tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68493577575938603362024-03-13T04:08:28.191-04:00Modified Motorcycles by ChopperCharlesTurning junk bikes into interesting treasures, on a very tight budget. ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-15324269187167701692013-12-06T11:43:00.000-05:002013-12-06T11:43:10.877-05:00Jetting made easyLots of people talk badly about pod filters, and insist that a bike with CV carbs will always run better with the stock airbox and filter. I'm here to tell you that's not true. Most motorcycles with CV carbs are built to a budget, and maximum performance was not in mind at the factory. As such, these bikes can often benefit from the increased airflow SOME pod filters provide.<br />
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The first step is to make sure your bike runs well with the stock setup. If you're starting with a poorly-running bike, you're not going to have much luck using this guide. Get the bike running correctly with the original carbs, airbox, filter, and jetting, and THEN worry about pod filters.<br />
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The second step is to inspect your filters, make sure there's not a big rubber lip on the inside that blocks the vacuum and air bleed ports on the intake side of the carbs. This will make the bike run like crap. For example:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtpKRNwVPb9ylW1ak0scA5Toz2CwU_xFtoH3-5h-wSXtMY_7PYLhxePlZE5q4FQKd4LTPHzXOIIR0po72qv1mZcHjYbajVJDvn2w5jeY1PwX9noHItPkyLg0Lq6cFrbuV-6KDpY4QrpA/s1600/cx_occlusion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtpKRNwVPb9ylW1ak0scA5Toz2CwU_xFtoH3-5h-wSXtMY_7PYLhxePlZE5q4FQKd4LTPHzXOIIR0po72qv1mZcHjYbajVJDvn2w5jeY1PwX9noHItPkyLg0Lq6cFrbuV-6KDpY4QrpA/s320/cx_occlusion.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cx500forum.com/forum/cx-customization-modifications/14114-pods-plug-atmospheric-ports.html" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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Big problem with CV carbs and cheap pod filters. People think it's because CV carbs don't work with pods, and that's bupkis. CV carbs, especially '70s and '80s carbs without tuned resonance chambers (like the Honda V4s) respond quite nicely to pods or stacks, so long as the ports are not occluded. That's not to say '90s bikes won't benefit either. The 500 Ninja greatly benefits from pods!<br />
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Once that's taken care of and the carbs are clean, it's time to think jetting.<br />
On a cold day, give it full choke and try to start the bike. Does it start easily and idle high with the choke on? After 5 or 10 seconds of running, can you give it gas and rev it a little? If it is difficult to cold start on a cold day, difficult to keep idling even with full choke, and/or has to idle and warm up for a long time before you can rev it without the bike stalling, then you need a larger slow jet. Go up one size, and see if it's better. If Keep going up until the bike cold-starts on a cold day with choke, idles high with the choke, and can be revved almost immediately -- BUT it is still difficult to cold start with the choke off. If it starts easily on a cold day, with a cold engine and no choke, then your slow jet is too big.<br />
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Once that's dialed in, hold the throttle open to about 7000 rpm, and listen. Do you hear a lot of crackling, snapping, backfiring, or just plain straining to rev? If so, you need a larger main. Keep increasing the main size until you no longer hear that. If you however hear a gurgling, especially on overrun, it's probably too rich. (This is almost likely not the case with your bike as it is set up now). This will get you in the ballpark. Once that's done, take it for a ride. Lots of full-throttle, hard acceleration runs. If it seems lean, richen it up. If it runs better, you made the right choice. You can try going up another. If it runs worse, go smaller instead. Eventually you'll find a jet where it starts to run badly on the lean side, and starts to run badly on the rich side, with a range of jets inbetween that seem to run all about the same. Choose the one in the center of that range.<br />
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Finally, the last thing to concern yourself with is needle height. Once the bike is running fine at idle and at wide open throttle, run it at a constant speed on the highway. If it surges or feels like the bike is changing speed ever so slightly, even though your hand isn't moving on the throttle, chances are it's lean, and you need to add shims under the needle (or if you have an adjustable needle, move the clip on the needle down one notch). You also may experience a lag when you crack the throttle open from crusing velocity. The bike may fall on its face for an instant, and then accelerate normally. This is also indicative of a needle that needs to be raised. The higher the needle, the more fuel you get at partial throttle. This is a very good indicator, because when you crack the throttle open quickly, the slide reacts to air pressure quickly, but the fuel takes a half second to be pulled up out of the carb and atomized by the airflow. If you're already running lean, adding more air makes it much leaner for a split second, and the bike will lurch before the fuel catches up and it starts accelerating.<br />
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If your needle is too high, your gas mileage will go to shit. If you have a stock needle without an adjustable clip, and you're running rich at partial throttle (and everything else is set up correctly), then you'll have to get aftermarket adjustable needles. However, it's almost always the case that stock needles are too lean and a shim or two is all it takes. (If your midrange is rich with pods and stock needles, chances are the problem is your jets are too rich, and you need to go back and try this whole thing all over again) Radio shack electronics washers (.020" thickness) are perfect shims. Just buy a package of mixed electronics washers for $7 or so and you'll have a lifetime supply.<br />
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Charles.ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-16534201954255095732013-08-27T20:37:00.001-04:002013-08-27T20:38:12.440-04:00Stuck Forks on a V65 Magna -- How to do fork seals CORRECTLYThe V65 Magna has traditional forks, with a decidedly non-traditional internal design. Most of the forks I've worked on, when you remove the bottom allen bolt, the lower easily slides off of the tube. No fuss at all.<br />
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The V65 on the other hand, is designed differently. There's a lower bushing attached to the bottom of the fork tube. This bushing's outer diameter is the same as the inner diameter of the fork lower. The upper bushing is attached to the top of the fork upper, and the inner diameter of this bushing is the same as the outer diameter of the fork tube itself. In this manner, the fork slider moves up and down with precision, and no side-to-side slop.<br />
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The drawback of this design is that the bushing on the bottom of the fork tube has a larger OD than the ID of the bushing at the top of the lower. Which means if you need to separate the fork lower and fork tube, the fork seal has to be removed as well. Normally this isn't too terribly difficult. After removing the oil and the top cap (so you're not fighting air pressure), use the fork lower as a slide-hammer. Slide it down sharply once or twice, and the fork lower will pop right off, leaving the fork seal and two bushings attached to the fork tube.<br />
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In theory, at least. Every now and then, you'll encounter problems. My problems stemmed from aftermarket seals which were slightly too large. When I replaced my fork seals last, the fork seals were really, really difficult to install. I used a piece of PVC , and stacked two old seals on top of the new seal, and then beat the crap out of the PVC with a 4 lb sledge. Took lots of hammering to get them in. Well, apparently all that hammering distorted the seal -- or they were just crap to begin with, because they started leaking immediately.<br />
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I'm here to tell you, if you experience this ever, STOP, and do not install that seal. If it's too difficult to install, there's a problem. And if you continue installing, the problem is going to get way, way worse. Because that slide-hammer action doesn't work very well at all when the seal is stuck in there really good. In fact, what happens is as you slide-hammer, the lower bushing expands the bottom of the upper bushing. The upper bushing has nowhere to go, because it fits tightly into the top of the fork lower. Expanding the bottom of the upper bushing wedges the bushing in place extremely firmly. No amount of slide-hammering will get the forks apart.<br />
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If this happens to you, use a PROPANE torch, and apply heat to the fork lower. You'll need something bigger than the small pencil tipped torches used for plumbing work. You'll need a brush-clearing torch with a big tip. I used this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW7ZYfdZH5m9ZClKvQZU67pq_LHqB2qFIlO7N2xKkiRzMg1RvX5dRdQLWDqRDyFtBqtkCupxdWoChkp4KWLoOm3x1cagyQ66mk4Fvapnueqot-oPcIQCPAAiDEHTFfHj0Td3IwxIHk9U/s1600/torch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW7ZYfdZH5m9ZClKvQZU67pq_LHqB2qFIlO7N2xKkiRzMg1RvX5dRdQLWDqRDyFtBqtkCupxdWoChkp4KWLoOm3x1cagyQ66mk4Fvapnueqot-oPcIQCPAAiDEHTFfHj0Td3IwxIHk9U/s200/torch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I heated the crap out of the top of the fork lower, and then after two big slide hammers (wear welding gloves to grasp the lowers without burning yourself) the left lower popped right off. The right side needed much more heat, and instead the tube expanded enough that the lower race was able to pull right through the upper race. This required using a 4 lb sledge to tap the fork lower off, though. Slide-hammer wasn't enough.</div>
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This is what the bushings on the left fork looked like. You can clearly see how the lower bushing is jammed into the upper bushing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS_rekGw6WYqfhOvt2H4modOuGL_fAlNAGPEkOmwDgg_ck-KxCCqJyEPlUC5GxY1gYlPYwEVmEA556-faGW-h7llvlavdf2tXlKx0ncNtw6oZj_r3xM1KnboYdlbNvreoPlwDxsnpfcs/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS_rekGw6WYqfhOvt2H4modOuGL_fAlNAGPEkOmwDgg_ck-KxCCqJyEPlUC5GxY1gYlPYwEVmEA556-faGW-h7llvlavdf2tXlKx0ncNtw6oZj_r3xM1KnboYdlbNvreoPlwDxsnpfcs/s320/image.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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BE CAREFUL. When aluminum is hot it's malleable, and you can easily, easily damage the aluminum with a mallet. You can actually overheat the aluminum, but it requires a LOT of propane heat. Or just a <i><b>little </b></i>oxy-acetelyne heat. Which is why I used propane.</div>
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Once forks are removed in this manner, you're going to have to take apart the fork tubes as well. There are little plastic (pvc maybe?) bushings on the damping rod, and there's a good chance you may have melted them. Replace if they're damaged, and clean out any melty bits you find. </div>
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When reassembling the forks, I test fitted everything this time. The upper bushing fit very tightly in the fork lower, so I took some sand paper and sanded off the layer of corrosion, dirt, grime, and muck there. I did the same for the fork seal area. I didn't remove metal, just the muck and nastiness and powdery corrosion. </div>
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This time, instead of using PVC, I purchased an actual fork seal driver. I first used it to tap the upper race into place, and then to tap the seal into place. It took almost no force to install this time, and my OEM seals haven't leaked a drop. The driver is also very nice because you can leave the fork tube installed in the triple tree. This is what it looks like: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmShMpGzz7ujKj6FkjyTD0-_r6epcvfzAqfx2Ds3bxl8YX-30zKltsf77kFp5mqNMHF6Rg1lWg7ZJ2-PqWc6YlrU6wSE874RFzN9bEnPbFhyphenhyphenTobxxcdPYsXSlPLu0U87BnItVecu1AAQ/s1600/driver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmShMpGzz7ujKj6FkjyTD0-_r6epcvfzAqfx2Ds3bxl8YX-30zKltsf77kFp5mqNMHF6Rg1lWg7ZJ2-PqWc6YlrU6wSE874RFzN9bEnPbFhyphenhyphenTobxxcdPYsXSlPLu0U87BnItVecu1AAQ/s320/driver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I will never install seals without a properly sized driver again. The tool was $25 and it was SO easy to use, it made the job almost pleasant. </div>
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-36211856032358355922013-08-19T00:48:00.006-04:002013-08-19T01:08:08.275-04:00Rearset controls on a Honda V65 MagnaI've had rearsets on my V65 for some time, but recently I just overhauled them, changed the mounting, and fixed some problems. While it was all apart, I figured I'd take photos and make a post.
The first big problem I had is, I trashed my dented and rusty Kerker header, and installed a MAC 4-into-1 header. Because of the different design, the brake arm now directly contacted the header, so it had to be relocated. However, this same situation would occur with a stock bike, with stock collector and mufflers, so I think it'll be useful to post here.
First thing I did was find some M10x1.5 bungs off of eBay, from <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/sincitymetalworks" target="_blank">Sin City Metal Works</a>. They look like this:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmSeSU01GA1MhwXlSD2KDJmEtUQhy1Q2CXxbJ5HsRDHyaiSzMVUmAs6WEwSXRKY2TsvgZiRrEU-otA64tOKzJacJvkRfRhqr-1f1pS-MKBoqoKO8C1Fv1j7-6WKo6hmYs7utMTAXoj5M/s1600/bung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmSeSU01GA1MhwXlSD2KDJmEtUQhy1Q2CXxbJ5HsRDHyaiSzMVUmAs6WEwSXRKY2TsvgZiRrEU-otA64tOKzJacJvkRfRhqr-1f1pS-MKBoqoKO8C1Fv1j7-6WKo6hmYs7utMTAXoj5M/s200/bung.jpg" /></a></div>
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I then removed the aluminum passenger brackets, and welded these to the position where the front-most bolt is located. Like this: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDofLyv4917qCenmiZMYFM6HCUCMsne1BUlPc8_-bmheeORRq1Alql15qdacCc1Ix8AfAnfKfxOuWjXDB2pgXgodVNbXCFsO5Z3HkRZu6RFGX6FG-6C7hY44BZFcqA8vjJhT236BU5Nj0/s1600/IMGP0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDofLyv4917qCenmiZMYFM6HCUCMsne1BUlPc8_-bmheeORRq1Alql15qdacCc1Ix8AfAnfKfxOuWjXDB2pgXgodVNbXCFsO5Z3HkRZu6RFGX6FG-6C7hY44BZFcqA8vjJhT236BU5Nj0/s320/IMGP0198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then I drilled out the mounting hole on the aluminum bracket, so that it slides over this bung:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f_w5F6vuxfLqjFL6tetCuvghU8rQ-yKUvlhdEfhKfTptL3fAmtUn-QpkSYMblCvecy2YUJGx3fBkgIsKUZxitoGRzHGPfNik66FhhIVZDW-cDGwtJDyY_tD3YCvIeGT3kTku6HjxcDY/s1600/IMGP0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f_w5F6vuxfLqjFL6tetCuvghU8rQ-yKUvlhdEfhKfTptL3fAmtUn-QpkSYMblCvecy2YUJGx3fBkgIsKUZxitoGRzHGPfNik66FhhIVZDW-cDGwtJDyY_tD3YCvIeGT3kTku6HjxcDY/s200/IMGP0200.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzQSbr1WS3i13wWHQT7iAaNVNJeROvkvIdBS3yOA0tKqAebG82HOn8aI4i75Zw_ioxxSc7m7RHJTXYwJ54BRtmSs_cmsQHmb3H1oTaWkXll-EH9MolcbLIGzhdUBteD4t3_fmFJDvgvc/s1600/IMGP0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzQSbr1WS3i13wWHQT7iAaNVNJeROvkvIdBS3yOA0tKqAebG82HOn8aI4i75Zw_ioxxSc7m7RHJTXYwJ54BRtmSs_cmsQHmb3H1oTaWkXll-EH9MolcbLIGzhdUBteD4t3_fmFJDvgvc/s200/IMGP0202.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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I also had to grind the aluminum a little bit. The aluminum was at an angle with respect to the bung, which meant anything bolted here would be cocked sideways. A hit with the grinder made it level with the end of the bung.</div>
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Here you can see the Tarozzi universal rearsets -- brake side. I got these from <a href="http://fastfromthepast.com/" target="_blank">Fast From The Past</a>. The set consists of left and right folding pegs and adjustable shifter/brake arms -- and nothing else. I also purchased the spacer you see there, as well as the brake and shifter arms you'll see on down the page. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLP5EZjHExuwE57d2o7aq6OQ8mCZRHfqI69ULXCqLjXusk9ELwIxka14Y7kNsq_SKqVSE7axrKapL3OcG-9jBiTOP_ZOByLb0T7gayeAD5sUM4PlgHotxk4X9A7YqnH4GIhLUTj-UZUs/s1600/IMGP0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLP5EZjHExuwE57d2o7aq6OQ8mCZRHfqI69ULXCqLjXusk9ELwIxka14Y7kNsq_SKqVSE7axrKapL3OcG-9jBiTOP_ZOByLb0T7gayeAD5sUM4PlgHotxk4X9A7YqnH4GIhLUTj-UZUs/s200/IMGP0203.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzMNsOEotrqdPI67dtx1MBHQkXX-y2aVkLn9qGaI6SJqcsixz3GEexqMbnQWmOsuoYkrNXJuoa3KZl4HBUZkMWCGF3a1n2hDBEA9KnyzNCVhb64dZLNoHSgCZdonSeWo4kR3VknDuzto/s1600/IMGP0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzMNsOEotrqdPI67dtx1MBHQkXX-y2aVkLn9qGaI6SJqcsixz3GEexqMbnQWmOsuoYkrNXJuoa3KZl4HBUZkMWCGF3a1n2hDBEA9KnyzNCVhb64dZLNoHSgCZdonSeWo4kR3VknDuzto/s200/IMGP0204.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGO2udNwsUZTFPZOu0Ur4smqiFBNUQfiQ35D7rnhHSAd97EdC5tDsfTrV_9EWcXhuX6C5t0Eg0QRFR2mFnYQHSGq-FFe0h6NOt9FDcZtVWwhOmCvv7uow6qYgK56kYBN_xueR61iEvko/s1600/IMGP0206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGO2udNwsUZTFPZOu0Ur4smqiFBNUQfiQ35D7rnhHSAd97EdC5tDsfTrV_9EWcXhuX6C5t0Eg0QRFR2mFnYQHSGq-FFe0h6NOt9FDcZtVWwhOmCvv7uow6qYgK56kYBN_xueR61iEvko/s200/IMGP0206.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Then I bolted this assembly to the bung .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KZlXy4lk2cjr94uu02NXJIXfeg-B-3nWwZa3mI-ucpJ4tmoOzRceVJr2Cjyp1J5fMEZwBq9Es39fJgQ83d5G1ULciYYbB9Euu9Hx4BABlAe7ytrJRk6oBbKdQYIqEIhHzrgbSNcOZ1Q/s1600/IMGP0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KZlXy4lk2cjr94uu02NXJIXfeg-B-3nWwZa3mI-ucpJ4tmoOzRceVJr2Cjyp1J5fMEZwBq9Es39fJgQ83d5G1ULciYYbB9Euu9Hx4BABlAe7ytrJRk6oBbKdQYIqEIhHzrgbSNcOZ1Q/s200/IMGP0207.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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I skipped a couple of steps. You can see here the rod and the clevis attachment (both from <a href="http://fastfromthepast.com/" target="_blank">Fast From The Past</a>). I'll bet you're wondering what that's connected to....</div>
