Matt's Intruder Build

[TheMKoi]

Hello ChopCult

So I am far enough along with my build to warrant throwing up some pictures and showing every one what I have been up to.

Here is how the bike looked when I first got it and how I rode it all last summer.




As you can see it was a good comfy daily driver, but not really what I was ultimately hoping for. Because of my height I found it a bit tight. In the fall when it became a bit to cold to ride. I started to make some new handle bars for it.



But after stumbling on LeDom's and Jasonisdisco's builds I said ah fuck it lets chop this shit up. My plan is to reuse everything I can to keep the cost as low as possible.
So let the tear down and chopping begin.






So I busted out my Lincoln 225amp stick welder and got to work. I am electrician by trade but I have welded when I was a teenager in a tool and die shop. I made benches and steel shelves. So needless to say my welds are nowhere close to as nice as some of the mig and tig welded stuff displayed here on this site. But I had my father and my brother (both tool and die makers) take a look and they thought all the welds were good and strong. Good enough for me. Haha
I made slugs to inserting to the stock frame and into the added 6" for the down tubes. It is a little scary to discover that the stock frame is only .100" compared to the .120" of the DOM tube. I flattened the ends of the back bone to sleeve over the stock rear back bone notches. And when I was all done I threw some bondo on my joints to smooth them out and give it a look of one solid piece of metal. Well will see if once it is painted it will reflect my vision.




I took my tank to try and get someone to cut out the old frame tunnel and add a mounting tab to the front, but the consensus was that this was going to cost me way more then I wanted to spend. Maybe I will steal my brothers mig/tig and try next winter. But this summer is approaching fast so I came up with this idea to use the stock tank catch with rubber grommet and weld up some tabs to hold it. My brother also gave me an old sportster seat that I ripped apart removed some supports from and rebent it to fit my new frame.




Up next was the test fit for everything back on the bike and getting ideas on where to put the electrical. Also needed to locate the choke mount.



At this point Jason informed me I could get rid of the fuel pump but under the time constraints I want to keep the original systems of the bike as stock as possible. This summer will be figuring out what I should do to alter it next winter. For now I just want it back on the road.

After all electrical was somewhat planned out and tabs located I tore it down and finished welded and bondo.

Then I scuffed it all up and blasted it with primer in my ghetto ass heated paint booth



That is how I left her last night. I plan to sand then hit it with some primer with filler today during the kids nap time.

The front forks are on order from Seeger cycles and will be in my garage on the 26th. I hope to have it back on the road by May 4th or else I owe my bud a couple tanks of gas.

Let me know what you think and keep posted to see if I can get it done in time and see what she looks like in the end. I haven't been able to find any pics online of someone doing what I am doing, maybe there is a reason why? But we will all find out soon enough.

Thanks for looking,

Matt

[Jasonisdico]

Looks good dude. Can't wait to see it on wheels. 👍🏻

[TheMKoi]

Looks good dude. Can't wait to see it on wheels. ����

Thanks Jay

I am just hitting it with some flat black paint but I am having trouble with the overspray creating a slight fuzz on already painted parts of the frame. I am thinking I will just keep hitting it then give it a quick wet sanding at 800 or 1000. I hope to be reassembling on the weekend. My forks still haven't shipped from Seeger so I am almost starting to panic. haha

[TheMKoi]

So I finished up with the flat black. It turned out ok for now. I am going to ride it this summer and if I really want to change it I will strip it down next winter.
Here is the flat black Frame



Taped it up to prevent massive scratches



The tape worked well but I would do a lot less tape next time and only go heavy where you know you are tight. I took pictures when test fitting so I knew where to go heavy with the tape.
A couple hours later and this is where I left it last night.




Pics where from this morning. Hopefully I can get it started soon.

[TheMKoi]

I got the swing arm back on and I am fitting the brake light and plate holder while I wait for stores to open to get some stuff.

[TheMKoi]

So I got the tank mocked up to see if the stock bars will clear the tank. And they do...



So I will use them this summer and maybe make some new ones when I get a chance.

I swapped out the needle and jets in my carbs and found the pervious owner used a new type of disintegrating air filter. Fuck sakes it was dirty in there.



Cleaned them up and did the swap out then put them back together and buttoned them back in. Now it was time for the electrical.
I have completed the front end ( headlight, gauges, turn signals, etc) and I am now working on tidying up the mess of cables and quick connectors for all the switches and interlocks. This is the time when you get jealous of the guys with the old bikes with barely any electrical wiring.

This year's plan was to make a frame and get it running again. Maybe next winter I will remove the pump like Jay has recommended and see what other electrical goodies I can get away with out. For now it is crunch time.

I am waiting for my fork tubes, still. I had ordered them but the original company did not return one of my phone calls or emails and was unable to even process my order for 4 weeks. It still hasn't been processed so I canceled and ordered from Forking by Frank. I spoke to them on the phone and they seam like a good shop. I know they are the original company from the 60's but it appears that they are back in full force. The price was more but then again the other shop didn't even produce anything. Hopefully they will ship soon and I will be rolling again in no time.

