The Greasy Dozen Builds 2013 (Official 13)

[ironallen]

Ironhead Cafe-Racer build



Category: Cafe-Racer/Modder (read upgraded ironhead cafe-drag-vintage racer)

My project bike is a 79 Ironhead. I purchased this out of spare change from a disability grant from the VA about six months out of the military. I would like to do a custom cafe-racer softail change the rake and trail make this bike low and lean but still keep the classic cafe stance. My family has been working on their own custom bikes since my great uncles and great grandfather purchased there 1940's indian cheifs after getting back from the war as pilots. I have helped a little with my family and friends bikes but I dont have a shop, I have a garage and a few friends. I have been tooling on bikes for awhile while I was in the military, but now that I am out I am using my gi bill as a disabled vet 30 year old father of four (shameless self promotion) to put myself through the vintage motorcycle courses at MMI. I have the resources and knowledge of a Harley supported school and some small fabrication skills.





So far I have broken the bike down to nuts and bolts looking for any damage and now I plan to do a full rebuild with an S&S stroker kit bored to 7 over. Possibly cut the tranny off looking for a early model kickstart 5 speed to line up to an open chain primary.


So far I have made a few modifications to the frame including a rear faring fabbed from a 1970's suzuki savage:





frame will have a modified/ extended swingarm lots of ideas about shock mounting but i havent decided yet, however i did manage to get my hands on some Fox shocks for sportsters so that will play a part into it.

https://www.chopcult.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32118&stc=1&d=1353995110

I love the feel and sound/vibration of the early model Harleys. I would like to upgrade the exterior with brass and chrome, tune up the suspension, avon tires and spokes, magneto and kickstart, split the heads and copper plate them, ect. and then ride the piss out of it!! Hope I get chosen, good luck everyone else.

[ironallen]

Anybody have plans to enter a Sportster Cafe Racer project? I like being a little different from the pack and lately I'm really in to Jap Long Bikes and Sportster Cafe Racers. The GD winners will run the gambit but I think we need at least one Cafe bike Based on American iron, any takers?

Check out this hot little number by DP CUSTOMS. I love it. -Bear

Why yes I am, 79 Ironhead stroker bored 7 over, sportster cafe build !!

[tenseventythree]

This is my first real project.
The first bike i had was a 1967 Suzuki M15-2
I recently traded my 1969 VW Baja Bug for a 1982 Suzuki GS750T.

Its pretty much stock except for a set of clubman handlebars.

The majority of my mechanic experience is with air cooled VWs so this 750cc aircooled bike should be right up my alley.

My plan for the bike is:

Remove all plastic
Replace the gauges/light panel with a single speedo/tach gauge
Bar end mirrors
Remove the air box and install pods/velocity stacks
Replace or repaint the gas tank.
Replace the seat with a low profile or cafe inspired seat.
Remove the rear fender and move the tail light under the seat
Replace the turn signals with low profile marker type lights
Side mount the license plate
Replace the exhaust pipes for a fuller sound/more power.
Replace stock wheels with wire-spoked wheels

[JamesM]

Wow! This is the cat's meow.

[madtatts]

Thanks, this is my first complete build, all from the ground up. I've recycled a lot of parts from the original bike, and I've done, to my best ability to be involved with making everything myself. It is truly a labor of love for me.

[Mick114]

Bobber Entry

Hey fellas,

I've got a 84 Suzuki GS1000, got it for free from a buddy who didn't have time to work on it. It's a runner, and pretty snotty at that. I have customized bikes in the past, but not to point of cutting off and welding on frames and the like. So in that sense, I'm a noob but not unfamiliar with motorcycles whatsoever. Here are my plans:

As you can see from the pics, I've stripped everything down, cut off the back already

Custom solo seat pan, maybe an old Ford tractor seat or something similar cut down and leathered up
Foot clutch
Suicide shifter (or incorporate clutch and shifter in one)
BMX pegs
Powder coat wheels
Pull engine - compression is good, just check a few odds n ends and tune carbs, add pods on the intake
Paint frame
Polish solid aluminum on engine, black out the rest
Knobby or bias tires...maybe white walls I dunno yet
Clean handlebars, throttle cable only, mounted low to forks
Get rid of the big clunky tank, finding a mustang or similar tank
Cut down extraneous tubing on frame - reinforce where needed
Hide wires and electronics in a fabricated oil bag - polished steel or aluminum
Keep the bike low and short, I don't want to stretch it
Basically clean lines, the less cables and wires the better, ditching one set of calipers
VERY bobbed rear fender behind seat pan with a short sissy bar - enough to keep mud being flung forward under seat pan
Custom tank paint with see-thru gas gauge
Minimalistic as possible