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Well, a couple of years back I went to Vintage Motorcycle Days in Ohio, and scored a brand new, never been used Nissin master cylinder and reservoir. I welded together a custom bracket and mounted the master cylinder right where the original footpeg attached. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gw4eTHqPaPuXwYxpwDcM3X45hyphenhyphen1XT2RCJyxKLj7Pv7S34PIbcfeMhU2QkKIYSj6hi5DqKqQXgGLmGUq21bYhAvwRVB9CErcHZkEM4CV1lH4eETHcC6kIV40DrL2vL5oxmoyfHi8HUzs/s1600/IMGP0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Gw4eTHqPaPuXwYxpwDcM3X45hyphenhyphen1XT2RCJyxKLj7Pv7S34PIbcfeMhU2QkKIYSj6hi5DqKqQXgGLmGUq21bYhAvwRVB9CErcHZkEM4CV1lH4eETHcC6kIV40DrL2vL5oxmoyfHi8HUzs/s200/IMGP0215.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWAnYCbSLoHAkOtpcO7Y9GGAF61op6jYcgNYTTFizO3331Qm1ZQzbgZZf9DBodcyB1_3fPlyJAbY-aaDqWCf7OqLNujYgRnioRiyYNrlB0EoOGGsowWPJ4g88w55zwT2CcBKI00uQfm4/s1600/IMGP0214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWAnYCbSLoHAkOtpcO7Y9GGAF61op6jYcgNYTTFizO3331Qm1ZQzbgZZf9DBodcyB1_3fPlyJAbY-aaDqWCf7OqLNujYgRnioRiyYNrlB0EoOGGsowWPJ4g88w55zwT2CcBKI00uQfm4/s200/IMGP0214.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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That piece in the middle I had to "machine" myself. It's just a piece of mild steel solid rod from Lowes, which I cut, drilled, and tapped. The linkage arm is M6 thread, and the master cylinder is M8 thread, so I created this to connect them together. Works like a charm, and it was done with a Harbor Freight drill press and a regular old tap and die set. The brackets are 3/16" thick mild steel. I cut them with a cut-off saw, shaped with an angle grinder, and then welded them together. I kept the welds on the back side so the front looks clean and nice. Painted it with plasti-dip :) </div>
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If you look close, you'll see wires coming off the banjo bolt. This is a pressure switch for the brake light. I soldered the connector on and it plugs into the wiring harness just like the stock brake light switch. This was much simpler than trying to rig up a mechanical brake light trigger. I purchased the banjo from <a href="http://newmotorcycleparts.com/" target="_blank">Cycle-Recycle Part II</a>. The stainless brake line was just hanging around in my shop. It's a little long, so I routed it a little funny so the extra line is out of sight under the motor. Works for now, I'll get a shorter line later. </div>
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The shifter side was constructed pretty much the same. I bought two M6 ball end linkage connectors from <a href="http://mcmastercarr.com/" target="_blank">McMasterCarr</a> and attached them to another linkage that I bought from <a href="http://fastfromthepast.com/" target="_blank">Fast From The Past</a>. I drilled out the stock shift arm that connects to the shifter rod, so that I could attach the rod ends. You'll also notice that I used a thicker spacer (also from FFTP). This is so the shifter clears the kickstand when it's in the up position. You will absolutely need a linkage arm that's bent like this in order to clear the kickstand. It's a very tight fit. (Alternatively you could cut the kickstand off and weld it back on near the front, but that was too involved and an offset linkage was way easier).</div>
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Combined with a set of Daytona handlebars, these rearsets turn the V65 Magna from a laid-back cruiser to a standard seating position, which allows for more control and better handling in the twisties. The "rearsets" are very mild, the seating position is neutral, your feet are directly underneath you, so it's easy to stand on the pegs when going over railroad tracks or an unavoidable obstacle -- a difficult feat with stock pegs.<br />
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Seriously, the daytona bars and the rearset (standard-set really, but still further back than the V65 Sabre) completely change the attitude of the V65 Magna. In a straight line, it's CONSIDERABLY easier to launch this way, and wheelies (unexpected or otherwise) are much easier to control, because your feet are under you and still supporting you. You're not sliding backwards. Twisties are where this setup really shines though. I'm seriously considering un-doing my lowering, because it's so much more fun now that I want more ground clearance.<br />
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This mod wasn't cheap, but it wasn't that expensive either. Tarozzi rearsets are reasonably priced, and nicely made -- although I'd opt for the raw aluminum next time. The black wrinkle-coat wears off too easily. The extra parts required (linkage rods, ball ends, clevis, spacers, etc) are also reasonably priced. This mod did however require a bit of custom fabrication, and some welding. It's not a bolt-on, but it's also not out of the realm of possibility for a shade-tree mechanic. That's all I am, after all. The biggest tools required are a drill press and a flux-core welder, both from harbor freight (around $200 for the pair). You could make do with a hand drill and a vice in a pinch, and have a welder attach the bungs for you. If you go this route, I'd recommend you bring a bolt and washer to hold the bung in place, so he can just weld it and you can go on your way. Don't forget to strip the paint first! Also, don't forget to paint the bung and the stripped area around the weld, or it'll start rusting at the first hint of humidity.<br />
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Anyhow, I hope you found this useful, feel free to comment below!<br />
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-25513309819213226532013-08-13T15:54:00.000-04:002013-08-13T15:54:57.333-04:00ReputationMotorcyclists have a bad reputation. Historically we've been portrayed as dirty, rowdy, law-breaking ruffians on Harley Davidsons, or as young dumb brain donors on plastic rockets, wearing shorts and flip flops and doing wheelies in traffic at 120mph. There are countless videos of stupidity and crashes on youtube... but today I found a video that made me smile:<br />
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mCR1Zu5hHgk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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These are the kind of videos that change public perception. Videos that show we're not all adrenaline junkies with no thought of our own (or anyone elses') safety, or unsavory tough guys with a beer in our hands and an axe to grind.<br />
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-54871296132061492572013-07-13T00:22:00.000-04:002013-07-13T00:22:24.479-04:00Oil Filters Exposed, or: "Why FRAM filters suck"I came across this lovely bit of information many years ago, and it's important that everyone knows: FRAM filters suck. They have been banned by the NHRA, AMA, CSS, and WERA motorcycle racing organizations, because of frequent failures on the track. We're talking "blowing off the bike and covering the track with oil, and then blowing up your motor" failures.<br />
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I've personally seen fram filters come apart internally and rattle around, and I've seen them implode due to a faulty bypass valve. (Fram doesn't even use a spring for the bypass, just a piece of metal -- the ONLY piece of metal in the entire filter).<br />
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But, I won't bore you with my anecdotes, instead I'll give you actual information and proof. I found this a few years ago, and it's been continually updated ever since:<br />
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<a href="http://www.leroybeal.net/motorcycles/silverwing/articles/oil-filters/Motorcycle%2520oil%2520filters%2520exposed.pdf">http://www.leroybeal.net/motorcycles/silverwing/articles/oil-filters/Motorcycle%2520oil%2520filters%2520exposed.pdf</a><br />
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Seriously, FRAM is probably the worst possible filter you can put on your motorcycle or car. Don't believe me? Cut one open yourself. You'll be sickened by how poorly constructed the filter is. Don't risk your motor on junk. Buy NAPA, Wix, or K&N for your cars, Emgo, HiFlo, or Vesrah for your motorcycles.<br />
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-83304394757772444882013-07-12T01:24:00.001-04:002013-07-13T00:30:37.244-04:00JB Weld is magicA great many people scoff at the use of JB Weld as a permanent repair. The stuff is amazing, but it's (perhaps not unfairly) associated with half-assed repairs that cause more problems than they solve. Well, I'm here to say that if you apply it properly, and there is minimal stress on the part, this stuff is amazing.<br />
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Years past, I came across a CX500 motor, where the owner had somehow busted the water jacket (blown head gasket and massive overheat). It was broken right around the steel cylinder, a big V-shaped chunk was missing. He repaired it with JB Weld, of all things. He said he carefully cleaned and dried the aluminum, applied the JB weld, and sanded it down to the same level as the head. Then installed the head gasket and drove it for 10,000 miles. Eventually he decided he wanted a new motor, and he drove it to my dad's place. We swapped his motor for a low-mile motor in good shape... but we just had to remove the right head to see his repair. It was still holding strong, and it took quite a bit of effort to chip out so that we could see the extent of the damage.<br />
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Now, a busted water jacket repaired with JB Weld is impressive. The sealing surface of the head gasket right around the cylinder experiences wild temperature variation, as the engine heats up to operating temps. There's constant pressure from the head gasket, and the JB Weld was exposed to moving coolant. But that's still not magic.<br />
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Repairing an entire missing chunk of a motor. THAT is magic. I picked up a 1993 CB750 Nighthawk that had been wrecked, for $500. The owner locked up the front wheel, had a lowside slide, and then slammed into the back of a car. The bike went under the car, and the electronic ignition cover on the left side of the bike was sheared off by the undercarriage -- taking a big chunk of engine case with it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">See the missing chunk of metal? </span></td></tr>
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Not only that, but all of the bosses for the bolts that hold the cover on were busted off as well. This side of the motor contains the pickups and the timing gear, and it runs in an oil bath. No pressure, but the crankshaft has no seal on the end, so oil that comes out of the crankshaft bearing makes its way to the oil pan by draining through this area. So the bike can't be operated with a big hole in the case here.<br />
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The very first thing I did was load the bike in my truck, and bring it to my welder. This is the guy I use for any welding project that I'm not capable of. The guy is deaf as a doornail -- I have to scream at the top of my lungs, or write down my instructions, because 40 years working in a machine shop without ear protection has rendered him almost entirely deaf. I've seen him fix aluminum wheels that were curb-checked and cracked all the way through. I've seen him cut, shape, and weld extreme rake into a chopper. I've even seen him weld super-thin sheet metal without distorting it. But, he wouldn't touch this. Said it was beyond repair, that the porous nature of cast aluminum combiuned with 20 years of oil contamination would prevent a quality weld, and that I should look for a replacement motor.<br />
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So I was looking on eBay for a used motor, but thought I'd give a shadetree fix a try. I went to the auto parts store and bought several tubes of epoxy putty. These are the size of a roll of quarters, and consisted of aluminum powder suspended in a two-part epoxy putty. Squish the putty together to activate it, and then apply and wait for it to harden. Since I had such a big area to cover, I found a piece of quarter-inch think aluminum, bent it with a BFH (Big Fucking Hammer) so that it had a curving radius, and then cut it with an angle grinder to fit the hole as best I could. I cleaned and roughed everything up, and then applied the putty to the case and to the aluminum piece. I also built new bosses with the remaining putty. After it dried, the repair looked like this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">I made the bosses oversized, so there is enough </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">material there to support </span><span style="color: yellow;">a bolt. I still need to </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">drill and tap the last hole</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3emK2LaUyaZG2UMw8ZhvG26r-uvZ0re7zBIkOoaSL7sB_uL1wu0dO5i5hib2G4Pzo6-wfLb0H8Rr5Vt0wUcOdPVaUR5lwZzSvuJgraQ7XMfK03Y0N1UHYj2RZ7BRLZbYIgIaWeUTYf60/s1600/IMGP2503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3emK2LaUyaZG2UMw8ZhvG26r-uvZ0re7zBIkOoaSL7sB_uL1wu0dO5i5hib2G4Pzo6-wfLb0H8Rr5Vt0wUcOdPVaUR5lwZzSvuJgraQ7XMfK03Y0N1UHYj2RZ7BRLZbYIgIaWeUTYf60/s320/IMGP2503.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">Same angle as above, case is repaired.</span></td></tr>
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I sanded the JB Weld down so it was level, and you can see some of the aluminum piece that makes the gasket sealing surface. It wasn't completely level, so there is some putty on top of it in places to level everything. I bought a new cover and used it to locate the last hole. I drilled and tapped it, then applied a THIN layer of silicone to a gasket, and bolted the cover on. I didn't dare tighten the cover too much, but I didn't have to. There's no pressure in here, and just a little more than finger tight is all it took to keep the cover on. There was a very, very infrequent oil drip, which I later went back and fixed by doubling up two gaskets with silicone sandwhiched between them. (The trick is, apply a thin bead of silicone both sides of both gaskets, snug everything up finger tight, and then let the silicone dry overnight. THEN tighten a quarter turn or so)<br />
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This worked for more than 15,000 miles without any problems. I even went touring hundreds of miles from home, and I wasn't worried a bit. I never did find a good used engine for a good price, and I eventually sold the bike for next to nothing, because of the damage. It still looked pretty nice from a few feet back though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">Nice new cover bolted right on</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcw6VsYDfg6vfgrLfoGxDjdqh2hTu2iCPyd24ihnDp0abC5cxMXgiJbcESJyOPO3HoM3c5a13zzW4QdL674ph0PHyzcd9f01AQ2VwBGJ_qbGeAyDHj_KsVui9QN8P21lHnWcTIWMDpKU/s1600/IMGP1721-edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcw6VsYDfg6vfgrLfoGxDjdqh2hTu2iCPyd24ihnDp0abC5cxMXgiJbcESJyOPO3HoM3c5a13zzW4QdL674ph0PHyzcd9f01AQ2VwBGJ_qbGeAyDHj_KsVui9QN8P21lHnWcTIWMDpKU/s320/IMGP1721-edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">From a few feet back, she actually looked pretty nice. </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Not bad for $500</span></td></tr>
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So JB Weld may have a bad rap, but it turned a $500 parts bike with a clean title into a runner. I spent less than $70 on the repair, and most of that was the new cover and the timing trigger. And this is why JB Weld is magic. Given the right situation (no shear stress) it can do amazing things.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">I had no reservations taking it touring in the <br />Blue Ridge Mountains</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlQxSjf5J9ovJHU1wEYkXbE6qj9s9PQcYDMV7VeNAgTQJOezHNwN7OVJymEOkIONeu5Ev5EvBox3jG8D3fhJJpwGUDxGqdaOnGHxDa5LIFY2Je0e9cJ0jtwt0s8E6Rh3JWClzC10lss8/s1600/IMGP1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlQxSjf5J9ovJHU1wEYkXbE6qj9s9PQcYDMV7VeNAgTQJOezHNwN7OVJymEOkIONeu5Ev5EvBox3jG8D3fhJJpwGUDxGqdaOnGHxDa5LIFY2Je0e9cJ0jtwt0s8E6Rh3JWClzC10lss8/s320/IMGP1712.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">A marvel of modern science</span></td></tr>
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-91789045557310204672013-07-12T00:08:00.001-04:002013-07-12T00:09:37.010-04:00Hello Magnus, my old friend. (V4 repair and revival)I'll admit it. I let a bike I love sit for way too long. I never used to understand how someone could let a motorcycle sit and go to pasture before, but here I am with a bike that was in need of major repair. It was still drivable, but then the brakes started feeling very wooden, and to top it off the fork seal puked oil all over my rotors. So out of sheer frustration, I just let the bike sit for almost two years.<br />
