Thinking outside the Bag

So I guess I'm a little different. I don't really give a shit what's hip or popular, and sometimes that's not a good thing. In this case I'm thinking it is though. At first I was going to run my stock horseshoe oil tank, but the frame is a little more compact now than when it was a swinger, so the tank was just too big. Not only was it too tall, but since I made the frame symmetrical unlike the softail it used to be, the tank was way too wide as well. I took out around two inches of width when I did the hardtail, so it was on me to come up with something. Someone recently told me, "just because you can doesn't mean you should", and don't get confused, that's not the deal here. I wanted to be able to have a true "Drain" plug on the tank, and be able to drain the oil right into a pan, not all over the bike. I also wanted to be able to run the battery right in front of the "Seat" tube, on a nice little tray, not hidden in a box. Now the oil lines will run directly under the transmission and straight to the tank. The filler will be right on the front of the tank, nice and easy to access. Still not sure how I'm going to address the seat springs, I'm not a fan of how traditional springs look or mount,so I may go with a frame mounted rigid seat if I can find the right one. One thing is for sure,not long now!

Slowly, but surely

I've hit a few snags as of late, but I think I may be on the move again. Simple but effective fender mounts. Hopefully the rear fender struts will follow tomorrow evening.

Daily Mockup pics

So here it is in all it's mockup glory(sort of). I have narrow glide trees that I've bored out to 41mm to fit my wideglide legs, so as soon as I score a new front wheel that change will take place. I threw it together tonight in this form just to make it easier to move around the garage. Startin to look like a motorcycle again!I'm psyched to get a few rides in before the snow starts.

A few Steps Closer!

It seems lately like I get time to make one step forward and then suddenly I'm taking ten steps backward. Here's the latest progress shot. Looks like I'll be riding it in a sort of in between state until the bad weather hits, then apart it comes for powdercoat and a little paint on the tins. Also still trying to source a narrower front wheel so I can run the Narrow glide trees I bored to fit my 41mm legs....thinking of changing the seat style for a frame mounted seat instead of the spring mounted one on there now. Not feeling the height of the seat as is, seems to be levitating above the bike.

a little bit of progress.........

So I didn't ride my bike once this year as of yet. Hopefully that will be changing real soon. Still need to fab up the motor mounts and a few other details.

Softail no more

It's been a long time coming, and is taking even longer to complete, but I'm trying to do it correctly this time and not rush into anything. Bike has been out of commission for almost a year now. Hoping to get in at least a couple rides this season(Brooklyn Invitational maybe?). I'll try and post my progress as I move along. This is the first installment. I'm doing what I can to make the rear end as close to symmetrical as possible. Bike started out as an 07 Night Train, 200mm rear tire and all, but I've since switched to a modest 5" rear tire and chain final drive....

protection is the name of the game

I've often dreamt about being my own boss. I was laid off July 31st of 2010, since that day I've been working out of my home garage trying to make parts to help others make their bikes cooler or more like they envision them to be. One thing I've learned is that being the big boss isn't all that easy. Finding the drive/motivation to get going each day is actually as tough as going to work for someone else. It's very easy to become lazy, complacent and even overwhelmed with the tasks at hand. I've often been told that one of my biggest flaws is that I'm "generous to a fault", that being said, I'm starting to see that in myself. I tend to give my time away as if it isn't worth anything. I'm all about helping people, my friends, and sometimes even people I've just met. I've been ridiculed for this characteristic, and have even been told I should change my ways, but the truth is I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that. Helping people helps me, period. I've met more people in my life than I can remember, but the best part of it to me is that I can honestly say that most of those I've met are still my friends. Long distance friends some of them, but friends nonetheless. In the future I think I'm going to live life the way I have been, maybe try to become a little more efficient at it, but still the same basic principles. So, if I'm doing something for you, trying to help you out in some way,shape or form, just remember that I often spread myself too thin and I will get it done, just maybe a little slower than someone else would have. Like it or not, that's who I am.

life behind bars

Here are some bars I built for Billy from Hellmutts. They're actually for a friend of his. Simple T-bars with a little aesthetic addition.I'll be putting up more pics soon of my wares........