updates on my build. finally!

BiffTirkle · Posted: March 21, 2008, 8:05 pm Post subject: updates on my build. finally!

alright finally i am getting so close, i should start posting about my build. after all the questions ive asked, and research i have done on this site and all over the damned internet. im finally getting "THIS CLOSE" to getting it together. i have spent the past year gathering parts, and parts bikes for this project. id like to thank all those who endured my questions. and dont worry, im not done. i will have many more to ask when the time comes.
last week i received an answer to a post i made about xs650 parts and i got two 78 near complete parts bikes for free. and tomorrow i will be picking up another near complete running parts bike for 150 bucks with a spare set of carbs and a new wiring harness!!! i dont have pics yet, but i will take some this weekend. this is just an introduction to my build, and a laundry list of what is getting done and what is being done.

as some may know i got mikes new 750 kit. wow that thing is pretty!
i just got a set of 34mm mikuni round slides from michael at 650 central, along with his spin on oil filter kit, exhaust port and torque peak optimizers. boyer ignition. a set of iridium spark plugs. and new stronger clutch springs.

i WILL be ordering very soon mikes performance cam kit, performance rods, and new high volume oil pump.

i will have a 140 white wall rear tire, and a 110 white wall front tire.

i also need to order a set of 1 3/4" pipes. having a hell of a time getting a set, last damned hiccup left to get my engine running.

i have a running engine that will go in the bike until i finish rebuilding one of these engines i got.

now that you have read my parts list, ill explain the build and color scheme.

ill go ahead and post a pic, but a few things have changed since this pic.

just a classic hard tail bobber look. no springer front end. spending all the cash on the engine. ive ebayed a lot of stuff to get the flow for these parts.

ill be doing a clear powder coat over the frame tank and fenders.

the wheels will be spoked with black rims and hubs, nickel spokes. black lower fork tubes. black engine, pipes, electrics oil tank.

im pretty excited about the build. i love the look of a basic bobber. and the craftsmanship that goes into a nice bike. i want that to be seen with the clear frame and such.

so there you have it. if you've read this far, thank you. again thank you to all who have helped me figure stuff out, and im sure i will be asking plenty of questions come time to get the thing running, which should be soon. ive only been riding bikes for 4 years now. and thats been off and on. i had my fill with mopeds, lots of fun, simple bikes. so i natrually moved up to motorcycles. havent been able to stop. its something thats gotten into me and i cannot shake it. i love the way i feel riding a bike. some kid pulled out in front of me and i hit him and trashed my first bike. and it was torture, not to ride. then i got an xs650 and wow, this is a GREAT bike. so i now commence on building my bike.

heres the pic, i will be posting a whole lot more, including tear down and rebuild of my engine.

Finksies · Posted: March 21, 2008, 10:29 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

Lookin good.... What size are those apes, they look great... I hoping to find a pair of 14 cause I wanna run mine vertical, can really find a pair I like in the 7/8th" so I think Ill end up putting on harley risors. Are u gunna gusset up the frame or just leave it open like that, I like that look but It felt alittle dangerous to me. Nice build throw up some pics of those controls they look sick.

BiffTirkle · Posted: March 22, 2008, 7:51 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

the apes are 16" from ebay i paid 40.00

i should gusset the frame. but, i wont. not now at least. i can always do it later.

besides i dont know how to weld. if i did, it would be done.

the frame was made for me by las vegas kurt. who now lives in oregon. he was referred to me by someone on here a year ago.

i will post more pics. but now i need to strip down the two bikes i picked up last weekend.

chazz · Posted: March 23, 2008, 4:58 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

frame deffo needs gussets round the head stock,they'll stop your frame flexing which will eventually snap,looks great though,its also a similar shape to my other xs2 project,keep at it Laughing

chazz

BiffTirkle · Posted: March 23, 2008, 9:00 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

yes, ive been worrying about that. i need to get a chain stay welded on. once i get the bike mocked up with engine and all. i will take it to my welder and have the last little bits done.

stevied58 · Full Member Joined: May 24, 2007 Posts: 68

looking good keep up the good work

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:06 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

alright guys, as i promised yesterday i would add my powder coating experience to this post. and pictures to boot. first, you may have read my comments yesterday, but, if you didnt, just to answer any questions i may have answered previously, i am cutting and pasting my comments here. first

some of these are comments replied to royfisk, if you want to read the whole conversations, heres the link.