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Now, it's not like I wasn't riding. I had a CB750 Nighthawk that I brought back from the grave, and I was working on my big CX500/650 Cafe/Adventure/Scrambler project. I finished the CX, sold the nighthawk, and finally, my eye fell to my 1984 Honda V65 Magna, sitting in the corner of the garage, dusty and lonely. Almost 80,000 miles on the clocks, but on her second motor. The original motor I broke second gear after 36,000 miles. Well, really more like 32,000, but I kept riding it another 4000 miles, skipping second gear. I put a nice 14,000 mile motor in her, and rode it until two years ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">Removed bodywork and exhaust. Carbs, radiator, and rear</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">wheel still have to come off before the motor can be removed</span></td></tr>
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At just a hair under 80k on the clocks, 2nd gear failed again. I was being careful and didn't abuse the bike at all. I suppose I should be happy, the motor lasted 58,000 miles before second gear started popping out. Well, now I've acquired yet another motor. I'm not sure if the transmission is even good in this thing, nor do i know the mileage. But the cams are perfect and the motor is very clean, so I'm hoping for a good transmission too.<br />
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I could repair the original motor. But, 2nd gear is no longer made by Honda. I'd have to buy a used transmission for $150-$200 off of eBay, and hope 2nd gear isn't trashed. Then I'd have to have the transmission undercut, for another $300. I paid $350 for this motor, and last weekend I dropped the old motor out and bolted the new one in.<br />
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It's never that easy with a bike that's been sitting though. The carbs were full of green goo, and I had to rebuild them. The Kerker exhaust system has a couple of dents from where I tried to ride over a curb, and they need to be pulled out to restore performance. (Or I need to buy a new exhaust system). The muffler I installed really killed my power and my gas mileage, so I need to replace that as well. I removed the heat shield between the radiator and the carbs, because I was sick of removing the radiator if I needed access to the carbs -- bad idea, as that caused a vapor lock condition on a hot day. So i had to buy a new shield off of eBay, paint it, and install it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">Big ole dent in the header for the #2 cylinder</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">This header has seen better days</span></td></tr>
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I've swapped over most of the chrome covers from the old engine to the new, and I need to swap over my Kevlar clutch, my good starter gear, and my oil pressure gauge. I replaced a spark plug wire that was pinched and damaged as well.<br />
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I have new brakes on the way -- new master cylinders and new pads. Lots of little modifications are on the way to make this even more of a cafe bike. So even though the new engine is in, the valves are adjusted, and the carbs and radiator are back on, there's still a very long way to go (and lots of parts to buy) before I can even start her up again. Still, that day will be here pretty soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_3icWfgal35xrejuKyduxyYYA-INREzMpsMaD5LyFomHmUHNpN0fLSzi414CZJ3AtBTyf-KLdLqJHg9lTaKUok8-doRPUgpR_frEDFdDLVlHgjHPwjiMMNP713ESt8BDMNHEKxdZOOo/s1600/IMGP9009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_3icWfgal35xrejuKyduxyYYA-INREzMpsMaD5LyFomHmUHNpN0fLSzi414CZJ3AtBTyf-KLdLqJHg9lTaKUok8-doRPUgpR_frEDFdDLVlHgjHPwjiMMNP713ESt8BDMNHEKxdZOOo/s400/IMGP9009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;">New motor installed, carbs, radiator, and wheel back on.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Need to swap clutch parts and then I can button up the motor</span></td></tr>
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-53508625230658832192013-06-10T02:34:00.002-04:002013-07-12T23:56:33.860-04:00Beginner Bikes - Teach a Friend to RideI have taught a couple of friends to ride over the years, and I've learned some things I'd like to share.<br />
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First off, there is no such thing as too small of a bike. 200-250cc is the PERFECT size for a beginner. So many people start with bikes that are just WAY too big. A Kawasaki 250 Ninja will cruise all day at 80mph -- two up. It has a top speed of 105 (115 in a full tuck with a tailwind and 3 more teeth on the rear sprocket). That's plenty powerful. It's also a very light, very low bike. It's the bike I recommend the most, it's been made for years and you can find a nice example for $1500. The ONLY disadvantage is that it has plastic that is easily damaged.<br />
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The bike I recommend the second most is the Yamaha TW200. First off, yes it's smaller. Yes, it's slower (with a solo top speed of 75mph, and even then only if you take 3 teeth off of the rear sprocket). But holy hell it's FUN. It's extremely low, and it has a 130 front tire and a 180 rear... and these are full-on knobbies!! It corners like a sportbike and will wheelie with some effort. In short: a total blast, even for a 235 lb fatass with several 100+ hp motorcycles and 17 years of riding experience under his belt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSL6fKeymlpTJK5AVLIOuoerV8-d9AL0cJ6ohwgWUHi3KuOWPfOa_VS-ot8AphHTMpPkMxw5xPyYuWsR3JFBiAdaGqMf6x6cuXsb0kIqD1L0I_zOiNw7eW9tiApVSf9Z2DnSMiY686CxQ/s1600/jess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSL6fKeymlpTJK5AVLIOuoerV8-d9AL0cJ6ohwgWUHi3KuOWPfOa_VS-ot8AphHTMpPkMxw5xPyYuWsR3JFBiAdaGqMf6x6cuXsb0kIqD1L0I_zOiNw7eW9tiApVSf9Z2DnSMiY686CxQ/s400/jess.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I taught this slight little French girl to ride on my badass TW200</td></tr>
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Whether you loan a bike to your friend, or he (or she) buys her own, the more beat up the bike is, the better. Chances are it's going to get dropped once or twice. Or wedged into trees at the edge of the parking lot. Or driven into a ditch full to the brim with sticky gooey mud. Or ridden into a telephone pole.<br />
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All of these things have happened to friends of mine. In addition, the very first time I tried to ride I was trying to take a right turn and ended up heading for the ditch on the far side of the road, and then just panicked and fell over. Here's all that I learned:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Convince your friend to take the MSF course. It's a hassle. It's expensive. You lose an entire weekend. But it's totally worth every minute.</li>
<li>Even after the MSF course, if they don't start riding right away, they will lose any skill they acquired VERY quickly.</li>
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However, if you're reading this you've already dismissed the MSF course, so let me get down to the meat of this post:<br />
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<li>The first thing to do, before your friend even looks at a motorcycle, is to talk about target fixation. You go where you look. If your friend looks at the muddy ditch or the telephone pole, he's going to hit it. It's important to drill into the student, if there's trouble, if there's panic, <b><span style="color: yellow;">LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO</span></b>. This is the MOST important lesson.</li>
<li>You should take time to teach the student where the controls are. Clutch, brake, throttle, etc. I'm not going to go into that. (It's very helpful if the student knows how to drive a stick, that makes things *so* much easier.) But the SECOND most important lesson is, if there's trouble, if there's panic, the first thing to do is look where you want to go.<i style="color: yellow;"> The second thing is to pull in the clutch and close the throttle. </i></li>
<li>The lesson should begin in a large parking lot, with the student slipping the clutch and walking the bike around. Feet on the ground, walking. If feet are dragging, he's going too fast. Slow it down and walk the bike while slipping the clutch</li>
<li>Continue with starting and stopping in a straight line. Don't have them do it once. Or even twice. The student needs to complete 30 or so drills. Start moving, clutch completely out, clutch in, brake to a stop. Do it over and over again. Feet should be ON THE PEGS the moment the bike starts moving.</li>
<li>When out of straightaway, have the student slip the clutch and WALK the bike around to point the other direction.</li>
<li>Once he has a handle on that, it's time for turns. The hardest thing for a beginner is starting off and turning at the same time. So, use chalk or cones to set up an intersection in your parking lot, and have the student start off with making 90-degree right-hand turns. Feet should be on the pegs the moment the bike starts moving -- dragging your feet actually makes it much more difficult to execute the turn. Do another 30 drills, until he has it right. Then do left turns. Don't forget, you go where you look!</li>
<li>Now he's ready to graduate to shifting. Have him go down the parking lot, upshifting until half way across, then downshifting the other half. Then turn around with feet on the pegs, and continue back the way he came. Again, at least 30 drills.</li>
<li>Now your student is getting cocky, so it's time to go back to basics. Find a hill, and have the student practice holding the bike in place using only the clutch. Have him walk it up the hill, and then slip the clutch and roll it down the hill backwards. Clutch control is essential, it's the place where the beginner makes the most mistakes at first, and drills like these really make a difference in building skill -- and confidence.</li>
<li>Now the student is ready to graduate to riding on the street. But limit it to lightly traveled surface roads at first, at slow speeds, with you FOLLOWING, not leading. This is so you can watch the student and make a judgement whether you should continue riding, or head back to the parking lot for more practice. It's also so the student doesn't feel like he or she has to keep up with you. You go at his pace.</li>
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There are probably a million more things to consider when teaching a friend to ride, but I've found these to be the most successful. I've learned these by teaching friends how to ride over the years -- some with success, some without. These experiences have also resulted in a few amusing asides:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkggYV7mxDCBgDvM7WAVEuOOJt4xAcFWzHduIoe7Hab0dDchoRxDMG3fMhRKp1AqtAcTxHTadjcuq9RQjpaMs_lyyr0TBK4a9cM6dwpZ0560llZYvpQNsmgBFHWibC2MlzmbROVmb5Lo/s1600/jasonchop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkggYV7mxDCBgDvM7WAVEuOOJt4xAcFWzHduIoe7Hab0dDchoRxDMG3fMhRKp1AqtAcTxHTadjcuq9RQjpaMs_lyyr0TBK4a9cM6dwpZ0560llZYvpQNsmgBFHWibC2MlzmbROVmb5Lo/s320/jasonchop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(This is the opposite of what your friend should learn on)</td></tr>
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<li>A cocky friend and 75hp (or more) motorcycles do not mix. Instead they make a skid mark down the driveway and across the street, and then a deep muddy rut across the neighbor's lawn, culminating with the bike climbing the front porch stairs and falling over. Also <i>screaming </i>-- lots of screaming and stained underwear from the both of you.</li>
<li>New riders do the damndest things. Like find the only telephone pole in the entire parking lot, and hit it. Or turning the throttle too hard, panicking, and ending up in the trees at the side of the parking lot, held up by branches with the bike 5 feet in front of him, also wedged into branches. </li>
<li>If your friend crashes but is okay, and she removes her helmet and glasses... take her glasses from her. She won't remember where she put them, and they will be stepped on after a frantic 45-minute search in tall grass.</li>
<li>Don't teach your friend to ride on a chopper with 7" over fork tubes and some serious rake. Sure, it's stable in a straight line. Sure, the floorboards keep it from falling over beyond about 30 degrees, so it won't be damaged. But he'll never learn to turn that thing. Ever.</li>
<li>Cute girls on Mad-Max looking ratbikes are all sorts of awesome.</li>
<li><span style="color: yellow;">ATGATT </span>- Wear <b><span style="color: yellow;">All The Gear, All The Time</span></b></li>
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Okay, that's it for today!<br />
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-15236775177790325552013-06-10T00:28:00.002-04:002013-06-10T01:34:54.141-04:00SV650 Sticking ClutchA few years back my buddy Randall had a problem with his SV650. The clutch wouldn't disengage. He'd pull in the lever and drop it into gear, and the bike would lurch forward. It acted like the clutch cable wasn't there at all. But then a few miles down the road it would work fine again. He brought it to me, and this is what I found:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx49eSJDdh4ub1-w5Apkq4G2klTR7Y3m26LhJsDubrzDk0NLuje8WXN4pTz2APlYKnMcjnvskIilvJJ3JmD_yAOn234Vo6XIN7n4EViN-h1l_r9T1JULGb3UQL2SS3deq9Vbb4Nx42PE/s1600/clutch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx49eSJDdh4ub1-w5Apkq4G2klTR7Y3m26LhJsDubrzDk0NLuje8WXN4pTz2APlYKnMcjnvskIilvJJ3JmD_yAOn234Vo6XIN7n4EViN-h1l_r9T1JULGb3UQL2SS3deq9Vbb4Nx42PE/s400/clutch1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the clutch basket. If you look closely, you can see there are nice shiny marks on the fingers of the basket. Running your fingers over these, the shiny areas are actually indentions, and the dull areas raised ridges. What has happened is that this is a high mileage (50k) bike, and over time gunning the throttle has caused the clutch plates to slam into the fingers, which has create these shiny indentions. They don't look it, but they're deep enough at this point to occasionally catch the clutch plates, and prevent them from moving away from each other. The plates are firmly stuck in the indention. </div>
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The correct thing to do is replace the clutch basket, and replace the clutch as well. However, the clutch in this bike was replaced less than 10k miles ago, and my buddy Randall was a grad student with no money. And since this is a blog that centers around budget motorcycle mods, here's the fix:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTdDjmjvBRj7P8VusoK8_8hH8QRiCo-Iam5PbxdIYbXr4y73osn44TiO2oKQNmfK6z42apt3LiOIrC2e6rZnIImSC0jbl26hr1tyog7WgYHh2OJvJkJb0I20R6-Gcp8o3xzuYoMsqNv8/s1600/clutch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTdDjmjvBRj7P8VusoK8_8hH8QRiCo-Iam5PbxdIYbXr4y73osn44TiO2oKQNmfK6z42apt3LiOIrC2e6rZnIImSC0jbl26hr1tyog7WgYHh2OJvJkJb0I20R6-Gcp8o3xzuYoMsqNv8/s400/clutch2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm painstakingly filing off material until the ridges are down to the same level as the indentions, and it's all completely smooth again. You can see I've completed one finger already, as the whole thing is nice and shiny. (leftmost finger) I did this filing for all the fingers, tossed it all back together, and was even able to reuse the clutch cover gasket. We even leaned the bike over in the grass so it wasn't even necessary to replace the oil.</div>
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Now, this fix is cheap, but there's a problem with it. It won't last forever. In fact, it won't last as long as the original clutch basket did. By filing the material down, there is even <b>MORE </b>slop in the clutch, which will cause the same problem to happen all over again -- and it will happen in fewer miles. So, it's a passable repair, that will probably get you another 20,000 miles. But it's not a permanent repair. Then again, nothing that has to do with your clutch is a *permanent* repair. They will all wear this way. </div>
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That being said, my V65 Magna has 40 more horsepower than the SV650, 80,000 miles, and the clutch basket looks new. Different designs and different forces at work (and the V65 has a huge spring on the driveshaft that absorbs a lot of the immediate slamming force when hammering the throttle and dumping the clutch)</div>
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Anyhow, this is your technical tutorial for the day.</div>
ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-50362738141293694302013-06-09T23:46:00.000-04:002013-06-09T23:50:04.291-04:00Right now I'm updating the CX500 Chopper Project, slowly reformatting the old posts (from http://cx500forum.com) to this new Blogger blog. New posts will come after the old stuff is back up!<br />
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In the meantime, this is my (rather festive) dog <b><i><span style="color: yellow;">Chopper</span></i></b>. Yes, I named my dog Chopper... actually long before I received the title ChopperCharles by the people on the <a href="http://cx500forum.com/" target="_blank">CX500 Forum</a>. He hopes you'll come back. (actually, he just wants the hat off his head, but we can pretend)<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/461222_10200135141129807_1532957240_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/461222_10200135141129807_1532957240_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-89638968663693881472013-06-09T01:36:00.002-04:002013-06-09T02:03:17.594-04:00If you're coming here from google or from an old link, the CX500 forum is at <a href="http://cx500forum.com/">http://cx500forum.com</a><br />
