Bonneville Flyer, chassis number four

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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
After the knife, it was time to put it back together again. Here is the fender tacked together and ready to tig weld back together.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

Everything lined up real well, edges were straight and accurate. If the prep work is not right, it'll never go back together right.
 

itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
After Pat tig welded it back together, I did a quick clean up of the seam and did a check fit back in the frame and it was exacty what I wanted. Next up, we had to trim the sides.

Here I am with my hi-tech Sportsman Flyer fender scribing tool. OK, it was a paint stick and a sharpie, but with a tight fitting hole at the axle and a hole to hold the sharpie tight, it is very easy to scribe a perfect line around the fender.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

Sometimes, the cheapest materials make the best tools. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, you can see the battery hiding in it's final resting place. It needs a little tray to hold it, but that'll come later.
 
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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
And here it is after getting the sides cut down. After I marked it in the previous pics, I decided I wanted it just a little deeper, so I modified my paint stick and laid down another line. I am glad I remarked it, as that extra half inch of depth really made a difference.

The picture is a little dark, but you can see how the fender really wraps over the tire.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

If you look close, you can also see how I trimmed the fender for chain clearance. I also decided to use that vintage rear light my buddy Carlos loaned me... I hope he doesn't mind that I plan to borrow it for a long time.
 
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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
Here is a nice rear end view that really shows how well the new fender fits. It has that vintage look I was after. Sometimes you just can't find what you want at the local hardware store, sometimes, ya just gotta do it yourself. It's hard to believe its the same fender we started with.

It's not the best picture, but you get the idea. I hope you like it as much as I do.
 

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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
And in case you didn't notice, the motor is sitting on the revised e-start mount, the chains are all lined up and everything fits perfect. I have built a few personal bikes for me and it's really amazing the evolution of the bikes. These have gone from garage bikes, to production machines in just a couple short years.

Oh, and you might have noticed a few other things. It was a nice spring day and there were a couple cool rides sitting in the driveway while we were wrenching.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

Thats Pat's GT-40, Becky was out terrorizing the country side while we were in the shop.
 

itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
The white bike as I like to call it (Pat says it is Harley gray), was out soaking up the sunshine as well. I've seen lots of bikes roll thru the shop, but somehow this one just seems to stand out to me. I never would have thought of painting one this color, but then when you see it, it just grabs you.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

I really like this bike. It'll be sporting a Honda GX200, with a nice little street cam, with upgraded valve train, higher compression and all the shiney billet goodies we normally stuff inside the motors. In other words, this will be a nice sporty little bike.
 
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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
So as you can see, we've made quite a bit of progress on the bike but it still has a ways to go.

I still need to fabricate a mount to hold the head light, add the steering stabilizer, cables and controls, plus I still need to wire it up. Because I went with the electric start and lights, I still have a bit of work to go. I want to hide the wiring to keep the bike as clean as possible. Pat will get the intake and exhaust built over the next couple of week which will finish the last of the fab work.

It's a work in progress, but it's really getting close now.


Shop Day by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr

As similar as this is to previous builds, it has so many new features that required extra fabrication time, but that's part of the fun. The best thing is, I get to keep it when it's done.

The original plan was to have the bike fully finished and painted for the spring Whizzin, a 90 mile ride thru the Delta in early April. I don't have a lot of free weekends left so I'll be happy if I have in fully up and running, but still in bare metal for the ride.

Nothing like a dead line to keep you motivated!
 

truckd

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2010
2,837
134
63
palmdale calif
I am presuming that you still have a little cutting left on the rear fender and do you plan on extending the handle bars back a wee bit? sure would like a prevue on that head light too Carbide, Elect or modified carbide for elec?

Nice looking bike! I'm glad the cruiser's haven't lost their place among the BTR's and actually I'm seeing a come back of sorts.

