More Changes

Dusty has proven to be so reliable and so much fun to ride that taking the bike on a road trip has become a possibility.  However, options as to where to carry any gear, etc. were limited. Thus the idea of adding a sissy bar to provide a place to strap a duffel bag, etc. sprang to mind.  3/8 inch stainless steel rod was purchased and Curt dusted off his fabrication skills and whipped up a sissy bar.  Another issue that Dusty had was the positioning of the rear fender which allowed the rear tire to contact the front underside of the fender when encountering a bump at speed.  Fixing this issue involved cutting out part of the front of the fender and welding in new tabs to allow the fender to be rotated more to the rear.  Again, Curt completed the cutting and welding.  All the welding and cutting required the rear fender to be repainted which I was able to complete over a couple of days.  (Good thing I still had my makeshift paint booth set up).  After positioning the fender exactly where I wanted, new holes had to be drilled to secure the fender to the shock mounts. Everything went back together fairly quickly and Dusty is now ready for the open road.....albeit next riding season.

Some Changes

Over the past several weeks, decided to make a few changes to Dusty.  First thing was to change the straight pipes...they were a tad LOUD.  Tried putting baffles in them and that helped but, after a few weeks, one of the baffles fell out.  However, we managed to get a set of stock pipes, complete with mufflers, that fit with just a minor bit of bracket fabrication accomplished by Curtis.  Big improvement!  Next, decided to change out the handle bars to apes.  Again, Curtis was able to come through with the perfect set.  Installed them today with his help and am very pleased with the results.  Dusty looks better and the ride is more comfortable.

Another Spin with "The Kid"

Over the past several weeks I've been getting out on Dusty on a fairly regular basis. There have been no real problems other than discovering that the charging system in a 44 year old bike doesn't quite have the capacity to keep up with a new modern headlight.  The battery tends to discharge if I ride with the headlight on but doesn't if only the taillight/brake light are used.  So, I can either replace the charging system with one as used in an Evo engine or switch the headlight for an older type sealed beam.  Probably going to try the latter as it is the cheapest and easiest.  Had a great ride today with Junior.  Probably rode for at least 40 miles with no issues.  Dusty is proving to be very reliable.

Parking lot at the A&W in Sooke, BC

Riding With Junior

Decided to take the Shovelheads out for a run today.  Had a great ride including lunch at the 17 Mile Pub.  Both bikes ran great except Dusty didn't want to start when we stopped for gas.  Determined the problem was a loose battery connection which must have been loose for a while as the voltage was too low to turn over the electric start.  Good thing Dusty has a kick start because otherwise I might still be at that gas station.  Checked to make sure the voltage regulator was working and (thankfully) it seems to be because the volts increase as they should when reving the bike.  Now that the connections are all tight again it'll probably take a few runs to get the battery back up to where it should be.

Stopped for Lunch

Cruising along the Ocean

The Transformation

Since getting back from Born Free #8, I've been riding "Dusty" around town a bit.  There have been a few issues but nothing serious.  All have been attended to.  The bike runs really well and even I can kick start it when I want.  It usually fires up after one or two kicks and settles into a typical Harley idle.  The transmission might need some work in the future as it is a bit "notchy" when down shifting.  Of course the fact that the shift pattern is reversed from the norm could be a factor.  All in all, "Dusty" is fun to ride and surprisingly comfortable.  It's really hard to believe that the bike was indeed just a pile of dirty parts just one year ago as the following picture will attest.  The transformation has been dramatic.

Dusty Then

Dusty Now

Born Free 8

After 2 and a half days and navigating Los Angeles traffic, we arrived in Silverado for Born Free #8.  It was amazing!!  The imagination shown by a number of builders as far as their bikes were concerned was mind blowing.  We didn't win any awards but both bikes garnered a lot of attention and admiration.  Many people took pictures of our bikes so they may appear in some magazines in the future.  One photographer approached me and asked if he could use my bike in a shoot for a Tee shirt ad he was doing. I, of course said yes and he had his model sit on Dusty for a few photos. I got to talk to Willie G Davidson who was in attendance but missed Brad Pitt who was also there checking out the bikes.  It was a great time and I'm glad we went.