I'm splitting choppercharles.com off into a blog about my motorcycle builds. The cx500forum will always and forever remain at cx500forum.com. The only thing that changed is that choppercharles.com no longer redirects there.<br />
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Charles.ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-88215032797157925652006-06-27T00:09:00.000-04:002013-06-27T00:09:44.838-04:00After 4 years, it's finally DONE<hr width="70%" />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0GGlE7RbUVzUeQXocB4-gxNopqQmzNfL65LhsXvRL-MmLEn3NgH9CawCWBJuLnsswi2E-jOuh1ys9LHl-BVe2J_vOSbVWWMc1Gg38zJj7EQkEBQqvpWnsxSaa6hhT5maQYtmN6fsW4/s1600/dicks82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0GGlE7RbUVzUeQXocB4-gxNopqQmzNfL65LhsXvRL-MmLEn3NgH9CawCWBJuLnsswi2E-jOuh1ys9LHl-BVe2J_vOSbVWWMc1Gg38zJj7EQkEBQqvpWnsxSaa6hhT5maQYtmN6fsW4/s200/dicks82.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td> </td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmYOCrXxyWvpeQTh4zGazTAYTiD-GyKgdABTaHTY5kk4wlwp0fOsuu57xN4kz1IAWBChh7QFtvi4BqPufbnX-1rA3ioEYfGd3JACjNLxGvhoLRXJFY48e1X2pIwGoMpR9Yg2RZMjnZKs/s1600/finished_right2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmYOCrXxyWvpeQTh4zGazTAYTiD-GyKgdABTaHTY5kk4wlwp0fOsuu57xN4kz1IAWBChh7QFtvi4BqPufbnX-1rA3ioEYfGd3JACjNLxGvhoLRXJFY48e1X2pIwGoMpR9Yg2RZMjnZKs/s200/finished_right2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
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<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From these humble beginnings</td>
<td></td>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To the chopper of my dreams</td></tr>
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<hr width="70%" />
<br />
It's done. It's finally done. After four years of modding as the money became availible, I can finally look at my chopper and say it is finished. It feels like a very big part of my life has finally come to a close. The CX chopper is done, and there is nothing more to do except ride it. That is truly a great feeling!<br />
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As things turned out, this is not the bike I originally saw in my mind's eye. That image evolved and changed as I learned what works and what doesn't, and I am extremely happy with what I ultimately came up with. My blood, sweat, tears, and a whole lot of time and money have gone into making this result. The bike is complete. Every little detail is covered, and the whole bike fits together smoothly and it *LOOKS* finished.<br />
<br />
While I am thrilled that the chopper is done, I also feel somewhat empty. I'm no longer working on a big project, no longer building something. In that respect, the chopper is not as much fun as it used to be when I was still building it. Also.... I'm sad I painted the bike. Yeah, it looks great... but I find myself riding it LESS because it looks so pretty. I worry about the paint and where I park it now, where I had no such thoughts when it was still flat black. But then, it's also really nice to park this bike at the local watering hole, and watch the crowds completely ignore the $30,000 cookie-cutter bikes and flock around my strange machine.<br />
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Overall I'm thrilled with the bike I've created, and except for a really sore ass, I really enjoy riding the bike too. This brings to a close my CX500 Chopper Project. I hope you all enjoyed reading my progress.<br />
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<table align="center">
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<td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1QAxe4M_DZOykhOEgpqlDTMllf17wuLz7iO-parYepq1QtRdLemf_OWArionfx3WmYkNWvt5k447rQ4ng4fRGpC_Am3uoLtOO6JfBhyphenhyphenZwohpB-XmcEMkzjfJ42LTmGoVw-TUVZLDkCs/s1600/finished_left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1QAxe4M_DZOykhOEgpqlDTMllf17wuLz7iO-parYepq1QtRdLemf_OWArionfx3WmYkNWvt5k447rQ4ng4fRGpC_Am3uoLtOO6JfBhyphenhyphenZwohpB-XmcEMkzjfJ42LTmGoVw-TUVZLDkCs/s200/finished_left.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNnMAJwQFJcrn9SqmUcz5tcNRZOpyxlUSVj5rui3ERTkXSVVFXQ8MoecawPZ6X1vo_PVmGN46hbxMiQ6K6Z20xvL-kqvJ8Jd9-h6nsiwYrBc_3u7n_HUsZTKB0CtrMGI1Z1wLE2rnWQ4/s1600/muffler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNnMAJwQFJcrn9SqmUcz5tcNRZOpyxlUSVj5rui3ERTkXSVVFXQ8MoecawPZ6X1vo_PVmGN46hbxMiQ6K6Z20xvL-kqvJ8Jd9-h6nsiwYrBc_3u7n_HUsZTKB0CtrMGI1Z1wLE2rnWQ4/s200/muffler.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEB6-AD-OvZjw6HjZi81oQURS0cBf4eYb6KxtDmaYGST_PlaCIzQ9Z7V6ByiuXC6MXaF1AfQWmA2Te_uWakehybCKO9VO1E8BcYVrSj9vRMQhDxUVWNZEfv7XGkp44X362EcFcwat0JE/s1600/engine_right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEB6-AD-OvZjw6HjZi81oQURS0cBf4eYb6KxtDmaYGST_PlaCIzQ9Z7V6ByiuXC6MXaF1AfQWmA2Te_uWakehybCKO9VO1E8BcYVrSj9vRMQhDxUVWNZEfv7XGkp44X362EcFcwat0JE/s200/engine_right.jpg" width="150" /></a></td>
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<tr><td colspan="3"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FsCddzNWeUufoxPma0a_Nx24BAoRsgC-HEB_yXtu1wVT3p_YlLnQBdokCirCJj4KUl0mj2f3FaiECLhyphenhyphenRStltORu90iHSeiejKBRMhqs0xe4Q6_bqv19bh_Vllp4qbXuCe05BEPLWHs/s1600/right_rear2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FsCddzNWeUufoxPma0a_Nx24BAoRsgC-HEB_yXtu1wVT3p_YlLnQBdokCirCJj4KUl0mj2f3FaiECLhyphenhyphenRStltORu90iHSeiejKBRMhqs0xe4Q6_bqv19bh_Vllp4qbXuCe05BEPLWHs/s200/right_rear2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CKopAKus_oNPpTP-vpD5ZSN6k3zwP8Brh7LgwL0A6_7bZ4rUTRvYk-azyNEAuHQOiUClC1b4st1QL4_6se3YW-o4f3vEPfYKhlEeBr5cNkxUKVPldz5qA2kWbcLZww0ApUnd2RUxFwU/s1600/right_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CKopAKus_oNPpTP-vpD5ZSN6k3zwP8Brh7LgwL0A6_7bZ4rUTRvYk-azyNEAuHQOiUClC1b4st1QL4_6se3YW-o4f3vEPfYKhlEeBr5cNkxUKVPldz5qA2kWbcLZww0ApUnd2RUxFwU/s200/right_front.jpg" width="200" /></a></td>
<td valign="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO_rkKhg3864aJ37qOf1jIUkt_gRMdorGgiAUc6QeN3wCUJ4tBSED9fxtGJ41LrIbo_QtOyttAxL-GKQkKctNe2hWaAx8rOuT0lGqTq8-no1A-vuNMuGVnCihZWZq2f9zzxKRZ7V36NU/s1600/rear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoO_rkKhg3864aJ37qOf1jIUkt_gRMdorGgiAUc6QeN3wCUJ4tBSED9fxtGJ41LrIbo_QtOyttAxL-GKQkKctNe2hWaAx8rOuT0lGqTq8-no1A-vuNMuGVnCihZWZq2f9zzxKRZ7V36NU/s200/rear.jpg" width="150" /></a></td>
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</tbody></table>
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<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-44617265221266510392006-05-15T23:45:00.000-04:002013-06-26T23:50:59.611-04:00Finishing Touches<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZ7_vYK-FLVaLvlkSXkGOxk4AR9YOag5y0ageXvkgFZz2wdPgHXs8X4Ic0q_3wzHmv8t6cAgH85ZlZ3QkSryCvq6ykIZ4svvyDPaRPjxbEyNRSprGB-C3EZPBApd2lpwnkmUZSirQqkc/s1600/fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZ7_vYK-FLVaLvlkSXkGOxk4AR9YOag5y0ageXvkgFZz2wdPgHXs8X4Ic0q_3wzHmv8t6cAgH85ZlZ3QkSryCvq6ykIZ4svvyDPaRPjxbEyNRSprGB-C3EZPBApd2lpwnkmUZSirQqkc/s200/fan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CBR fan bolted into shroud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8CBtF0jeCA4ZrnUTFa1gY5NuDlwURlNRJ7Cbv89N50OfGaewGc9NzEI8An1gs0ZJSvkeRXV3ZSlo4BAuPulyxSMH5bZj_rJCEQdiXyE5YBi_TL9dFl1SbdJ498J_VrTaZGPgj-jYVEc/s1600/oil_fitting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8CBtF0jeCA4ZrnUTFa1gY5NuDlwURlNRJ7Cbv89N50OfGaewGc9NzEI8An1gs0ZJSvkeRXV3ZSlo4BAuPulyxSMH5bZj_rJCEQdiXyE5YBi_TL9dFl1SbdJ498J_VrTaZGPgj-jYVEc/s200/oil_fitting.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil pressure adapter and detail on fan attachment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5E-51FiH2njA40i3HtStpG9dWfa-dKrGPmRCgbTbM10k_9lhLng_ueL8LC0S8P-XJ1BZNHkyxpevd3M1RYGHMvdbSGN1kNgEL2eonzLf1MmJtMztcwGGLh-j6ogO8wtd0FwAk4WT4NDI/s1600/fan_switch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5E-51FiH2njA40i3HtStpG9dWfa-dKrGPmRCgbTbM10k_9lhLng_ueL8LC0S8P-XJ1BZNHkyxpevd3M1RYGHMvdbSGN1kNgEL2eonzLf1MmJtMztcwGGLh-j6ogO8wtd0FwAk4WT4NDI/s200/fan_switch.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On/off switch for electric fan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZdKtDnSinUaHqkGYDCiHEIZORkCLd3I462E5xfRHRS40rFoxMAcd1ElWzWd44YhdZ3aLYKddfsFusK52JdLpCg5eo0o6Ebtb8_4hpvBjQoCuR4ElA_wgtqYJehYonVGCgnn_cAGo1Z8/s1600/oil_gauge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZdKtDnSinUaHqkGYDCiHEIZORkCLd3I462E5xfRHRS40rFoxMAcd1ElWzWd44YhdZ3aLYKddfsFusK52JdLpCg5eo0o6Ebtb8_4hpvBjQoCuR4ElA_wgtqYJehYonVGCgnn_cAGo1Z8/s200/oil_gauge.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil pressure gauge easily visible</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2h2ys4IeXc_3LqUv4ZkcD8jIkWMbKE3Wb85e3U7JlMKy-392EOXnZlmGXD5klB736QPuOLtUOpUNUEC7zkbp8Ee5-xawyCfz_3w-1jryM5dtG1khAdRcKaC7jn7IMhJSflYz9dW7-f4/s1600/seat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2h2ys4IeXc_3LqUv4ZkcD8jIkWMbKE3Wb85e3U7JlMKy-392EOXnZlmGXD5klB736QPuOLtUOpUNUEC7zkbp8Ee5-xawyCfz_3w-1jryM5dtG1khAdRcKaC7jn7IMhJSflYz9dW7-f4/s200/seat1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modified sportster seat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGCzhtTr-m9Ap-9A1q0yLjqMuc6j7z6eLKC05zScYfVviME_hF7PUUuXFAmO3OCG9bR_YCNEDvENCV5YHrUYTfWKaQs2OmX0zSRlGc2yQqG8SHpYVC3opLoTDQbyh1U2Wiu1ZHiH_xGE/s1600/seat_bottom-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGCzhtTr-m9Ap-9A1q0yLjqMuc6j7z6eLKC05zScYfVviME_hF7PUUuXFAmO3OCG9bR_YCNEDvENCV5YHrUYTfWKaQs2OmX0zSRlGc2yQqG8SHpYVC3opLoTDQbyh1U2Wiu1ZHiH_xGE/s200/seat_bottom-detail.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Details of modified sportster seat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtiDHNXND6qNRZe5ClxdG41anSxcaZCt8k1sp9fOV2uA9lPMMXm8OcptjpvC5NB7C_hE56RCv3IPsFPgtyP6eeYNQxdpucjYFGbMknWlMCUXVOi1yJouPv-ihJY2LfvaJ6Al5CkBdXUY/s1600/under_seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtiDHNXND6qNRZe5ClxdG41anSxcaZCt8k1sp9fOV2uA9lPMMXm8OcptjpvC5NB7C_hE56RCv3IPsFPgtyP6eeYNQxdpucjYFGbMknWlMCUXVOi1yJouPv-ihJY2LfvaJ6Al5CkBdXUY/s200/under_seat.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leather to guard frame from scratching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOrXPOiAOzJVXWWfCozw2_EA7epM_oi_Sn7rRKbKwmSztoWwOJ75-l_dwt0UAKBQ0S6h-tkdrLjac43dYhu17MVqdfqxKAjkvVapBcM0yUZufyrYj516lrUpm2Kd1mD2ZA1cj_9QViVg/s1600/signal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOrXPOiAOzJVXWWfCozw2_EA7epM_oi_Sn7rRKbKwmSztoWwOJ75-l_dwt0UAKBQ0S6h-tkdrLjac43dYhu17MVqdfqxKAjkvVapBcM0yUZufyrYj516lrUpm2Kd1mD2ZA1cj_9QViVg/s200/signal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy, sexy signals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03Msmx-ATdgEB-SJ63FOj0RK6ZvkFiBrC5utSHIDl4usIgCM9Lw_bDCIY2NBky-4imwn6cvnYRpRTyvduWN9koHGxQ35L_KJTXJNyLd7CE4iP5wQxLwtQB7A9JMLG8ZSIOTAj6xiMHgE/s1600/bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03Msmx-ATdgEB-SJ63FOj0RK6ZvkFiBrC5utSHIDl4usIgCM9Lw_bDCIY2NBky-4imwn6cvnYRpRTyvduWN9koHGxQ35L_KJTXJNyLd7CE4iP5wQxLwtQB7A9JMLG8ZSIOTAj6xiMHgE/s200/bag.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slick tool bag mounting location</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br /></td><td valign="top">The bike is nearing completion now. These are the last few finishing touches that I haven't made note of yet. First of all, there's the electric radiator fan, originally for a CBR600RR. I used the stock CX500 radiator instead of the CX650 radiator, because the 650's radiator did not fit nicely on the 500's engine hanger bracket. I'd have had to use a bunch of washers under the upper mounting fingers. I'd also have had to cut out a center support brace from the 500's engine hanger, so I didn't really want to do that. With the raked out front end, I figure I need all the structural support I can get. So I welded some tabs onto a stock CX500 fan shroud, and bolted the CBR600RR fan assembly to them. I wired the fan to a small toggle switch, which I mounted to a piece of aluminum and bolted to one of the bolts that holds the upper coolant pipe onto the heads.<br />
<br />
I also found an oil pressure gauge on eBay for a Kawasaki Vulcan or something. It cost me only $30, and I was able to use all of the fittings that came with the gauge right on my CX500. I had to make some cuts in the lower right radiator mounting bracket, just to make room for the oil line, but otherwise it was a bolt-on mod. The mounting bracket is angled a little odd, but I can see the gauge just fine if I lean over a little while riding or at a light. The gauge works great.<br />
<br />
One last finishing touch that came as a great relief was building a new seat. The original seat I made was less than an inch thick, and used ancient foam from an old CX500 seat. It was total MURDER on my ass. So I bought a Sportster seat off of eBay, and heavily modified it to fit. First I removed the staples that held the rear part of the cover to the pan, and peeled the cover back. I didn't remove it completely, but just removed about half the cover. Then I took my angle grinder and a cutting wheel, and cut the pan in half front to back. I pulled the back part off and threw it away. Then I test-fitted the seat, and used an electric carving knife to carefully cut away foam on the bottom of the seat, until it fit flush on my rear fender. Then I cut away just a little more foam.<br />
<br />
After that, I covered the cover with plastic wrap so as not to get any resin on it, and bought a Bondo-brand Fiberglass Repair kit. The kit comes with resin and hardener, as well as woven fiberglass fabric. I bought extra fabric, and cut about 10 or so pieces into the rough shape of the new seat pan I wanted to make. Then I mixed up the resin and hardener, ran each piece of fabric through the mixture, and then applied it to the bottom of the seat layer-by-layer to build up a new pan. It worked great! After allowing it to dry for a day, I used my angle grinder (and cutting wheel) to shape the outer edge of the pan, so it was flush with the foam. Then I stretched the cover back over the seat, drilled holes in the new pan, and riveted it in place. The seat still looks stock!<br />
<br />
After building the pan and reattaching the cover, I needed a way to solidly mount the seat to the bike. I took a thick steel plate, and welded two bolts into it so that they located into the two holes that are in the frame bracket that runs under the seat. I then riveted this plate onto the bottom of the seat. Because the studs are threaded, and the bracket under the seat just a thin piece of steel, friction keeps the seat from coming off. I also added a pair of conchos I had lying around, and some lace to hold them on. The right one covers a small blemish on the seat cover, and the left is there to match it.<br />
<br />
One last mod was adding mini bullet turn signals to the bottom of the forward control bar that I built a few months ago. I just drilled holes in the bracket, fed the wires through, and bolted the signals on. I ran the wires under the engine along the back side of the bar, and then up between the clutch and the oil filter, around the fan, and finally to the wiring jumble under the gas tank. They look pretty sweet mounted low like that.<br />
<br />
Finally, I polished up more engine parts. Clutch cover, both valve covers, the inspection port covers, the oil filter cover ribs, the coolant elbows, and more. I wore out a bunch of polishing wheels and covered the inside of my garage with waxy polishing compound residue. But it was worth it for the shine.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="4"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Breakdown:</span></b></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Turn signals</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$24</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Tool Bag</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$Free </span></td>
<td>(I've had it a long time)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>CBR600RR electric fan </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$20</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Sportster seat</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$45</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Switch</td><td><span style="color: red;">$4</span></td>
<td>Radio Shack</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Oil Pressure Gauge</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$30</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: black;">Total</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: red;"> $123</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$2094</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-23796544250911382512006-02-15T23:24:00.000-05:002013-06-26T23:25:23.586-04:00Modified a Mac to fit the 650<table><tbody>
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</td><td valign="top">The bike is approaching finished now. The biggest mod this time is that I got rid of the 2-into-2 exhaust that I built previously. It was too loud, and since I decided to get rid of the sissy bar there was no good place to attach a bracket to keep it from moving around everywhere. So I shelved that exhaust, and decided to use the MAC exhaust that I had from a parts bike I acquired some time back.<br />
<br />
First off, the Mac exhaust for a CX500 will NOT fit on a CX650 without major modifications. The heads are about 1/2" taller, AND 1/2" wider. Add to that an extra 2" of oil pan sticking out the bottom of the engine, and there is no way the exhaust will fit. Fortunately, I have a wire-feed welder.<br />
<br />
First thing I did was cut the muffler off of the MAC. The MAC exhaust system comes with the muffler welded in place, and it's a big megaphone that just screams "1970's Honda". Out comes the angle grinder with the cutoff wheel, and the muffler goes in the trash can. Next step was extending the exhaust headers. I cut the headers off about halfway down their length. I bought two exhaust pipe couplers from Advance Auto that fit over the cut-off Mac pipes snugly. Then I took my spare CX650 engine and flipped it upside down on the garage floor. (Note: Make SURE all the oil is drained before trying this!!!) I mounted the exhaust system with the couplers and once it was all in place and looked good, I tack welded the pipes in place. Then I took the headers off the spare engine, put it back upright, and got a bunch of paper towels to clean all the oil off my garage floor.<br />
