This is Jason's mid 70's Honda CB750. It's on a custom rigid frame that I think has a really nice stance. Jason gave me several parts and design ideas that he liked and I incorporated them into the bike, along with a couple of my own. Overall, it's a simple, structurally sound machine that is passenger friendly. I reinforced and mounted the fender so well, he could haul the fatest fatty around all night! Ha Ha! It sounds awesome too!
I made a few sissy bars and fender struts this year. I'm not known for throwing much away, so I had a bunch of cut pieces of round stock. What do you do with those?.... make a rack for my fireplace! I had pounded my old one back into shape so many times that it would only last a few weeks before it would hit bottom. Used the new one all winter and it looks the same as it did day one!
Once again, keepin it short. Billy bought an old shovel, we put it on a custom frame, used the stock engine and trans, and made ALOT of hand made parts. Billy spent ALOT of time meticulously grinding on every piece, exposing his o.c.d., and driving me fuckin nuts. Haha! This bike is definitely his vision and his style. There's still a few wrinkles, but they will be ironed out and Billy will get some miles under his ass this summer.
This is, my good buddy, Shea's Yamaha SR500. It's what i consider a true chopper. A true chopper is when you take a stock frame and modify it, or chop it, in order to make a completely different looking bike. Some have bikes built on custom frames that are made to look like the classic chopper style, which is a custom, not a chopper. Anyways, Shea and I spent many, many late nights in Tommy's Garage fabbin and gettin all pissy at each other! hahaha! After some sweat, blood, lost sleep and a couple of ex girlfriends later.... the Thumper emerged! It looks killer, tracks straight, is a blast to ride and weighs around 250 pounds... the ultimate in horse power - to - weight ratio. It's a good bike that has led to some good times with a good friend.
Frame: Motorcycle Works 8 up, 5 out, 250mm, 45*, drop seat, jack shaft, rubber mount, rigid
Engine: 113" Ultima, 5 speed Harley trans, Primo open belt primary
Long story short... this is my first ground up build. Completed in late July 07 and rode it to Sturgis 1 week later. A true trial by fire! Since then, has ridden to Sturgis a couple more times and some other short trips. Also, ran a 12.2 at 108 mph this year at KCIR. Should have run an 11...... rider error!
I could write a story longer than this row of pics about this bike, but I'll try to keep it reader friendly. My Dad bought this '79 Shovel in 1980, in a box, wrecked. His buddy Pat Thompson help him put it back together. Since then, in short, it has been to the top of Pike's Peak, twice, Sturgis 20+ times, and countless other runs all over the US. My Dad has done a pretty good job of keeping it on the road. He tells stories of sleeping next to it, while wrenching, in order pick up where he left off when he woke. He loves Shovel. This is the bike i learned to ride on. This is the only thing i have that isn't for sale. I've touched almost every piece on, or inside of this bike. This is the only thing I will repeatedly forgive for letting me down. I love Shovel and those of you who know.... you know.
This summer, i had some extra time between projects, so i did what my Dad has wanted and feared for some time.... I basically did a frame-off restoration / upgrade of the Shovel. It was needing some attention and had some nagging leaks and gremlins in the system. It took me about 6 weeks from rolling into the garage to riding it out. What i did was....
- switched to a dry,enclosed belt primary to help with some of the oil leaks and kept the stock look
- re-wired the whole bike from scratch, killing the ghosts in the machine
- made a new exhaust from scratch, which cost $400 to chrome. mounted solid as hell
- new paint and period-correct decal. special thanks to my buds Pat and Jennifer at Quality Auto
- new speedo that works flawlessly, tach soon to come
- made a new sissy bar from scratch, $120 to chrome
- added some support tabs to the battery box / oil tank area
- rebuilt the carb and got it dialed in real nice
- adjusted the timing... now it starts on 1 kick when warm, within 5 when cold, no shit
- eliminated any electrical wires in the bars and moved the starter button to the dash
- had the frame and swing arm powder coated gloss black
- reinforced the rear fender and strengthened tabs on the tanks, swing arm, etc...
- i'm sure there are some things i'm forgetting, but that's the bulk of it.
I've gone on several, lengthy rides this winter. It's good for the soul to roll the Shovel out of the garage, kick start it, go tear up the town for a few hours, and know that there aren't going to be any issues. It's even better to see my Dad on it and sense the pride he has when we roll up to a bar or somethin and he gets to talk about it. The Shovel resides in his garage and, despite him telling me to take it home, that's where it'll be when he dies. We love Shovel.
