Technical Resources

[AbbandonZK]

I am planning a 70's chopper build however I have a severe lack of knowledge in certain areas of motorcycle assembly.

Is there any book or dvd set that shows torque values for assembling certain parts like steering and drivetrain components?

While I have been able to find some material, much of it seems to be written assuming that the reader has some basic knowledge in motorcycle maintenance.

I am planning to use a Shinko Classic 240 Blackwall Tire - MT90H-16/-- as my rear tire.

What is the difference in handling compared to the more modern tires and the larger 250 and 300 tires?

Was the standard rake angle in the 70's for choppers 38 or 40 degrees?

I'm planning on having a shovelhead as the bikes power plant.

Ebay has a few crankcases from 400-700$ is there anything I should visually look for when selecting one? e.g obvouis damage which is either expensive or un-repairable. A 76' and a 81' case have caught my eye, should there be a preference on one over the other? Whats the going rate for a set of matching crankcases in general for shovelheads?

A few that I looked at the auction stated that they had broken primary rings and I passed on them. Is a issue like that repairable?

Should any consideration be placed on opting for a modern S&S or Ultima motor?

I read that there is a required line of text for EPA regulations required to be permanently affixed to the bike; due it being my one lifetime custom bike.

Are there any other compliance pitfalls I must take note of? Would there be any benefit in acquiring a titled frame that was made before a certain year?

Upon completion of the bike I would need to register it in the state that I would be living in. It could be AZ or WA. Which state would be best to register the bike in?


Thank you for reading

[bobberadam]

Wow, I am not at all trying to be a dick here, but I will probably come off that way.... so you are concerned with the info That you can find being written for someone who has "basic" knowledge with that statement I assume you have none? Well for starters a shovelhead is not the bike for you. It will break down once and you will not know what to do. especially on the side of the road. Moving along, from the sounds of your statements you have never ridden a motorcycle? you have a rear tire picked out and that is good however not the place to start. next wide tires handle like dog shit and you will hate it. do not worry about buying cases at this point. I am in no way saying that everybody starts somewhere and needs to learn as they go. My advice for you is to buy an evo if it has to be a Harley or some kind of jap bike that is reliable and you can learn with the basics and progress from there. Also there is no set "standard" for rake on a chopper. a good place to start learning about chopper is www.thechopperhandbook.com, lots of great fab info. I just don't want you to get into motorcycles and feel overwhelmed or defeated rite off the bat, or kill yourself due to lack of experience. Feel free to P.M. with any questions you might have.

[Tattooo]

Wow, I am not at all trying to be a dick here,

LOL That's why I didn't post......... LOL

But what you said is spot on........ A wide tire bike is for posers and they ride and handle like crap.....

[AbbandonZK]

Wow, I am not at all trying to be a dick here, but I will probably come off that way.... so you are concerned with the info That you can find being written for someone who has "basic" knowledge with that statement I assume you have none? Well for starters a shovelhead is not the bike for you. It will break down once and you will not know what to do. especially on the side of the road. Moving along, from the sounds of your statements you have never ridden a motorcycle? you have a rear tire picked out and that is good however not the place to start. next wide tires handle like dog shit and you will hate it. do not worry about buying cases at this point. I am in no way saying that everybody starts somewhere and needs to learn as they go. My advice for you is to buy an evo if it has to be a Harley or some kind of jap bike that is reliable and you can learn with the basics and progress from there. Also there is no set "standard" for rake on a chopper. a good place to start learning about chopper is www.thechopperhandbook.com, lots of great fab info. I just don't want you to get into motorcycles and feel overwhelmed or defeated rite off the bat, or kill yourself due to lack of experience. Feel free to P.M. with any questions you might have.

Thanks for reading and replying. I guess knowledge was a poor choice of word. Alot of book samples and guides I was able to look at, don't explain recommend torque for attaching parts to the frame. Unless the big secret in the motorcycle world is that everything is just hand-tight. It has me skeptical of the veracity of the information being presented. I had chosen build a chopper because after going to the HD dealership my friend and I sat on a few bikes. I had settled on a Harley 500 but after sitting on a chopper later in the day. I found it to be a better choice as it had significantly less bulk and better steering angles. I didn't like being hunched over on the 500.


Would there be a year range for a starter motorcycle (jap bike... ill move up to a harley later) with out excessive on-board electronics?

I burn thru enough sensors on my car I don't want to have to go chasing ghosts out of the machine.

Thanks for reading

[ridgerunner1965]

actually I'm my opinion a evo Harley of some sort would be far easier to build than a jap bike. the easiest of all would be a evo sporty 5spd.

much more info and easily available parts. jap bike wiring can be a nightmare where as a evo can run with points and about 6ft of wiring.

if your a taller feller then yu mite want a evo big twin.also available fairly cheaply in running condition. early to mid 90's bike are a pretty good value in either sporty or big twin.