<br />
After I cleaned the oil, I went back and welded the pipes together properly. Then I test-fitted them to the chopper. Well, the bottom bracket didn't line up correctly, so I cut it off and welded it back on in a new location, so it now bolts to the bottom of the engine. Then I tried test-fitting the JC Whitney muffler I was planning on using. It fit perfectly, without any spacers or anything.... but the angle of the Mac pipe was such that the muffler hit the axle and swingarm. So I took the mac off again, and cut through half of the big 2" diameter pipe, right under the engine. I cut a slot about 1/8 to 1/4" wide through half the pipe. Then I bent the pipe to the right, which closed that newly cut slot. Then I welded it back together.<br />
<br />
After I was done I wrapped the headers in header tape from JC Whitney, and attached it with stainless steel hose clamps. Then I painted the wrap with high-temp exhaust paint. Then I finally mounted it correctly to the bike, with the crush rings and everything. The muffler bolted right onto the pipe, but there was no support for it bouncing up and down. I welded a stud to the back of the pipe, and used a simple chrome bracket to hold the muffler in place. It looks great.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now that the new exhaust was on, it was time to correct the jetting. The bike had always run a little lean, so when I installed the 650 engine I also installed #130 main jets. That really helped wide-open power, but it was still hesitant and didn't run well between idle and 4000rpm or so. I rode the bike with my new Mac exhaust like this for a while. I experimented with .020" shims under the needles, and that helped move the hesitation lower in the rpm range. Screwing the pilot jets out as far as they'd go also helped matters. This told me right away that I was running too lean just off-idle. So I repalced the stock #78 slow jet with a #85 slow jet. Instantly the bike ran PERFECT. It's been running that way ever since, though it may be a little rich in the midrange. Going to remove the shims and see if that makes a difference.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4" style="width: 50%;">
<tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Breakdown:</span></b></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>MAC Exhaust</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$Free</span> (got it off a parts bike, been saving it for a while)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>JCW Muffler</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$35</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Misc jets </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Clamps</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Crush rings</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$20</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Exhaust couplers </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: black;">Total</span></b> </td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: red;"> $113</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$1971</span></b></span>
<br />
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-54567376308424883732006-02-15T21:06:00.000-05:002013-06-26T23:33:35.091-04:00Built Forward Controls!<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOznQVUBwak_3sUosngav-284lI8u0qK2hY-1BwfmEO4grBMQO9fAMHkkSdqNegDQiKKUN8hCQLcC1VOwVgSFOLOjz9e_4pPXzvZVM8ND5Dikk1TdyNh1S4zjsJLDRwFDujrFkGT7vGMA/s1600/Shifter_drawing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOznQVUBwak_3sUosngav-284lI8u0qK2hY-1BwfmEO4grBMQO9fAMHkkSdqNegDQiKKUN8hCQLcC1VOwVgSFOLOjz9e_4pPXzvZVM8ND5Dikk1TdyNh1S4zjsJLDRwFDujrFkGT7vGMA/s200/Shifter_drawing.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the design I envisioned</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ONMSaG0jFCtGkpTTwZjhwEcljiS1WLrtjyZsNbSme7I1dLBIivlac7N8TpddwR6zplzsAig6evjveGFiqVCKL0Cb3FKVj6AGwbAsOpB9huvjvfFTbOvWcjOlCVc22nSitqkoXf705RY/s1600/shifter3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ONMSaG0jFCtGkpTTwZjhwEcljiS1WLrtjyZsNbSme7I1dLBIivlac7N8TpddwR6zplzsAig6evjveGFiqVCKL0Cb3FKVj6AGwbAsOpB9huvjvfFTbOvWcjOlCVc22nSitqkoXf705RY/s200/shifter3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product was more elegant than the crude square brackets in my drawing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N2bawwiioZsggojP5PnOpF8u5ADvKXCF6cQfNsJWlAFwPHTRw9Z3MGHBb6lmY9XVl7mUxuTTEhH-q4W9uV53VyZATC-sHG6EBLU14jszNhyphenhyphenxo-URpJmnw4dsVdC7O4v2zBAU-SlxK8c/s1600/shifter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N2bawwiioZsggojP5PnOpF8u5ADvKXCF6cQfNsJWlAFwPHTRw9Z3MGHBb6lmY9XVl7mUxuTTEhH-q4W9uV53VyZATC-sHG6EBLU14jszNhyphenhyphenxo-URpJmnw4dsVdC7O4v2zBAU-SlxK8c/s200/shifter2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This linkage worked remarkably well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6U-LYL9TAfxhVyw3t9YgzeQOLbab5a0IZ5OCkyoWATwX-MxEbbF9x5JR9b8trLn3tIboDBmnzp4Q94z9Uv2BWRSZKE58RzP3DYiK8SghGI2IFuzMot9JUMDUL4Uq8ekKNyNKkHAEuCw/s1600/linkage_close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6U-LYL9TAfxhVyw3t9YgzeQOLbab5a0IZ5OCkyoWATwX-MxEbbF9x5JR9b8trLn3tIboDBmnzp4Q94z9Uv2BWRSZKE58RzP3DYiK8SghGI2IFuzMot9JUMDUL4Uq8ekKNyNKkHAEuCw/s200/linkage_close.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not enough room to use Harley ends here, so I welded OEM ends together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguouPvM9ieEz89LC_7yWHT8WOLLVC48DFEAUe9lsqQAv4Gu1x6Rec1XGWyStotaXHJJCEgO8X3CPha1CFND3Nh3DIv5W13cVwxyMO74CZujIthHH9A6HQQ7oE9MtZ0wT0khagqNhNvXJs/s1600/brake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguouPvM9ieEz89LC_7yWHT8WOLLVC48DFEAUe9lsqQAv4Gu1x6Rec1XGWyStotaXHJJCEgO8X3CPha1CFND3Nh3DIv5W13cVwxyMO74CZujIthHH9A6HQQ7oE9MtZ0wT0khagqNhNvXJs/s200/brake.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brake side flexed a little. I should have used a beefier rod</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIn1mNiZ9oHcAXsiLTZhEb9lsSZv5hHJmAKi2XFhkVHN7Aba_aXiz460bMDfxRC70RPQJZ9UVXzxQgzyWqE7zW9yFzXd2952WAppayThqPBMJANY8KXaGfRnFiYTvdD8MQ7-k6uzkn7I/s1600/shifter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIn1mNiZ9oHcAXsiLTZhEb9lsSZv5hHJmAKi2XFhkVHN7Aba_aXiz460bMDfxRC70RPQJZ9UVXzxQgzyWqE7zW9yFzXd2952WAppayThqPBMJANY8KXaGfRnFiYTvdD8MQ7-k6uzkn7I/s200/shifter1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shifter linkage was a straight shot of solid rod, so it didn't flex at all</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMnsk85tu2XLkMGk1PVegnSWTAGrvSHXG3-Cps9bFIt3U9CD9QRI1ZmNoFRrFqqbCrlztDEmDodaGrycjswL5mr2yoAViP0IEqxwb6h_w1FBtoxcokV18j_Jk8FlkBYP4yT1TNy7NcxI/s1600/brake_close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMnsk85tu2XLkMGk1PVegnSWTAGrvSHXG3-Cps9bFIt3U9CD9QRI1ZmNoFRrFqqbCrlztDEmDodaGrycjswL5mr2yoAViP0IEqxwb6h_w1FBtoxcokV18j_Jk8FlkBYP4yT1TNy7NcxI/s200/brake_close.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brake arm connected to a chopped up OEM brake pedal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</td><td valign="top">Here's the one you've all been waiting for. Foward controls on a CX500. The CX500 is difficult to add forward controls to, because the shifter is rotated 90 degrees from what most other motorcycles. Where a normal bike's shifter rotates forward and backwards (with respect to the bike), a CX500's rotates left and right. For most bikes, attaching forward controls is a simple matter of extending the shifter arm and moving the footpegs forward. Not so with the CX500. Some way to change the direction of shifter movement is required. What's more, the CX500 has no frame downtubes to which one may bolt or weld mounts for footpegs or controls. The engine is a stressed member, and there are no supporting tubes anywhere around it.<br />
<br />
My solution is simple. But the making of it was not. I went through many different designs for these forward controls. I started off with trying to use Ace 750 footpegs and levers, but could not come up with an adequate way of mounting them. I tried Yamaha pegs and finally decided my best bet was finding a set of foopegs from a sportbike, where the lever rotates on the footpeg mount. I found some controls from a mid-80's Kawasaki ZX600 on eBay that suited my needs.<br />
<br />
I took a 1/8" wall 1" square tubing piece from Home Despot, and welded brackets made out of 1/4" thick 1" wide plate to the bar. The bar mounts to the underside of the engine, on the two unused nubs. I welded bolts to some square blockoff plates, and welded these plates to the end of the bar. Then I used drilled-out pivots from a ZX600 Ninja and welded them over the bolts. The levers pivot on these perfectly, and then a washer and a footpeg keeps the levers in place.<br />
<br />
The shifter lever had the tab for mounting a linkage on the top, and I needed it to be on the bottom. I cut it off with my angle grinder and re-welded it on on the bottom. I used some silver paint to protect the cuts, and this blends in with the chrome so as to be almost unnoticable unless you look closely. The brake pedal is made out of aluminum, so I could not cut and weld it in the same manner. But fortunately it already had the tab in the proper place.<br />
<br />
Setting up the brake-side controls was easy. I took a stock CX500 brake pedal and cut the pedal arm completely off. Basically I left only the spring mount, stop, and the part with the splines that bolts to the shaft. I then welded on a 2" long piece of 1/4" thick steel so that it hangs straight down, and then drilled a hole in the end. Then it was just a matter of connecting the pedal at the front of the bike with this new lever where the stock pedal used to be. For that I used a pair of early 80's Harley Sportster shift rod ends, a piece of hollow steel tubing from Home Despot, and some bolts from the hardware store. First I bent the bar into shape so that the bar clears the exhaust system and reduces the angle that the harley rod ends are forced into. Then I cut the bolt heads off the bolts from the hardware store, and welded them to each end of the bar. The Harley rod ends threaded right onto the bar, and bolted to the pedal and to the new brake arm I made. I painted everything black, and that was it.<br />
<br />
The other side was much more difficult. I knew I wanted to change the forward/backward movement of the new shift lever to an up/down movement. My plan from the start was to make a pivoting "L" attached to the lower motor mount. I just happened to have an EX500 Ninja parts bike lying around, and noticed that the shifter arm was shaped almost perfectly, and had a nice bushed pivot. So I cut the shifter peg off the shifter, and drilled a hole in the end where the peg used to be. I welded the EX500's pivot bolt to my lower motor mount bolt, and bolted the EX500 lever on. I had to extend the EX500 shifter down about 3" with another 1/4" thick pice of steel. To make the linkage between the EX500 lever and the CX500 shifter, I welded together a bunch of EX500 ninja linkage parts. Then I made another rod using Harley ends, and bolted it all together. I gave everything a coat of wrinkle-black paint and that was it. You can see the results in the pictures on the left.<br />
<br />
This all sounds easy, but in reality it took me several months to come up with a working design. I went through many different linkage ideas before coming upon one that actually worked, and I wasted a ton of steel and just about every weekend for a few months trying to come up with a workable system. All in all, I'd have probably been better off buying the $550 set of forward controls from Germany. But I have no complaints, these controls work flawlessly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Breakdown:</span></b></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Square Steel Tubing </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>1/4" thick steel plate </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>ZX600 Controls </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$30</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Hollow Tubing </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Solid rod</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Harley Linkage Ends </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$25</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Can of wrinkle-black paint</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$7</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Misc hardware (nuts, bolts, etc) </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: black;">Total </span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><span style="color: red;"> $107</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$1965</span></span></b>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-55107652315979226082005-11-15T15:00:00.000-05:002013-06-19T01:55:13.076-04:00 Created custom 2-into-2 exhaust<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7ZkFGXF09lx432g_aPCrpg225ruxItCl4ZoSthw2HJn8jHgDBE5122TvUz3-H77QRmT4MZ1pijj7ErBOGJE7W1_B8oZuhbQ6Osun02Kbb6mnr2l3NdcVJo3UhMgY7o6CLcMrH33-JDM/s1600/emgo_muffler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7ZkFGXF09lx432g_aPCrpg225ruxItCl4ZoSthw2HJn8jHgDBE5122TvUz3-H77QRmT4MZ1pijj7ErBOGJE7W1_B8oZuhbQ6Osun02Kbb6mnr2l3NdcVJo3UhMgY7o6CLcMrH33-JDM/s200/emgo_muffler.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCoZ_eN4zGiY06uqszCvUEQ2CzENU8KnfVHGHQ7DR4K0YJC-7yHUo5WoyMoH9edEPNTC-sYG2WtMinwDZVSccOEo0l3NvEWJGNT_BzWcTmrGG9BFRPK6JWddhlOdGp1EDrK2tFd5GzQU/s1600/orig_pipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCoZ_eN4zGiY06uqszCvUEQ2CzENU8KnfVHGHQ7DR4K0YJC-7yHUo5WoyMoH9edEPNTC-sYG2WtMinwDZVSccOEo0l3NvEWJGNT_BzWcTmrGG9BFRPK6JWddhlOdGp1EDrK2tFd5GzQU/s200/orig_pipes.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzHzNQUSOI5pM6YToUjKHkcG60t9cyaiLgWql0mVjMSD5ywL1RYY24Sbb9Urf5509tUTEiQE1kmW2KHvHr-MWb8KgOuFtTQdrq0ldXaRsxPZMLToxvY9BouWDdn4UOqF-B1P4CwX4xRQ/s1600/welding2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzHzNQUSOI5pM6YToUjKHkcG60t9cyaiLgWql0mVjMSD5ywL1RYY24Sbb9Urf5509tUTEiQE1kmW2KHvHr-MWb8KgOuFtTQdrq0ldXaRsxPZMLToxvY9BouWDdn4UOqF-B1P4CwX4xRQ/s200/welding2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<table><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9Sb4qCA1TJnzWi1AjemFFYgELeFvdKBwLTFaqN33St7tDhtrGTOi6_mD9JiCUuNCBSF3S2HwFFC3UQHAawUQ-SDAcYrCDTl7ZeieKsq74IycyA04nWUcsM_3PtTYAma7yk5zbvvZ5h8/s1600/bike_headers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9Sb4qCA1TJnzWi1AjemFFYgELeFvdKBwLTFaqN33St7tDhtrGTOi6_mD9JiCUuNCBSF3S2HwFFC3UQHAawUQ-SDAcYrCDTl7ZeieKsq74IycyA04nWUcsM_3PtTYAma7yk5zbvvZ5h8/s200/bike_headers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuZpzYH1o79WwBPHm5I9S41dWDkA8B5yEKxJq1kXTQJBMKNArVHz-m6nFzrwou1mLrUR-BLmPJCKVClfyE_8wdgGbjF195TlX7EQI2qvZYzKERCFuhuWnLDA1eWUd1pxFV0B_NQn_7l0/s1600/headers_close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuZpzYH1o79WwBPHm5I9S41dWDkA8B5yEKxJq1kXTQJBMKNArVHz-m6nFzrwou1mLrUR-BLmPJCKVClfyE_8wdgGbjF195TlX7EQI2qvZYzKERCFuhuWnLDA1eWUd1pxFV0B_NQn_7l0/s200/headers_close.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dkEpzWHQUxYrOxrt4y5a7DXcttLHlBQ2_HvsBA3LZPJ-F4WQFa82ZrrCACf5HJKkD9q1SwV16NlaM4oJESLEM4t3C1ODp2zP6VdSIukJjHJNV7C3Tf8UkqPvL97kGAoOpxU921BHbdw/s1600/pipes_left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dkEpzWHQUxYrOxrt4y5a7DXcttLHlBQ2_HvsBA3LZPJ-F4WQFa82ZrrCACf5HJKkD9q1SwV16NlaM4oJESLEM4t3C1ODp2zP6VdSIukJjHJNV7C3Tf8UkqPvL97kGAoOpxU921BHbdw/s200/pipes_left.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_AvqTc9waGl9XlHFe6egUksy7dG92Ukon8DkRjExgYd3s3rDJ5lK0f66OM9g-P_sIlZfmseiIr6GmMfuwIeeogDpBcM6O9-SbtPuPM3ApRXpv38X6Ng47kXM6jZOZ7P8LR5D3dNzL_Y/s1600/bike_pipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_AvqTc9waGl9XlHFe6egUksy7dG92Ukon8DkRjExgYd3s3rDJ5lK0f66OM9g-P_sIlZfmseiIr6GmMfuwIeeogDpBcM6O9-SbtPuPM3ApRXpv38X6Ng47kXM6jZOZ7P8LR5D3dNzL_Y/s200/bike_pipes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOs-ezb4YVaIP3gMEqDCUWZWKji78lNgjZcJnDXt2sa-BsYUCeZdMd94u65Rj6ydRFHGq54bzQEuTFvmlWqy_0O4eT2q8b8bbIqJXNn43MPWCfnsFgG9-HkTzWChZbe6DSLK4GpNZAmI/s1600/seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOs-ezb4YVaIP3gMEqDCUWZWKji78lNgjZcJnDXt2sa-BsYUCeZdMd94u65Rj6ydRFHGq54bzQEuTFvmlWqy_0O4eT2q8b8bbIqJXNn43MPWCfnsFgG9-HkTzWChZbe6DSLK4GpNZAmI/s200/seat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO2MXPkSzIik8yCII94I3cfs-jcYpu7I2lnicDJaq5-OSeOW0httGpbNasREd1CfmWCPd2oNxN46EWKjILFL74YpXN3Tk5t2kqoSRU7q76CQo41Wo1rkeDtT5doAZIygBfd7kgb073rA/s1600/pipes_seat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO2MXPkSzIik8yCII94I3cfs-jcYpu7I2lnicDJaq5-OSeOW0httGpbNasREd1CfmWCPd2oNxN46EWKjILFL74YpXN3Tk5t2kqoSRU7q76CQo41Wo1rkeDtT5doAZIygBfd7kgb073rA/s200/pipes_seat2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</td><td valign="top">I built gaskets out of muffler repair tape and used clamps from JC Whitney, but I really must come up with a better hanger bracket. The pipes vibrate and bounce all over the place when the bike is running and riding down the road. Plus the cheap baffles I got from JC Whitney are completely worthless. They do nothing at all to reduce the sound. Also need to get some heat shields to cover the welded areas. (No way I'm getting the pipes re-chromed)<br />
<br />
After building the exhaust I welded together a seat pan out of sheetmetal. This took a while, because my welder was way too powerful and kept burning through. So I had to make a bunch of small tack welds. Eventually it went all together. Then I took an old CX500 seat that was falling apart, and an electric carving knife, and carved myself a seat out of the foam. I bought some leather on eBay a long time back for another project, and I had enough left to make a cover, which I riveted and glued on. The seat is extremely uncomfortable... but it works for now.<br />
