Tinker Toy 70s chopper reborn

[beerslave]

Alright, some of you guys might have followed my previous build a couple of years ago for the triumph Mi Ruca. Link included below
It was one of the best bikes I owned, rode it everywhere! I was on my way to New Mexico from Texas for the Run to Raton when I was clipped by an 18 wheeler on the freeway and sent into the ditch at 70 mph.

http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49807

Moving forward the bikes toast, but the main thing is even after being all twisted up the motor still starts first kick and runs great. So I've been looking for something to build up again as I am starting with a good motor. I received a message from a buddy of mine about a survivor chopper his uncle had seen in a thrift/resale shop here a few hours away from me in Texas. I went to check it out and was blown away, the place buys storage units and then resales what they find in the units. The lady told me this bike was locked up in a unit since the 80's, we worked out a deal and I was on the way home with the bike. Stoked as fuck!!

[beerslave]

[beerslave]

Had to sacrifice some paint to repair the neck!

[Guest]

Pretty slick

[beerslave]

Got my old motor swapped in, still a bitch installing these oif 650s into pre oif frames!!!


The old oil tank was full of rust/sludge, so I decided to go ahead and run my old horse show style tank as well as all the electronics off my wrecked bike.

[beerslave]

Got the front end back on with the addition of new neck bearings and a 21 spool wheel up front.



At this point I need to mount the exhaust correctly, the previous owner was using the exhaust P clamps as engine spacers and I don't want to do that. I still need to put a new rear tire on the back and also get the handlebars sorted out, the handlebars are just screwed on 2 piece bars so if I turn to hard one way they unscrew! Going to weld a bar into the middle of the bars to stop them from turning.

[TriNortchopz]

the handlebars are just screwed on 2 piece bars so if I turn to hard one way they unscrew! Going to weld a bar into the middle of the bars to stop them from turning.

Looks like the bars are mounted with studs on top of the back springer legs...similar to Jammer. Use shim stock - try a couple of different thicknesses until you get them tight in the right position, then locktight the threads. A bar welded across wont allow you to remove them without cutting the bar...perhaps a clamp-on bar, similar to a straight riser, but double ended; like a dog bone riser...ya.

[Dougtheinternetannoyance123]

A) That totally sucks about the wreck, that would be terrifying. Glad you survived but makes me freak out a little seeing it. (I got ran over by a drunk driver doing 75-80 according to the cops, I never saw it coming)
B) The bike out of the storage locker is epic! Sadly,, somebody is still probably crying in their beer and mad as hell they lost it, let it get away, or whatever the story is. Probably people are bored to tears hearing the same storys over and over about it.
C) Very cool to revive it and as well as super cool you are preserving most of the originality of it.

** HOWEVER,, shiver me timbers it freaks me out a bit about some of the frame work, moulding, raking and cracks or bad welds?. I bought a frame like that, and same deal, Period custom and unknown history. went back and forth and finally decided what I dont know might kill me. I ground down the bondo and found some really bad welds and a crack that would be certain to have failed. I still have it, I cut the neck off and repaired the frame and have it on the wall in my shop,.The necks are a casting and not really advisable to try and cut and rake them like that.

I currently have 2 other frames same deal and very similar. I would be really uncomfortable riding a bike with an unknown like that. But, Some people have bigger cajones than me,, I just hope it works out. But I do think its very cool and you preserving it like that.

[beerslave]

Looks like the bars are mounted with studs on top of the back springer legs...similar to Jammer. Use shim stock - try a couple of different thicknesses until you get them tight in the right position, then locktight the threads. A bar welded across wont allow you to remove them without cutting the bar...perhaps a clamp-on bar, similar to a straight riser, but double ended; like a dog bone riser...ya.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]97261[/ATTACH]

The bars are for sure on a stud, I tried for days to get the bars off the stud and they wouldn't budge. I used heat, penetrating oil, more heat, more oil, they did not budge! I think from sitting for so long they basically are welded together now

[beerslave]

A) That totally sucks about the wreck, that would be terrifying. Glad you survived but makes me freak out a little seeing it. (I got ran over by a drunk driver doing 75-80 according to the cops, I never saw it coming)
B) The bike out of the storage locker is epic! Sadly,, somebody is still probably crying in their beer and mad as hell they lost it, let it get away, or whatever the story is. Probably people are bored to tears hearing the same storys over and over about it.
C) Very cool to revive it and as well as super cool you are preserving most of the originality of it.

** HOWEVER,, shiver me timbers it freaks me out a bit about some of the frame work, moulding, raking and cracks or bad welds?. I bought a frame like that, and same deal, Period custom and unknown history. went back and forth and finally decided what I dont know might kill me. I ground down the bondo and found some really bad welds and a crack that would be certain to have failed. I still have it, I cut the neck off and repaired the frame and have it on the wall in my shop,.The necks are a casting and not really advisable to try and cut and rake them like that.

I currently have 2 other frames same deal and very similar. I would be really uncomfortable riding a bike with an unknown like that. But, Some people have bigger cajones than me,, I just hope it works out. But I do think its very cool and you preserving it like that.

Man I know what you mean about the frame work, we took the paint and bondo down on the top of the neck because there was obviously something going on and we also took the bondo and paint from the bottom of the neck and a couple of other spots that looked suspicious. One thing that freaked me out is the Previous owner was running the conical wheel on the rear, the conical wheel uses a smaller axle than the standard cotton hub triumph wheels. They were not using anything to compensate so the axle plates were pretty beat up from the axle moving up and down.