DJManche's projects thread

[DJManche]

So I got kinda Jeeped out over the last year it took me to build the 92 MJ . My wife has started her own salon that I built and I've been doing all sorts of remodeling so time is rare to work on just one project .

So here I post my successes and failures , a fabricator with a fatal case of ADD and too many Irons in the fire .

I can post pics of my trailer and other home modifications later . a while back I sold off my collection of SKS rifles to a vendor , .40 Springfield went to Flores and one of my old 1911's to a neighbor .
Didn't sell my SKAR-15 or my two good custom 1911's , keeping them for when the Commy's come or the Zombies either way I'm prepared ...

On to my build , I've been wanting to build a rat rod or a rat bike for quite some time but for the price of a rolling frame on a rigid chassis is way beyond budget . Soft tails ride better anyway so I found a little Jap bike that fit the bill .

I call this one the 500.00 bobber , its a VT500C Honda V twin liquid cooled 45 degree angle carb injected tooler.
No its not fast and no I didn't pay 4k for a rolling chassis but thats not what rat rod bobbers are about , besides it will still outrun a Harley Fat boy any day of the week .
On to the pics ....

After all the tare down the motor is mint but there was some real tweeker engineering on this thing fer sure ...
The clean up ...

The two fist size dents in the tank where the worst part besides the rear of the bike not fitting my 6' 4" stature but thats soon on the fix list ...

 

[DJManche]

On to the resto chop ...

First thing first , take off the tank drain it and coat it , then chopped the rear frame for a bobber seat ....

At the end of day one my arms were like Jello but my question about the frame were solved .

 

[DJManche]

Day 2 ,

Shortening the frame more and fixing the dents in the tank with fiberglass .

Found some rust in the tank so it will be coated and the final cote of fiberglass is on ready for finishing.
The highway bars and rear tire come in on thursday and a set of drag bars with risers are on order .
I have to fab a seat pan with some brackets so thats what I'm doing now .
So far I'm into the bike 300.00 minus the 500 I bought it for , all it needs after that is paint and thats optional ...

 

[DutchVDub]

Sweet man, yeah I've been longing to build a little rat chopper/bobber myself. I also like the CAFE style bikes.

I'll be watching this for sure.

 

[DJManche]

Sweet man, yeah I've been longing to build a little rat chopper/bobber myself. I also like the CAFE style bikes.

I'll be watching this for sure.

I as well have been longing , with the price of a good rolling frame I'd be left wanting for allot longer .

This is my cafe bike ...

Its sooooo dammed mint I can't bring myself to chop it yet .
CB750 Nigthawk

 

[DutchVDub]

My father in law has the one and only japanese rocket I'd ever want but he's not giving it up yet, bastard

1983 Seca 650 turbo, man I want it from him. Its so god awful 80's its fantastic.

 

[DJManche]

My father in law has the one and only japanese rocket I'd ever want but he's not giving it up yet, bastard

1983 Seca 650 turbo, man I want it from him. Its so god awful 80's its fantastic.

Saweet ... Those made for good cafe bikes , the way the frame comes down behind the motor makes for good lines once stripped .

Gotta love the back to the future rims ...

 

[DutchVDub]

Oh, I never even thought of getting rid of the skins and making it look like a real....er... cooler mortorcycle. Now I really want it, time to get back to pestering him about it.

So where's the updates on the bobber? You ain't done with the seat bracckets yet?

 

[DJManche]

I know , I should be riding by now right ....
Thats the way I feel right now but I just bought the metal from the steel shop today , then I got to cut it and shape it , I fear there is going to be allot more
useless dribble lipped staring at the metal until I get to a conclusion of how I'm going to cut it .

First I got to get off my ass ...:laugh3:

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Dammit DJ........

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/2278168286.html

1984 virago xv 700 project - $500

Could look like this:

I guess I'll consider myself lucky that there's no way in hell my wife would let me get a bike.......

 

[DJManche]

That second bike is kinda what I'm going for , perfect rat rod bobber project .

By the time your done it looks like a 10-15k custom that sounds as good as it rides .
Anyone can buy a production made chopper but few are actually garage built . That kit bike look without the price is kinda cool .

This is a 500C with the style I'm going for ....
Shadow Bobber » Img808_PA010030.jpg

If that didn't work here is a site I've been following ...
http://www.projectbikes.org/Gal233_Shadow_Bobber.asp

 

[jimgrms]

With a tiire that size on a fixed ratio (drive shaft ) won't it be kinda sluggish?

 

[DJManche]

With a tiire that size on a fixed ratio (drive shaft ) won't it be kinda sluggish?

True but I don't plan on going that large with it just the white wall look itself .
Although it actually isn't much larger than stock it sure looks like it when you
chop everything off the back plus it adds a little top end speed on the highway .

Also going to be adding a better intake set up to get rid of the air box between the seats .
K&N intake and re-jetting the carbs should breath some new life in the low end .

I think with the weight reduction of all the stripped parts and added HP of the re-jet and
filter combined with the straight pipes it already has it may be OK to go a size larger in the tire .

Update on the tank , I found bad fuel and rust in the tank so its being flushed , coated
and resealed this week along with a new tank lock and Ignition switch are on order as well . So I think once I get some fresh fuel in this thing and get all the filters unclogged
It may run allot better than I thought it did . Almost every filter and grommet in the thing was near clogged and still ran .

 

[DutchVDub]

gawd, still not done?

 

[DJManche]

I'm so scatter brained I was lucky to get the pics posted , C'mon me actually finishing something I started ...
:laugh3:

I did start the seat pan last night but nothing pic worthy .