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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 11, 2018 19:02:12 GMT -5
what is that bullet fixture on the handlebars? i thought you checked out of here about a month ago and you were never coming back. i was concerned something was wrong. That bullet gizmo is a tach! Small, hard to read, but accurate... I'm not about to leave here... Just not much time to spend these days... Wife's health issues (mine too, if I'd admit it...). This site is a lot friendlier than others... Yup! Ride safe, leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 11, 2018 19:04:41 GMT -5
and the double white wall up front is the all time classic shovelhead touch. Yeah, those tires are OEM. Only a year or so old at the time! I would have really preferred wide whites, but those were the factory look, and sorta "modern" back then. But they don't go all that well with the flames... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 11, 2018 19:18:04 GMT -5
more pix please. i can't get enough of old iron. OK, my friend... Here they come! ...In the beginning... 6 months old and already sitting on heavy iron!
The old BSA 650 Hornet... didn't run half as good as it looked, but still was a lot of fun!
The original chopper, 1st build. Stock motor, straight pipes, floorboards, knobby tire (EEEWWW!) it came on the 19" rim I laced to the Hog hub.
Here is my pal Ray... Just got the motor running for the 2nd build. Venolia pistons, 3/4 cam, ported/polished shaved heads and those same straight pipes.
Now on the street... Lots of subtle changes including solo-seat/pillion pad, bobbed sidecar rear fender, stock Sportster muffs (which ran good on this configuration) but no chrome... motor all painted with trusty HD "cylinder paint"... and, yes... a proper front rib tire!
This configuration was really the best daily-rider setup. Easy to kick, fairly quick for a Hog, and reliable.
Now, the "REAL THING"! In this final incarnation, the bike had a full-on drag motor built by Triangle in Chicago, and all-chromed up. Their own foundry cast the cases and turned the billet stroker-crank and steel jugs. Stock spec's were 3.4" bore and 3.9" stroke. The new motor had a 4.3" bore with Chevy 409 pistons, and a monster 5.5" stroke for a 159.74 CID displacement. Compression was 13.5:1. Steppul's Dyno service in Chicago showed 256hp @ 2,800rpm. It was a BOOGER to kick... I soon learned to "run n' bump"...
For a time, I ran the fishtail straight-pipes but at the request of "many" I tried numerous mufflers. Finally, I took the bike to Triangle and they modded the stock Sportster muffs from the second build for street riding and the setup ran VERY well... And the sound was fantastic. That magnificent "funny car" spit, pop and cackle! At the strip, we pulled the mufflers and ran shorty straight-pipes. The carb was a dream to tune... All outside-adjustable and combined with the adjustable timer, open-exhaust setup took only minutes. I raced on straight Sunoco Blue 260 gas (or aviation gas if available).
One final funny memory was Ray and I putting the new motor into the frame... Ray said: "Ah, Leo, this motor don't fit in the frame..." Oh, Yesssss….. A trip to Triangle put the frame into their jig where it was cut and reshaped/welded to allow the bigger cases and taller cylinders to shoehorn into the old rigid frame. When you're 16, you don't think ahead all that well... LOL!
I can't say enough about Triangle and their drag-motors and transmissions. I wish they were still around, but their 1950's methods, while MARVELOUS, would not fit today's ways. To get this one even remotely street-drivable was a monumental achievement. The only Harley/Davidson parts left on the motor were the hydraulic lifters. Cases, jugs, heads, intake and carb were all proprietary Triangle parts.
The tranny was a Triangle full-drag setup. Teeth were selectively removed. Remaining gear-teeth were re-contoured to encourage forced-engagement rather than their repelling and grinding during the infamous "neutral-drop starts" and no-clutch shifts. Then all parts were re-heat-treated.
The proof of performance is in the time-slips...
I've been attacked on the other forum without mercy about the performance of "Old Blue" and it prompted me to go on a LONG hunt through old storage sheds. In a forgotten toolbox, there were the time-slips from the same day the pix were taken... I rode the 11+-second runs, the 10+-second run ridden by my 76-pound lady friend Janice "The Flying Squirrel". THIS is what the old bike was BUILT to do!
