Thinking of buying/building a...

[Huskerman]

custom chopper. Any fellow TDR members who have done this? I am not a rich fellow so I am looking for any advice/recommendations for companies to use. Thanks in advance.



Huskerman

 

[Spooled-up]

I haven't done it, but It's all I think about sometimes.



Here's some resources:



I may go with Big Bear if I ever take the plunge. The Hog Farm is known for tons of kit bikes. The Custom Chrome kits are on the richscyclecenter link.



You could always get one for free if you can get on Build or Bust!

http://www.bigbearchoppers.com/



http://www.thehogfarm.net/kitbikes.htm



http://www.richscyclecenter.com/hr3-motorcycle-kits/index.htm

 

[SGibson]

I've put together quite a few but have been "out" of bikes for about 10 yrs now, be sure and check the laws in your state about what it takes to get it legal when done ie #'s and paperwork for eng, trans, frame, etc. It's hard to go wrong w/S&S motors, stay away from the taiwanese parts they are junk. I would look for a frame w/large tubing, and go no bigger than a 200 tire I may catch some grief over this but those huge tires unload the front and just don't handle that well. I always ran open primary,kick start, hand shifters, I realize that may not be popular now but they were simple and simple is easy to fix, and they're light and clean. PM and GMA is good stuff, make sure your front axle is higher than your rear, raked tree's handle strange get your desired rake in your neck, don't discount H-D parts they are good as any. Don't preload anything, use locktite and fine pitch bolts, shim your motormounts, plan on spending more than your thinking on, good luck.

 

[Huskerman]

Thanks for the info guys.



Here's what I am kind of looking for:



39 degree rake

6"-8" stretch in the downtube

4" stretch in the backbone

100-110 Cubic Inch motor (S&S or Revtech)

Soft-tail

6-speed transmission

NO SPRINGER!!

300 MM rear tire (settle for a 280)

Open primary!



I have been doing research on and off for a couple of years now. I see some folks using an "El Bruto" motor, but I haven't heard anything positive or negative about that one. I wouldn't mind going right side drive but we'll see.



I was seriously considering the K-9 by Big Dog however, I read some really negative customer reviews about Big Dog paint and some electrical problems. I also think $29k is a little out of my price range but maybe that's just what they are going for.



Spoke to a local custom shop and they get some REALLY beefy looking frames. Might just go with a rolling chasis from them. I can't remember what they are asking but I think it's $7k including tins, seat pan, oil tank, gas tank, bars & forks and even wheels. I will have to double check on that.



The problem then becomes, how hard would it be for me to license, register, insure etc a bike that I built??



Huskerman

 

[SGibson]

29k seems awfully high for 15k in parts, talk to your state highway patrol about legal issues if you build it yourself.

 

[Huskerman]

29k seems awfully high for 15k in parts

That was my thought! Which is why I will probably end up building it myself.



Huskerman

 

[Spooled-up]

One of the advantages of Big Bear is that their bikes have VIN numbers. There should be no problem registering them.

Here's a link to their vin info.



Some look at their stuff as just a bolt together kit, but there are a lot of customization options and their stuff looks as good as anything I've seen on the other bike builder shows.