Fr33ks exclusive what NOT to do, & build thread
 

Okay, Here we go Wolverine... And thank you.
I picked up forks today, from a TL1000. and I'll post pics tonight some time.

I have an appointment with the Doc tomorrow, Hand surgery is coming up soon. but I'm riding to the appointment on the bike.. LOL...
She's going to slap me in the back of the head... Seriously.. Hahaha..!

Any way, In haste, I made a few measurements and they seem to be very close in tube length, width across the top of the tubes, and axle to the lower, and upper trees, and the neck bolt length.
Over at All Balls, they have a chart and part numbers for the swap bearings that I'll need.
Now all I have to worry about are the fork stop locations and any modification I might have to do there won't be terrible, FINGERS CROSSED.
I would have rebuilt any forks I would've found regardless of the condition or claims made about them anyway, so the seeping these have from the seals doesn't worry me.
I was going to buy all new pieces for brakes, bearings, etc also any way, so I may as well get serious about this and build a dream bike.
I do need to locate, or have made, a new upper, which in effect, opens a window to have custom trees made, which could be stronger than the original. Or possibly after more research, I'll find a set from a Hayabusa that may work also..?
Okay, I'm out to take pics and actually look at my R/R to finally get that nailed down...

All good, just havin' a lil fun (or @ least tryin' to).
Can't wait to see the graphics from your 'tooner!

Hahaha, NO problem in any way Wolverine, I'm retired from the military... I'll post a few stories here and there... LOL.
I know, I'm totally amped about him doing it too..! I just can't wait, he's been doing it for years, he did my Dad's conversion van back in 1976... and he remembered me, LOL.. as "that little hooligan shit that ran around on the purple bicycle with a shifter on it"
It's just too cool man, I can't even think about it...HAHAHA

Well first and foremost, thank you for your service.



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Alright I know nothing about these forks but I have a quick question, are you planning on running a complete TL front end? (TL wheel and brakes) or are you retrofitting just the forks?

Yes, please tell us your plan for the front.

Okay y'all, This is going to be VERY pic Heavy..!
First, In honor of Dirty Beavers Off Road Club, Here's My H3. It's still pretty much stock but I've done a couple cosmetic things.
Cranked the front bars, Bed lined the fenders, and tinted 70% of the taillights.
Put in a handheld midland, obviously for the trail as the reach is about 200 yards, LOL.
And that's about it so far.
It's the inline 5 cylinder because I knew I was going to do a swap later.
The first one is the day I picked her out of the line up, the second was last month when I was picking up some louvers out at Hoppersteads Hot Rod Shop.

I feel like that H3 needs 6", bead locks, and 33's at the very least lol

so whats the scoop on the tl1000 front end? whats the game plan?

Now, Just a quick re-cap, a couple of pics of the GSXR 1100 I started and found out no one will fix the frame...

I agree with all of that scottiemann, but 35's... I like tall tires, the corn fields out here have a lot of run creek beds in 'em... LOL

the bigger the better man why not go 12" and 38's

or 40's

Okay, now the Super Hawk... The day I picked it up it was a total disaster, but I got it cheap enough and I could handle what was up with the electrical, and other minor stuff that had been neglected... The FIRST thing I did was get rid of the useless blue glow lights... and start tearing it down... Then Put it all back together with everything working except the rear brake light switch, it's on it's way... still...
Cool... I love the way it pulls..!
The forks seem to be twitchy, a little, not bad...
and it runs super rich sometimes...
Then, I pulled it all apart to start painting it and fix what other stuff I found not working, like the stupid taillight again, and the plug on the side of the radiator not even plugged in, and the CCT leaking... LOL

Oh man, One day, when I finally win the lottery... HAHA, It's my daily driver..

I had an issue with my brake light switch at one point but it is somewhat adjustable the way the plastic screw on the housing meets the bracket. Also the plugs for the brake light are notorious for not being able to put enough pressure on the pins of the bulbs.

So, I started to get the paint done, and it just seemed like it was still going to be missing something...
Oh, damn it... The freakin' girl... Nope just kidding I'm not a Kennedy.
The cool factor...! I had spent hours trying to figure out what to do, then I was going through some old family photos and found a picture of our 1976 Conversion Van, remember those..? Hahahaha, Ours was the RED Baron, complete with the waterbed and a mural, hand painted by the Man, Myth, and Legend...
Tom Wojahn.
He's drawn stuff for Cycle World, Easy Rider, Hot Rod, Popular Hot Rodding, Open Wheel, and my favorite car rag ever... Car-Toons.
I gave him a call, and he's going to fix me up with some great pin-stripping and a couple of flying eyeballs..! YEAH..!
I just have to finish up a few details that will fit the bike a bit better than the way it looks currently.
Mirrors, Grips, Bar ends, new turn signals, an actual LED flasher, chop down the new windshield, and finish painting the frame until I pull it all apart this winter and have it powder coated.
and my favorite new idea to put some real 60's flare in it... COOL TAILLIGHTS...