My first attempt at customizing all on my own was with a 2002 VTX 1800C. I've included pics as a stock version, midway through I didn't like where it was going with the Cobra pipes and K&N intake, so I tore it down to the frame, cleaned everything up, lowered it with Progressive shocks, added a PCIII, lower gear ratio in the final drive, Vance and Hines Longshots, 8 degree rake triple tree, internal fork extensions. No cutting other than the rear fender lopping off the license plate mount and signals, adding signals to the fender and a side mount license. Mostly bolt on. (PS Bear, the build was done in my kitchen over the winter months.....I was single so no, there wasn't an angel of a woman around lol)

So, my reason for doing this is that I have wanted to get further into bike building and this bike begs to be a bobber. I can do more with this bike than I could ever dream of with the VTX. I would appreciate the opportunity to give it a try. Thanks.

[Springpinn]

New Entry: Terry and Trevor father and son team.

Hey, I'm Trevor and this is my 82' KZ 550. I picked it up from my friend in, "hey it starts condition" about 2 years ago as he was moving out of his place that had a shed.
I saw so much potential, but to be honest lacked the skill to make it happen thus... it sat.
My father who is an ex grease monkey used to own his own auto shop and has built a hot rod or two in the past. (always more project then time)
However, this time next year my Dad is moving back east from here (Phoenix) and we decided that a little father son project is due.
We've just started hacking away into it and plan to make her into a beautiful bar hoppin' bobber!

[1charlydavison]

rigid redo

49 yrs old.this will be my third build.stopped ridin my chopper and bought a electra glide standard about 10 years ago,due to a marriage.the marriage is done and now the rigid is back on the bench.gonna be a light fast solid,rider.love the bagger but really love my little rigid.just tore it down a few weeks ago and this is what i got cookin so far.

[1charlydavison]

rigid redo

this is what it was

[Ehadams]

Excited to be considered in The Greasy Dozen

Being considered in a very cool concept for me. Bear's post about project procrastination prompted me to clean the garage that I use as a shop to create a dedicated space for this build. I did a $100 make over of the shop. Fresh white paint on the walls. Painted my cabinets to look a little more integrated instead of the yard sale and house renovation finds that they were. And replaced the burned out light fixtures.

I also picked up a lift from harbor Freight to make the work a little easier on my body.

A picture of the before of the shop:


A picture of the after:


Here is a picture of what my project 1975 GL1000 started out as when I purchased earlier this year.


And a picture of what it starts to look like with the body panels on:


Thinking that I will be lowering the stance some.
Need to go through the engine, new seals,
Redo the carbs
Removing much of the electrical on the bike.
Going to use dyna ignition and coils
short or no fenders
clean up the instrument cluster
possibly Thinking of an orange/black color scheme
blacking out the engine
Brake rebuild, with custom lines
custom exhaust

[rkduq20]

here are two bikes ive built. one is an 06 softail standard. i just did alot of bolt on stuff on it but i made the seat and made the liscense plate mount. cut up the fender and had to make it fit to look nice. the other is a 93 sportster. just all bolt on parts on it. it was my first bike i started to modify. my father painted both bikes.






Here is the project bike its an xs 650. im going to do a street tracker. i want to use a sportster front end and sportster rear end to be able to utilize readily available harley parts for the braking componets and wheels and tires. I plan on using a peanut tank on it. buying a howling glass street tracker rear end kit for the body work. im going to run a 39mm front end on it to help make it more stable. i would like to rephase the motor and run a 750 kit in for a little extra burst of power to pull of some real cool wheelies. This bike was found in a guys yard. It has no title and was given to me for free. I am trying to save this bike from the wretched hell that it was wasting away in. the motor doesnt turn over either so its gonna be alot of work. this will be my first real full build. i dont count my softail as a full build because harley did most of the work and i didnt break the bike down to a bare frame. this bike i will. and some other small details. got some good ideas for a wicked paint job on this baby too. gonna be one hot street tracker.





here it is after the first day of work which was breaking the bike down and getting an idea of what i want it to turn into.

