My Bobber - SoFoBoMo - 2017.pptx
If you’ve ever seen American Chopper you’ve seen what it takes to put together a custom motorcycle. While I had no illusions about my ability to fabricate, I wanted to build someting uniquely my own. I needed to find a way to build a custom motorcycle based on bolt-on parts. Luckily you can buy a large number of parts that require little more than a socket and wrench set.
My bike started its life as a Harley Davidson 883 Hugger, a model that is small and nimble... for a Harley Davidson. Two women owned my bike before I bought it. The first rode it for several years, putting a couple thousand miles on it before giving up riding. The second owned it for about ten years before moving on to a larger adventure touring bike.
The second owner replaced the “peanut” gas tank with a larger capacity “porkster” tank. She did a lot of trips on the Hugger and got tired of stopping for fuel at least every 100 miles.
When I purchased the bike, I asked the lady who owned it if it would bother her if I cut up her bike. My plan from the start was to build my own custom bobber. Many owners become obsessed with their motorcycles… even after they’ve sold them. I did not want to upset her when she found out later.
This woman had put more than 11,000 miles on the diminutive Harley and was not concerned with whatever I did. She even asked if I’d send her a picture of the bike when I finished.
I purchased the bike in 2013 and rode it unmodified for one year. In the fall of 2014 I parked the bike and began the process of removing parts. I started by removing the wheels and cutting the struts with a reciprocating saw. Then I ground the nubs down to a smoother curve. I later sold almost all the parts I removed to a guy who was working on his own Sportster.
An LA Motorcycles custom Sportster was my initial inspiration. They had sourced a Cole Foster Jammer gas tank and left it raw. I searched high and low for that Jammer tank. Finally finding it in stock at Sportster Specialties. I worked to build everything around that Jammer gas tank. I found Arlen Ness micro mirrors with a shape reminiscent of the tank and bought them.
Another feature that complimented the tank were Triumph reproduction fenders. The center ridge of the tank was almost identical to those on the Triumph rear fender.
I found a plethora of Roland Sands Design parts that I loved. Yet they are so expensive I ultimately purchased only two. I bought the RSD Fork Brace and the Gauge & Headlight Re-Locator kit.
The tank, headlight re-locator and fork brace are simple bolt-on parts. I dry-fitted them and took the bike to Chris Nicholson of Toxic Art. Chris is a skilled fabricator and worked with me to create custom struts for the rear fender. He also welded together the fender and mounting bracket.
The painter and I worked for a couple months on different designs, colors and concepts for my paint job. Several rounds of discussions, mock ups, and review yielded a design. The more we discussed the design the more I liked the idea of scallops and sun burst designs. Chris recommended a different pattern on each panel of the tank. The sheet metal paint took about ten months to finish, but the final product is UNBELIEVABLE.
I dismantled the wheels and tires and took the sprocket and both wheels to a powder coater. The finish is tough and glossy. It reduces the amount of shiny metal bits on the bike to something I find a little more tolerable.
Removing the stock airbox was an interesting adventure. The stock airbox serves as the inlet for the breather valves on each head and as the carburetor’s bracket. I covered all the bases of parts for the air cleaner, but didn’t fully appreciate the bracket aspect. Sean Skinner from MotoRelic pointed out my lack of support and told me exactly what part to order.
For the exhaust, I like the 2-in-to-1 systems the best as they balance the back pressure. Bassani had exactly what I needed to make my bike special. It was fully blacked out. It sounds great. And it was so simple to install, I did it myself. Another item checked off the list.
With a new air cleaner and exhaust system, Sean rejetted the carb. Thus completing my Stage 1 modifications.
The new tank doesn’t mount with the coil and key in their stock location, so a new spot was necessary for each. I found a kit online that allowed me to move the ignition key and coil. The kit moves the coil to the choke mount point. The kit mounts the key with the coil, but I didn’t think it looked right. I found some references online that showed the key mounted to the battery box, and I liked that look.
The stock rubber foot controls leave a great deal to be desired. I ordered new foot pegs and a new shifter that I thought fit the finished look better. The polished circles at the end of the pegs mirrors the circles of the derby cover.
