Mt first street bike was a basket case chopper. Bought it from a dude who lost interest. Frame and a bunch of milk crates full of parts. 1972 Ironhead sportster engine, kick only of course, ridgid frame, foot clutch, jockey shift, suicide throttle, no front brake, and the rake and trail on the frame was totally wrong. Had the low speed chopper flop so bad that it could and would throw you off given half a chance. Parts would literally shake off of it and it leaked oil like a sieve. It tried it's very best to kill you every time you rode it, and it damn near succeeded in the end. But I loved it and learned alot on how a motorcycle works and what NOT to do with a motorycle!
Holy crap that was 30 years ago.
Built many from a pile of boxes and a bare frame, my sig bike being one.
I found her at a swap meet as a frame on the floor with 1/2 dozen crates of dirty parts and lower end still drippin oil. Turned into this several months later
Been through a few changes since and this is her last go round, same bike.
Built this one the same way, basket case for a $1000 to this 6 months later. I did the blacked out thing 20 years before it became the new thing
Been numerous others over the years including a number of choppers, lost all those pictures in a house fire
So you're saying you were an "Influencer" back in the day?
Nice bikes, my shovel never looked as good as those do...
So you're saying you were an "Influencer" back in the day?
Nice bikes, my shovel never looked as good as those do...
Thanks, I get the urge to go off on one every now and then and they tend to get detailed. Came out of a stop one afternoon and some guy was on his hands & knees crawling all around that black one, he had to have it, was my second bike anyway. Got 11K for that one in the mid 90's, came back around about 5 years ago I could have bought it back for $2500, guy was hurting for cash. Already had 3 in the garage as it was so didn't.
I finished this one a little over a year ago:
Not sure I'd cop to "from scratch", though. To me, "scratch" means you fab the frame from raw tubing. I started with a Paughco frame, so a lot of the work was done for me.
The scratch fabrication was limited. Various mounts and brackets. Little bit of frame modification. Did a severe chop to the rear fender. Biggie was the exhaust, which I hand made from stainless tubing.
About 30 years ago, Paughco frame with a 86 evo motor, 82 lowrider front end and a 79 4 speed. It's all the small things that will make you pull your hair out.
I finished this one a little over a year ago:
Not sure I'd cop to "from scratch", though. To me, "scratch" means you fab the frame from raw tubing. I started with a Paughco frame, so a lot of the work was done for me.
The scratch fabrication was limited. Various mounts and brackets. Little bit of frame modification. Did a severe chop to the rear fender. Biggie was the exhaust, which I hand made from stainless tubing.
You built a bike from the ground up that wasn't a kit or stock with a load bolt on dodads, it qualifies, nicely done by the way.
this was a few boxes as a state police auction. It started life as a Massachusetts state police bike, Few parts made to to the final build that came in the boxes. I needed the numbers from the frame and the cases
06-08-2019, 09:56 PM
