Looking for ideas.

I sold my ultra glide and am looking for ideas on what me and my grandson (12 yo) can build this winter. Mostly body, handlebars, paint, exhaust and everything outside the engine.

Here's some basic info.
we are in the beginner to medium skill set.
I'm looking for a daily driver, 10 or so miles each way.
I'd like to stay between the years 2009 and 2015.
I'm 6' + so I'm going to stay away from the sportsers.
I don't have enough knowledge to do a complete basket case build.

We'd love to hear some ideas from your experience.

Thanks,

Tom and Brayden.

 

Sounds like a wonderful thing for you and your grandson to do together! Bravo!

Your question is completely open ended, so I'd start with a few considerations:

- Do you want the bike to be a rider? Something you could reasonably put hundreds of miles on at a time? Or is this more about the build experience, and an "around the block" machine is all you want?

- Have you considered looking for a basket case and putting it back together? Those can be fun.

- Sportsters (and about everything about them) are cheaper than big twins.

- You will inevitably end up needing to do some fabrication (mounting brackets, etc) so think through a plan for that stuff.

Just a few thoughts. Good luck and have fun!

 

Another suggestion on the affordability of building a Sportster, especially a basket case one.

Sounds like a great idea! I hope you'll give us a thread on the progress once you decide something.

 

This is why I posted it here, the questions a great and I'm going to reword mine now.

Thanks,

Tom

 

+1 on the Sportster. I know you said no on a Sporty. I am 6' and rode one for two years. You will fit on one just fine. I went to a Big Twin for touring purposes but I love Sportys. I would love to have one in addition to my Slim but not going to happen due to finances. An excellent design and easy to work on.
kk

 

^^What he said.

I'm 6'2" and rode Sportsters for 13 years. But totally understand wanting to build something you know you'll want to ride.

 

If you are planning on doing real custom work and not just bolt on trinkets do you really want to keep all the electronic complexity the model years you targeted? EFI alone really boxes you in, finding an older carbed bike will open many more doors for simplicity, parts selections and playing with things without all the extra crap to hide or deal with.