The bike I'm building - garage dogs ONLY!

My reply above was to "nephew" that works on a cool Yamaha XS650 chopper.

You can see my Yamaha XS650 with other school projects on www11.brinkster.com/electriccar.  This is a school site that did electric car marathon racing, not anymore, using it for my projects!  

EPIC ENTRODRACOMUS CHOPPER JOURNEY

Magazines and TV chopper builds claim their choppers are built by them and/or using the term “original” quite loosely.  I do find it amusing that many chopper builders claiming to be original idea(s) are designs that existed in some form or fashion from the past.  The builder in a plutonic sense can be the owner that supplied the money, order it, and/or hire builders for his/her chopper to become a reality.  As for me, I learned the skills, bought the equipment, had made the space to build it, and challenged the authorities to fulfill the journey.  
In a nutshell, there is a long story behind this journey.  I designed and fabricated the unique frame shape from a distant motorcycle past and added many major tweaks.   I took sheet metal, designing and fabricating the liquid holding tanks and the seats.  I designed and fabricated a large rear tire and suspension system of a different approach from the norm.  The same was done by me taking ideas from numerous sources, designing and fabricating the complete front end and suspension.  I would even prep, design, and paint it!
This epic chopper journey is symbolic of what was accomplished through trying times when manufactured motorcycles and the government caused us to have accidents, I founded an organization to fight suppressive regulations, and I introduced an alternative strategy that successfully repealed the motorcycle helmet law in this state.  This present day, our written regulations and the repeal of the helmet law has lost its original intent by the present day riders and go fast groups to again be arbitrarily abused by authority once more.  I don’t want this epic chopper journey to end the same way!  
This epic chopper journey started when it did not even exist developing the skills to one day become useful on this project?  I recall the starting point was most prominent in my mid school years, evolving from customizing bicycles to buying and assembling car models.  I was capable at drawing pictures of cars and hot rods of the times.  It is in high school that I learned to do metal fabrication and engine repair skills with both cars and hot rods.  There were related activities that went with it, drag racing and the run ins with the local authorities that would sharpen my wits to overcome suppressive modified vehicle regulations in the state I live in.  
I further honed my skills in metal building experiences when joined the military and volunteered to fight in the Viet Nam war loosing lives and a friend who’s life I saved only later to take his own life.  A year left in the military, the disheartening experiences were enlightened when learned to drive a motorcycle using my friend’s chopper, a BSA 650 motorcycle with ape hangers, and 4-inch extended front end.  
I immediately bought a new Yamaha XS650 that was two weeks riding it and crashed!  I returned to my home state with my replacement motorcycle and almost crashed it the same way.  I learned it was a motorcycle design incompatible with certain highway road surfaces that the government approves for cars that are unsafe for motorcycles.
The local authorities had stringent regulations that we demonstrated to be harmful and they kept insisting it was driver error.  Public access found that the government operated motorcycles were inflicted with the same problems.  This generated a conviction in me to modify my motorcycle and the regulations to make it safer to drive.  My bad experience and other motorcycle riders of same and/or other bad experiences were propelled into the political arena to rewrite the regulations that allowed us to build our motorcycles into choppers.

It's still in the upgrading stage!  Check out my web site posted above!  

I mentioned authorities stringent regulations in our state, allowed me to use 6-inch over extended tubes, but would not allow me to rake the neck.  I showed them the problem, easy to wheelie, means they are putting me in harms way!  Used in testimony at the hearing, as did many others with their testimonies and changed the regulation to allow neck rake!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3047403344_583954eb0d.jpg
Might not show, cannot find icon to click for picture, we'll see?  

Any tips on gettign an axle through a wheel.  I have tried with bearing grease and I still struggle to get it moving.  The other reason I ask is that a bearing in the rear wheel looks like it got thrown out of place about 1/8" while trying to send the axle through.  

Since no response from Warren,maybe already figured it out, and maybe still struggling?  Possible you have standard axle and metric bearings or vice versa?  Then there's possible center spacer between the two bearings shifted, hammering axle, end of spacer out of line, hammering out bearing?  

The above is a replay to Hammer14's problem!  

