Christmas in August

Great day for parts yesterday. After a 4 year search, I finally picked up a pre-unit T100 gas tank. I wanted a smaller tank for my '55 Tbird project. It's not that I haven't seen any for sale, I just haven't seen any that didn't get bid up beyond reason. This one I picked up real cheap, patience paid off. Not only that, this is a 1 year only 1956. Same shape as the '57-'59 tanks, but the striped band and badges fit on it. I just happened to have the T100 badges, band, and front tank mount that came with my 6T tank.

In addition, I also received my ironhead and bits from Meriden Speed Shop. I'm picking up a unit crank and rods. That should complete all the major bits I need, except perhaps a magneto. As soon as I finish my '62, it's right on to the '55 project.

Stripped

Got some more garage time and tackled some more minor annoyances. First I left-justified the Tympanium so that the wires won't rub on the gas tank anymore. Next I straighted the tail light with a pie cut. I test fit the pre-unit frying pan brake. I'll need to make a custom axle, spacers, and get that hub chromed before lacing it to a 21" wheel. And finally, I tore everything apart. Time to clean up and get ready for paint.

Laying back

Major success on getting the frame closer to paint. I removed and cleaned up the old seat mounts. I'll be getting fresh TIG welds. I got a new seat hinge from Fab Kevin, this one the hidden hinge. Also my neighbor made me some new spring mounts on his lathe. Lots of eye balling, measuring, lining up, eye balling, computations, laser levels, and eye balling and I'm pretty happy with the results. The seat is about 3-1/2" further back and down. Time to disassemble the frame, clean up all the welds, remove the paint, and get it and the tins to my buddy to TIG and paint. old mounts


gone


new front mount

Dig it

Been a crazy couple weeks. I picked up this Ironhead chopper chassis. Lots of decent parts. But after examining the frame, I'm 90% confident it's an old Arlenn Ness digger front loop on a stock sportster frame. I decided I wanted to bring the bike back to what I imagine it should be, a mid 70's Ness-style Ironhead digger, but with my own touches. I'm basically only keeping the frame and rear wheel. I imagine it to have a stretched slim Factory Metal Works springer or maybe a girder, 21" spool spoke or Invader on front. Tank, fender, and seat by my design. It's basically an art bike. I'm already dreaming shaping foam to design the tank. 37 projects down the line...







I'll be hanging the frame in the garage until that fateful day arrives when i can start working on it. I have problems focusing as you can see.

The Lonely Dragon

Max wrote his first book :)

Lucky

I picked up another one this weekend, so dirt cheap I might as well have stole it. A matching numbers 1967 TR6 frame/motor with a Bonnie head, rear wheel, Wassel banana tank, and an oil tank. Plus a 50lb box of misc SS bolts. I've always wanted to do a strutted custom bike, similar to Marc "Lucky" Locke's Trump. About 5 projects down the road.

Mine All Mine

Yesterday was an amazing day. The monkey that had been sitting on my shoulder for a year and a half decided to move along. I sold the CB750A Hondamatic. To refresh, Christmas 2013 my buddy Danny sold me the 1950 Candyman Beezer I'd been begging him for and the CB750A as a package deal. Here's the whole story on the BSA. Because he is a good guy, he took partial payment, on condition I pay him fully after the CB750A sold. And that took a year and a half. Over 40 hours of work and $600 invested allowed me to break even, making the BSA "free." The CB750A is a good bike, but it had to go. And now the BSA is finally mine, all mine. I feel I can actually start working on it now. Now to pursue Candyman's leather jacket his buddy has...

County Fair Heat Strokers

We, perhaps without thinking, went to the opening day ($1 Day) at the Alameda County Fair. It was crowded and so.goddamn.hot. Max was probably on the verge of a heat stroke, as were we. Water was in limited supply unless you bought $7 glasses of lemonade. He had fun, but we damn sure paid for it with our sanity. We repaid ourselves with some wings and frigid AC at BW3s.

Yosemite

Motorcycles are in the background for a bit. I've been spending as much time as I can with the family. We took a camping trip to Yosemite, staying in Hodgdon Meadow. What an absolutely beautiful place. It was both Lori and Max's first time camping. Ever. And they both rocked it. We stayed in Hodgdon Meadow which I thought was great. It's about 45 minute drive to the central Yosemite Valley, and judging by the camping there, we picked well. Everybody is on top of each other. Day 1 we setup camp and hiked 2 miles to Carlon Falls. Day 2 we went to Yosemite Valley and looked at some sights like the falls. And day 3 we headed back to the valley to swim at the frigid Cathedral Beach. If there's one thing we did wrong, it was too much hiking/walking with a 3 year old. Beautiful place, can't wait to go back. Also a great place to ride a motorcycle to *wink wink*.

Movin On Up

I was gifted about 2 hours of bike work time this month, so I started with moving the oil tank up about 3/4" to eliminate that gap. Instead of changing the mounts on the tank I modified the gearbox/engine brackets and my neighbor made me a threaded bung for the top mount. Next up is the seat!

Before:


After: