Finally Some Work Outside my Hobbies

Got a contract to build an over-head liquor rack for The Mode Lounge in downtown Boise at 8th & Idaho. The rack will hang over the bar and is about 14' long. Has pretty much taken over my garage and I'm scrambling to get it finished and installed before I leave for Christmas.

CB360 Brat Progress

Well the CB360 is almost done. It's been a while since I posted on it so I'll try to catch you up in one shot. I seemed to work out all the small stuff that goes along with building a bike. Got the light mounted and the brakes all sorted out. I needed to tackle a seat so I got out the sheet and started pounding away. got it all pounded out and took it and some ostrich skin I had at the house to a local upholstery shop. They did a killer job and the color really compliments the bike.

Once that was done, I had a horrible time trying to get it running right. After a lot of research I discovered that these bike and carbs really hate to have pod filters and short exhaust. With that in mind, I sent my carbs off to CrazyPJ in Florida to modify the air jets. The problem isn't so much with the volume of air that they are sucking in, but rather the lack of calm air. I still have the cheap pods on but will be upgrading to some better filters soon.

My buddy Dallas stopped by one day and I told him that I really needed a set of mufflers to get the exhaust extended past the rear axle and quiet the beast down. He just happened to have a set of Harley take offs in the back of his truck. A little cutting and welding later and I had them mounted up.

Now that the bike is all together and my pipes and carbs are done, I've been running it a bit and have some new issues. 1. It will surge initially and stay elevated. That may be an advancer issue so I need to check that. 2. It's also hissing some oil out the seal at the kicker. That worries me in that it may not be getting enough oil flow so I'm gonna make sure it's getting oil in the top end, check the breather and replace that seal.

To be continued...

New Bars for the CB360 Brat

Haven't been doing a whole lot to the Brat lately but I did get around to making a set of bars. Wanted to do something I haven't seen before. Put them in the same position at clip-ons but made a 1 piece handlebar that mounts under the triple tree.

More Triumph Progress

I wasn't happy with the lines of my first set of pipes, so I set out to redesign them. Much better now. While I was in the mood, I also tackled a new sissy bar since the first one was a bit wonky. 

Triumph Progress

Been making some slow progress on the chop. Trying out a new pipe design. Think I like it so far. Pretty damn close to getting this thing ready for tear down and paint.

Middle Class Chops - Coffee, Beer, Motorcycles

Been kicking around a business idea for a couple years now. I would like to open a combo coffee shop, micro brew bar and custom bike shop. Here's the idea and below is my son in front of a vacant auto shop...

Middle Class Chops is a modern motorcycle themed cafe specializing in fine coffee and micro brews. It serves as a non-typical coffee shop and beer bar that provides an atmosphere that is hip and comfortable for all patrons and especially those who ride, build, work on or are interested in motorcycles. Half the building is dedicated to the cafe while the other half is a working custom motorcycle shop. Middle Class Chops combines a modern urban style cafe with the booming movement of the young motorcycle enthusiast and brings it all to Boise where none such exist.

Triumph Chop - Mock Up

Latest mock up. Picking up my motor this week so I really need to get the sissy bar and tail light mount done this weekend.

Also, it's never to early to exposing the kids to metal fab!

1975 CB360 Brat - Part 3 - Brake Rotor

Started drilling my brake rotor. 93 holes times 2 drill sizes, 186 pulls of the lever.

1975 CB360 Brat - Part 2 - Inspiration

Started going through the process of obtaining a title for this bike. Went to DMV and paid $7 to get the name and address of the last titled owner. Paid another $3 for a certified letter to that address that will hopefully be returned to me. Next step is to take that unopened letter to the Motor Vehicle Investigator and have him run the VIN and give me a title.

Other than that, ordered 2 Dunlop K70's 4.00x18, bought a front caliper, kickstand, master cylinder, gasket set, wheel bearings, tapered neck bearings, gaitors, and some other odds and ends to kick this thing off. Also found my inspiration bike. Not going too custom on this build, pretty run of the mill.

1974 Honda CB360 Street Tracker Brat Build -1

Picked up this pile for $200 the other day. Been wanting to building a street tracker/brat hybrid for a while now and this is the perfect platform for it. First order of business was to strip the whole bike and detab the frame. Ground it all smooth and it's now ready for reassembly.

Set of Rabbit Ears for a Chop Cult Buddy

A guy from Chicago saw my build on Chopcult and wanted a set of 1" bars in the same style. 

Triumph Chop - Rabbit Ear Bars

Work on the bike has been pretty stagnant lately so I decided I would try and get some bars done this weekend to kick it back into gear. 

Started out making some aluminum inserts for the top clamp since I had a 7/8" hole to fill. Then bent up some 7/8" DOM and made some bungs that got welded into the bottom and threaded for 1/2-13. I haven't welded in the brace yet, but you get the idea. Will post some pics of the finished product when I get it done. 

Triumph Chop - Microphone Tail Light

You can turn pretty much anything into a tail light. This is the method that I've used before but never taken pictures of. Bought a vintage microphone and removed the mic from it. I always have to draw out what I want to do so I don't screw it up. Bought an 1157 Red LED light and an 1157 socket. From there, it's just working with what you've got. My mic body has a little lip on the inside so I turned a washer down to fit snug on that lip. Welded a 2" pipe to it and then used another washer for the light socket. A couple really basic tabs with some bolts and there you have it. I like using the Red LED cause I don't have to use a lens. Hope you all find this info helpful. Before I had a lathe I always did the exact same thing with my bench grinder and hand files. 

Triumph Chop - Headlight Perch

Worked on the headlight perch yesterday. First got the triple tree all cleaned up and bored out the hole where I'd be mounting the headlight. Cut off a section of hex leaded steel and turned down the end to fit the hole then drilled and tapped it. Cut off half the upper section lengthwise and drilled it to accept the headlight.

Triumph Chop - Fender and Oil Tanks Mounts

Bungs! Feels like I've just been making bungs the past couple days but I did get my oil tank and fender mounted. The tank is an old Santee horseshoe tank. Thank god for my JD2 notcher because it made the coped angles super easy. After spending a few hours on the lathe drilling and threading all the bungs, I got them all tacked in place. 

Triumph Chop - Finishing Seat Mount

Put some final touches on the seat mount. Threaded a piece of 3/8 rod for 2 1/4" socket head bolts. Made it look real clean. Also got the spring perches done. Just need to burn it all in and move on to the next project.