Hey all got a question : how do you change out bulb inside of an Arlen Ness headlite ? does the ring pry off ? I removed the set screw and tried to unscrew headlite ring, it didnt work. there is an open slot on bottom side of headlite about 1/2 inch long, seems like the spot to pry at but dont want to mess it up. any experiance out there ? thanks  

Hi there.

well, I helped a buddy build his bike in my shop,does that count? He had the mis-fortune of being t-boned by a distracted young mother. luckily he saw it coming, jumped straight up off the bike, the force of the impact flipped him 360 in the air and he landed on his feet on the hood of the car!!! I would have loved to have seen that. he is fine... but the bike took a beating, so we dragged it back to my shop and did a re-build from the frame up. the Santee 4" up ridgid frame and Paucho front end were fine, as was the 95" harley motor. since the insurance settlement was fairly generous, he had the motor upgraded to look like a knuckle. we had to replace the peanut tank, change up the foot controls, 16" ape hangers etc... welded up a custom exhaut to come out the left side thru the chain, then gave them the wrap job. the open primary and  the 4-speed (Kickstart-only) added to the overall look. the sheet metal was rattle-can flat black. the "test-drive" was a 2000 mile road trip from Northern California  up to Portland oregon(with a lot of back road cruisin'). I was on my 04'BMC for this trip. this was a cool road trip.... finding -n-fixing all the bugs on the side if the road.

Great Idea Warren, for a garage dog only forum.

thanks for letting me ramble on....

UnclePsycho
biker-born
riding since 1980 rain or shine  

In response to Hammer14 (hope you have already gotten it figured out, but if not, here's a couple ideas)

First, if you have to hammer an axle in, there is a problem. an axle should shove in by hand, or with a light tap with a dead-blow hammer. take apart and re-assemble it as many times as it takes to get this to happen. drives me crazy to watch the bike builders on tv when they drive in the axle with thier 3-lb sledge. must be because they are "profesionals" or are in a hurry.

a trick to get axles thru would be to pass a smaller diameter shaft thru from the other side to hold bearings and spacers close to where they belong. wiggle the smaller shaft in a circular motion while shoving the axe thru.
take sand paper and sand off the dirt and grime build up from the axle too,
good point nitrox5, it could be a mix match of metric and standard. get out a caliper or dial indicator and check everything.

never give up

unclepsycho  

Response to hdch1959

At first i was gonna be funny and suggest a hammer, but really A quick call to Arlen Ness will be the easiest way to get your help with the headlight. They are all great folks there and ready to help you with any of thier products. If you get the chance, and are in the area, a trip to thier place is great. the museum is normally open to the public, and if you are there on a weekend and with a few buddies, ask about a tour thru the assembly area, maybe we got lucky but we got to do that tour, was a great addition to an already great ride day.

Arlen Ness Enterprises
6050 Dublin Boulevard
Dublin California 94568
Phone: 925-479-6350
FAX: 925-479-6351
E-Mail: contact@arlenness.com


unclepsycho  

appreciate the garage dogs onlly idea. bought my first harley(71shovel basket) manys years back, after wrecking my *** cruiser. went under a plumbers truck who did a left turn front of me. insurance paid enough for a build. was so green, an the local harley shops took advatage of that. after i made it clear i,d do my own work they said :well you,d best know what parts you,ll need cause we aint gonna help there when ordering and if you mess up dont expect us to fix your messups cheap or come running.: made misstakes and paid for them myself. noone to talk to cept my wife an she got an earfull. read manuels like the bible. built many since and got three in the garage now in the works.any one ask why are you tearing up a perfectly good tran.s instead of gettin a 4-speed?  

Hello everyone.  I am new here and new to building bike.  After extensive research for a prospective builder to build me a one of bike.  I decided to put some of my skills I've acquired from 22 years of Naval service and build my one bike.  So I am glad I found this thread to ask questions.  I am gathering up some info on what I need to build with tools and vendors for the parts I need.  Thus far I found a 88 harley engine with 28 miles on it. I have my 07 RKC I experiment with, exhaust and performance mods which I will incorporate into my future build.  

