I think you should sell the EVO engine, and stick the 10 hp B&S in it....



Gas ain't gonna stay cheap forever....

 

Connecticut. I lived there for 30 years around New Haven. Motorcycle culture there is much different than here. I now live right near the famous Tail of The Dragon and Deals Gap. So lot's of more HD bikes, but mostly new t-cams touring around with older riders. No bar blasters or anything even slightly custom painted to be seen. Maybe the average HD rider has changed though, I have been here and pretty tuned out since TC bikes really started hitting the road,,,,maybe some of both.
Anyhow, No real rebuilding going on. Would have likely left the drivetrain intact if it were not for a leaking tranny main seal, but that led to this. So far have lowered the forks 1-1/2 with some CPVC. Just one 3/4x3/4 coupling with small stubs of 3/4 pipe glued inside fit like a glove in each fork. The motor is this focus now. Tons of work to prep for paint. Alu is so hard to get good paint bond with, and this 1340 is a mess on the outside. I think when I am done with paint prep I will have 6hrs onto that and sore finger tips. I think a final lemon juice rinse down before paint will help alot.
Going to run a stock FXST fat bob fender. I have looked all over the net and so many choices, but to me none does as good a job of making the bike look low to the wheel and still offering a very clean license plate mounting spot. It's not until you get into full length fenders that you don't immediately see the big gap between the end of the fender and tire unless it's bobbed or swingarm mounted and I really don't care for the gap between the spring seat and fender when people go that route. All at least to my eyes. Only thing I do not like about the stock fender is it sticks out about 4" to far out. Once I get to that point, I may cut and weld both the fender and struts to match shorter. Not sure it will work with the curves, have a feeling I can only chop and inch or so before things start looking weird angles. Well, off to finish the motor prep and maybe paint today if I can steal a few hours. May mount the B&S in there in the meanwhile...lol

 

I just did the same thing........and I hear ya! I tore down a 90 softail and bobbed it.........no cure for the gap between the seat and fender...little things like that bother the hell out of me! I ended up selling it for quite a hefty profit...I was thinking of banging out a couple a year cause of that! lol....

 

You took a clean up and detailing to a whole new level Sir
Looking forward to pics as well

WP

 

Why not just move the seat back?

 

Have to thank my wife for holding down the fort while I put the 6hrs into getting this motor painted today. VHT wrinkle black. Came out decent, but this stuff has always been a little hit or miss. It's even, but this time the wrinkles came a little more heavily wrinkled than I wanted. Years ago I had a system that was foolproof with it but I don't recall it exactly and was too lazy to try and recreate it. It was something like one heavy coat, then a few hours or a day later a very light mist coat and it would wrinkle instantly, finely, and even. So if anyone is planing on doing this and wants perfect, maybe you can re-discover it. Kind of like Damascuss steel. LOL/
No worries though, even is good enough...I'll take it. Now to let it cure for a few days...highlight the fins and put the rockers and tubes back on. The tubes were leaking so had to come off anyhow. Someone installed those stupid lifer block covers (I hate cheap chrome junk like that) so needless to say, could not see where exactly it was coming from. Should be easy sailing from here...mostly cleaner more fun stuff as it goes back together....more to come over the next few days.

 

Well, not much done. Waiting on pushrod gasket set before I bolt motor down so I have easy access to the rocker fasteners. Wrinkle cured nicely, and the UN-hilighted fins are growing on me...not sure if I will leave them black or highlight them. Mocking up the fender now. Looks like I can lower the fender in the back by lowering it in the strut. Will have to disconnect the rear shocks to have it bottomed to be 100% sure before I do any cutting and welding. Just a minor thing, but makes a difference to me. Could not bear to scuff the very nice chrome on the trees and oil tank, so giving Plasti-dip a try for the first time. Guess I am not 100% committed to the blackish look long term, but those pieces just don't flow right as chrome for this look to me. Will be painting the back rim to HD's current scheme for them. Still undecided on chrome or black for the pulley and rotor. I just know that ugly rotor can't stay as is. Did the math on the project and with all the parts so far I am at 4k exactly. Was planning to replace front stock rim (rusty spokes and hub) but looking like I will just end up painting the spokes and hub for now and then see. Forks needed new seals and wipers. So while apart I am putting them in the lathe and loosing the reflector bosses and fender mounts. Not gonna run a front fender on this one and FXST lower legs are so cheap used not worried about changin my mind down the road. Last pic was on Photobucket, so thought I would share. Was my last HD and a real custom...partly why I am only doing minor mods to this one and enjoying keeping it cheap. That one had as much $$ into polishing and paint alone as this whole bike. Was FXWG shovel, cut, stretched for the evo and raked a bit. Molded frame, hot rodded motor, and a ton of money and work. Sold it for about 1/2 what I had into it with only a few miles on it as I had just moved and was keeping it in a rickity shed and it was going to crap..plus I was opening a biz and so decided to off it. Have regretted both the lost time and money invested and have also regretted selling it since. So, no more of that...simple, cheap and "good enough" is what I after this time.

 

I have that same rear wheel, except the center section was polished smooth and the whole thing was chrome plated. Removed it to go back to the old school spokes. PM me if interested.

 

Well, I can say with 100% confidence that plasti-dip is crap and has no place on my bike...or any bike. Well, at least with glossifier on it. stays tacky...attracts dirt, too rubbery to wipe clean and not durable. May make good underlayment for the mats in my toolbox and good for mockup to see what I want black...but I am pretty sure straight 96 cent rattle can paint right over chrome would be superior. That said, I will try it again without the glossifier to see if that is why it sucks...but I doubt it.

 

Plastidip without glossifier dries nice and much nicer looking than flat rattle can paint. The glossifier sucks. I did my rims bars and lowers and it looks fine the finish. The trick is light coats on chrome and get five coats on it. The first two coats you should still see chrome under it