Japanese Bikes, Build Threads & How-To’sBuild threads, tech Q&A and conversations centered around custom-built motorcycles from the Land of the Rising Sun
Meanwhile, the last kid is outta school, my tour of Fatherhood duty in the freakin Ozarks is over and it's time to back to my hometown of Hollyweird. Kinda hard to get around or pretend to be a biker there without a bike so I traded a 6mpg old GMC Topkick for this '82 Kaw donor bike. I would have preferred a Harley or at least a chain drive but 5 years in the economy of the Ozarks took it's toll on my ability to solve problems by throwing money at them. Lucky for me I have zero loyalty to corporations so 2 wheels and some go fast is good enough for me. All I really cared is that it was a bike model that had been made in abundance so that parts, wrecks and experienced wrenches would be easily available. I figured KZ, CB and GSXR would all be good places to start.
So as of today, I have the bike running well, put a couple hundred miles on it, got it inspected, tagged, insured and spent enough time on it to know what I like about it and what I don't. So now I have some direction to go in and my main goal is have a unique, low budget chopper that gets me around LA, looks fairly wild and provides me with a rolling storefront to show off my leather working skills. I am also hoping to do the bike in stages which don't take more than a few days of down time per stage. So I won't be stripping this all the way down to the frame and starting from scratch.
So first things first. Here is what this ugly green monster looked like when I brought it home. Not exactly my style.
Obviously the first required step was to fix this ugly ass green paint. Nothin a few cans of Satin black, high temp, rattle can paint wouldn't fix. Ah soooooo much better.
Next is to push the bars up a bit, cut off all the ugly turn signal trash and start adding some temporary leather patches here and there to make it feel like it's mine while I start figuring out the more complex stuff and collect parts. Since I am a leather tooling guy who makes biker gear, I figure make use of stuff I have laying around the leather shop. Nothin too nice since it's all gonna change anyway. First thing is cover that ugly square gas cap with some gator and some imagery which properly conveys my internal dialog regarding current fuel prices.
I was taught how to do leather work by Pascal at RiffRaff of Hollywood. He's a pretty well known guy who spends plenty of time in various magazines and documentaries. His specialties are custom Cowboy boots and Chopper seats but the guy seems able to make just about anything out of leather. Out of the hundreds of seats and boots I have seen him build from scratch, I have yet to see one I didn't love. Perhaps there are other people in this world who can claim to be better at one specialty but I don't know anyone who can do it all as well as this guy does. Now he even does awesome metal engraving.
Anyway, a while back he made a seat that got a spill on it so the cover ended up in the trash. This guy is soooo freakin good, I have a collection of just stuff I pulled out of his freakin trash! lol Anyway, the "King Rat" patch is the only thing on this bike I didn't make and it was cut out of that seat cover I found in Pascal's garbage. How perfect is that for a rat bike eh? hehe
I Just slapped that puppy on there and didn't take the time to form it so there are a few wrinkles but it's only going to last until I build the new tank so I didn't put much effort into it.
I just slapped other various patches here and there to break up the black.
OK So I got some of that crap up there. The next step is going to be building the forward controls. Here we have some junk laid out on the table that I am going to scab them together out of.
So I'll have those old bike pegs for the pegs, welding tubing to the frame, weld bolts into the tubes and have more tubes over the bolts. I'll weld the wrenches to the loose tubes for use as the linkage and weld the chains into the brake pedal and shifter. Down the shifter side of the bike, I'll use that old sword looking corn knife as the shifter linkage rod and on the brake side I am going to use doubled up old chainsaw blades welded stiff. The pegs will have the old spurs welded under them so I can rest my heels on them if I like and I'll wrap them in leather so they don't scuff up the custom boots I made.
A few other things in this picture are the old brake light I found for 50 cents at a yard sale, the old lantern I am going to re-bulb into the headlight, one of two turtle shells I found that will get reworked into the rear view mirrors and some old shotgun parts I'll be cutting up into turn signals by filling them with red or yellow LEDs. Not sure what I'll do with the .50 caliber machine gun shells which were fired as blanks on the War of the worlds" movie I briefly worked on. The flask will get strapped on somewhere as well.