650rider.com/index.php...nose+bleed

i got myself a 60 or 70 dollar harbor freight powder coat gun! hah! and since im an appliance repair technician by trade, i work with a company that does sales, service, and installs. it took a month or so, but i finally got an old amana convection oven that our installers brought back. took the top off, put a sheet of steel (shipped with wolf oven cavities) on the top, and there you go, powder coating system for less than 100 bucks!

well, i believe its the same thing as the eastwood hotcoat setup. but cheaper by a few bucks at that time, now i think its the same cost. and ive already broken it. good thing i got that warranty. worth the extra 5 bucks. its cheap plastic, i broke the moisture filter before i even started it, and then today i forgot to take my foot off the pedal and turn it off before i adjusted the spreader and zapped myself and dropped it and cracked the barrel.

as for results, last night was my first go. i tried to powder coat the brake holder/cover for a rear drum brake hub. and totally screwed it up. well its not bad, but i will have to strip it down and do it again. today was a bit more successful. i powdered my rear hub. taped off and plugged rear sprocket holes. and popped it in the oven for 20 min, and it came out looking good. i missed a couple spots in the grooves of the hub, as it was difficult to get the powder in there, but i will go over that with an enamel black, and you wont be able to tell the difference. i will be taking pictures tomorrow, and posting them on my thread for my project.

one of my wifes co-workers' husband a few months ago was working at a powder coating company, and was going to hook me up. get my whole bike done for the cost of powder, and six pack. well, it took me a while longer to get some last minute welding done to my frame, and his wife ended up kicking him to the curb, and he packed up and went to florida. so there went my free ticket, and i was back to doing it at home.

i did get some great advice from him before he left. i was asking about how he did rims and such. and i asked if he plugged all the spoke holes in the rim and what he did about hook marks and such. the answer was much simpler than i was expecting. no he didnt plug up the spoke holes because the powder only adheres to the metal that is charged. and the spokes are not the same diameter as the holes so what little powder gets inside the holes was negligible. as for the hook marks, use a small enough, strong enough wire, and loop them through the spoke holes and you cant see it, touch it up with powder after it bakes while the metal is still hot and it melts right in. i havent tried that yet, but i feel that a black enamel touch up paint should suffice for me.

powder coating around here is obscenely expensive, it would have cost me as much as i am spending on this project to powder coat! so im doing it myself, if i can get an infrared heat lamp for cheap, or borrow, or devise a way to do my frame, i will do everything. if i cant, my frame will be all that i get done at a shop.

the powder coaters ive talked to, dont do anything mechanical, they dont take anything apart. so their customers have to have the stuff grease free, and broken down. but they still charge an arm and a leg.

i think if i had more money, i would have gotten a better powder coating machine. but really, i think the concept is the same in the cheap ones as the mid range ones. my rear hub looks pretty nice now. im quite impressed. and i certainly think its worth it to do it at home. especially for small parts. hop on craigslist find an electric convection oven (you want convection because you want that even heat flowing around your piece).

im glad i decided to go this route, its made me feel a bit more accomplished with my bike.

like i said earlier, i will post pics tomorrow on my thread to my project. but i just went downstairs and pulled the hub off the drying rack, and wow! it looks so much better than i thought. i got it in good light, and got a good look at it. sure, i can improve my technique. since this is only the second piece ive coated. im impressed with how easy it was. with smaller and simpler pieces, im sure they would come out looking awesome. since this hub has those "heat sink" grooves in it, it was difficult to get the powder in there 100% which is where i have any discrepancies. so its not like they will be scrutinized. and once i get that black enamel touch up paint in there, you wont be able to tell. anyway, ill post pics and comments tomorrow. i will probably cut and paste a alot of what ive said on this thread

alright, now for some pictures....

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:17 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

i have to come up with a better way to do my front wheel, i really dont want to powder coat wheels again. more difficult than anticipated.

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:24 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

batch 2 of pics

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:25 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

batch 3 pics

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:32 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

last one, i think.

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 11:35 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

alright, now im tracking down the parts of the rear wheel, i've misplaced. im not sure if i pulled off a "collar", and cant find one on any of the other wheels ive got. so im going to put the bearings and seals in the hub, and re spoke the wheel. and ill get my brother to true it. ill post more pics as soon as im a bit further on.