When I had the wheels off of the bike getting powder coated, I painted the disks with hi-temp black. My goal wasn’t to eliminate the shiny bits, but to set them off a bit more.
After I got the wheels back, I began the re-assembly process. I took the bike to John Longo to get fitted for a new saddle. John made a fiberglass seat pan for me, then added padding to new pan. He had me meet him at his shop and cut the padding to fit my butt. It was a fascinating process of putting the seat on the bike, having me stand on the pegs and sit down. Marking the seat, taking it off to make a few more adjustments, then repeat.
Once he was happy with the shape and fit, he started with the questions about what I wanted it to look like? This is the point where I could add as much “style” as I like. For me, with the over-the-top paint, I wanted something a little simpler and more elegant. The result was a distressed leather with classic baseball mitt stitching.
John had extra distressed leather from the same sheet of material, so he made me a cover for the battery strap. He also made covers for the grips from the same sheet.
I bought bullet rear turn signals, and an identical set for the front. After cutting down the struts it was pretty trivial to drill and mount the rear turn signals. But when it came to the front turn signals, I couldn’t get a look I liked. I purchased and tested several fork mounts for the front signals and could not find ones that worked. Later I found the low-profile LED strips for the front that simply strapped around the fork.
My friend Glenn provided me a ‘39 Ford taillight for my bike. I bought a license plate bracket that could use the Ford taillight and mounted it to my left shock mount. The bike tipped over in the garage during the rebuild and broke the taillight and license plate bracket. Sean Skinner of MotoRelic re-welded the license plate bracket with less offset. And I ended up needing a new taillight as well, so I stuck with the ‘39 Ford style.
I picked a set of ‘buckshot’ hand levers in a polished aluminum. The style compliments the leather wrapped grips and the Arlen Ness micro mirrors.
In the later pictures I added one more small item. I ride a motorcycle to work nearly every day, and this is now one of my favorites. But I also needed a place to hold a few essentials. I found a fantastic little swingarm bag by La Rosa Design made of a similar distressed leather.
I couldn’t help but include a single image of the motorcycle from when I originally purchased it. It has come a long way and I feel like it is finally all mine.
My bike started its life as a Harley Davidson 883 Hugger, a model that is small and nimble... for a Harley Davidson. Two women owned my bike before I bought it. The first rode it for several years, putting a couple thousand miles on it before giving up riding. The second owned it for about ten years before moving on to a larger adventure touring bike.
The second owner replaced the “peanut” gas tank with a larger capacity “porkster” tank. She did a lot of trips on the Hugger and got tired of stopping for fuel at least every 100 miles.
When I purchased the bike, I asked the lady who owned it if it would bother her if I cut up her bike. My plan from the start was to build my own custom bobber. Many owners become obsessed with their motorcycles… even after they’ve sold them. I did not want to upset her when she found out later.
This woman had put more than 11,000 miles on the diminutive Harley and was not concerned with whatever I did. She even asked if I’d send her a picture of the bike when I finished.
I purchased the bike in 2013 and rode it unmodified for one year. In the fall of 2014 I parked the bike and began the process of removing parts. I started by removing the wheels and cutting the struts with a reciprocating saw. Then I ground the nubs down to a smoother curve. I later sold almost all the parts I removed to a guy who was working on his own Sportster.
An LA Motorcycles custom Sportster was my initial inspiration. They had sourced a Cole Foster Jammer gas tank and left it raw. I searched high and low for that Jammer tank. Finally finding it in stock at Sportster Specialties. I worked to build everything around that Jammer gas tank. I found Arlen Ness micro mirrors with a shape reminiscent of the tank and bought them.
Another feature that complimented the tank were Triumph reproduction fenders. The center ridge of the tank was almost identical to those on the Triumph rear fender.
I found a plethora of Roland Sands Design parts that I loved. Yet they are so expensive I ultimately purchased only two. I bought the RSD Fork Brace and the Gauge & Headlight Re-Locator kit.
