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



Bamboo risers, dunno why, I just like em






So excited about these babies

 

Out with the kidney rockers


in with the baby makers


Fender struts werent notched for a solo seat tab


slice it like ham. dont mind my welding/ yard cutting/ wife wants me to burn em, shoes


seat pan forming time


BANG! "bend you motha" BANG!


3 hours worth of rubber hammer a sheet metal shears




Bottom ready to go together


Sexy seat with the gel pad, mmmmm


that diamond stitch though, right?


Shes so sexy


little close up of that super shiny black



We've got the meats!


Chain drive all day!


When they don't make your rotors in black and the silver makes the wheels look ugly


Yes it'll probably peel, but it's good to 500* degrees so.... fingers crossed


MMM! mmmhmmmm


Shiny black legs and 2 tone headlight bucket with LED bulb


Clutch pack ready to go in..... soon as the engine goes in...... sigh.....

 

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.

 

And I guess this got moved from Softail to Custom.... why not.

 

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.

 

Thanks Max, she will definitely have some black on her haha.

 

Cool looking bike

 

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!