<br />
<table style="width: 80%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="3"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Breakdown</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Triumph Pipes: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$40</span> (approx, it's been a long time)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>EMGO fishtails: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$70</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Muffler repair tape: <span style="color: red;"></span></td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Baffles: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Reducers: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$18</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Steel for seat pan: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Leather for seat cover: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$Free </span>(leftover from a previous project)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Rivets: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="3"><b><span style="color: black;">Total:</span> <span style="color: red;">$173</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$1858</span></span></b><br />
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-56739931185541825032005-11-05T17:27:00.000-05:002013-06-19T01:57:23.773-04:00Painted bodywork and frame<table><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFDQINOnmvG_tCKY6pq824iHHk4B0QntO0b-U58d-aw4s2U9uUA8tUw3Vae8dYrzCmrEtbpmYfVSVcvWR8zCgOL-_4rYnG6NpFvs2R0NDIUCu-3T_OoMy0eTGA_7a4ngm58ZU07gx2H4/s1600/cx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFDQINOnmvG_tCKY6pq824iHHk4B0QntO0b-U58d-aw4s2U9uUA8tUw3Vae8dYrzCmrEtbpmYfVSVcvWR8zCgOL-_4rYnG6NpFvs2R0NDIUCu-3T_OoMy0eTGA_7a4ngm58ZU07gx2H4/s320/cx1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</td><td valign="top">It's been nearly a year since the last updates. I've been really happy with the 650 engine in the chopper, and I've been riding the bike constantly over the summer. I love having a ratbike that I don't really care how it looks at all. However, a friend of mine recently got a job managing a VW restoration company, and offered to paint my ratbike bodywork for not very much money. So I diassembled the bike and handed her all my bodywork. Due to the parts being low-priority, and then a falling out at her workplace ending with her fired, and it took me forever to get my painted bodywork back. For a while there I was thinking I'd have to go on eBay and buy all new bodywork.<br />
<br />
But finally I retrieved my parts. They weren't perfect... but they were a damn sight better than flat black and brush paint. There was still some orange peel and a run or two, but mostly in hidden areas.... and I paid so little for the parts, and was so happy just to get them back that I didn't care. I test-fit the parts on the bike and was awed... except for that crappy looking frame. It was time for some more modding.<br />
<br />
I dropped the engine, and then stripped all the ancilarry parts off the frame, and then attacked it with a vibrating sander and a green srcubby wheel mounted in my drill. I got all the loose flaky paint and all the rust off, and scuffed up all the paint. I used my grinder to grind off the original gas tank mounting bungs, then welded up the welds I broke through with my wire feed (gasless) welder. Then ground that down again, and finally put bondo over the grinding marks and smoothed it all out. Since I had a ton of bondo left, I also went and added nice bondo fillets wherever the tubular frame met a stamped area. There were big gaps between these areas by design, but I figured the frame would look much better if all of that was smoothed out. I hoped it would make the frame flow together better. (In fact it did, and it looks largely factory).<br />
<br />
I ground down a couple of welds on the top where the seat will sit, because those were some really ugly areas that needed a lot of work. There's no longer a stock seat to hide that section of the frame, and any aftermarket seat I use will expose at least part of the frame rails. The area isn't structural, so I just ground it down, bondo-ed, and sanded. I also ground off the stock tank mounting bungs and smoothed out the neck area. Then I welded on extensions to the steering stop so my handlebars wouldn't hit my freshly painted tank. Finally I painted the frame and rear wheel with Rustoleam black paint. I just brushed it on, and in a few hours it self-leveled so that no brush strokes were visable.<br />
<br />
After the paint dried for a few days, I put the airbox and wiring harness back into place, re-wrapped the loose wires, installed a new coolant overflow bottle, installed the final drive, and put nice chrome acorn nuts everywhere I could. Then I mounted my engine hanger to my spare engine, and broke out the angle grinder. I used a cutting wheel to completely remove the top two mounting lugs. Then I installed the studs in the heads and slid the lugs over them. The lugs *just* touched the bracket, and I used my wire-feed flux welder to tack them into place. Unfortunately this welder is very light-duty, and I'm not too terribly skilled. So I took the bracket to a guy I know and paid him $60 to fill in the missing metal and make the bracket nice and strong. The bracket was now solid and fit, but it needed some grinding, bondo, and paint to be pretty.<br />
<br />
After all this it was reassembly time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table style="width: 80%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="3"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Breakdown</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Bodywork painted: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$350</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Bondo: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Rustoleam: <span style="color: red;"></span></td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$Free</span> (already had it in my garage)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Brushes, sandpaper, tack cloths, and misc painting supplies: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$30</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Front engine hanger modified: </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$60</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="3"><b><span style="color: black;">Total:</span> <span style="color: red;">$448</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$1685</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-80280281952069684112004-12-18T01:22:00.000-05:002013-06-18T01:29:06.326-04:00 Installed a CX650 engine<br /><hr width="80%" />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwb82N_OJa3IozRt6tEKkUnx-14iBY8Ldn5cDtAC36_gvE_2rqxDCDR53c9R24Hl5rtOfDWlZV1Ho6_iym1LLGO2kJLiPN_-IYtVrNA752xmYlShawzGe28ROw7vgBQV6boOkAPZ-dFE/s1600/suicide_machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhwb82N_OJa3IozRt6tEKkUnx-14iBY8Ldn5cDtAC36_gvE_2rqxDCDR53c9R24Hl5rtOfDWlZV1Ho6_iym1LLGO2kJLiPN_-IYtVrNA752xmYlShawzGe28ROw7vgBQV6boOkAPZ-dFE/s200/suicide_machine.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8H12XtPtw7A50YaWx3PsezqqN3lo2DhBQSRlvAt_j1-s6jgykk6AWjmd1XpXASZAf3JwtAKnSzNO71WV5_zKl9VpRPvDFo4Kr3LdMfF-frPCxuf7H8Pg4HtddpkAjcc9kceanTRLrpo/s1600/engine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8H12XtPtw7A50YaWx3PsezqqN3lo2DhBQSRlvAt_j1-s6jgykk6AWjmd1XpXASZAf3JwtAKnSzNO71WV5_zKl9VpRPvDFo4Kr3LdMfF-frPCxuf7H8Pg4HtddpkAjcc9kceanTRLrpo/s200/engine.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_BV5aZ_PEiWeFnV0RSKjENZsLld9JJAkkD4FXjrEPM6zQYV77rR9ThSPi3MakpRBUzXJTgr_ubWUNLCfbsvpzuq_7m1NMsEMXEGuoYj9bzY2AVae-k2zKl7rsEaCmbTpyj2D60Esy_s/s1600/stephanie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_BV5aZ_PEiWeFnV0RSKjENZsLld9JJAkkD4FXjrEPM6zQYV77rR9ThSPi3MakpRBUzXJTgr_ubWUNLCfbsvpzuq_7m1NMsEMXEGuoYj9bzY2AVae-k2zKl7rsEaCmbTpyj2D60Esy_s/s200/stephanie.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<hr width="80%" />
<br />
Not many pictures this time, but I've made some rather major modifications. I installed a CX650 engine in the chopper. After an initial test period of a couple months to make sure the engine was solid, I took it back out and painted it with VHT Brake Caliper paint. Looks spectacular. I'm currently in the process of polishing every piece of aluminum on the bike. You can see the valve covers, clutch cover, intake manifold, exhaust flange, cx650 emblems, and several other parts already polished. The new CX650 engine (actually 673cc) is more powerful than the 500... but vibration isn't reduced much and the overall gearing (ie: vibration felt at speed) did not change much. However, I believe this is because I do not yet have the cylinder head motor mount bolts installed yet. I need to take the front engine hanger to a welder and have him modify it to fit the wider spacing of the 650 engine mounts.<br />
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In addition to the engine and polishing work, I've re-mounted the rear fender at a more suitable angle, re-mounted the seat with a bracket in the front (rear bracket isn't finished yet), mounted saddle bags, mounted the sissy bar at a closer approximation to the front fork angle, and painted "Suicide Machine" logos on the tank. The green thing on the top of the tank is a pickle, in case you're wondering. Hope you're old enough to get the reference :)<br />
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I'll do a detailed parts assessment later... but basically, the 650 engine was free, I already had the polishing compound to polish the covers, I made the seat bracket out of scrap steel I had in my garage, the saddlebags are off my V65 Magna, and everything else was already on the bike. So, this month's mods were basically free!<br />
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<b>Parts Breakdown:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>VHT Brake Caliper paint (2 cans): <span style="color: red;">$15</span> </li>
<li>Gunk Engine degreaser (3 cans):<span style="color: red;"> $10</span> </li>
<li>Paint stripper (1 can): <span style="color: red;">$7</span></li>
<li><b>Total: <span style="color: red;">$32</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<b>Running total for Chopper: <span style="color: red;">$1237</span></b><br />
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ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-60625980923582953722004-04-15T00:47:00.000-04:002013-06-18T01:01:13.945-04:00Got The Frame Raked<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCveU6lv8zB_ZXC4q_13jnXns9VoQWhwXMLm2u5QABZ1XgoMkn2Lwz7x-639Z2UkuYJFt5iBZHhCM8qD501EQjWGRI8vbihxMLGpVY0r6L9OXHZp_0QoHb_7aoGNjbH4C_YylXlvd4bI/s1600/left2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCveU6lv8zB_ZXC4q_13jnXns9VoQWhwXMLm2u5QABZ1XgoMkn2Lwz7x-639Z2UkuYJFt5iBZHhCM8qD501EQjWGRI8vbihxMLGpVY0r6L9OXHZp_0QoHb_7aoGNjbH4C_YylXlvd4bI/s200/left2.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_XXA4ZA-aDL2aqlBI3F0IFLW4MxD5LXMIKqa_JAUKdqP-NlwVRBbHFRbQRIsLAGbu2NI6ThyGW7XAVIQkRk9inr4xVAxRrTUOQRTBMe0S7P-zMide5mtEwPyUdmZFjPH0m-dTMFd56o/s1600/left1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_XXA4ZA-aDL2aqlBI3F0IFLW4MxD5LXMIKqa_JAUKdqP-NlwVRBbHFRbQRIsLAGbu2NI6ThyGW7XAVIQkRk9inr4xVAxRrTUOQRTBMe0S7P-zMide5mtEwPyUdmZFjPH0m-dTMFd56o/s200/left1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdG4RRZeTOFUAsEbegb0GDrkolayoOr9ITgOEghPCWz_2vprQD1a8kE9pqUYdJlaU8_FPWgBBl3GY1Fn5fcmUQ1aXyXAq9GlRCLCsQkBdLFRMduhJ5GQ_hXdZWsccEyStgLcx5YJIEd8/s1600/bars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdG4RRZeTOFUAsEbegb0GDrkolayoOr9ITgOEghPCWz_2vprQD1a8kE9pqUYdJlaU8_FPWgBBl3GY1Fn5fcmUQ1aXyXAq9GlRCLCsQkBdLFRMduhJ5GQ_hXdZWsccEyStgLcx5YJIEd8/s200/bars.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxLJXTYqi1I6x-bb6F-sCDzQjEdEn-Rf2MWlZOXv-gSuZyygE8J_M4AkkwRxWeKn2Mc3UAcTyxw-AkO-zmwBOsydWympD4vUEmJyyP-aoScIMjdasa3VvAOtkqZrs6zB04XgViPVwPqI/s1600/right1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxLJXTYqi1I6x-bb6F-sCDzQjEdEn-Rf2MWlZOXv-gSuZyygE8J_M4AkkwRxWeKn2Mc3UAcTyxw-AkO-zmwBOsydWympD4vUEmJyyP-aoScIMjdasa3VvAOtkqZrs6zB04XgViPVwPqI/s200/right1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnYph0psYrYxx8V0xKhNiPJZjoQIDzAefcqmXe9MS1IYzVMDa_I0MRBAYXStZCQyNHWlsNj0rUfttg8l3p410vxXdAvpcnRFDzzV6DRGlOwVhQlbDLgSyvQTa69mmsj8rhQNr80QXm00/s1600/right2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnYph0psYrYxx8V0xKhNiPJZjoQIDzAefcqmXe9MS1IYzVMDa_I0MRBAYXStZCQyNHWlsNj0rUfttg8l3p410vxXdAvpcnRFDzzV6DRGlOwVhQlbDLgSyvQTa69mmsj8rhQNr80QXm00/s200/right2.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupZLYwRd3Y0ZSENNWMEkg75tUh5cwcdslLaK4skLdFnh79ijCPSqiZLUdm4vEhKA708hBWRIzvM_LW0iH3727dh1uqRLW6jb2-NJ3H5eQQqbNn9aFjSYr3sVGfPO_rPIJ2mV2fOhwTaI/s1600/neck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupZLYwRd3Y0ZSENNWMEkg75tUh5cwcdslLaK4skLdFnh79ijCPSqiZLUdm4vEhKA708hBWRIzvM_LW0iH3727dh1uqRLW6jb2-NJ3H5eQQqbNn9aFjSYr3sVGfPO_rPIJ2mV2fOhwTaI/s200/neck.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vT9uyYdxP2winHp7AaowDX1UvoMRz5Tr9exPWOqoWJzAZiLWF4gipzgdn0DMmwL3ixg_eL5_I7gNg-cXOhQeoXiM1Shvv7k8lpk9YbQ-K3_WF-CvEU2jUzo-ZExesOgyMM3-nEUtRGM/s1600/chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vT9uyYdxP2winHp7AaowDX1UvoMRz5Tr9exPWOqoWJzAZiLWF4gipzgdn0DMmwL3ixg_eL5_I7gNg-cXOhQeoXiM1Shvv7k8lpk9YbQ-K3_WF-CvEU2jUzo-ZExesOgyMM3-nEUtRGM/s200/chris.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r77qqFBhgHm66fjz-CHenvCc5yEF1818GMOSwPEeryEesBoh3SK_otxPkAN09T43gn07E5EKPblG1IgWZZ3O4w1x_ZtmhY8-acMJvw0XpQuSVqq6b4lgOY2CASaQkT-6iAdYPM2V-5Y/s1600/Dad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-r77qqFBhgHm66fjz-CHenvCc5yEF1818GMOSwPEeryEesBoh3SK_otxPkAN09T43gn07E5EKPblG1IgWZZ3O4w1x_ZtmhY8-acMJvw0XpQuSVqq6b4lgOY2CASaQkT-6iAdYPM2V-5Y/s200/Dad1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zvRru7IIpvsFxeyL1NInd9dUzsuwFAYwT465oDm47m7ZGQp84bA4aeMaxlXPnAjRSxcB0cAxCkDArZbUgGYUIh0V84L5cGho3M422GAXHbs60Tdc_vxsWDLP-dx4Dn1jvFLBMfnaGmk/s1600/Dad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zvRru7IIpvsFxeyL1NInd9dUzsuwFAYwT465oDm47m7ZGQp84bA4aeMaxlXPnAjRSxcB0cAxCkDArZbUgGYUIh0V84L5cGho3M422GAXHbs60Tdc_vxsWDLP-dx4Dn1jvFLBMfnaGmk/s200/Dad2.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
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<br /></td><td valign="top">Yes, I've done it. Up until now every modification I've done to my CX500 has been possible to un-do. I could have rebuilt it to stock at any time. That was always comforting to know... I don't know why, but it was ;) No longer, though. Earlier this month, I had the frame raked by a local metric-only motorcycle shop called Scootworks in Zebulon, NC. They did an absolutely exceptional job. They cut the neck in slices, bent it to the proper angle, tig-welded it up, and then tig-welded plates on either side. I haven't done measurements yet, but I'm thinking it's around 40 degrees. The best part is, they left the VIN tag completely unmolested. They even moulded the plate around the original gas tank mounts, which I can unfortunately no longer use.<br />
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After some initial getting used to, the bike handles more than acceptable. There's about a foot of trail, so at slow speeds the bike is a bear to handle. The forks want to flop to either side, and if you don't have a firm grip they will. Tight turns at parking lot speeds take lots of balance and are not even close to smooth. But at higher speeds the bike is actually still relatively flickable. The heaviness disappears from the forks, and the bike turns very well. It's not a peg dragger by any means, but it will lean adequately. It's a blast to ride too.<br />
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The bad news is I can no longer use my fatbob tank. What's more, the stock gas tank doesn't even fit in the correct location. If you look at the picture of the steering neck, you can see that the tank is attached to the front motor mount hanger bolt. Even so, look how close the top of the triple tree is to the tank. Ideally, I should have had them remove the neck, streatch the frame 4 or 5 inches, and then weld the neck back on. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
But hindsight is 20/20. I should be able to sell my fatbob tank setup on eBay, or maybe I'll keep it around and use it on an otherwise stock CX500. The relocated gas tank doesn't look bad, but I'm going to have to cut off the rear mount and just use gravity to keep the rear of the tank in place. Maybe I'll have a bracket welded to the bottom of the tank eventually, but it's no biggie.<br />
<br />
The good news is that although I've had to adjust for the now missing fatbob tank, the chopper is closer than ever to the picture I have in my mind's eye. It's really quite stunning, even with the ratty paint, the rust in places, the corroded aluminum, and the dirt and spots from not having been washed in 3 years. It has always drawn a crowd at the local watering hole before... I can't wait to see the reaction now.<br />
<br />
However, I'm concerned about the angle of the rear fender. I think it's sitting up too high. I need to re-mount it, but that means adding new holes extremely close to the old holes. Since it's a fiberglass fender, this will severely weaken the fender, even if I repair the old holes with fiberglass resin and reinforcement tape. I may be able to rotate the fender to get the desired look, but I won't know until I start pulling things apart to see. There may be issues with the seat.<br />
<br />
The next step is to fit the CX650 engine I have sitting on my garage floor, and then build custom exhaust and forward controls around the larger engine. I'm going to have to beg, borrow, or steal a wire-feed <br />
<br />
<br />
welder and an oxy-acetelyne torch to make the parts, though. Stay tuned for the next update!