The tank, headlight re-locator and fork brace are simple bolt-on parts. I dry-fitted them and took the bike to Chris Nicholson of Toxic Art. Chris is a skilled fabricator and worked with me to create custom struts for the rear fender. He also welded together the fender and mounting bracket.
The painter and I worked for a couple months on different designs, colors and concepts for my paint job. Several rounds of discussions, mock ups, and review yielded a design. The more we discussed the design the more I liked the idea of scallops and sun burst designs. Chris recommended a different pattern on each panel of the tank. The sheet metal paint took about ten months to finish, but the final product is UNBELIEVABLE.
I dismantled the wheels and tires and took the sprocket and both wheels to a powder coater. The finish is tough and glossy. It reduces the amount of shiny metal bits on the bike to something I find a little more tolerable.
Removing the stock airbox was an interesting adventure. The stock airbox serves as the inlet for the breather valves on each head and as the carburetor’s bracket. I covered all the bases of parts for the air cleaner, but didn’t fully appreciate the bracket aspect. Sean Skinner from MotoRelic pointed out my lack of support and told me exactly what part to order.
For the exhaust, I like the 2-in-to-1 systems the best as they balance the back pressure. Bassani had exactly what I needed to make my bike special. It was fully blacked out. It sounds great. And it was so simple to install, I did it myself. Another item checked off the list.
With a new air cleaner and exhaust system, Sean rejetted the carb. Thus completing my Stage 1 modifications.
The new tank doesn’t mount with the coil and key in their stock location, so a new spot was necessary for each. I found a kit online that allowed me to move the ignition key and coil. The kit moves the coil to the choke mount point. The kit mounts the key with the coil, but I didn’t think it looked right. I found some references online that showed the key mounted to the battery box, and I liked that look.
The stock rubber foot controls leave a great deal to be desired. I ordered new foot pegs and a new shifter that I thought fit the finished look better. The polished circles at the end of the pegs mirrors the circles of the derby cover.
When I had the wheels off of the bike getting powder coated, I painted the disks with hi-temp black. My goal wasn’t to eliminate the shiny bits, but to set them off a bit more.
After I got the wheels back, I began the re-assembly process. I took the bike to John Longo to get fitted for a new saddle. John made a fiberglass seat pan for me, then added padding to new pan. He had me meet him at his shop and cut the padding to fit my butt. It was a fascinating process of putting the seat on the bike, having me stand on the pegs and sit down. Marking the seat, taking it off to make a few more adjustments, then repeat.
Once he was happy with the shape and fit, he started with the questions about what I wanted it to look like? This is the point where I could add as much “style” as I like. For me, with the over-the-top paint, I wanted something a little simpler and more elegant. The result was a distressed leather with classic baseball mitt stitching.
John had extra distressed leather from the same sheet of material, so he made me a cover for the battery strap. He also made covers for the grips from the same sheet.
I bought bullet rear turn signals, and an identical set for the front. After cutting down the struts it was pretty trivial to drill and mount the rear turn signals. But when it came to the front turn signals, I couldn’t get a look I liked. I purchased and tested several fork mounts for the front signals and could not find ones that worked. Later I found the low-profile LED strips for the front that simply strapped around the fork.
My friend Glenn provided me a ‘39 Ford taillight for my bike. I bought a license plate bracket that could use the Ford taillight and mounted it to my left shock mount. The bike tipped over in the garage during the rebuild and broke the taillight and license plate bracket. Sean Skinner of MotoRelic re-welded the license plate bracket with less offset. And I ended up needing a new taillight as well, so I stuck with the ‘39 Ford style.
I picked a set of ‘buckshot’ hand levers in a polished aluminum. The style compliments the leather wrapped grips and the Arlen Ness micro mirrors.
In the later pictures I added one more small item. I ride a motorcycle to work nearly every day, and this is now one of my favorites. But I also needed a place to hold a few essentials. I found a fantastic little swingarm bag by La Rosa Design made of a similar distressed leather.
I couldn’t help but include a single image of the motorcycle from when I originally purchased it. It has come a long way and I feel like it is finally all mine.
