a "beefy" rear end for it's size, but it's a little 550 . Good luck on the build and stay warm like Von said, a lot of us know the cold, so hello from MN! Keep up the good work.
I agree that I need to make the tank to seat line "straight" looking. I'll most likely fab a subframe to fit on the rear of my frame around the upper shock mounts and bend it to accept a typical cafe style seat/fender pan. I thought I might add these photos from last year.........this is the way I built the bike for bar hopping. It ran like a raped ape; it has a S&S stroker kit and Andrews close ratio gear set in the 4-speed. Mucho fun to ride, but didn't want to go around corners...go figure.
Very cool man. Yeah, I think you may have to change the tunnel on a tank or something to get it to look "flatter" but I don't think you'll have too much of a problem. I'll sit back and watch the fun now.
I wonder if using a tank that has more space in the front steering tube cutout might help. I remember when I was building up my SR500 I was planning on using an early 80's GSX 250/400 tank as there was plenty of room for the oil filler in the front of the frame. Using something like that might help with that top tube, plus you also get factory knee indents.
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. Looking forward to seeing what youre up to. Like I said, I have been working on a plan for my other Ironhead motor. Once I get the rest of the top end (all I have now is the bottom end and heads that need completely rebuilt) Ill start gathering bits for the rest of it.