Oh man I am so lost lololol

I have no idea where your going with this but I am intrigued

I had checked the light, an after market cheapo led with integrated signals, and they just sort of worked when they wanted to. So then I checked the wiring inside the case of the light, and discovered it was all trashed, so I am adding the 3 wire Maltese Cross lights I was going to put on the Wrangler before it left.
The wires were actually pulled out of the plastic plug on the switch itself, and then covered with a rubber boot to hide it before I bought it... Shady little salesman... LOL

scottiemann, think Resto-Mod...
Oh, and my Daughter and Girlfriend gave me a "Gremlin Bell".

Annndd... I'm spent...

I apologize scottiemann, I forgot to answer the question about the forks...
I'll be disassembling them this week to get them cleaned up and powder coated to match the frame, Black with some sort of 50s metal flake.
Then I'll be putting them on this winter when I strip it apart again and go through the engine...
That way I know I'll have all the parts. I'm going to re-assemble them and have them completed and ready to put on in one fell swoop.
I'll be sure to do a swap list on the parts as well.

Best way to not fail LOL!

Learned this with cars hahaha of course the hard way.

Okay, Here's what's been happening... I went over the whole bike.
I replaced the front signals with triangulated LEDs which fit the shape of the bike a little better.
I did a practice cut on the old windshield to see the effect of trimming it with a 4.5 side grinder, and it worked, very well, as there was little or no vibration at all like using a scroll saw.
I trimmed and re-shaped the front fairing near the top where the windshield ends, then crafted, painted, and installed metal plates over the old mirror mount holes and installed billet mirrors that were actually kinda' cheap, but made really well.
I ordered spikes for the windshield, and they'll be here July 27th (WTF Amazon).
I added Spike Bar Ends (they arrived missing the rubber piece that goes in the bar, ordered a new pair, delivery July 17) and had to make a retainer, and they are temporarily mounted until the new ones arrive.
I added Spider Grips.
I then bought an LED flasher, but it's only a two pin connection, so I'll order a three pin to install.
I then had to adjust, clean, and lube the chain.
designed a seat hold down till the factory ordered piece arrives.
Then, the best part.
I designed, and built a bracket, painted it, and installed, DUAL, LED BULB, Maltese Cross Taillights, along with part of the junk taillight that was originally on it when I got it. I dis-assembled the lights and had to paint the chrome housing black to tie it all together though.
These are full bulbs, not little yellow chips, there are 45 bulbs in each light, plus another 8 in each light, that shine on the plate. 90 of them per light. I then wired them as the Running lights, Stop lights, and the turn signals. They are 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall, and they are total "Bad Assery."
I then peeled of the tank stickers, rubbed it all down, and got it ready, checked everything over and went on a ride last night to check everything out.
Today, I dropped it off, and set it up on the stand in a 2 car attached garage. And then started having a conversation with a man who has been working on American muscle cars since he started pin-stripping in 1955. We talked for a couple of hours. And he is an amazing man, the real deal from the grass roots of the automotive counter culture, he hung around with Ed Roth, and Von-Dutch, and has the pictures and stories to prove it. He drew cartoons for so many Automotive and motorcycle magazines I don't think I'll ever know them all.
A legendary cartoonist, and famous pinstripe artist, has my bike for a week or so. In his words,
"I'm going to get a pizza, and just sit and stare at it tonight for a couple of hours, and compare it to your personality, and the sketches I've come up with. I may change it around a little, ya' don't mind do ya..?"
My response was, "You do what ever you want, I've wanted to have something this cool done my entire life, you do what you think is cool."
I saw his sketches, and they are so RIGHTEOUS..!
I'm not going to post them, you'll have to wait.
I'll post pictures when he says it's finished.

Here's the taillight build up...
With my garage helper... LOL

The mp4 video of the taillight Operations Check says it's an invalid file, so, trust me, they're BRIGHT.

Okay, Here's a couple of pics of the bike, just before I finished it up, and before I put her to bed last night.
Then, parked in his garage, after I drove her over to have her art work done today.
And one of the wheel decals that finally did arrive, of course, my garage help photo-bombed me.. Hahaha, she's pretty cool, so she can get away with that.

I remembered that I had posted so much about the sad condition of the bike when I got it...
Here's a shot of the rear sprocket that now has it's own spot on the garage wall.
EPIC fail previous owner, epic fail.

Finally some build pics!!!!

At first when I saw your half painted fairing I got a little nervous (where is he going with this one) lol, but now seeing the bike in one piece the two tone gunmetal and yellow work very nice together... cant wait to see what he comes up with for pinstriping.

Hey your helpers fingernails almost match the bike lol, nice work on the tail light, not so sure about the "hood" you got going on but let it grow on me

And I thought you were exagerating about the PO and the chain and sprockets but damn, thats probably one of the most unsafe sprockets I have ever seen... what did you replace it with and what are you running for gearing?

The previous owner was just trying to get that vintage "skip tooth" sprocket look.
Attachment 21997

That's got to be a great strategy for lightening the sprocket, take off every second tooth!!!

Seriously, how is wear like that even possible???

No chain maintenence performed. Ever.