Here, we see just how truly AWFUL a Hog can look. I did NOT create this thing, but bought it as raw material to make a new chopper. '58 FLH, very ratty but ran like stink! Whomever made it knew a LOT more about motors than cosmetics... That's my Mom trying to look encouraging... LOL!
A day later, I cut the pipes down, replacing the mufflers (I always liked those muffs!). Same muffs as factory units on the BSA. I've always had good results with "chamber pipes" on FOUR-STROKES. They're not just good on tuned 2-strokes. Learned that in my '60's go-kart days and REALLY proved it on my first Chinese GY6! Removed the front fender and that monstrous sissy bar. Now a rat-bike, at least I didn't feel like a jackass pulling up on it!
And here is my little "pet" Honda 305 Super Hawk... Same street 2 years later... If I'm totally honest, it is likely my most enjoyable little bike ever... Bulletproof, reliable, fast enough and just a joy to ride!
Ray was the most ingenious natural-born engineer/innovator I've EVER known. At 12 years old, he could do things degreed engineers called "impossible" and make things that dropped jaws... He retired a few years ago, and IH still calls him in for emergencies with tooling and machines he modded 20 years back as NOBODY can figure out HOW he did it, and nobody can make repairs... Talk about making your position fire-proof! He dug that Norton out of a dumpster where it had been stolen and burned. Carbs had melted and run down the intakes... Even I, being a real believer in the little nipper doubted he'd ever get it running. WRONG!!!!! One year later it was running in the low 12's. He had more fun on that bike than anyone I knew. Funny thing: Until posting this, I never really paid attention as to how he rode with us for two years before being old enough to have a driver's license! I'm not sure it ever even had a title! Never got stopped, just enjoyed the ride... The local police cut us a LOT of slack because they all knew us and that we were "OK" bikers."Mustang Jim" and his sweet Bonny... He got his nickname from having a matched PAIR of Mustangs... Both 427 motors, one stock and one full-drag strip only!
Here's the new old Hog... Before I began "making it my own"... LOL!
Here's Jimmy and me on our brand-new rides... Jim's Bonneville is the same bike seen previously in bobbed form.
Soon came the flames...
Now HERE is probably the most stupid thing I ever did on a bike... The grand opening of Fred Harvey's "Shipwreck Kelly's". That horrid rabbit head could only be looked out of through one eye, and the eyes had black screen over them. ZERO peripheral vision... Nearly zero depth-perception and forget any sense of balance... Giving rides to a whole tribe of little rug-rats, and not a few moms! Oh, the stuff we do when we are young!
Great memories from the past... Now, all the bikes are gone (the dresser stolen first week I came to Texas). Shipwreck Kelly's is gone. Most of my pals are gone... But memories never die.
So boyz n' gurlz… Make your memories while you can. Enjoy them when they are in the past... and as always...
Ride safe! And save the rabbit head for the kinky parties...
Leo (ridin' down memory lane) in Texas
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Post by bagga on Sept 11, 2018 20:08:40 GMT -5
badassness.
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Post by bagga on Sept 12, 2018 7:35:52 GMT -5
Bagga, I remember those light bars. Always thought they were VERY cool for "modern" Hogs... Great video! Lots of issues with the Wife's health taking my time, but I have a number of pretty nice pix from my early days to post. Will do as soon as possible! Some of all three builds of my chopper, my closest pal's dumpster-burned Norton resurrected and another pal's Triumph Bonneville new, then totally chopped! Great memories! Ride safe, Leo PS: If you need a good camera cheap, do check eBay! My everyday beater is a Canon 12 Megapixel I got a few years back for $2 plus $8 shipping! Folks get a better or newer one and dump the old one for whatever it will bring and used digital cameras don't bring much.... LOL! what model canon camera did you get?