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<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="10"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: black;">Part or modification:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="50"><b><span style="color: black;">Price:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="200"><b><span style="color: black;">Got From:</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Frame raked</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$300</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.scootworks.com/" target="New">Scootworks</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: black;">Cost of April modifications</span>: </b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: red;"> $300</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: black;">Parts Removed from bike to accomodate new changes:</span></b></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Fatbob Gas Tank </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$100</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Brackets </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Flashing </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Leather </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$25</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Spike Studs </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Voltmeter </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Oil pressure gauge </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$20</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Harley gas caps</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$30</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>1 FIAMM horn</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><b><span style="color: black;">Cost of parts removed: </span></b></td><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><span style="color: green;"><b> $228</b></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Total cost of Modifications so far: <span style="color: red;">$1205</span></h3>
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-85526368105344457252003-11-18T00:25:00.000-05:002013-06-18T00:26:16.996-04:00 One year since I started chopping<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0NYTp20CBw8qVRObMA1RMPKC6JLz31rkTlRIyeiRrxwEiyju18dsaTwksAisK5L0XjVh4gBtWl8XCm_qVQM7H6mWXWCuv__2YRiC_NDNfgQyS4NVUBWBaQnWNlc2xn2T2u_yBaJ9l_U/s1600/ch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0NYTp20CBw8qVRObMA1RMPKC6JLz31rkTlRIyeiRrxwEiyju18dsaTwksAisK5L0XjVh4gBtWl8XCm_qVQM7H6mWXWCuv__2YRiC_NDNfgQyS4NVUBWBaQnWNlc2xn2T2u_yBaJ9l_U/s200/ch1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, the bike is really looking better and better now. I've installed a new rear fender that I got off of ebay. There was no model information or anything, it was just listed as a generic 7" wide Harley rear fender. All the other fenders I've found on eBay have been 7 1/4" wide, and that extra 1/4" made all those fenders to wide to fit between the rear frame rails. Even with the proper width fender, mounting it was no piece of cake. First off, the stock airbox was in the way to mount the fender forward enough to look good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUd-xRMggcTjUr8U8g7SZyQA-Uih1CHkVUSRyT8zV4eRNiRMa8k6HAe0qJeMwo2V63RTdeFPaFmF-DYozDd4i_j-fowih9oHK88My_IQ2HFCtvxv7VoALBFo8kYO2nq4bAResOPVFWfM/s1600/ch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUd-xRMggcTjUr8U8g7SZyQA-Uih1CHkVUSRyT8zV4eRNiRMa8k6HAe0qJeMwo2V63RTdeFPaFmF-DYozDd4i_j-fowih9oHK88My_IQ2HFCtvxv7VoALBFo8kYO2nq4bAResOPVFWfM/s200/ch2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11LNfJhbZBmP1Y5YTcochddvetLuYLWPEDYi1M4vJOSnofEmpqmBvHBo1A-ae1xXYwgmOFR-_VfnGKzGB7EC77300fMjMDjenq2cpO8d7ID1dcm9QxT-ir2OOMrUco6awSVW-sphtDkw/s1600/ch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11LNfJhbZBmP1Y5YTcochddvetLuYLWPEDYi1M4vJOSnofEmpqmBvHBo1A-ae1xXYwgmOFR-_VfnGKzGB7EC77300fMjMDjenq2cpO8d7ID1dcm9QxT-ir2OOMrUco6awSVW-sphtDkw/s200/ch3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Since the airbox has the mounting points for the sidecovers moulded into it, I really didn't want to remove it. I'd also have to rejet the carbs after installing pod filters, and I have no desire to do that at this time. So, I whipped out the hacksaw and cut about 8 inches off the front of the fender. I cut the seat and fender mount from between the frame rails, and then bolted the fender between the frame, where the sissy bar mounts at the rear. For the front mount under the seat, I cut a piece of flat stock, mounted it to the bolt under the transistor ignition boxes (remember this is an '82 non-cdi bike), and then bolted it to the fender. It's relatively strong, but it does squeek and move a bit under my butt. I'm going to have to come up with a stronger front mounting method. Or lose some weight!! I can sit on the passanger section without problems too, but as this is a fiberglass fender I wouldn't want to have a passanger that weighed much more than 150lbs or so.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsBntyWMQu9g5N6xiZeATDdaIehqFvh3amev4rcs85Qp8yz5qx1_Oz7TFJwga1vFgAUV90b7mp2992gXXDJ4HrNqwyIkEgv5vIodZBUAS4bc2e0iYKIE6LF7js-DSRMknWMEnCLdzpJg/s1600/ch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsBntyWMQu9g5N6xiZeATDdaIehqFvh3amev4rcs85Qp8yz5qx1_Oz7TFJwga1vFgAUV90b7mp2992gXXDJ4HrNqwyIkEgv5vIodZBUAS4bc2e0iYKIE6LF7js-DSRMknWMEnCLdzpJg/s200/ch4.jpg" width="160" /></a>Other than the new fender (and all the rewiring that was involved), I've installed some 8" Z bars, and ran the wires for the control switches inside them. You have no idea how much of a bitch that was. I also added skull grips, new chrome mirrors, an extended chrome kickstand for a CB750, I've wrinkle-black painted the radiator covers and fork legs, added chrome wire covers to the wires around the headlight, and installed custom chrome mini gauges. Basically, I've spent a lot of time and money on her these last few months!<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the bike is getting to be a lot closer to the picture I have in my mind's eye. A few more parts and modifications and the bike will be finished. So, here's the current parts breakdown:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="10"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: black;">Part or modification:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="50"><b><span style="color: black;">Price:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="200"><b><span style="color: black;">Got From:</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>7/8" Z bars with 8" rise</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>7" wide Harley rear fender</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$100</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome skull grips</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$20</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome mirrors</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$35</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jcwhitney.com/" target="New">JC Whitney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome mini gauges</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$75/pr</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jcwhitney.com/" target="New">JC Whitney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>CB750 extended chrome kickstand</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome wire coverings</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
<td>Auto Zone</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Harley gas caps</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$30</span></td>
<td>Harley dealership</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Pair of FIAMM horns and relay</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$35</span></td>
<td>Auto Zone</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><span style="color: black;">Cost of November modifications:</span> </td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><span style="color: red;"> $345</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><span style="color: black;">Parts Removed from bike to accomodate new changes:</span></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Drag bars with 6" risers</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$40</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Stock chrome and inner rear fenders </td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="2"><span style="color: black;">Cost of parts removed: </span></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><span style="color: green;"> $40</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Total cost of Modifications so far: <b><span style="color: red;">$1133<br />
<br />
</span></b></h3>
ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-23647241242318001412003-09-15T23:39:00.000-04:002013-06-10T10:59:31.855-04:00First Action Shot<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9V3gS8kRAXxdM-cPM740emS1GdLOAONcd2dKZxYbnwq4sr4gdaW6hFBmEtTGWlr8ZDdINO4YEu9KsHvAZnV1yXoPN8o8xPRsHIBfFaft1oNGGzVTsBAV5v3nK2f8Sao0vjigdLjSO64/s1600/ChopperBenj3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9V3gS8kRAXxdM-cPM740emS1GdLOAONcd2dKZxYbnwq4sr4gdaW6hFBmEtTGWlr8ZDdINO4YEu9KsHvAZnV1yXoPN8o8xPRsHIBfFaft1oNGGzVTsBAV5v3nK2f8Sao0vjigdLjSO64/s200/ChopperBenj3.jpg" width="150" /></a>No big changes here. I just wanted to post pics of the bike in action. The rider is my good bud Benj Vanhorn. He looks better suited to the bike than I do, and he'll probably end up buying it off me for a good price come next year. Once I'm finished with the chop, of course.<br />
<br />
I installed the gas caps, a new set of Z-bars, and I painted the radiator cowling wrinkle-black. I had fittings silver-soldered into place and I connected the tanks with fuel line. Bending one of the top brackets over resulted in a pinhole fuel leak when the tank was completely full, so I used some JB Weld to plug the hole. I also installed the other guage into the center cowl.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-41WBDzOzuorNfUgYW5Ey60e-G2obI8Op3NTO6t5rSl6s5wvQ__HZnrEXi0YkXZmlXhK-mwyYKquKcuXm3YlEybTEHjjODZA4_Qe8XskuxTg18Nt7vrjwrLHjpz4tODVyFf2-MJqAISc/s1600/ChopperBenj1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-41WBDzOzuorNfUgYW5Ey60e-G2obI8Op3NTO6t5rSl6s5wvQ__HZnrEXi0YkXZmlXhK-mwyYKquKcuXm3YlEybTEHjjODZA4_Qe8XskuxTg18Nt7vrjwrLHjpz4tODVyFf2-MJqAISc/s400/ChopperBenj1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad-assery. With dorky shoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-18379669023750452432003-08-15T23:30:00.000-04:002013-06-10T12:05:12.211-04:00Built a Fatbob tank!Finally I got the funds, the time, and the motivation to mount the fatbob tank! It's truly a thing of beauty sitting there on the CX500 frame, and it really wasn't that difficult. Building the mounts was quick and easy. A vice and a big hammer to bend the THICK steel stock, and a drill to make the holes. The bottom front tank mounts were sawed off, and the top mounts were bent down so they were horizontal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIwK5XdYq8REXhPcwYOpZK2YA_yubitKTQLumgkN2PDlSm9RGODwdiRnwAaef8Ek88okswPjCKvagrPDJQJWZClW_cuJIkY3XXLXZvQhV5hZGl_aiNGN1mVEECPzIW6gqOVsiSGrErSc/s1600/left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIwK5XdYq8REXhPcwYOpZK2YA_yubitKTQLumgkN2PDlSm9RGODwdiRnwAaef8Ek88okswPjCKvagrPDJQJWZClW_cuJIkY3XXLXZvQhV5hZGl_aiNGN1mVEECPzIW6gqOVsiSGrErSc/s200/left.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN-eK1NGiLe2cdd1_tlbtnSYQf3vamukug4hbbejANbdxNAVWAvILsjKI3IieXb39dchl9YPEjZ6Jy1R20FMXWO1Y7HivB1zE3_R_nsrwlNEMt-0UiTd7fUL_hNmZRZtgFFtkf2vKdEA/s1600/right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnN-eK1NGiLe2cdd1_tlbtnSYQf3vamukug4hbbejANbdxNAVWAvILsjKI3IieXb39dchl9YPEjZ6Jy1R20FMXWO1Y7HivB1zE3_R_nsrwlNEMt-0UiTd7fUL_hNmZRZtgFFtkf2vKdEA/s200/right.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt0qHVSKJmqfg0qZddgKdl57LlCIqHt6nMszcBejwQys_G82b7niXfBd0NrqHekIRzv02ROxZrguKKPk4ARfakf0CBhoknnnfhIwsXc4rxmrE7dTSdzPmeo1sAiiCYJQpzkQg6ysB_DU/s1600/tank2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt0qHVSKJmqfg0qZddgKdl57LlCIqHt6nMszcBejwQys_G82b7niXfBd0NrqHekIRzv02ROxZrguKKPk4ARfakf0CBhoknnnfhIwsXc4rxmrE7dTSdzPmeo1sAiiCYJQpzkQg6ysB_DU/s200/tank2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ynW-gHpW_uXXiRpLyfQpe0THO0k8UGSiJ7e4pLdqS3sPHXisdaiQIRityUQbkCmUi-efayfJ-eiotb7DKpSFJ0sGGFbF1To6GZ1ddhDv8HlxKnlZVP1IYMMxMqD_H5OWouGQsndHceE/s1600/tank1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ynW-gHpW_uXXiRpLyfQpe0THO0k8UGSiJ7e4pLdqS3sPHXisdaiQIRityUQbkCmUi-efayfJ-eiotb7DKpSFJ0sGGFbF1To6GZ1ddhDv8HlxKnlZVP1IYMMxMqD_H5OWouGQsndHceE/s200/tank1.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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<td valign="top">The covering for the center part, on the other hand, was very time consuming, and quite painful. I cut the flashing with a pair of metal shears, but the flashing was very thick, and the shears left sharp edges. So my hands are all cut up. Once that was done, I cut two holes for gauges with my dremel. Then I used contact cement to attach leather to the panel. Finally, I measured and drilled holes for the studs, and then screwed them in place. Since the flashing isn't all that thick, it was easy to bend and form to fit the contours of the gas tank. The bottom part of the tank panel attaches with the stock tank mounting bolt, and it covers that ugly area of the frame. The top mounts haven't been installed yet in these pictures. There's a cross member that goes across the top of the two front brackets, and the panel bolts to that.<br />
<br />
<br />
Next up were the headlights. I've been sitting on a dual headlight mount for almost a year now, and just recently I purchased the headlights to go with it. The whole thing mounted up in 5 minutes... but wiring was another matter entirely. Since the stock headlight was gone, all the wiring was sitting exposed behind the new dual lights. It looked like hell. So I unwrapped the wiring harness and started cutting and splicing longer wires in. I was able to move the bulk of the wiring harness to the area between the new Fatbob gas tanks. I need to re-wrap the harness with electrical tape, as it looks like a rat's nest at the moment. But everything works!<br />
<br />
Check below for a parts/cost list!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4" style="width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="10"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Part or modification:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="50"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Price:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="180"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Got From:</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Dual headlight mount</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Two 5 1/4" dual-filament headlights</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$50/pr</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Fatbob gas tank</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$100</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Steel flat stock to make brackets</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$5</span></td>
<td>Home Despot</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Steel flashing</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$8</span></td>
<td>True Value (hardware store)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Leather</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Spike studs</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$15</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Voltmeter gauge</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$10</span></td>
<td>Advance Auto</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Cost of August modifications:</span> <span style="color: red;"> $238</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4"><tbody>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td><br />
<br /></td><td><br /></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Parts Removed from bike to accomodate new changes:</b></span></td></tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Stock headlight</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$25</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Aftermarket headlight ears</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Stock gas tank</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Cost of parts removed: </b></span><span style="color: green;"><b> $33</b></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h3>
Total cost of modifications: <span style="color: red;"> $828</span></h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-76121082593572267502003-02-15T22:30:00.000-05:002013-06-09T23:31:11.345-04:00Spoked Front Rim and Floorboards<table><tbody>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Hi3r71peuJZT74kKThqJ5yISNh-9sbOhoylbb4OK63WgRq0QYkl7DiYe_Ij0lTPMeygLHjhQFvFfGtSEfSg0JL13pqilseXKSJcABHIahK_wf-YKEFK8pHenCJsJWnvLh0sKXdVfTvw/s1600/wheelLeft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Hi3r71peuJZT74kKThqJ5yISNh-9sbOhoylbb4OK63WgRq0QYkl7DiYe_Ij0lTPMeygLHjhQFvFfGtSEfSg0JL13pqilseXKSJcABHIahK_wf-YKEFK8pHenCJsJWnvLh0sKXdVfTvw/s200/wheelLeft.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0I8JnpKxZ-IrPJcP8hxMUcGto6yZ4ABwfSjyB4fUT9PKwO8vDTPQ_dwC1JXMxT76uY4fy8T-h5SBE-BUQKt_Ru-oKDou5dunFbqwzVOHCdsIIeEb40wzVy6IpmtTbBbIu0xjXd_LckM/s1600/wheelRight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0I8JnpKxZ-IrPJcP8hxMUcGto6yZ4ABwfSjyB4fUT9PKwO8vDTPQ_dwC1JXMxT76uY4fy8T-h5SBE-BUQKt_Ru-oKDou5dunFbqwzVOHCdsIIeEb40wzVy6IpmtTbBbIu0xjXd_LckM/s200/wheelRight.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td valign="top">I haven't done a whole lot of modifications since November 2002, but I've been busy fixing my V65 Sabre to get it ready to sell in the spring, tearing apart a V65 Magna parts bike in my garage, and working on a number of other things. Plus, much of my money has gone to Christmas, a ski trip, and paying off my credit card bill. I still worked some chopper parts into the budget, though.<br />
<br />
I picked up the Markland floorboards on eBay for a Buy It Now of $100. I was in the right place at the <br />
