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Post by bagga on Feb 22, 2018 18:03:03 GMT -5
matches from the old school chopper shop here. over 50 years in business. handlebars, throttle cables, clutch cables and miscellaneous custom parts hanging on the wall. everything you can imagine for old choppers. i love it there.
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Post by bagga on Mar 18, 2018 15:40:57 GMT -5
the loud pipe rice rockets are out today. we live a half block off of one of the main roads going through town and the rice jockeys are screaming. the weather warmed enough to finally get on 2 wheels and they're having fun.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 18, 2018 20:03:53 GMT -5
Bagga,
LOVE the old-school chopper shop! Very few left, but a gold mine for guys wanting the original, "real deal" goodies!
And, ah... The loud-pipe crotch-rockets. They ARE fast! But will never replace the "potato, potato, potato" sound of a Hog!
Harley memories... My old chopper lost it's "potato" idle after building that motor... At "idle" if you could call it that, it sounded like a string of firecrackers going off in an oil-drum... That erratic, staccato bang, bang, pop-pop-pop, bang-bang-pop like a blown fuel tractor-pull motor. Whew, did it sound GREAT though!
After a few seconds at a red-light I'd have to goose it to clear out the load-up of gas... Mighty touchy, but OH, SO neat!
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Post by bagga on Apr 15, 2018 5:42:41 GMT -5
the tv weather guy just said we have 13" of snow on the ground and we expect 12" today. i've had enough of this.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 15, 2018 22:54:52 GMT -5
the tv weather guy just said we have 13" of snow on the ground and we expect 12" today. i've had enough of this. Bagga,How true, HOW TRUE!After being born and raised in Chicago, I finally had enough too. THAT is why I moved to Texas... These last few years however have proven that our local weather here is not as nice as it was 40 years back when I first came here... I do NOT want to hear one word about "global warming"... LOL!
Right now, we're running 25 degrees cooler than the norm. Not terrible winter weather, but not nice enough to enjoy riding... And, incessant rain and storms. This is something that's come on us in the last 10 years or so. Still better than snow though... LOL! Ride safe when the snow melts! Leo
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Post by bagga on Apr 21, 2018 20:46:26 GMT -5
i find myself taking the ride across town to "del's cycle service", the old school chopper shop every couple of weeks. del is getting close to 80 years old. he knows his stuff .i've seen him wire up a bike, fixing someone else's cobbled up wire job without looking at a wire diagram. i just like to go and talk about anything that comes up. it might be bikes or current events. he's as sharp as a tack. he has slowed up some and if someone comes in looking for something i do what i can to help him out. i love the place.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 23, 2018 23:26:10 GMT -5
Wish we had a place like that around here... We old-timers are disappearing pretty fast.
I love the smell of old bike shops... "Gunk" engine-cleaner and old iron covered with rust and congealed oil... aged, cracked sweat-soaked leather... burnt wiring and decomposing Bondo... All the stuff old biker's dreams are made of.
All leftovers from good times that will never be again.
Sigh...
Ride safe!
Leo
PS: After SIX seasons, Shinko FINALLY makes a 170/40-12 P-rated WHITEWALL for the REAR of my scoot! Now, the old "Mouse" will have matching tires fore and aft... Life is good!
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Post by bagga on Apr 24, 2018 6:38:38 GMT -5
no pics showed up so we deleted.
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Post by bagga on Apr 27, 2018 6:53:42 GMT -5
i was out at the old school chopper shop awhile back and while digging through some of the stuff there i came across a blue lensed bullet light. i just might go back and see what he wants for it. the chrome is terrible but the glass looks good. I think I'd try for it. Not many around anymore. You could always sand it smooth and paint it black... I remember seeing these in red, white, yellow, blue, green and purple. A cluster of them as pretty as a string of Christmas lights, though illegal as heck... LOL! Neat things from the past that probably won't be around anymore, although modern repros could be lit with LED's and maybe make a comeback! Ride safe! Leo i went out to the old chopper shop and picked up the old bullet light with the blue lens. he looked it over and said "it has a blue lens so it should be $20, i'll take $10". i put it on my hog smack dab in the middle of all the other lights. i had an extra red one laying around and i had to remove a red one to make room for the blue light. i made a couple of brackets for the for the lights so now i need them plated next week. i'll be up to 27 bullets when i get them on.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 27, 2018 21:12:02 GMT -5
Bagga,
Woo-HOO! Nothing looks as old-school cool as a cluster of bullet lights! The blue one in a cluster of reds should look a tad purple from a distanced... Like a "blue-dot" lens on steroids!!!
Way to go! Plating them will likely cost a lot more than buying them, but worth the investment!
