shovel chop re chop

[ralphiejantz]

got the bars almost finished up today
I just need to cut down the width on them once I get the tank back
and I want to notch and weld a piece going horizontal across the center
did them out of 1" stainless

laid out of on the table after I measured and made the cuts

[SpeedAndNoise]

Nice work on those bars! And FYI, your fork is on backwards

[badassbrutus]

Looking good Ralph keep it up man!!!

[ralphiejantz]

just about finished with the bars
I just have to get the tank back on it then I will cut them down to width

took a piece of 1" solid stainless and turned it down on the lathe to fit snug inside the .120 wall 1" stainless tubing that I notched for the center piece on the bars





then welding everything into place

[ralphiejantz]

re did the rear fender struts
the aluminum flat stock that I used before somehow cracked
so I did it over this time in 1/2" 304 stainless round tube and stainless bullets for the top and countersunk bungs for the bottom

[rockett]

Man, that is sick. How do you have skills like that and are broke? That's some really sexy welding.

[sugarlou]

Looking way better already.

[Rob Axel]

Looking Good!! any chance on getting some information on the trans / starter setup?..looks like a ratchet top, tell me about the starter

[ralphiejantz]

Originally Posted by Rob Axel

Looking Good!! any chance on getting some information on the trans / starter setup?..looks like a ratchet top, tell me about the starter

yeah the trans is a stock case ratchet top 4spd trans with a set of andrews gears in it

the starter is a tech cycle kit for the BDL 3" open belt
its a very nice piece and about the only aftermarket open belt 4spd electric start kit that I know of

Im actually looking to sell the kit off as I barely use since the bike has a kicker setup also

if your interested in it send me a pm

[Osprey]

nice work

[ralphiejantz]

thanks for the compliments
getting a little closer
handle bars are all done ( I might cut them a bit narrower but they are good for now)



and got some mockup work done on the front brake setup
its super tight but I think I have enough clearance to make it work
so I plan on shaving this leg down to match the other one
then welding on some caliper mounts to match this caliper and locate it in the proper position
I might have to mill off a little bit on the backside of the caliper near the spokes but I should be fine to do that
the caliper looks plenty thick

next step is to machine the axle down to fit and make up some spacers for the proper spacing




non brake side


clearance between the back of caliper and the spokes

[JoeShovel]

Is the axle not the right one? Or is this like a hybrid... Just curious...

[ralphiejantz]

Originally Posted by JoeShovel

Is the axle not the right one? Or is this like a hybrid... Just curious...

yeah the axle is a standard wide glide axle

the front end is a set of old narrow glide width trees made to fit the 41mm wide glide tubes
so I have to cut and re thread the standard wide glide axle to the correct width
as the narrow trees are a lot skinnier than the wide glide ones
you can see in the pics how much its sticking out on each end
Im also gonna have to turn down the axle a little bit on the non brake side of the front end to pass through the leg without the bottom cap

[ralphiejantz]

Originally Posted by rockett

Man, that is sick. How do you have skills like that and are broke? That's some really sexy welding.

haha thanks for the compliments
but I just guess this hobby costs you more than it makes you

little update :
got the measurements for the new front axle gonna have that finished this week so I can mount the front wheel and make up some spacers then it will be back to being road worthy

I needed the hub out of my mock up wheel the spokes were shot so I took the cutter to them and cleaned up and powdercoated the front hub
and laced me up a fresh 21" front wheel
also broke the front end down to shave down the other lower leg before I weld on the new brake caliper tabs and figured the chrome was so bad and the corner was scraped up so I welded up the corner and smoothed it back to shape with the flap disc then put some powder on those too
all in all its getting there
tank is ready for paint, Im hoping to have the bike completely back on the road within 2 weeks from now

[AndrewC]

Originally Posted by choppercopper1

I say shave the legs with those narrow trees, spool 21, horseshoe tank. Keep the button since its there. They are nice to have! Just my 2 cents

I was thinking the same thing, I really like the slim tank and going about 3inches under stock on the legs will really change up the stance of the bike, from there lose the taillight from the fender and go with something side mounted just to change it up a bit. All minor mods but freshens her up a bit! Really diggin the Shovel as always!

[Okie Pete]

Wow!!

[rockett]

That rim looks sweet. Did you do the powdercoating yourself? I'm seriously considering building myself an oven before I continue with my 2 builds...

[ralphiejantz]

Originally Posted by rockett

That rim looks sweet. Did you do the powdercoating yourself? I'm seriously considering building myself an oven before I continue with my 2 builds...

yeah I do my powdercoating at home,
I just have an old wall mount oven that I mounted to the wall in the garage
works well I can pretty much fit anything from a bike inside of it except for a frame and a 21" wheel

[ralphiejantz]

just a little update work has been slow on this lately
but Im turning the corner on here and she should be back on the road in about another week or so if I get some time to work on my own stuff instead of stuff to pay the bills haha

got the new axle all made up for the front end
got the new 21" wheel all finished up and tire mounted
tank should be back from paint tomorrow

heres how she looks on the ground with the new stuff on her

[ralphiejantz]

some more



and pics of the tank all finished
big thanks go out to erick from jakescustoms.com for the great job on the tank and super fast turn around, and amazing price
thanks for the help man it was much appreciated