[SaddleTramps]

The Greasy Dozen Duo

Here is a different sort of entry for The Greasy Dozen: Two guys, two bikes, one garage. Don’t worry, it gets better. My buddy and I both picked up these winter projects about a month ago and brought them straight to our bike stable. Since day one, we haven’t wasted time… much. We were already in the tear down process when we discovered The Greasy Dozen sponsorship.


Now, this caused a bit of a dilemma for us. How can we both be working the garage, building these bikes, AND be competition for The Greasy Dozen? We’d never be able to turn our backs on each other! So, in the interest of keeping our deadline of a spring unveiling for both bikes, we have decided to enter as a team. No man left behind.


So, on to the builders and our bikes. Travis’ bike is a 1977 CB750K. Glen’s bike is a 1979 CB750K with the DOHC that he constantly hangs over Travis’ head. The plan for these bikes are to café them out and build/fab what we can. Built, not bought. While both bikes are going for the café racer spots, we have very different ideas for the styling of each one. The café racer genre is wide and full of variety, so these bikes will be completely different beasts from each other.


We would’ve liked to have wasted a day making the shop pretty and posing the bikes around, but instead, we worked on them. We’re just now finishing up the tear down process and took a break to finally post our bikes. We won’t be wasting time and procrastinating while we wait for December 24th to hear whether or not we both made it into The Greasy Dozen. Instead, we’ll keep pushing forward.


So, here’s our entry, consequences be damned. It’s time to get back to work on the bikes, now.

[UtahCafeRacer]

Greasy Dozen Project - First Time Cafe Builder


Hello all,

I'm a first time builder currently working on transforming a '78 Yamaha XS 750 SE into a Cafe Racer.



This bike hadn't run in over 4 years when I purchased it. According to the previous owner it had some electrical problems.





Once tear down was complete I removed all battery cage mounts with a reciprocating saw and grinder. I then chopped off the rear of the frame -



- and have created a new squared end.







I'm relocating the battery to sit behind the rider, and I'm building a new seat -





I'm wanting to go with a bit of a SteamPunk type flair for this bike, but still keep that Cafe essence ie. modified, clean, fast, bare essentials.

Here's what is on my current to-do list:

• Finish out the new seat in sheet metal and leather

• Create a 'bolt-on to the frame' setup for the seat

• Probably paint frame, not powder coat.. Still trying to decide on overall color scheme

• New tail lights. I sooo dig these:
  

• New turn signals front and back

• New tires

• Strip wheels of paint and repaint. Again, still working out color scheme

• Rebuild all brakes and new brake lines

• Rearsets, definitely rearsets

• Fab new 3-2-1 exhaust as close to the old Kerker design specs as possible. This is considered the most optimal design ever made for the triple

• I want to make a muffler out of a tin from one of my favorite brands of Scotch

• Strip gas tank and paint. Really want to get rid of the mounts for the old Yamaha name plate.

• Build simplified wiring harness and get new spark plugs/wires and whatever other electrical is needed

• New fabbed clip-ons, and new clutch and throttle cables

• New grips and simplified controls

• New Speed and Tach, small, with customized backgrounds

• Want two headlights. I've got a unique idea for these

• Rebuild carbs

• Deep clean on ye old engine

• Add XS 850 oil-cooler

And that's all I can think of for the moment....

Although this bike wasn't running when I bought it, when kicking it over there were no grinding or sticking sounds and no leaks anywhere. When I drained the oil there weren't any metal flakes or any water so I'm going to avoid tearing it down until I can at least do a compression test.

I'm documenting this whole process on my blog www.UtahCafeRacer.com with the hope that my experience will inspire others to trying building their own.

Thanks for your consideration. This is a bad ass idea!!

[Nothinspecial]

In honor of the greasy dozen, if i win i will do a motorcycle mowhawk during thee entire build if i win, and i will also do so if i do not win

[SaddleTramps]

• Build simplified wiring harness and get new spark plugs/wires and whatever other electrical is needed

Diggin those tail lights. Check out this chopcult forum for the simplified wiring harness:

http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17549

Hope it helps!