Other plans include building a hard tail section out of 3/8 welded chain with a matching bar to strap my gear too on long trips (I don't allow passengers any more). I am also going to build the ape hangers out of the same heavy duty logging chain welded to shape as well. 7/8 Solid bar at the risers and Harley sized at the controls so I have more choices available when it comes time to rewire and such. I'll prolly cut and rake the front enough to level out the bike when I lower the rear end during the hard tail process. Nothing too extreme.
The other thing I am gonna do is since this beast just gobbles gas and I don't want to cut up the backbone ( I am 300 lbs and it flexes enough at speed as it is) I am going to build a very large coffin gas tank that will trick the eye into feeling like the hard tail section continues at the same angle through the backbone. So the tank will wedge a bit. The tanks top line will match the top line of the hard tail. It will still carry 5 gallons or more and cover the 3 tube backbone.
I'll then cover it with leather and carve it up to match the wood grain in the other coffin patch. I'll prolly add eyes peeking out of broken boards and maybe some skeleton hands trying to break out. I may then carve chains "Locking the coffin" or even put real ones around it.
The goal is for the bike to be easily recognized around Hollywood since I am a stand up comic and also show off my leather skills since leather is one of my day jobs along with various things in the film industry.
Here is the vest I wear which I am trying to get the bike to match.
No idea what I am going to do for the seat yet. Perhaps an old saddle?
Well that's where I am right now. It's a start. I'll add pictures when I get the forward controls done in the next few days.
SD
The leather is a nice touch. I would like to do some gator skin on my bike after the hardtail. If you get a minute could you pm me a quote on what it would cost me to get a finished peice like the one on the tank?
The leather is a nice touch. I would like to do some gator skin on my bike after the hardtail. If you get a minute could you pm me a quote on what it would cost me to get a finished peice like the one on the tank?
In all honesty, it probably isn't worth doing. If you are seriously wanting to, I can do it but this is left overs from a skin that was used to build a pair of custom western boots so it didn't cost me anything to just toss it on there.
If this were going to be a finished piece that would stay on forever, I wouldn't glue it down, I would strap it and I would braid the edges with kangaroo stitching to give it a more finished look and longer life. To seriously do this right, I would have to have the tank it was going to go on and it would be up in the 6-800 dollar range to get it right. What you are seeing here is something I just slapped together in about 15 or 20 minutes out of scraps and it's going to look like hell if I leave it on there more than a year. Especially because the edges are not laced and it's just glued down.
To do something like this in just carved leather and not with gator would be in the 2-300 range without edge braid and 400 with. It depends on the level of detail in the artwork.. I run pretty much like a tattoo shop. It just depends on how much time it takes to do the artwork you want.
Once you get into Gator, Ostrich, shark, stingray and things like that, then the price just gets stupid high really fast due to the cost of the materials involved. Normally I try to avoid those kinds of materials but then again, the customer is always right.
Like it. Big time. Dunno if the .50 cals are a similar diameter, more of a .38 special man, but I plugged my sawn off subframe with Winchester 12 gauge shells. Fit like a glove.
Last edited by OldSchoolBully; 06-09-2012 at 11:01 AM.
I love the leather work, One day soon I will teach myself how to do leather tooling. But I likey your allot ^_^. Good work keep it up.
I know you will!!!! this is what happens when someone who is quite able gets the itch for custom leather stuff!!! that way, it only costs you what is costs for the materials!! and, gator, is the highest cost of skin I have seen yet!!! I really do njot understand, but, they have a hold on it, and monopoly gator skins!!!
Like it. Big time. Dunno if the .50 cals are a similar diameter, more of a .38 special man, but I plugged my sawn off subframe with Winchester 12 gauge shells. Fit like a glove.
HA! Those shells look great there I was contemplating the ends of the handlebars maybe. We shall see.
Lol I understand that...but there's more to it then falling off...I'm thought one of the links on his down tube was broke ...he started surfing...the bike started wobbling...and then he "fell off".
Lol I understand that...but there's more to it then falling off...I'm thought one of the links on his down tube was broke ...he started surfing...the bike started wobbling...and then he "fell off".