 Getting ready to unload in Silverado

 Waiting to head into the show

 And away we go

 Just some of the bikes

 Camp Born Free (our tent in foreground at right)

Off to Born Free

Now that Dusty is finished and running well, it's time to truck on down to Southern California to the Born Free show in Silverado, CA.  Loading both Dusty and the Gypsy Prince (Curt's bike) into the back of the truck took some doing and some ingenuity on Curt's part but they are ready for the trip.  Tomorrow, we will head south for the show with a momentary stop in Port Angeles, Wa. to pick up Curt's girlfriend then off we go.  Hope to see plenty of amazing bikes and take lots of pictures for the blog.  With Dusty finished, I'm going to change the blog from documenting the build to "adventures with Dusty"....stay tuned

 Not much room for gear

Finally...the bike (aka "Dusty") is done

As with all builds there were a few issues to resolve.  Leaky seals for the most part but they were resolved fairly easily.  One that was a little puzzling was the bike would not stop running after the ignition was switched off.  Turned out the coil was retaining enough energy to keep firing the bike!  Who would have thought?   However, incorporating a "kill" switch into the coil circuit solved the problem.  Also, the "hi temp" clear paint applied to the exhaust pipes wasn't so hi temp and promptly burned a hideous shade of brown.  Off to the glass beading shop we went with the pipes and $18.00 later the pipes were again a nice clean metal color.  A careful application of flat black header paint good to 2000 degrees resulted in some nice looking pipes and the paint truly is "hi temp".  So after nearly a year, the pile of rusty, dirty parts has been completely transformed.

The Beast Lives

Never having wired a bike from scratch before, it took me four days to get all the wiring done.  Tested the wiring last night and I guess the battery was low because today, when we went to start the bike today it wouldn't fire.  Turned out the battery was down to 6 volts.  Swapped in another battery and the bike fired up after three kicks!!  A few oil leaks due to some loose fittings but it appears all is well.  The electric start didn't work although the starter relay was working the night before and now it doesn't energize. But I had it off earlier in the day and probably crossed a wire when I put it back together.  I'll trouble shoot that tomorrow.  Also have a bit of an issue with the brakes but...that's for another day.  The main thing we're happy about is the bike fired up and ran really well.  Not bad for some thing that was just a bunch of dirty parts in the back of a truck less than a year ago.

We're There

Installing clutch and throttle cables on a motorcycle may sound relatively easy but it's not.  At least not on a Harley that is totally different from when it left the factory 44 years ago.  Either cables are too long, tooshort, or they don't fit where they're supposed to.  Same with shift linkage.  But, everything finally went where it should and...except for filling the oil and gas tanks and wiring the bike...we're FINISHED!!  With any luck we should be firing it up in the next few days.

Who's the Old Dude next to that beautiful custom?

Making Progress

After a 10 day hiatus, Curtis and I (mostly Curtis) got back to building "Dusty".  The biggest source of concern and frustration was the primary and electric starter.  Curtis rides only kick start Harleys with open belt primaries and had never tackled a closed chain drive primary with an electric start.  Needless to say it was not one of his favourite activities putting this thing together and nearly put him off motorcycles...at least closed primary Harleys with an electric start.  But he gritted his teeth and pressed on.  It all went together and we think it went together properly.  The manifold, carburetor, air cleaner, coil, voltage regulator, foot controls and exhaust pipes have also been installed.  Next up will be oil lines, clutch cable, throttle, front controls, etc.  Still a ways to go...but the end is in sight.

Pipes, Air cleaner

Primary all together

Chromed and Sparkly

Today we finalized mounting the shocks and modifying the oil tank necessary to clear the primary and the starter.  A finicky job but Curtis mastered it.  Then we picked up the chrome from the chromers and test fit the now chromed pieces onto the bike.  Talk about bike jewellery

 

The dash looks blue because it's reflecting the sky

 

 

Chromed Tail Piece

 

 

Checking the riding position

.

Coming Together

The past few days have been spent putting things together.  The engine and transmission are now in the frame as is the front end and rear wheel assembly.  Today we double checked the ride height of the bike with the shocks temporarily attached and determined that the oil tank will have to be notched in order to clear the primary and the starter.  We also finalized the handlebars and set the exhaust pipes in place to check clearance.  We then took the pipes to the U Blast It shop and cleaned them up prior to the application of 3 coats of high temp clear paint.  The bike has turned out exactly as we had planned.

