Rims with some colour

Picked up the rims today. Incastienen added some colour to the black rims. I like it........ With some clear coat they are nicely protected to last for a long time.
Next stop.....stainless spokes!!!! Can't wait to see them ready.

Progress !!!

Got some more good news, just at the end of the weekend.
Picked up the ready frame from powdercoat yesterday and.... just now, received the news that my wheels are ready as well, ready for pick-up.
Progress !..... getting ready for the rebuild.

Corsica

No trailer queens.
Like I posted before. We have been riding our Yamaha Choppers for many years. One of the best trips was to Corsica. What an island!. When we got to the ferry in Nice we were the only choppers on board, the rest of the bikes, all ofroad. We learned quickly why that was the case. The roads where interesting to say the least. We blew a gasket of the mono-shock of my wives bike on the last week of the trip. We got home in 1 piece though. What a nice holiday!!
I will go back once......

The wheels are back and black

I love it when it gets to this stage of the build. Parts are returning from powdercoat ready for final assembly.
Got the Rims and hubs back, aren't they cool. Had Incastienen over to discuss some artwork for the rims. We made a decision, now we wait for the result. Can't wait..... to see the result

Disassembly, ready for powdercoat

For the looks I have in mind for the bike I want to basically get rid of chrome.
The best way and the most durable way to do this, to my view is powder coat. The Colour......Black of coarse. Not to worry I have some idea's with the paintjob that is a bit more exiting than 'just' black, if such a thing actually exists. You just have to wait and see.

Paint prep & sissy bar

When I cut this big fender into shape to become my rear fender I ended up with some flat sides after reshaping it. Through some help from Kustombart who organised a paint prep training for some of the Chopperstyle.nl guys I got my fender in some kind of shape. It is ready for the final stages before paint.















To start with disassembly I need to mount my rough shaped sissy bar to the fender and the swingarm. lets get to it.

Modified the swingarm

After looking at the swingarm for a while. I just couldn't convince myself that the Large bushing between the swingarm and the widened frame was strong enough. So I decided to go for the 'extra' strong option. a third bearing in a weld-on bush. It just feels better knowing the power of the engine.

New tin for the rear wheel

Having the paint scheme in my head and looking at the overall bike I want a fender that fits closely to the tire for a rigid look and has enough sheet metal to paint later on. Had a look what was available and found this big one at L&L choppers.
Now lets get cutting and welding.

Inspiration 1

You could argue that many companies in the current bike building industry are only about making money. With the "old" economy people where paying ridiculous prices for "home build" custom bikes. Exile in my view is one of the rare ones who have stayed true to their way of bike building. You like hem or you don't. I obviously do.
Like the no nonsense look of all their bikes. less is more.
Below bike has been an inspiration to me

Frame modification

Getting more clearance for the chain is essential for the look I have in mind. I want this bike to have the fattest tire that can fit around a 15 inch rim. Picked the Avon 230, looks the business to my opinion.

Choppers

The rise burners. We've been owning and riding them since 1990 in different shapes and forms. Both Engines did well over 100.000 KM. Rebuild them last year.

Lets cut the frame

In the meantime I have made some good progress during the winter and changed the backend of the frame to increase the clearance for the chain. After some measurements decided to move the rear sprocket with 1/2 inch. First thing to do......Lets make an offset sideplate and cut the frame.

S&S bike rebuild

Since I finished both Yamaha choppers last year I have been looking for another project to sink my teeth into. Found this bike, a trade in at my local bikeshop and made a quick decision. This was going to be my next project. Great Engine, Wide tire kit, and some other quality goodies I liked. Did ride it for a little while, not a great success. Oil was pouring from the gearbox and the electrical stuff was real crap. Rain shower resistance was absolute zero. Not that important tough, its all fixable stuff and I will strip the bike anyway. I did love the power of the engine.