question for all you guys using the paughco s120 and ironhead motors..

this may be a stupid question but this is my first bike build of this type and im wondering how much i should cut down the top fork tubes.. im using the pauughco s120 (which i wouldnt use again if it were free.) from the measurements i have i think i need them 4" under.. but i have had a few people telling me thats way too much.. i know this frame sits the bike on the ground and i want the bottom of the frame level or about level.. its sitting with the motor in it level at 4" off the ground and the forks are under running through at 4"..any help would be appreciated.. thanks..

p.s. yes i know there is a cardboard cut out of kid rock in the background.. no this is not my shop..

is that front end stock length?

what problems did you have with the frame? my top motor mount was off center but thats the only issue I had.. from the pic it looks like yours might be off too?

Originally Posted by LAMF

is that front end stock length?

They are slid way up in the lower tree.

ya i seen that, but it looks like it would be pretty long if they were all bolted in right

Originally Posted by LAMF

what problems did you have with the frame? my top motor mount was off center but thats the only issue I had.. from the pic it looks like yours might be off too?

the top mount is off.. the welds are half ass.. the bungs for rear wheel adjustment were half welded and not square.. the cross member under the seat was out a quarter of an inch.. the peg splines were ground almost off on the bottom of the frame from them not protecting them during shipping.. just like everyone else that wanted to put a solo seat on this thing i had to cut out and re fab back bone under the seat.. the list goes on and on.. i love the stance of this frame but damn.. i actually called paughco about this.. and honest to god they told me the day my frame was picked up the "quality control guy" was not there.. i swear to god..

Originally Posted by LAMF

is that front end stock length?

yeah its a stock 71 xlch 33.4 mm front end.. im trying to figure out if i should cut them down 4" or 2" and take the rest out of the springs..

Originally Posted by masterblaster

the top mount is off.. the welds are half ass.. the bungs for rear wheel adjustment were half welded and not square.. the cross member under the seat was out a quarter of an inch.. the peg splines were ground almost off on the bottom of the frame from them not protecting them during shipping.. just like everyone else that wanted to put a solo seat on this thing i had to cut out and re fab back bone under the seat.. the list goes on and on.. i love the stance of this frame but damn.. i actually called paughco about this.. and honest to god they told me the day my frame was picked up the "quality control guy" was not there.. i swear to god..

so its not just the 2 pieces of shit i got?? 3.5 inches is what you need to be just above level with a 130 rear and 21 front. dont forget your gettin really low on ground clearence behind the seat tube when almost level and true level will always look weird, as in too low in the front.. hope this helps.

wow that sucks man
Ive done builds using paugcho frame before and never had a problem
just picked up an S120 for a friends ironhead build and it looks to be in good shape
I think for the price they are tough to beat

also as far as going level on the bottom tubes its gonna be super low

my ironhead is a stock pre 1965 frame with a 4" stretch in the hardtail and I went -2 on the 35mm front end and the bottom tubes are slightly up going towards the front and the bike is super low
so low that I have to put wood blocks under my ramp on my table lift to get the bike up it or it wont clear the lift table,
and I had to cut my kickstand down to basically nothing to get the bike to sit properly on the kickstand

going level with the bottom rails in my opinion is too low
I would go about -2 or -3 on the front tubes

you can see pics of my xlch build on my site at syndicatechops.blogspot.com if you want an idea of what -2 tubes will look like

Originally Posted by choptop37

so its not just the 2 pieces of shit i got?? 3.5 inches is what you need to be just above level with a 130 rear and 21 front. dont forget your gettin really low on ground clearence behind the seat tube when almost level and true level will always look weird, as in too low in the front.. hope this helps.

ill look into that.. as of now im taking 3 inches out of the top.. we will start there.. thanks for your time..

