After several months of collaboration, panhandling, and promises of grandeur, my brother's bike build was underway. Thanks to the help of Sucker Punch Sallys, I was definitely making progress building a kickass motorcycle for my brother, a U.S. soldier (see the background intro in last month's issue).
After getting the original parts from SPS in Phoenix, I started to get parts from several different companies. SPS in Ohio sent a 1975 Super Glide frontend. Greg Westbury of Westbury Cycles sent a gas cap. Belt Drives Limited sent a 3-inch belt drive. We contacted Fab Kevin, who gave us a smoking deal on a brake light/license bracket. J&P Cycles offered up a transmission, and Custom Chrome kicked down a bunch of parts as well. Kirk Taylor from Custom Design Studios offered to do the paint. As the parts rolled in, I took the build as far as I could before heading to Lucky Devil Custom Cycles to have Kent Weeks give me a hand with welding and final mock-up before shipping the parts out for paint. The adventure continues.
This is the 1975 Super Glide...
This is the 1975 Super Glide frontend that SPS in Ohio sent me. While the frontend is usable, I didn't like the look of the spindly legs on this build. We would have to change to something else later.
I had to grind the Fatbob...
I had to grind the Fatbob tank mounts from the frame to allow the tank to sit correctly on the backbone. You can see from the picture that I was working in a cramped space, but I was determined to finish the mock-up before taking it to Kent for final welding of tank mounts, fender struts, etc.
I marked the backbone for...
I marked the backbone for drilling. While I was able to drill the holes for the rear of the tank mount, I would need help with the front part of the tank. Luckily, I bought some fender bungs from West Coast Choppers, not knowing they would actually be used for mounting my tank to the backbone.
After scoring an old carburetor...
After scoring an old carburetor from H-D, I installed the carb, risers, bars, hand controls, and pipes. While the mock-up was looking complete to my neighbors, I knew I had major flaws. For one, the rear caliper rubbed the wheel. The sprocket was lined too close to the frame, and the frontend wasn't retracting correctly. At this point I started to worry about the final product, so that's when I loaded it up into my car and took it to the devil's shop here in Houston, Texas.
I brought my roller to Kent's...
I brought my roller to Kent's shop, hoping for the best. Within a few weeks, parts started rolling in from several of our sponsors. Here is a shot of the RevTech five-speed transmission from J&P Cycles. Directly next to it is a BDL 3-inch belt drive from Belt Drives Limited and Bikernet.com.
Glenn Priddle of GP Leather...
Glenn Priddle of GP Leather in Australia made the hand-tooled leather seat. I had met Glenn a couple of years prior on a road trip to Sturgis. We followed Bandit to Deadwood and have been friends since. He heard of my quest and insisted on making the seat for the build. I'd say he did a fantastic job.