Bradley's bike

Sportster number two is a 2003 XLH 883.  I bought this bike to be Bradley's first motorcycle once he is old enough to ride it.  It is a nice and stock low mileage bike and I'm gonna keep it that way.  This bike and my '74 are almost perfect just the way they are.  This one needs to have the hypercharger removed and a proper HD air filter installed.  I'm also on the look out for a 1200 custom seat to replace the badlander.

How many kids get a Sportster to ride to high school 3 years before they can even ride it?  I got this bike for him but I bought a 2003 Sportster in  particular because I wanted one like this when they were new.  I wasn't capable to buy a new bike until July 2005 when I got my first Sportster.

you always remember your first...

Sportsters are, in my opinion, the best motorcycles Harley-Davidson builds.  I have always liked them.  I currently own 3 of them.  My first one is a 2005 XLH 883.  I bought it new, it was my first Harley.  It's a 1200 now, been painted a couple times and has been there for me through thick and thin.  If the shit hit the fan and I had to sell everything I owned this is the bike I would ride into the sunset with nothing but the clothes on my back.

 

The bike is currently rattle can Chevy orange with a bad flame job.  I bought paint to redo it in the same design but better execution.  It is going to be the same color orange as the General Lee with black pearl flames on the gas tank.  The jolly roger paint job lasted a few years.  It will get used again if I ever get my chopper done.



I like Sportsters

Well I am not a very active blogger.  It's been nearly a year since I updated.  Last July I bought a house, and another Sportster.  The newest bike is also the oldest.  It's a 1974 XLH 1000.  I am the 3rd owner and it is a nice stock motorcycle.  I got it from a fellow named Jack.  He bought the bike in 1975 with only 1000 miles on it.  I also got the original gas tank, still in original paint, with the deal and a sweet AMF padlock.  I plan on repainting the fenders to match the paint on the OEM tank and reinstalling it. 

The bike is so close to stock I can't bring myself to modify it.  The pipes are different, but I think they are very early Cycle Shack pipes.  They have been on the bike since the 70's.

It has been repainted once with a larger king sporty tank installed.  It is a couple shades darker maroon than the original color.  I intend to bring the paint job back to stock with out repainting the tank.  I'm just going to redo the fenders to match the old tank.

Right now the tank is enshrined above the television in the living room.

 

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I've got more than one bike.

So I have decided to write this blog about all my motorcycles.  Originally it was only about my chopper build.  Well that project is still in the works but is very slow going.  I have several other bikes besides that one.  From now on I am going to include everything motorcycle related.

On Feb 16th 2013 I rode in the GLMC PopCycle derby in Belle Plaine MN.  It was my first time riding on ice for any length of time.  It sure was a fun way to kick off the 2013 riding season.  ST Rich gets the credit for the awesome photo of my Sportster.  It looks pretty mean wearing knobbies and ice spikes.

Here's a synopsis of my 2013 PopCycle andventure:

First off I set my alarm for 5:52 PM instead of AM so right off the bat I'm and hour and 20 minutes later than I wanted to be. Got on the road headed south about 7:35. I get to Belle Plaine right at 10 am when they were starting to sign people up.

The the bike wouldn't start, I had it on the battery charger all night but it was just a little to cold. So I shut the trailer doors and fired up the Mr Buddy propane heater. I went inside and registered while the bike warmed up. Came back a little later and it fired up but my starter was sounding pretty sick. After warming up in the trailer for 20 minutes it started.  Rolling the bike off the trailer I was thinking alright I'm here, the bikes running, lets do this.

Rich says to me "your front tire looks a little low on air". Dammit he's right. We figure out there's a Kwik Trip a couple blocks away. "I'll go pump up the tire and be right back". Rich lends me a $5 bill in case it's a machine that takes quarters because I didn't have any cash on me.

While riding the 3 blocks to Kwik Trip the front tire falls off the bead. Dammit it must have been lower on air then I thought. Shit now what. I tried the Kwik Trip air pump anyways but it just wouldn't go. Not enough air pressure or volume. Limp the bike back to the bowling alley.

I get back there and I'm very upset because of my darn flat tire. Daggy points out that there is a co-op tire place just a couple blocks up Commerce St. He hops in his car, drives up there, and does some recon. They are open and willing to help me. I hop on the bike and go the 3 blocks up there real slow so I don't dislodge the tire from the rim.

It's about 12 minutes before the first rider is scheduled to leave at this point. I get to the co-op and the guy starts helping me right away. I lifted the bike backwards against the jiffy stand to get the front tire off the ground and he worked the air hose and got the tire beaded up again. I tried to give him the 5 spot Rich lent me but he wouldn't take it.

I got back to the bowling alley and all the guys are sitting on their bikes ready to go. I'm rider number 6 so I have about 7 minutes to get all my winter riding gear on and get in line to depart. In my haste I set my glasses down when I was putting my helmet on and didn't put them back on. Rich runs inside gives me a route card. Shit I don't have anyway to secure the card to the bike for riding. So I look at the first couple directions, stuff it down in between my legs and seat and pull my last glove on just as Rich is saying 5-4-3-2-1-GO!

I'm off and riding. The first few miles are hard to figure out what I'm doing. I didn't get to talk to any of the experienced riders for tips and tricks before we left. I didn't reset my trip meter so the guideline miles are just a guesstimate. I arrived at the first checkpoint and found Sev doing math for the second card of the morning stretch. I decided to follow him and I mostly kept up with him. I got a little lost in town, but still made it back earlier than required. I have 10 points after the morning ride.