Indian Larry Died when he was performing a stunt on a bike he built called "Grease Monkey" (according to wiki). He stood up on the seat with arms outstretched, with no helmet, fell off, and cracked his noggin. The chain bike is just as good today as it ever was. My feelings on the wreck are mixed. I have always worked in the movies and worked with lots of stunt people when I was in special effects. I am against helmet laws but I always wear one now. I didn't for about the first 10 years. To each his own. He made his choice, he paid the price. No judgements.
Properly welded chain doesn't just "break." We have used it for all sorts of crazy stuff like push bars on trucks, shifter levers (which not only survived crashes but saved the left side of the bike when it just skidded on the chain shifter lever as if it was a case saver : ), furniture, hammer handles and so on.
Take a set of handle bars for instance, just exactly how much pressure do you put on bars? 1-5 pounds maybe? Probably the most when your sitting still and stand it up. Anyone who puts enough pressure on handle bars to break a welded 3/8" chain has a hell of a lot bigger problems than a broken link which are going to arise long before that link breaks. lol
As for the frame of chain, take a 1 ton dually 4x4 and bolt a welded chain brush gaurd to it and knock down some small trees with it or pull another truck out of a mud hole with it. I would say that's a lot more pressure than you will ever create with my fat 300 pound ass.
For instance, 3/8" steel lifting chain (what I am using) is rated at 7100 pounds (tensile). Supposedly the weld is stronger than the chain.
Of course there is the problem of shear strength vs tensile. So lets call a link of 3/8 inch chain a 3/8 bolt x2 depending on what kind of bolt, the shear strength is going to be 4,200-11,000 pounds. So a link of chain would be similar to a pair of 3/8" bolts at 8,400-22,000 pounds. Just to be super safe and forgiving, let's just call it 4000 pounds of shear strength. I couldn't find the shear strength of the average 1 1/4" tube bike frame but I am guessing it is slightly lower than welded links of 3/8" chain.
Anyway, so the question arises, will my 550 lbd bike and 300 pound ass add up to enough to break a weld on something that has a shear strength of somewhere between 4000 pounds and above. (You engineers can obviously see I am no engineer. lol )
Somewhere in here we also have to add in the strength of cross bracing, fender mounts, triangulation, mounting plates and the length of the sections. So I think that 4000 pound number is going to go way up if we use real math and all that added rigidity. I sincerely doubt that there are any sections on this hard tail that are long enough or subjected to enough pressure to cause either the chain or the welds to fail. Especially after I add gussets of diamond plate here and there just to make it look even more trashy.
As for doing the entire frame in chain, if I had a proper jig, a nice tig welder, a lift and the opportunity and time to strip the bike completely down to just the frame, I probably would do an all chain frame. Even though the damned thing would weigh a freakin ton. Given I don't have those luxuries, I'll only be doing the tail for now. If I do end up extending the front end at some point, I'll prolly chain the down tubes or at least parts of them.
This isn't a plane, it's not a racecar, it's not under crazy loads. It's just a freakin bike. After 30 years of dodging cars on the LA road system, I think breaking a link is the least of my worries. The last big wreck I was in, I wasn't even moving. I was sitting still, waiting to turn left from the left turn lane, surrounded with traffic, no where to run, on a full sized, evo Harley soft tail, with open pipes, flashing my brights, revving the engine, honking the horn and I still got ran the hell down head on. After the fire department cleaned up my mess and while I was in the hospital, the cops showed up and decided it was my fault. Not the guy in the Mercedes who nailed me with his bumper. This is why I no longer take passengers. Cuz my last one is filled with titanium and crippled for life.
If you think a welded chain frame section is sketchy, it's time to reevaluate your motorcycle hobby. lol Every time you get on a brand new perfect bike, you risk being paralyzed or decapitated but some idiot on a cell phone, some silly twat putting on her makeup, a semi tire exploding into you or a random deer slamming you into a tree.
If yer lookin for a safe hobby, time to quit riding choppers and get a thick couch and some video games
Indian Larry Died when he was performing a stunt on a bike he built called "Grease Monkey" (according to wiki). He stood up on the seat with arms outstretched, with no helmet, fell off, and cracked his noggin. The chain bike is just as good today as it ever was. My feelings on the wreck are mixed. I have always worked in the movies and worked with lots of stunt people when I was in special effects. I am against helmet laws but I always wear one now. I didn't for about the first 10 years. To each his own. He made his choice, he paid the price. No judgements.