 

Pipes have yet to be cleaned up

 

Not the final handlebars but you get the idea

Engine Completed

I touched up the frame a few days ago as it had suffered a few scratches, etc. after dry fitting various components, welding the oil filter bracket to the frame and a few other mods.  Since the transmission had been previously finished, it was time to finish building the motor.  So, over the past two days Curtis put the motor together.  I mostly watched as he is the Shovelhead "expert" in the family.  Today, the job was done and now it's time to start assembling the bike.

 

Dusty's Motor

Tins are Finished

After waiting 4 days for the paint to set up, today I decided to get the color sanding and buffing completed.  It was tough to take sandpaper to my carefully finished tank and fender.  They were already shiny but, after reading several web sites about finishing motorcycle parts, I was finally convinced to start wet sanding and trust the process.  I started with the tank and was not disappointed with the results.  The fender was next and, although it took most of the day, all the web sites were right...sanding until the parts felt like glass then buffing with a cutting compound made everything sparkle.  Once the dash and fender trim have been chromed and installed, the finished product should be great.

 

 

 Nice and Shiny

 

 

Fender Looks Pretty Good Too

 

Painting Completed

After two full days of applying paint, the tank and fender are finished.  Next will come the color sanding and buffing of both but that will have to wait a few days as the paint sets up.  Probably won't get to that phase until later in the week.  Meanwhile, I still have some touch up painting  to do on the swing arm and frame.  Whether that gets done before the color sanding and buffing of the tank remains to be seen.  Lots of other stuff to get done as well but we're close to the assembly stage.

 

 Tank after 4 coats of color and six coats of clear

 

 

 

Fender after the same number of coats as the Tank (Note the Frenching on both for the chrome bits)

Body Work Finished, On To Painting

Well, after days and days of filling, grinding and sanding, the body work on the tank and fender is finished.  Never having done anything like this before, Curtis and I were basically a couple of blind guys leading a couple of blind guys.  I've become a fan of Bondo and am amazed at its ability to hide a number of "sins".  The plan is to give both the tank and fender 4 coats of primer, 4 coats of color and 6 coats of clear.  Then it will be on to color sanding and buffing.  As of this post, the tank is ready for color application and the fender is not far behind.

Tank with 4 coats of Primer

Putting it all Together

The last two days we've been able to just about finish the rear fender, put the front end together including rebuilding the brakes, assemble the heads and put the transmission together.  The gas tank is out for pressure testing and sealing and we'll be starting on the final stages of getting it ready for paint as soon as it gets back.  Hopefully the painting process for the tank and rear fender will start in two to three weeks.  We're still shooting for the first weekend in May to have "Dusty" on the road.

 

Transmission and Front End

Starting to look like a Bike

We've started fitting some of the parts together....just to make sure that everything done so far is the way we want it.  Nothing is permanently fitted at this time but "Dusty" is starting to look like a  bike!

Getting Tanked

The new tank was, again, a lot of work.  However, the result was well worth the effort.  Most of the fabrication is now complete.  Soon the tank will be off to be pressure tested and sealed.  After that, it's on to applying the Bondo for final finishing then painting and color polishing.


Curtis has also been working on the rear fender. Since we aren't using any external support struts and the fender needs to be strong enough to carry a passenger on the pillion pad, he has been busy welding reinforcing steel in the inside of the fender and building the external chrome trim.  It'll be awesome when finished.

New tank with badges, switches, and speedo mounted on the frame

Slight setback

After all the work fabricating the  gas tank, my chief builder (Curtis) did not like the way the tank sat on the frame.  His opinion was it sat too high at the front.  Ever the perfectionist, he convinced me that he should build a new tank (same design but one that would sit lower) and, since his design ideas are always spot on, I agreed.  The result is a more pleasing shape, etc.

Old Tank with Speedo Mounted

Old Tank Mounted on Frame

New Tank

Curtis also managed to find the shocks we needed.  We decided to make the bike a "Low rider" so we are going to use 11 inch shocks.  Low is good as I am not exactly "statuesque".

Shocks