At this point the morning is a blur to me. I can't believe that I am there, that I made it, I didn't wipe out and I'm generally very excited. Everyone has a buzz about them from the ride and it's very fun to have accomplished. I gave Rich his 5 bucks back. We get ready to go inside and Sev says to me "grab your helmet and bring it inside to keep it warm". I said "why". Then he explained to me that it was only halftime and we had another route to look forward to after lunch. This made me even happier.

I went inside and wolfed down a sloppy joe. I chatted with the guys for a bit and went outside to install some fresh ice screws into my tires on the knobbies that didn't have them yet. The exsisting ones were pretty worn down. I was really glad I added some fresh screws.

The first card of the afternoon course was a really slippery section for most of the route. I got about 7 minutes behind and stayed behind for the whole afternoon. I did find some battery tender alligator clips in the pick up and I used them to secure my route cards in the afternoon. That was alot better than digging in my seat for the card everytime I needed to make a turn.

Over all I had a fantastic day. I didn't wipe out. I finished with 35 points for 5th place. Not to shabby for a first timer wingin' it. Thanks to everyone who put this event together.

Got the new oil tank, gas tanks, and pipes on

     Still waiting on the 12" apes to arrive.  The drag bars hit the tank when turned all the way right, well the throttle cable will anyways.  I sat on the bike with the new tanks mounted and I'm not positive I like them.  I do like the new oil tank alot and I can live with the pipes.  My walmart camera doesn't take very good pictures without natural sunlight.  I have the day off tomorrow and I'm going back out to the garage to see if I can make the spacer I need to fit between the frame tab and the flatside tank mounts for the lower front bolts.  Then I can drill the hole for the top front mount.

I had to rotate the shifter one spline forward to get it to clear the oil tank on the up shift without hitting.  I think it will work out well tho because now it sits a little lower under my leg and more forward so it is easier to find it.

I also found the two little screws and plastic hold down tab for the stator wires and installed them tonight.  Now that I found them I can install the rotor and the belt drive.  With the primary belt installed I can make the braces for the front portion of the transmission plate.

Dan R from The Horse tech board told me I better make a re-enforcement for the trans mounting plate where it is welded to the seat post if I am going to run without an inner primary or motor plate.  It'll break right away if I don't.

Exhausting

     I have had alot of difficulty getting a set of pipes on this bike.  I wanted originally to have a lakes pipe style with both cylinders going 2-1 down the side of the bike with the machine gun tip I made on the Smithy.  My pipe fitting / modifying skills are not as good as I would like them to be.  So far I have ruined every pipe I have tried to put on the bike.

     The pipe in this picture is from a 2010 Streetglide.  If fits nice under the kicker, but has a catalytic converter in it.  I cut the end of the pipe off to try and get the cat out.  I expected the insides to be kind of ceramic and easy to break out, not the case at all.  I didn't completely ruin this one, but I have abandoned using it for now.

     I have had the major pieces for this bike for several years now.  Last month marked the 9 year anniversary of when I bought the frame.  Thats a pretty pathetic build time.  I have wanted to build as many parts for the bike as possible.  As it turns out I'm just not as good at making parts as I want to be.  I ordered some parts today to give this project a little jump start, also changes the plan a little bit.

     I have a set of 1 3/4" shotgun drag pipes in the garage right now.  I also have on the way a round chrome oil tank, and a set of 3.5 gallon flatside split tanks.  Buying these parts instead of making them myself makes me feel a little bit like a sell out.  However I have justified it to myself that I can always make my own oil tank and put it in.  I just need to complete this project and get it on the road.  I can always add, or change it later.

The bigger tanks may cause problems with the low handlebars.  I haven't completely decided yet but if they don't fit I am probably going to swap on a set of Khromewerks 12 inch narrow bottom ape hangers.  They have been on my list of possible bars for quite a while.  I'll have the tanks mounted up by next Monday night and I'll make up my mind then.

Exhaust changes

I think I am going to change my mind on the exhaust pipe. We had a Basani 2-1 headpipe for a Dyna that had scratches in the black ceramic in the extra parts room at work. My boss Dan was kind enough to let me use it. It didn't fit right away, and it still doesn't fit perfect.

I cut the straight portion of the rear pipe to lower the collector down under the kick start assmebly. I went to a muffler shop close to my house and the owner made me a slug to slip inside the pipe to extend it. I plan on wrapping the slug with a piece of sheet metal to make the outside diameter the same as the rest of the pipe once I get everything to fit together. The rear pipe fits nicely now but the pipe to front cylinder fitment is a bit crooked and I think I am going to have to stretch the pipe in the upright dimension and cut a portion out in the going backwards dimension to get it all lined up. I don't want it to leak when I'm done. Right now I think I'm just going to stare at it a while and see if I like it. If I keep it the collector will be extended and run parallel to the rear frame rail going to the axle.

Also in this picture is the oil tank that I bought from Trevor on The Horse swap meet. I cleaned it out in the solvent tank at work. I got some round magnets with a hole in the middle of them from Radio Shack and fastened a zip tie through the middle so I could get the magnet back out. I kept flushing and cleaning it until the solvent was clean and the magnets didn't have any debris on them. I have to order a few more oil line fittings to get it all plumbed in.