Properly welded chain doesn't just "break." We have used it for all sorts of crazy stuff like push bars on trucks, shifter levers (which not only survived crashes but saved the left side of the bike when it just skidded on the chain shifter lever as if it was a case saver : ), furniture, hammer handles and so on.
Take a set of handle bars for instance, just exactly how much pressure do you put on bars? 1-5 pounds maybe? Probably the most when your sitting still and stand it up. Anyone who puts enough pressure on handle bars to break a welded 3/8" chain has a hell of a lot bigger problems than a broken link which are going to arise long before that link breaks. lol
As for the frame of chain, take a 1 ton dually 4x4 and bolt a welded chain brush gaurd to it and knock down some small trees with it or pull another truck out of a mud hole with it. I would say that's a lot more pressure than you will ever create with my fat 300 pound ass.
For instance, 3/8" steel lifting chain (what I am using) is rated at 7100 pounds (tensile). Supposedly the weld is stronger than the chain.
Of course there is the problem of shear strength vs tensile. So lets call a link of 3/8 inch chain a 3/8 bolt x2 depending on what kind of bolt, the shear strength is going to be 4,200-11,000 pounds. So a link of chain would be similar to a pair of 3/8" bolts at 8,400-22,000 pounds. Just to be super safe and forgiving, let's just call it 4000 pounds of shear strength. I couldn't find the shear strength of the average 1 1/4" tube bike frame but I am guessing it is slightly lower than welded links of 3/8" chain.
Anyway, so the question arises, will my 550 lbd bike and 300 pound ass add up to enough to break a weld on something that has a shear strength of somewhere between 4000 pounds and above. (You engineers can obviously see I am no engineer. lol )
Somewhere in here we also have to add in the strength of cross bracing, fender mounts, triangulation, mounting plates and the length of the sections. So I think that 4000 pound number is going to go way up if we use real math and all that added rigidity. I sincerely doubt that there are any sections on this hard tail that are long enough or subjected to enough pressure to cause either the chain or the welds to fail. Especially after I add gussets of diamond plate here and there just to make it look even more trashy.
As for doing the entire frame in chain, if I had a proper jig, a nice tig welder, a lift and the opportunity and time to strip the bike completely down to just the frame, I probably would do an all chain frame. Even though the damned thing would weigh a freakin ton. Given I don't have those luxuries, I'll only be doing the tail for now. If I do end up extending the front end at some point, I'll prolly chain the down tubes or at least parts of them.
This isn't a plane, it's not a racecar, it's not under crazy loads. It's just a freakin bike. After 30 years of dodging cars on the LA road system, I think breaking a link is the least of my worries. The last big wreck I was in, I wasn't even moving. I was sitting still, waiting to turn left from the left turn lane, surrounded with traffic, no where to run, on a full sized, evo Harley soft tail, with open pipes, flashing my brights, revving the engine, honking the horn and I still got ran the hell down head on. After the fire department cleaned up my mess and while I was in the hospital, the cops showed up and decided it was my fault. Not the guy in the Mercedes who nailed me with his bumper. This is why I no longer take passengers. Cuz my last one is filled with titanium and crippled for life.
If you think a welded chain frame section is sketchy, it's time to reevaluate your motorcycle hobby. lol Every time you get on a brand new perfect bike, you risk being paralyzed or decapitated but some idiot on a cell phone, some silly twat putting on her makeup, a semi tire exploding into you or a random deer slamming you into a tree.
If yer lookin for a safe hobby, time to quit riding choppers and get a thick couch and some video games
SD
I agree with ya, but you made my brain bleed with information.....
AWESOME build, if it was me I would cut the steering neck of and do the entire chassis with chain.
Unfortunately, in Missouri, if I cut off the neck it becomes a special construction the next time I have it inspected. Which ups my insurance and requires lots more paperwork and inspection bs.
Ah soooooo much better. 
I was contemplating the ends of the handlebars maybe. We shall see. 
Hybrid Mode