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right time. Unfortunately, I don't really like them as much as I had hoped. Because that banana seat is so low, and the bike is canted back quite a ways due to the 7" over front end, the floorboards are cramped and uncomfortable. Also, since the floorboards were made for a GL500 brake system, I had to fabricate a connection to the rear brake. I couldn't just cut the end of the brake pedal off, drill a hole in it, and connect it to the brake pedal with an extended arm like I wanted to. The angle was wrong and the bracket was in the way. So I used a brake cable <br />
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from a VT700, some shifter linkages from the Harley dealership, a piece of threaded rod, and two brackets bent out of flat steel stock. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a way to attach the brake light switch or the return spring. So, the brakes tend to stick after you press the pedal, and because of the cramped seating position (due to the seat and the rake), it's rather difficult to use the rear brakes anyhow.<br />
<br />
So, expect to see the floorboards taken off and replaced with a set of home-made forward controls at the next update. I'll save these suckers for a GL650 Interstate, if/when I ever get one. One nice thing about these floorboards, the boards themselves can be replaced with any Harley board out there. Which is good, since mine are scratched and a little rusty.<br />
<br />
The wire wheel was an easy fit to the '78 front end. I don't know how it would fit with the '82 forks and axle, though. Basically, it bolts right on, but the spacing is different. The speedo drive is on the right side instead of the left, so the stock axle (with its built-in spacer) cannot be used. Likewise, the CL360/CB400 axle cannot be used, since it is way too short. Fortunately, I had a V65 Magna axle sitting around from a parts bike. It was a perfect fit. It goes right into the left fork leg with enough threads showing to easily fit on a nut, and it clamped down securely in the right leg. The nut size is different, so I raided my hardware bins for the right size. I then went to the hardware store and got a bunch of washers to make a short spacer (about 1/2") between the wheel and the left fork leg. I used a CL360/CB400 front wheel because it is an 18-incher, as opposed to the CX's stock 19" front wheel. I wanted to lower the bike a bit, since the extended forks make it sit a little too high for my taste. If you want a wire wheel, but wish to retain the stock wheel size, the CB450 uses a 19" wheel, as does the CB550 and CB750. I've taken a good look at the CB450 wheel, and I'm pretty sure it will fit in the same matter (it looks like the same hub), but I don't know about the 550 or 750 wheel.<br />
<br />
Do note that you will need the disc brake, speedo drive, and speedo cable for whatever front wheel you decide to use. The disc on the wheel I'm using is exactly the same diameter as the CX500 disc, but it is offset differently than the CX500 wheel because the speedo drive is on the other side. One great thing about Honda speedos is that they're all identical internally. It's the drive gear on the wheel that is different from model to model and wheel to wheel. Which means that my speedo reads correctly even with the 18" wheel and a CL360's speedo drive.<br />
<br />
Finally, I also removed the front fender. I like the looks of the bike much better without it... unfortunately, this chopper is often ridden in the rain, and I get a facefull of water without that fender on there. I have drilled it out so that it sits lower over the new 18" wheel, so I can put it back on if I want to. However, I found a pretty slick fender on eBay that I'll probably put on once payday rolls around again.
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="10"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Part or modification:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="50"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Price:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="75"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Got From:</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome license plate frame with integrated turn signals </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$35</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Heavy duty load-balancing flasher relay. Stock relay couldn't handle the weird bulbs in the frame.</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$3</span></td>
<td>WalMart</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>6" dogbone risers. 4" was too short, and I didn't like hunching over</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$20</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Markland floorboards for a GL500. </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$100</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Modified brake system with harley parts, threaded rod, and a brake cable from an 80-something VT700 parts bike. </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> < $20</span></td>
<td>Dealership, parts bike</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Wire front wheel from a CL360 / CB400 (18")</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$40</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Axle from V65 Magna (parts bike), and some washers from the hardware store</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$0</span></td>
<td>Parts bike</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Extended speedometer cable for a CB400</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$20</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Tire, tube, and rim strip for new front wheel (18 x 3.00 or 90/90/18)</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$50</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jcwhitney.com/" target="New">JC Whitney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Accel wires (Leftovers pieces from when I put Accel coils and wires on my Magna)</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$0</span></td>
<td>Advance Auto</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Flashing red spark plug caps. (Yea, I know. But they were cheaper than NGK caps!)</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$5</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jcwhitney.com/" target="New">JC Whitney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Cost February modifications: </span><span style="color: red;"> $285</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Parts Removed from bike to accomodate new changes:</b></span></td></tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Rear turn signals</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$20</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>4" Dogbone risers</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$15</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Home-made highway bar stuff</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$40</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Bullet license plate bolts</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Stock Spark plug caps and wires</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Front Fender</td>
<td><span style="color: green;">$0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: #444444;">Cost of parts removed:</span> <span style="color: green;"> -$75</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Total cost of modifications so far: <span style="color: red;">$623</span></h3>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-88128403735990590362002-11-15T15:00:00.000-05:002013-06-09T22:46:04.924-04:00For the love of God, WHY?!?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR60Y97aTdWWN1zZOkSWR2iyBCn5etvGYmiaM24ger3hrN10VQ1lccf5STH5ygKS6_tRf2U-dAefR2zDP3XQLy1Qn4kXF3agdmDJnuPPmwCV-NbU9PIjcdx6evbYDIU0fqTSEhM5ufGhk/s1600/left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR60Y97aTdWWN1zZOkSWR2iyBCn5etvGYmiaM24ger3hrN10VQ1lccf5STH5ygKS6_tRf2U-dAefR2zDP3XQLy1Qn4kXF3agdmDJnuPPmwCV-NbU9PIjcdx6evbYDIU0fqTSEhM5ufGhk/s200/left.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5vzH3ICmHku5gLSvZwrubB4LaEUkdtN-V1uGse5GsTYak6mtaDUQKjZ0AKrOL2zKE7itq9Ropkv2ZJ3vGVRApxc_OUmwLsR7s9xVjgxPEOploXdSTH-3TxkCh9jYwsOI9POdMBZZzcM/s1600/cx500Chopper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5vzH3ICmHku5gLSvZwrubB4LaEUkdtN-V1uGse5GsTYak6mtaDUQKjZ0AKrOL2zKE7itq9Ropkv2ZJ3vGVRApxc_OUmwLsR7s9xVjgxPEOploXdSTH-3TxkCh9jYwsOI9POdMBZZzcM/s200/cx500Chopper.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yeah. I know. A CX500 chopper. I must be nuts, right? Well, I figured nobody had done it before, and I had the time and the money... and I wanted to make the bike more enjoyable to me. So the CX500 Chopper project was born, and inadvertently I became known as "Chopper Charles". Here's the story of my modifications!<br />
<br />
I started with a pair of 7" over fork tubes I purchased on eBay a year or two ago. I got them for a paltry $15 plus $10 shipping. They were for a CB400, and nobody else bid. I don't really know why I picked them up, I didn't have a CB bike and really had no plans to buy one. Fortunately, I found that a CB400 and a CX500 (78-81) use 35mm fork tubes. And I just happened to acquire a CX500 from my old man (Dick In Raleigh), to do with as I pleased. The CX500 I had was an '82, though, and had 36mm air forks instead of the 35mm forks used on all other years.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0coDuc5kciXpEXLokK-BoLcHlez1ki7P_K84j-eAz3y9qS_2qPsErEjDZHPNutzT87lhfyjqpuB5QbGt3BDyHt-F96esu_3xrNLJgpc9p12tKwdSfMFV1Q3YaN9qjByF2TlK2cNcAPo/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0coDuc5kciXpEXLokK-BoLcHlez1ki7P_K84j-eAz3y9qS_2qPsErEjDZHPNutzT87lhfyjqpuB5QbGt3BDyHt-F96esu_3xrNLJgpc9p12tKwdSfMFV1Q3YaN9qjByF2TlK2cNcAPo/s200/back.jpg" width="150" /></a>So, the first order of business was to replace the front end with one off a '78. Fortunately, my father has a TON of parts bikes behind the barn. I used the fork lowers, brake caliper, and triple-tree from a '78 CX500. I stipped the paint off the upper triple tree, and then polished the lowers and replaced the fork seals. I put all the internal components from the CX500 tubes into the 7" over tubes, along with some 7 1/2" spacers. I topped the forks off with some 20wt fork oil and was nearly finished, except for the brakes. I'd really have liked to have used the 2-pot '82 brake caliper, but the mounting holes were wrong so I settled for the '78 single-pot caliper. It still stops okay.... not stellar, but okay.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hy3xROHDosGrlMUSx0MENfMx7DtHHG3IzzR-6UIpqM8bYGivte0zjL6uGTuaAv3K9USHTTCroKgqKCCgwM_ap7SGyi4hGsvKPMwG6Qu30cjP3BZ7tTGUXVSGQcyX9cq4BseLUemOU6o/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hy3xROHDosGrlMUSx0MENfMx7DtHHG3IzzR-6UIpqM8bYGivte0zjL6uGTuaAv3K9USHTTCroKgqKCCgwM_ap7SGyi4hGsvKPMwG6Qu30cjP3BZ7tTGUXVSGQcyX9cq4BseLUemOU6o/s200/front.jpg" width="150" /></a>At the same time, I lowered the bike with some 11" chrome shocks from Cycle Recycle Part II. Stock shocks are 13.5", but even after losing 2 1/2" the tire never rubs the fender. Handling was drastically improved. No more bouncing or wallowing! The front end sits altogether too high, though. I'm going to try a smaller (18") wheel on the front, and if that doesn't bring it down enough I'll have the steering neck raked.<br />
<br />
All other modifications are mostly cosmetic and self-explanatory. I really like the exhaust, though. They fit nicely and are just loud enough to be pleasing, but not loud enough to be annoying. I'll probably be selling these in the future, though, as I want to go with a custom 2-into-2 system with fishtails, kind of like the Captain America bike, but different.<br />
<br />
I made over the space of 3 months. It helped to spread out the cost and kept me happily busy in the garage. Note that the prices below include shipping, where applicable. Here's the cost breakdown so far:
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" class="txt4">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="10"></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd"><b><span style="color: black;">Part or modification:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="50"><b><span style="color: black;">Price:</span></b></td>
<td bgcolor="#dddddd" width="200"><b><span style="color: black;">Got From:</span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Sissy bar Dick In Raleigh acquired in ebay deal</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td>Dick In Raleigh</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Banana seat for Triumph</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $40</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Tombstone taillight</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $30</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Headlight ears</td>
<td><span style="color: red;">$8</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.jcwhitney.com/" target="New">JC Whitney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome radiator grille </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>NOS Alphabet mufflers for Kawasaki 1000</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Mirrors salvaged off of CB350 parts bike</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Drag bars </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $15</span></td>
<td>751 Motorsports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>4" Dogbone risers </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $15</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Harley-davidson grips</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td>buddy gave them to me</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>2 pairs of aluminum mini turn signals</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $40</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.newmotorcycleparts.com/" target="New">Cycle Recycle Pt. II</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Forkbag, mounted below radiator.</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.dbgear.com/" target="New">dbgear</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>7" over fork tubes, originally made for CB400. </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $25</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>'78 CX500 triple tree, fork sliders, caliper, and fender. The '82 uses 36mm air forks, <br />
so I needed to use a 78-81 CX500 front end. </td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td>Dick In Raleigh.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>1/8" flat steel stock, various nuts and bolts, and hollow rod to make highway bar. Price includes a bunch of money wasted on research and bad designs. </td>
<td><span style="color: red;">< $40</span></td>
<td>Home Depot</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>11" Chrome short shocks</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $80</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.newmotorcycleparts.com/" target="New">Cycle Recycle Pt. II</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>FIAMM horn, because the stocker didn't work - NOTE: Needs relay.</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $15</span></td>
<td>Auto Zone</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Fork brace</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $30</span></td>
<td><a href="http://www.ebay.com/" target="New">eBay</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">•</span></td>
<td>Bullet license plate bolts</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td>had lying around garage</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td><td><span style="font-size: large;">• </span></td>
<td>Chrome HTTA fuse cover.</td>
<td><span style="color: red;"> $0</span></td>
<td>Dick In Raleigh</td>
</tr>
<tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#dddddd" colspan="5"><b><span style="color: black;">Total cost of modifications: </span><span style="color: red;"> $413</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h2>
<b>Parts removed:</b></h2>
<div>
Stock '82 forks, triple tree, caliper, headlight ears, turnsignals, rear grab bar, taillight, seat, plastic radiator grille, stock mufflers, speedo cable, handlebars, mirrors, crash bars, kickstand, and shocks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6849357757593860336.post-11894087946699183622002-06-15T18:30:00.000-04:002013-06-09T10:48:16.395-04:00Introduction (Pre-modifications)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0GGlE7RbUVzUeQXocB4-gxNopqQmzNfL65LhsXvRL-MmLEn3NgH9CawCWBJuLnsswi2E-jOuh1ys9LHl-BVe2J_vOSbVWWMc1Gg38zJj7EQkEBQqvpWnsxSaa6hhT5maQYtmN6fsW4/s1600/dicks82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf0GGlE7RbUVzUeQXocB4-gxNopqQmzNfL65LhsXvRL-MmLEn3NgH9CawCWBJuLnsswi2E-jOuh1ys9LHl-BVe2J_vOSbVWWMc1Gg38zJj7EQkEBQqvpWnsxSaa6hhT5maQYtmN6fsW4/s320/dicks82.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the bike before I started chopping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My father has always had garbage motorcycles. They were always breaking, and he was really tired of owning junk. Every time he'd get something halfway nice, he'd turn around and sell it in a few months to pay for my or my brother's college tuition. So he ended up buying non-runners and fixing them, and they were *always* breaking.<br />
<br />
So in 2002, after saving money for a year, I bought my Dad a new motorcycle. This was the bike he was working on trying to fix at the time, which he eventually gave to me when my Magna was down for engine repairs.<br />
<br />
I rode this bike for a while, and eventually fixed my Magna. Instead of selling it, I kept it around and used it when the weather was bad or when I needed to ride into less than savory areas. It started as a 1982 Honda CX500 Custom. Note the air-assisted 36mm front forks, the nice 2-pot caliper, the rusty headlight ears, the crash bars, the beautiful seat, the fugly turn signals, the pullback bars, and the giant luggage rack. Yeah, ugly didn't even begin to describe it.<br />
<br />
Of course, I couldn't live with that, so I started chopping it. Check out these pages for the progress I've made and pictures I've taken every step of the way. This is truly a "cheaper chopper". I've set out to prove that anyone with a little ingenuity can build their own custom chopper for very, very little money.ChopperCharleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017133627460089216noreply@blogger.com0