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 26, 2008, 6:33 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

finally completed the rear wheel. now it needs to be trued and balanced. but holy crap that was tough for a first time rebuild. its a good thing i had another bike from which to go out and see how it was laced, because that damned manual is not easy to follow.

i think the wheel looks pretty good. i should have powdered the wheel a bit thicker because i scratched it in a couple of spots relacing it. the good part is ive got a bike out back i can do the same thing to again, this time knowing what mistakes to avoid. but for now, i need a wheel for my project.

xs1961 · Posted: May 26, 2008, 7:22 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

They look great Biff..Is that crinkle paint?

By the way - my daughter says youre scary- she reckons you look like a contract killer.. Wink

BiffTirkle · Last edited by BiffTirkle on June 4, 2008, 6:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

yes, it is a crinkle powder coat. not a heavy wrinkle. but just enough.

and thats amazing, contract killer. that was my first shave with my straight razor. and i love growing a great moustache! anyway, i suppose it is time to change the picture. ill put up a nicer picture of me.

Finksies · Posted: May 26, 2008, 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

Man im jealous of your sweet facial hair. IM 22 going on 23 and I can't grow s***. Those wheels came out tits, give us a little more information on ur powder setup. Looks great, I did my black but it left a big hole in my pocket, I kinda wanna try to rig up something.

xsleo · Posted: May 27, 2008, 1:03 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

g&l choppers has a set of black pipes that look real good. they have some other good loking parts too.i like there controls. most put them way out front, these are even with the frame. try this link www.freewebs.com/glcho...dtails.htm

BiffTirkle · Posted: May 31, 2008, 3:21 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

g&l choppers uses old stock head pipes, and i wanted 1 3/4" pipes. so i got my pipes from ardcore choppers.

today, i finished putting the wheel together, i put the bearings, seals, and tire on. popped it in the frame, then went and put the front end on the bike, im working on my front wheel still so this is a mag i had laying around.

i managed to get an engine in the frame. then needed a second pair of hands and didnt have them so i couldnt mount the engine. that will happen later i think. maybe next weekend. i think im done for now. anyway, enjoy the pictures.

BiffTirkle · Posted: June 2, 2008, 7:38 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

alright got my engine in the frame. ive got a few things left to have welded on, gusset, chain stay, and i think thats it. anyway, this engine will be cleaned up and hopefully i will use that engine while i rebuild another.

Ssimon · Posted: June 4, 2008, 10:31 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

that looks sick. Are you gonna do a mag front wheel or switch it out to a spoke?

BiffTirkle · Posted: June 4, 2008, 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

thanks!!

front spoke wheel is just a weekend project away. its the least of my worries at the moment. i need to get the welding done to the frame so i can actually get this thing running before the end of summer.

xs1961 · Posted: June 5, 2008, 3:42 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

Looks smart Biff..
I'd be panicking right now if I were you though, it'll soon be longest day of the year! Surprised

How much were those pipes & can you let me know their address?
How olds your nipper? Looks bout the same age as mine, 8 months, so where are you going to weld the sidecar mounts ? Wink

BiffTirkle · Posted: June 5, 2008, 7:24 am Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

i got the pipes from ardcore choppers
with shipping i paid 340.00. i know its a lot. but i cant weld, nor do i know anyone who does. and sure you can buy a set from g&l choppers for less, but he uses stock pipes and builds his from there, i needed 1 3/4" all the way. on top of that, i have a custom frame. my forward controls get in the way of stock pipe bends.

www.ardcorechoppers.com

they did good work. only thing i have against em is this. they told me up front that they usually wont start making them until they have 3 or 4 sets to make. i thought at first "ok, that shouldnt be too bad, a couple weeks or so".
well i doubt they had more sets than mine to make because it took them 6 weeks to get my pipes to me. needless to say i was a bit pissed. i emailed them 3 times and called more, and only caught hold of them on the phone once. but it wasnt much more than a week after i spoke to them when i got the pipes. they did include exhaust port optimizers.

my little girl is 7 months this saturday. close!

and as for side car. hah! no can do. this is a one person ride! my wife will have to ride the stock bike if she wants to ride with me.

paintmegone · Posted: June 5, 2008, 2:44 pm Post subject: Re: updates on my build. finally!

I do powdercoating and the problem you had with the hub can be overcome by flokking.heat the part up then spray on the powdercoat.sharp corners and ribs can cause that problem because the area fills with static and the powder cannot get in there.spraying a hot part solves this problem.Bike is looking great i must add.

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