Originally Posted by cbellamore

wow that sucks man
Ive done builds using paugcho frame before and never had a problem
just picked up an S120 for a friends ironhead build and it looks to be in good shape
I think for the price they are tough to beat

also as far as going level on the bottom tubes its gonna be super low

my ironhead is a stock pre 1965 frame with a 4" stretch in the hardtail and I went -2 on the 35mm front end and the bottom tubes are slightly up going towards the front and the bike is super low
so low that I have to put wood blocks under my ramp on my table lift to get the bike up it or it wont clear the lift table,
and I had to cut my kickstand down to basically nothing to get the bike to sit properly on the kickstand

going level with the bottom rails in my opinion is too low
I would go about -2 or -3 on the front tubes

you can see pics of my xlch build on my site at syndicatechops.blogspot.com if you want an idea of what -2 tubes will look like

im checking out your link now.. thanks..

I wanted 16's on both front and rear with the bottom of the frame level until I came up with less than 3" of clearance. This Paughco frame is a pain in the ass...

Originally Posted by dondoucette

I wanted 16's on both front and rear with the bottom of the frame level until I came up with less than 3" of clearance. This Paughco frame is a pain in the ass...

welcome to my nightmare.. i honestly havnt rode it yet so i dont know if the height is going to be a problem.. i kinda like it low but i honestly might hate it.. it sucks that you cant buy a well made frame with the stance of a paughco that you can actually ride for the price of a paughco..

Yep I was sorely disappointed, I called Paughco they said" use 18's"... Fuck yeah I'll just ditch the shit I already bought and buy new stuff, shit why didn't I think of that... I had to raise the front to almost 6" to get almost 5" at the rear, I can't be dragging my shit all over the place, cant even imagine what a speed bump woulda done.
I feel for ya, I'm doin a shovel next project but I'll be looking for something other than a shovel.
I'm interested to see how it works out for you.

guys its not just the paughco frame that is the issue with the low ground clearnace
its the dimensions of the ironheads frame specs
if you hardtail a stock early ironhead frame you get the same thing
very low frame rails
and the more stretch to the rear section you get the lower it will sit
paughco frame are not bad for the money at all
you just have to realize what you are getting
they are not $2500 custom frames

Originally Posted by cbellamore

guys its not just the paughco frame that is the issue with the low ground clearnace
its the dimensions of the ironheads frame specs
if you hardtail a stock early ironhead frame you get the same thing
very low frame rails
and the more stretch to the rear section you get the lower it will sit
paughco frame are not bad for the money at all
you just have to realize what you are getting
they are not $2500 custom frames

i dont mind it sitting on the ground i actually kinda like it.. so that doesnt bother me.. and not to sound like a dick but if i could have afforded anything else i probably wouldnt be building an ironhead anyway.. i would have bought a shovel or a pan.. and a frame that costs twice as much.. but im poor and i cant weld for shit so im stuck where i am.. begging borrowing and stealing to get this thing running.. when i was a kid i heard about paughco.. american made blah blah blah.. and i thought they were something to be proud of.. then i bought one and honestly it was kinda like finding out santa wasnt real.. $950 is a lot of money to me it may be peanuts to some of you guys but when i have to save for months to buy something and what i get is not what i expect it kinda pisses me off.. i understand its not a flyrite frame but the amount of frames paughco has made and the amount they make every year you would think they could get someone that actually knows how to put metal into a jig and weld it square.. then when you call them to ask questions and they tell you sorry but theyres not really anything they will do about it that their quality control guy wasnt in.. thats a cop out..

yeah i agree that saying the quality control was not in that day is no exscuse
you paid $950 for that frame ? thats a lot man
my friend just got one brand new from someone that sells paughco stuff on ebay for $600 shipped to his house
they sell them for that price all the time
ive used paugcho frames on a few shovel builds and ironhead builds and never had a problem with their stuff to be honest
i have zero ties to the company so it means nothing to me about negative comments about them
but i agree with you them saying that the quality control guy was not there that day is ridiculous

i ordered it through a company that has ads on this site.. im not naming names because its a great company and the owner is an awesome guy.. i dont want anyone to think its because of them that i got a shitty frame.. he offered to eat the shipping and send me a new one but i figured after what i was told by paughco that it would end up the same anyway.. if i would have paid 5 or 6 for it i wouldnt be as pissed but it is what it is.. do you have any pics of your builds on paughco frames?