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Admin, please move this if necessary, I didn't see a "Build Thread" category or anything.
So about 5 years ago, I bought a custom "chopper" from a guy in AL that I fell in love with. Below is a few pictures of it when I picked her up. Didn't take long after riding it I could tell it had some issues, not unlike most "custom" bike builds. I was dumb to alot of the things that you should really check before buying a used custom bike and I had a pocket full of money burning through my leg. Long story short, The bike was uncomfortable to ride, as it was built for a guy who was 6'4" and I'm 5'10".......and 1/2. LOL.
I got sick of it just sitting in the garage and it wasn't safe enough to sell it to anyone and have a good nights sleep afterwards. So I did the only thing I knew to do..... I got drunk and tore it completely apart. Sold a bunch of the good parts off it and re-powdered some things that were good parts but had shitty chrome or previous gloss black powder. I decided to build something more "Pro Street" like I really wanted and less "camelback bar hopper" like I had foolishly purchased. Ordered a new frame from Kraft Tech and began going through the engine. That's when I found that everything that could go wrong inside an engine and it still be running, had in fact gone wrong. Cam bearings failing, flywheel pin shifted (twin cam), oil pump grooved, cam plate grooved, cams showing pits in the lobes, stock pushrods and springs. Even the jugs were scored up bad and the piston skirts were all scratched up and showing signs of detonation. Ordered new pistons, had the heads, jugs and all worked by Cycle Rama in FL and compression releases installed ready for the new 96 1/2" kit big bore kit and Wiseco Pistons, had the flywheels trued and cases gone through. Here is my progress a little over 1 year after I tore it apart. Once the engine is done (long story short, don't ask favors of friends, pay money for work to be done) we can make quick work of the final assembly and be back on 2 wheels soon. Let me know what you think. My first bike build 95% by myself with the help of knowledgeable friends, HD manuals, google, ebay, and HD Forums!
Lots of pictures and more to come.
Be gentle.........
The bate that lured me in
Fancy photoshop
Dat ***
A few hours and several whiskeys after "the decision"
Nekkid
displeased to say the least
New frame and Fender from Kraft Tech
Powder and trying on her new harness. The old harness, I could not bring myself to photograph. No idea how it never burned to the ground
room for activities
Gorgeous forged goodness right there
All black
More black
half *** mockup
little more black
this fender had 4 layers of paint and who knows how much bondo. went through 2 cans of aircraft stripper and a wire wheel before I saw metal
teaser before more black powder
get low!
get low....er
found out the Deuce trees wouldnt work, had to go Pro One
Looks a billion times better already! Good work and sorry you walked into that trap but it looks like you are correcting everything that was wrong with that thing. Starting to look like a great bike.
Can't tell you how great it is to see a true build thread on the board versus all of the BS clutter that has proliferated it since the '18 lineup came out. Nice work! Great job on your progress so far!!
Thanks guys. It's been slow and painful and expensive. But I grew up around hot rods and drag racing and was used to building what I needed. Although this is far easier than building a race car.
I like black.. Kraftech frames are pretty good from what I've seen.. I'm not much of a swedish chopper guy. I prefer a softail that handles well. Looks like you are headed in the right direction.
Still waiting on the engine to be done. My man has been sick. Once I get it set in the frame, it will be one wild and busy weekend of "assemble freaking everything at once" so surely nothing will go wrong.....right?
Also, had to send my Gripace control unit back and get it reprogrammed...... USPS lost it coming back to me...... then had to wait on the replacement for another 2 weeks. Fun stuff!
2000ish Softail Frankenstein Build
Sold a bunch of the good parts off it and re-powdered some things that were good parts but had shitty chrome or previous gloss black powder. I decided to build something more "Pro Street" like I really wanted and less "camelback bar hopper" like I had foolishly purchased. Ordered a new frame from Kraft Tech and began going through the engine. That's when I found that everything that could go wrong inside an engine and it still be running, had in fact gone wrong. Cam bearings failing, flywheel pin shifted (twin cam), oil pump grooved, cam plate grooved, cams showing pits in the lobes, stock pushrods and springs. Even the jugs were scored up bad and the piston skirts were all scratched up and showing signs of detonation. Ordered new pistons, had the heads, jugs and all worked by Cycle Rama in FL and compression releases installed ready for the new 96 1/2" kit big bore kit and Wiseco Pistons, had the flywheels trued and cases gone through. Here is my progress a little over 1 year after I tore it apart. Once the engine is done (long story short, don't ask favors of friends, pay money for work to be done) we can make quick work of the final assembly and be back on 2 wheels soon. Let me know what you think. My first bike build 95% by myself with the help of knowledgeable friends, HD manuals, google, ebay, and HD Forums!