That's a good start for an epic journey chopper.  With your mil experience and skills, you can envision what's required of the project and that dictates what you have to get within your skill level.  Depends on how in depth and committed you want to get.  For example, I wanted to build my own frame and the mil/civilian training got me to be a certified welder that was required in our state.  I don't know if you have to contend with state regulations on modified vehicles.  Here is a short story continued from my posts above:

I radically chopped my Yamaha XS650 to demonstrate the exercise of making it into a safer driving motorcycle.  It would be closely followed by my proto-type and eventual epic chopper journey project both designed and built by me, the latter one from material stock to a final product!

I sensed the winds of change and callous chopper riders abusing the regulations we had written, some serious/fatal, would not allow these regulations to stand for long and took the initiative to build what I vision to be this epic chopper journey project in a timely manner!  
I sold my Yamaha XS650 chopper to buy a basket case Harley Davidson that included three engines.  I built it into a chopper almost completing it with a 1938 Harley Davidson 74ci flat head engine.  I was not able to locate a part to run the engine, I swapped it out for a 1950 H-D Pan Head engine I rebuilt with the basket case parts.  Then put in a 1951 H-D Pan Head engine with the remaining basket case parts.  Not exactly what I was looking for to make it into a proto-type chopper, I sold everything to seek my fortune elsewhere.

I used the money to pick up a mildly chopped ’67 Harley from a friend.  This would be the proto-type my ideas would be applied to.  With the skills I have accumulated as a steel fabricator and modifying cars in those early years I easily carried it over to building motorcycles.  

I consumed humongous amounts of hours on this proto-type, machining and welding key components to fit.  I then tested car wheels to find the correct tire and rim combination.  I would spend a year testing and applying ideas with different fuel systems.  At the same time, the testing process was done with different electrical charging systems.  All these modifications were road tested and refined in preparation to building my epic chopper journey from the ground up!

Some of my ideas at the time were never applied by anyone else in the fashion I was to approach building this epic chopper journey.  I started the build of the proto-type chopper not just to be built according to the parameters we had written into the recon regulations, but capable of maneuvering through the motorcycle license test course that came from the motorcycle qualification test course the local authority’s motorcycle patrol officers had to drive through.  

While I worked on the proto-type, in my mind are cataloged ideas and approaches to fabrication ready to be unleashed on this epic chopper journey.  Having finished the proto-type chopper phase, it was disassembled.  Only the engine and transmission would be saved, rebuilt, and blueprinted, to be used on the epic chopper journey project.

The frame’s existence is one of the cataloged ideas from earlier projects.  One such idea that came about, I was working on my friend’s antique motorcycle frame.  A 1965 Simplex Motorcycle that had two looping tubes, the ends welded to the steering neck.  I would incorporate this design on the epic chopper journey project, but I would fabricate the frame from square tubing stock and bent it in a different way from all existing methods known.

I had earlier started the epic chopper journey at my work place, fabricating the frame and trans/engine mounts, but shortly afterwards quit my job.  I had to bring it home on the one-inch thick metal plate that still had things jigged in place.  It was in storage until other life matters were taken care of like career, other political fights, and getting married!

The day came when my wife saw the motionless frame with the bare engine block bolted in it on the metal slab sitting in the corner of the garage.  With her encouragement and spiritual support, the journey once again continued with the many ideas to be transformed into reality.  The wife and some friends did do some tedious labor intensive stages, sanding and polishing after teaching them the skills.  

I had picked up additional ideas that were tossed around and/or improve on successful exercises with other chopper builds in attempts for this epic chopper journey to stand out among the rest.  

Wow dude....  

Hello Henryinva, "Wow dude..." my story or checked my web site?  

I checked out your web site, and that is a bunch of resurrecting and chopping your way on that Honda 450.

It causes me reminiscing, when I was building the epic chopper, I had a Honda 450 as my daily ride to and from college and part time job.

I have two other early bikes that need TLC to get back running, a Honda CB750 and Kawasaki GPZ900.  

Hers my current project....in my GARAGE.  
The last two pics are just mock-ups. Lots of little details to work out. Will have upsweeps in one form or another.