Also if someone has laced a 21 or 23" on the stock hub, how easy is it to do?

Or is there a direct swap for a dirt bike rim like one off a Suzuki RM 250 of something? I can't find a used 800 21" rim anywhere.

Thanks for reading.

[Jasonisdico]

Hey dude, I've got a good 21" rim with a runable tire on it. Some surface rust on the spokes but overall good. $225 plus shipping and it's yours with the brake rotor. DM with your number and I'll text you pics. I have another 23" but I'm not letting that go. Lacing a 23" to an intruder rim wouldn't be terribly difficult except I could never find one with the same number of spokes. And to have one made was cost prohibitive

[TheMKoi]

Hey dude, I've got a good 21" rim with a runable tire on it. Some surface rust on the spokes but overall good. $225 plus shipping and it's yours with the brake rotor. DM with your number and I'll text you pics. I have another 23" but I'm not letting that go. Lacing a 23" to an intruder rim wouldn't be terribly difficult except I could never find one with the same number of spokes. And to have one made was cost prohibitive

Thanks for the offer Jason, if I can't find anything that I can make work up here under the snow I will take you up on that. the shipping would kill me. I am up in Toronto, Canada. I still have some time to look before my fork tubes come in.

[TheMKoi]

So I finished up the electrical with the support of my helper



The wires are there and connected to all the right places but let's be honest it could use a full rewire to get rid of the mess. There were jumpers all over the place. But when I threw my battery on it at least wanted to start up. Battery is toast though.

Wanted to chop the plate holder and rear brake light.

Ingredients:

Yes the safety goggles are being used as material...



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So that tightens that up. I forgot to take a pic with the plate window cut in. For now it will go back under the fender. Once I build the sissy bar maybe I will relocate it.

Built some plate to weld the sissy bar to.



The marker will be the angle of the sissy bar and the rear hole will be the rear turn signals. It is tapped to allow them to thread in and another nut goes on the inside to squish the fender to the plate.

I finally got it off the lift and swinging from some straps. First time sitting on the frame with out fear of falling of the lift.

I am not sure if you can tell, I super stoked with the progress so far.

I am still waiting for fork tubes and just found out the rear shocks are at home waiting for me.

This is where I left it last night



Thanks for looking.

[Revver]

awesome! great work you've done there

[TheMKoi]

awesome! great work you've done there

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

It is raining here for the weekend so hopefully I will have the rear end done and it running by the end of the weekend. Still no front forks, so still not even rolling yet.

[TheMKoi]

I just finished up my sissy bar and I mocked it up with the Marauder shocks.




Turned out all right. I can't decide if I want to add anything in the middle of the sissy. I sat back there and it has a pretty comfy lean.

I am looking forward to throwing some gas into it and seeing how she runs.

Thanks for looking.

[Jasonisdico]

I would add something to the middle. It will help your bungees to not slide up when you strap stuff back there.

[TheMKoi]

I would add something to the middle. It will help your bungees to not slide up when you strap stuff back there.

Yeah thanks Jason for the help I appreciate the expert eye.

I am going to get my wife to sit on it and make sure I am not putting a bar right on her spine. If I put one low and one up higher it might work well. I will have something attached to it almost every time I ride the bike so it needs to be functional as well. This is my reasoning for keeping the brake light and plate holder down low.

I just hope it doesn't make it look too bulky when I am done.

[TheMKoi]

Well I am still waiting for front fork tubes, should be here within a week. That means I needed to hussle up and get this bike ready to roll.

I wanted to make some nice custom exhaust but I haven't had any time to dick around with the mig I borrowed from my brother, so I am going another route. I am going to reuse parts of the stock exhaust and install 1 1/4" straight pipes through where there used to be baffels and an exit the size of my pinky. Hopefully it will give me the sound and performance I am looking for. This is basically a really cheap ass version of "Marco's muffler mod", as found on Intruder specific sites.

So here is goes... take the stock muffler,



I have already cut and capped the cross pipe.
Add some plasma cutting with heavy guage welding rods...



Make sure you trimm back the crossover pipe inside the muffler, other wise you can not get your inserts all the way in.

Make up some inserts, I used cut offs from work. 1 1/4" EMT and a hole sawed octagon cover plate. Welded the cover plate to the conduit and voila an 1 1/4" insert.



I had to add a bit of width to the end so it would for snug into the stock muffler. Also what is not pictured will be the high heat jb weld that will be rolled out around each point of connection front and back. I only have one done I will post some pics with the end result when both are done.





Also fixed up my plate bracket with my custom brake running light combo. Basically trying to not be such a cop magnet.



I need to double check and make sure a hard bounce won't rip off my plate, but other then that I was happy with the results.

Thanks for reading