Slow going...

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jbones9869

jbones9869

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Nov 24, 2009
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Disassembled a cranbrook... ordered a choppa tank/tires/pedals/mm parts/and... oh yeah... some all white tires! Here's some early pics...

1. White tires are gonna look nice...

2. Sanded and primed pagsta tank... going flat black on it... with the gf in charge of a painted white emblem on each side (still waiting on the gas cap and petcock)...

Will post more to this thread as I piece it together...
 

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jbones9869

jbones9869

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The pagsta is the same as the rebel... but that is a tall can of primer (kinda dwarfs the tank). I used aircraft remover to strip a ridiculous amount of paint, clearcoat and decals. The decals were so thick that I thought the flames were stamped into the metal (I'm glad that they weren't)! I'm guessing that preparing that tank will end up being the hardest part of the build. I ordered some billet mounting brackets from a dune buggy website to make the front mount is as clean looking as possible. Maybe im going a little overboard considering i have no experience with this? Just relying on my innate creativity and skill... hopefully it works...
 
Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Waiting for my Pagsta tank to arrive. What do you guys think of it? JBones, did you locate a good cap for it yet?

Draper cycle has been awesome. I inadvertently had the wrong addy on my paypal and they went way out of their way to reroute the delivery. I also asked them to find more deals for MBers. $25 for a tank is a good deal. Wish they had more.
 
jbones9869

jbones9869

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Unfortunately, $30 is the cheapest you will find a cap for online, unless you can track down a honda rebel at a junkyard (supposed to be the same exact cap). I haven't ordered a petcock yet, but will soon. I ordered some billet clamps to fabricate the gas tank mounts... I'll post pics when I get it together. (See thread title) lol... I also ordered a set of fork struts... (the decorative ones like you see on the Electra cruisers and older bikes).

P.s. - as far as my opinion of the tank itself... I can't really say yet... this is my first build and I don't even have an engine kit yet. I'm starting with the bike (a rolling chassis... I guess you could say)! After I get the manic mechanic parts in and installed I'll order the kit...
 

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jbones9869

jbones9869

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Just some more pics... decided to rip the handlebars from my forgotten kent la jolla cruisers. Still have to finish mounting the tank and refinishing the frame. The billet clamp I'm using for the front tank mount came from a dune buggy supply website... $13... but I think it looks nice. Fork struts were on ebay, still waiting on the head mount for it...
 

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bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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the truss rods (fork struts) aren't just decorative. well, the original ones weren't. i dunno about the ones you have, i haven't see a one piece set up like that. truss rods have been around since the late 1800's.

the early blade forks were prone to bending on rough roads back in the early 1900's and those helped a lot. as forks improved, i think it probably became more of a decorative thing, especially when all the cool balloon tire bikes started coming out with springers, but they still add rigidity to the forks.

plus, they look cool.

i have them on my bike now, but didn't have them on my first one. there's a noticeable difference in fork flex when hauling ass down the road...
 
jbones9869

jbones9869

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See... you learn something new every day! I thought they were completely decorative, and now I'm hoping they add some spring. They look like they are the perfect height for the cranbrook frame... the headset clamps didn't have much of a description, so I'm hoping it all fits!
 
tommyboy1442

tommyboy1442

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Nov 25, 2009
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jbones, whats the name of the website you purchased the billet tank mount from? it looks sweet and it may just fit my frame as well....
 
jbones9869

jbones9869

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Sorry I have not been online since my last post... Tommy, you can find the part at e1racing.net... (Item #: 740111-1.5) it's showing as $16.31 now... but I could have sworn I paid somewhere around $13 for it? Half the time I forget my purchases on purpose!!! Too much $$$ spent!!! They specialize in dune buggy parts, but they have a bunch of billet clamps and mounting brackets that will fit 1-1/2" tubing... and when you open the box... this stuff is shines like christmas, (so make sure you put on some sunglasses)!!!
 
Dan

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Really like your mounts JB. Is the rear threw bolted are is it another bracket?

I received that tank. Had no idea how big it was. That's gonna go on a long haul comfort MB. Thanks again for the link.
 
jbones9869

jbones9869

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Thanks dan... front mount is a combination of that atv billet clamp and some vise-bent 1" aluminum stock from home depot. Combine that with some 1/4" bolts, fender washers, rubber washers, and locking nuts... and you're good to go. At the rear of the tank where the mounting hole is... I broke the rules and just drilled through the frame! I figured it was just one small hole... we'll see if it causes any problems! The tank is pretty big... so I hope it all looks proportional in the end. Only one way to find out I guess!.wee.
 
Dan

Dan

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Had a buddy who built at least 5 MBs a week and swore that drilling frames did no damage. I used to argue with him just for the fun of it. But he never had a problem.
 
jbones9869

jbones9869

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Truth be told, I broke the tip of a drill bit off inside the frame. I couldn't extract it... so I just super glued it in the end of the top bar. I'm afraid the vibrations, over time, will eventually jar it loose and it will turn into a noisemaker! Since it's not visible in the pics... we can just keep that part a little secret...
 
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