I saw a guy who builds outta N.Y called seoz motored bicycles and he did a slightly plumb grey with navy blue and gold pin stripes,Sweet! do you plan on going totlly nostalgic or nostalgic with a flair on the paint?
share all with us Please!
 
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itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
Fender is pretty much done, I have to add the struts and thats about it. Maybe soften the rear corners a bit. I wanted a simple fender and I'm super happy how it came out.

Head light is from The Factory Metal Works, they specialize in vintage Triumph's. Its a simple 4.5" bobber style, more of a 50's bobber style, I didn't want a carriage type light. Light is chrome, but I will probably paint the body, maybe leave the trim ring chrome. The charging system has limited wattage so I had to chose appropriately and I wanted a DOT approved unit as I plan to register this at the DMV so I can get plates on it.

As for paint, still stumbling around on that one a bit. Might go a vintage Maroon, or a super deep blue, maybe even a deep vintage green, or??? most likely something dark.
 

itchybird

Member
Nov 4, 2009
316
6
18
SF Bay Area.
Oh, and those are not the bars I will be running. They're on there to make it easy to roll around the shop and that's it. I will probably run a pair of wide, low cross brace bars.

And remember, this is a Jekyll and Hyde ride. It's a cruiser, but it's also a racer in disguise. I will cut a second rear fender for it, that'll be a std boardie style piece. I will paint it to match so I can switch between styles.

This bike will have all the creature comforts on it, I even plan to add springs to the seat. In one of the early posts I had a link that showed the starter in action on a static motor. But I have since run in both my race motor and my street motor on my motor stand. The electric starter works great!
 

truckd

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2010
2,837
134
63
palmdale calif
I like the way your mind is working,you've got a nice bike! if you do a dark color also incorperate a bright pin stripe, for instance a dark navy blue, a bright olive green stripe (hypothetically) check some stuff out on yer computer art deco drawing thingy program and experiment with some colors that POP! against yer color of choice for the bike, it's too nice to do something HO HUM, I mean you've gone this far.
 

dmb

Active Member
Dec 4, 2010
1,354
3
36
lakewood ca
looks like a gentleman's ride right now. and i'm looking forward to the not so gentle change. good to see your stepping it up a notch again and again. dennis
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,844
485
83
california
Hey guys,
Well, Rich's bike has been kicking around the shop so I see it all the time. Something wasn't looking quite right about it so I figured I would make a few changes while he wasn't around. I think I fixed it and it's looking much better now. Those are vintage handlebar tassels and the little propeller airplane is from the late 1940's! The propeller spins real nice, too.


Bonneville Cruiser by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
 

sportscarpat

Bonneville Bomber the Salt Flat record breaker
Jun 25, 2009
1,844
485
83
california
Guess he didn't like the upgrades as he pulled everything off. Some guys just don't understand true vintage styling. Anyway, he fired up the cruiser today and took it for a nice long cruise. It was running pretty hard, too. I ran chase vehicle just in case and he seemed to run a comfortable 50-55 mph steady cruise speed. It all looked pretty stable from my vantage point. Here it is at a quick stop.


Bonneville Cruiser by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
 

charliechaindrive.

New Member
Nov 20, 2011
704
10
0
staples mn
Looking good pat! And, I had an idea for a different, styled exhaust for the cruiser, because IMO the one you have now has a more BTR look. I made a poor photochop of an idea I had..

Ccd
 

Velodrome

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2011
2,387
271
63
Phoenix-ish
Hey guys,
Well, Rich's bike has been kicking around the shop so I see it all the time. Something wasn't looking quite right about it so I figured I would make a few changes while he wasn't around. I think I fixed it and it's looking much better now. Those are vintage handlebar tassels and the little propeller airplane is from the late 1940's! The propeller spins real nice, too.


Bonneville Cruiser by Sportsman Flyer, on Flickr
I think I know wht the problem was. No flowers... Try these. Mabey for his birthday. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Razzle-Tazz...278?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5653b7840e MMMMWWAAAAAHAHAHAhahahaha
 

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