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 13, 2018 2:38:42 GMT -5
Bagga, I remember those light bars. Always thought they were VERY cool for "modern" Hogs... Great video! Lots of issues with the Wife's health taking my time, but I have a number of pretty nice pix from my early days to post. Will do as soon as possible! Some of all three builds of my chopper, my closest pal's dumpster-burned Norton resurrected and another pal's Triumph Bonneville new, then totally chopped! Great memories! Ride safe, Leo PS: If you need a good camera cheap, do check eBay! My everyday beater is a Canon 12 Megapixel I got a few years back for $2 plus $8 shipping! Folks get a better or newer one and dump the old one for whatever it will bring and used digital cameras don't bring much.... LOL! what model canon camera did you get? Bagga, The camera is an older Canon "FE". It's all plastic, chromed, NOBODY liked it but it is 12 megapixels and SIMPLE to use. It's the camera I toss in my pocket and use for most everything. Cheesy looking, but takes good pix! You may not find one of these, they were NOT popular... I was looking for CHEEEEP... LOL! $2 is CHEAP! I have bought a few others, Olympus, Nikon and Canon for me and for gifts pretty cheap on eBay for around $20 to $100 for a new high-end Nikon. They are out there! Good luck! Leo
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Post by bagga on Sept 13, 2018 6:11:09 GMT -5
i looked at a canon sx620....i think, it was that model at best buy yesterday. i liked it because it was pocket size and light weight.the one i lost was too big to pocket and kind of heavy.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 13, 2018 21:13:22 GMT -5
i looked at a canon sx620....i think, it was that model at best buy yesterday. i liked it because it was pocket size and light weight.the one i lost was too big to pocket and kind of heavy. Bagga, You have the right idea! This little old Canon is not much bigger than a credit card, and only 3/8" thick. It fits in a shirt pocket, and being made of cheesy plastic, it's much lighter than the nicer metal alloy models. If a camera won't carry comfortably in a pocket, it probably won't be with you when you want it... I also like SIMPLE controls... This old one has most of the bells and whistles of newer ones, but is much more "intuitive". Easy to use. And 12mpx is plenty for most use. Good luck on finding just the right one! Leo
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Post by bagga on Sept 23, 2018 8:33:54 GMT -5
those 17" engineer boots on one of those pics are the classic and iconic biker boots. here's mine, old and new. i would still be wearing the old ones but my feet grew one whole size and they didn't fit anymore.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 23, 2018 22:39:58 GMT -5
those 17" engineer boots on one of those pics are the classic and iconic biker boots. here's mine, old and new. i would still be wearing the old ones but my feet grew one whole size and they didn't fit anymore. Bagga, Yup! Those are the boots we wore! I had 1/4" thick horseshoe cleats on the heels. Great for cornering, and at night would send a huge shower of sparks!
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Post by bagga on Sept 25, 2018 10:28:44 GMT -5
i like how the flames wrap around to the back of the bags. i never saw anything like that before.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Sept 25, 2018 23:02:52 GMT -5
i like how the flames wrap around to the back of the bags. i never saw anything like that before. Bagga, Thanks! I got pretty good at flames "back in the day"... I even mastered the dagger-pin-stripe brush and "One Shot" enamel. Ya jus' gotta pin-stripe outline the flames... For me, that was the most difficult part! I couldn't pin-stripe today if my life depended on it... LOL! I guess I'll be addicted to flames, checkerboard squares and zebra stripes forever. They just shout "Old School". Not getting any younger... LOL!
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Post by bagga on Sept 30, 2018 7:19:25 GMT -5
green bay packers are playing the buffalo bills today here in GB. i'm about 5 miles from lambeau field. it's always great fun here on the weekend of the game.
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Post by bagga on Oct 25, 2018 8:12:32 GMT -5
the 10 year old battery in the 85 didn't want to cooperate today. high temp about 50 today, i want to take what might be the last ride of the year.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 25, 2018 21:28:13 GMT -5
Batteries WILL do that... LOL!
Last week, the starter relay/solenoid went south on my scooter. First repair needed in seven years. I have a new one, and need to replace it. No way on earth to start the scoot without the electric starter. WHY don't manufacturers put KICK-STARTERS on most scoots?
Normally around here, there is no real "end of season". All winter long we get some good riding days but all through Sept. and Oct. it's been rain, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes and DISMAL weather.
Hope you get the Hog going and enjoy the ride!
Leo
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