[ridgerunner1965]

you don't really need any kind of torque specs for attaching parts to yur frame like foot pegs, battery boxes etc.

good clean threads with a drop of blue Loctite and then titen fairly tite.there should actually be a table in your service manual that shows torque specs for diff size bolts but not for particular items you are attaching.

[AbbandonZK]

actually I'm my opinion a evo Harley of some sort would be far easier to build than a jap bike. the easiest of all would be a evo sporty 5spd.

much more info and easily available parts. jap bike wiring can be a nightmare where as a evo can run with points and about 6ft of wiring.

if your a taller feller then yu mite want a evo big twin.also available fairly cheaply in running condition. early to mid 90's bike are a pretty good value in either sporty or big twin.

I wouldn't build a jap bike as it would be a starter bike and I'd be more concerned with being able to sell it later. Thanks for reading.

[slabman]

I wouldn't build a jap bike as it would be a starter bike and I'd be more concerned with being able to sell it later. Thanks for reading.

If you are building a 70's chop or any other chop or bobber or cafe racer, or streetfighter or whatever I would not consider being able to sell it, or it's resale value.

If you are lucky and skilled and experienced in every aspect of building a custom motorcycle you might turn a profit. If you are really lucky you might break even.
It is more likely you will recover 1 dollar in 3.

What is your budget? (We don't need the answer but you do).
Will you modify the frame?
Can you weld?
Can you weld well enough to trust your life to it?
Can you weld well enough to trust your girls' life to it?
Do you know how much it will cost to have it professionally welded?
How about the electrics?
Same questions?
And the paint?
And everything else?
Learning what to avoid can be expensive.
Do you have any experience with motorcycles at all?
I am not trying to be a smartarse here.
You are asking questions in the right place.
You don't have to make the same mistakes some(many) of us have made?
Keep asking questions and good luck.

[bobberadam]

^^^^^ Very well said, Learn from all the stupid mistakes we have made. The thing to remember is when given advise actually listen to it (because we are guys and most of the time think we can do it better. I know I am guilty on a regular basis) because us guys that have been there and done it can save you a ton of money and time. you are in the rite place and well on your way to asking for the rite info, Keep at it man. remember it takes time and patience so do not get discouraged when things get hard or you get stuck or you are re-doing the same bracket for 15th time.

[Tattooo]

The main thing to remember is to think about what your going to do and how to do it many times before you do it.... Also don't be in a hurry to finish it before you even get started.............

[Benny74]

Not trying to dissuade you, but.... why not buy a already running bike? You're talking about buying a set of cases that won't come with a title, so you still need to find a titled frame to drop them in.

By the time you buy a set of cases for $400 and finish building it, you're going to probably have close to 3 grand in it when you could have bought a titled, running evo sporty for that. Is this your first bike? I know a chopped out Shovel seems like a sweet first bike, but as a first bike for someone who isn't mechanically inclined, you're setting yourself up for failure.

I know how tempting it is to get a badass bike and be the "cool" guy on the block, but it isn't very cool when you have little to no knowledge of how to put it together and fix it when it breaks. A running, riding evo sporty will always be cooler than a clapped out shovel sitting on a milk crate. Do yourself a favor and pick up something reliable for your first bike and learn as you go, like we all did

[thecarfarmer]

You might look @ buying a donor bike with an Evo to chop; if you decide to swap to a Shovel later, should be a (comparatively) easy swap.

[bobberadam]

Something else that might help at least get you started and moving in a direction you want and a great tool for learning. http://www.chopperhandbook.com/

[bobscogin]

I am planning a 70's chopper build however I have a severe lack of knowledge in certain areas of motorcycle assembly.

Danger Will Robinson!!! Stop there. Buy a dirt cheap Evo Sportster with legit title and registration and abuse it further in the learning process. If I'm just another guy sounding like a dick, I'll gladly take the beating to say I helped stop you from getting into water that's way over your head.

Bob

[thecarfarmer]

Another thought along the same vein, you can buy four Speed Evo Sporty's cheaper than any other Harley.

If you build your 70's style scoot starting with one of those, you can always build an Ironhead, or buy a good running one, and it will be a very easy drop in swap.

Just use the Ironhead front motor mounts, and you'll be good to go.

Sometime around the early 1970s, Harley changed the oil pumps on the XLs, the later ones require a dent in the bottom tube under the right side of the engine. The Evo sporty uses a similar pump in the same place. The earliest engines (K model and early XL) have oil pumps that don't require the dent, but it won't hurt anything swapping earlier into the later frame.

The Evo is taller, so you will have no problems going to the earlier engine.

The only issues happen when you try to swap later engines into earlier bikes.

So, it's a "less difficult" way of ending up exactly where you want to go.