Ride safe,
Leo
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Post by bagga on Apr 28, 2018 6:45:50 GMT -5
i know a guy that has a plating shop where he is employed. FREE.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 29, 2018 22:30:13 GMT -5
i know a guy that has a plating shop where he is employed. FREE. Woo-HOO! Chrome plating was EXPENSIVE even in 1963 when I was building "Old Blue"... Especially chroming aluminum which was sorta new... Lots of old-timers back then believed you couldn't successfully CHROME or WELD aluminum... Duh... I had just about everything that would unbolt chromed except for the frame, which I opted to do traditional black, and the spokes as we believed (I don't know if correctly or not) that chromed spokes would end up with the chrome cracking and cracks would go down into the spokes, causing the wheel to fail... Not sure about that, maybe an "old wives' tale" but not willing to take chances AND chrome shops would NOT chrome spokes for that reason unless you signed a statement that the wheels would be used only on a display show-bike, NOT to be ridden...A brand NEW full-dress 74 was around $1,800 and I had almost that much invested in chrome on the old chopper! Sure, "chrome don't getcha home" but it sure makes the ride more fun!So much of our scooters today are painted and molded in flat black. A little chrome (even on plastic) would be a welcome site to these old eyes... Ride safe!Leo
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Post by bagga on May 10, 2018 8:14:38 GMT -5
Oh brother... How well I remember dressers being decked out like this. I must admit, I sorta like them! And even the old 1950's Hogs with 6v systems seemed to have plenty of juice to run all the lights one might be able to apply, front and rear! Woo-HOO! I just enlarged your pic and see your lights have the EYEBROWS! Those are the BEST!On my last bagger (1970 FLH) I had quite a light-show myself. Even had a full-length CB whip antenna 9' if I recall, with a little red light on top that lit up when the CB was keyed. My CB was a Motorola with a slide-in mount... Had a matching mount in my Caddy Eldorado and moved the radio from car to bike and vice/versa. I was doing a LOT better financially back then... LOL! That 500 cid Caddy gave a whopping 2 mpg in town, and almost 4 mpg on the highway... But she was FAST... Could pass anything but a gas-station... Those rolling light-show Hogs are an indispensable part of the story of the American motorcycle. Good show that you're keeping the breed alive! Sometimes you see a European Vespa jockey with his scoot lit up like that. (I wonder HOW they get enough juice to run the lights...). For whatever reason, the Euro boys also like to have a dozen or so mirrors along with the front lights... Why not? I think you and I would mostly agree on bikes of all types!Ride safe... Certainly VISIBLE at night... Leo in Texas PS: Last year I scored a pair of OLD vintage (depression-era) Bolser running lights, single-bulb, red rear and amber front bullet lenses. I'm going to refurb them and convert to LED and find some obnoxious place on "Minnie Mouse" for them. They'll go great with the light-up swan nose-art, whitewalls and fishtail exhaust... ocg, did you ever get those bolster lights mounted? got a pic of them?
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 10, 2018 23:45:40 GMT -5
Oh brother... How well I remember dressers being decked out like this. I must admit, I sorta like them! And even the old 1950's Hogs with 6v systems seemed to have plenty of juice to run all the lights one might be able to apply, front and rear! Woo-HOO! I just enlarged your pic and see your lights have the EYEBROWS! Those are the BEST!On my last bagger (1970 FLH) I had quite a light-show myself. Even had a full-length CB whip antenna 9' if I recall, with a little red light on top that lit up when the CB was keyed. My CB was a Motorola with a slide-in mount... Had a matching mount in my Caddy Eldorado and moved the radio from car to bike and vice/versa. I was doing a LOT better financially back then... LOL! That 500 cid Caddy gave a whopping 2 mpg in town, and almost 4 mpg on the highway... But she was FAST... Could pass anything but a gas-station... Those rolling light-show Hogs are an indispensable part of the story of the American motorcycle. Good show that you're keeping the breed alive! Sometimes you see a European Vespa jockey with his scoot lit up like that. (I wonder HOW they get enough juice to run the lights...). For whatever reason, the Euro boys also like to have a dozen or so mirrors along with the front lights... Why not? I think you and I would mostly agree on bikes of all types!Ride safe... Certainly VISIBLE at night... Leo in Texas PS: Last year I scored a pair of OLD vintage (depression-era) Bolser running lights, single-bulb, red rear and amber front bullet lenses. I'm going to refurb them and convert to LED and find some obnoxious place on "Minnie Mouse" for them. They'll go great with the light-up swan nose-art, whitewalls and fishtail exhaust... ocg, did you ever get those bolster lights mounted? got a pic of them? Bagga, No, health issues have kept me from doing a lot lately. Both me and the missus have been under a major virus attack and are just now recovering after two months. I still have those lights on the "to do" list for the summer, but I'm running mighty slow. Last week, while washing the scoot I lost my footing and dropped the little wheezer... FIRST time I've EVER dropped a bike. Fortunately, the right-hand saddlebag kept all damage away from the plastics and exhaust! Only damage was the right-hand power mirror. The mount shattered and the paint was ruined on the side of the mirror. I reassembled all the pieces of the mirror mount with epoxy and covered the damaged paint with some chrome trim. The power mirror still works fine and you'd never notice any damage. I will order a new mount from the dealer though... I'm surely glad it wasn't a new Indian Chief! I'll have dig out those Bolzer lights and get a picture. Right now I'm not quite sure where I stashed them! Getting old does suck! Ride safe! Leo PS: After six years of waiting, Shinko FINALLY makes a 140/70-12 P-rated whitewall tire to match my front 120/70-12! I got one and had my dealer install it, so now I actually have real FACTORY 92-mph rated whitewalls front and rear! How cool is that?
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Post by bagga on May 11, 2018 14:08:29 GMT -5
ocg, i built 2 more brackets that will go under the square lights on the side of the saddlebags. they will be able to carry 5 bullet lights each on the left and right side. the bracket are waiting to be plated right now. i had 4 bullets in the parts box and i won an ebay auction for 4 more lights. they should be here next week sometime. i need 2 more to fill out the brackets. i have a friend that has some, i'll talk him out of a couple.
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