It's alive!!!!!!!!

Wonder Shovel 3.14 is done....for now. Thanks to JT for the name tag and air cleaner that actually fits my CV, the tanks are white with stained glass red flames. Took forever to get her kicked over. My fatass needed a workout I guess!

Wonder Shovel 3.14

New mids, new air cleaner (thanks to JT) , my old fishtip cutdown to fit, and a seat with padding. and yes the sissy bar and mids are white. Preview of the tank mid-prep. those will be white tomorrow.

Behold the Ice Wizard Cometh!!!!!

ok this gonna be my take on a SuperMotard Tracker Motorcycle thing. CB 750 frame and motor that has been collecting dust in the corner.
Old Sportster tank that I have never had a cap to is now the rear section. I don't think you can tell in the pics but CB's have a brace that runs at an angle from just behind the peg mount to the upper shock mount. I am gonna keep that line on the tail section.



Next is an old Rebel 250 tank that was called into service. I had to remove the stock bracing to get it to fit and trim the seat area a bit. I am gonna add some 1/2 round stock to the backbone under the tank to beef that back up. I have ran CBs without the bracing but I want this to be better than my old builds. Gonna clean up the seat area and plate what I have to.<>
 
Found some old Honda Showa rear shocks in the stash as well.
 
the bars are cafes ,or Clubmans or what ever the fuck you wanna call them, that I narrowed years ago.
 
They won't fit stock mounts so I get to make something for them. Gonna run at about the height they are at now.
 

 More updates as it goes.

version 3.14

TA DA!!!!!! here is the new edition of the Wonder Shovel. the sissybar got a lil off while welding. I need a new tank, the fatbobs look too beefy fer the rest of the bike.

Becoming Sissysize!!

I thought a Pantera reference is good as that is what I listened to all day.
OK tail light mounted and it is just a hair off.
So am I so it's all good. The Chuckster came over the fence and let me use his Dremel because that recess for the light is a mofo!
Chain side strut is somewhat in place.
 I am off to the Iron Horse, bike night so it will be bagger central. Bring yer chop if yer in the area!

fender before lunch

 OK here is the progress made before lunch. The stock rear fender looked goofy with the struts so I had this old Honda left-over that fit better. I tacked these tabs off of the HD exhaust supports on to the fender and had to shave the frame horns a bit. Used 2 of the old fender bolts for temporary fitment and viola!  Now I have to mount the tail light then the fender struts/sissy bar. Hopefully I can get them fitted today and finish weld everything Friday and be back in the breeze by Saturday. Now to eat my big ass sammich and High Life to wash it down.

Struttin!!!

ok so the shock mount broke off last time we were here. Well when life gives you lemons, you throw them at pedestrians.....wait that's a whole 'nother song.

 Anywho, I cut the rest of the mounts off and found some good heavy wall tubing to make these. Pretty straight forward stuff. Now I need to figure out the fender because the original looks like ass on it now. More cutting and welding!!

So stay tuned for the fender pics on the morrow( not the bird from Adventure Time).

the last few days...

OK so I was putting the new shock mounts on the Wonder Shovel and I noticed the upper mount bolts had a step-up on them. Took ye Ol' Bastard file and made them fit. All was well until I tried popping the rubbers out of one of the shocks... then this happened. "Better here than going down the road" is what Bonz always said, and it rang true today! Tomorrow is new struts and back on the road!

Refresher fer the Wonder Shovel

OK so the Wonder Shovel has gone into the dungeon for a refresher. I am gonna make everything as perfect as possible. New paint fer the tins as I ruined the lacework on the right side tank. I am gonna check the motor out and replace any gaskets that are suspect. Rebuild and tune my CV. Finish my rear struts and sissybar. foot controls and other bits and bobs.  I have to go into werk early today so not much was done. Tomorrow will be building a stand fer the ass end so I can work on it. I am off three days in a row so I should get something accomplished. Later Weirdos!!

Stuck in a rut....or Haunted by the ghost of my father...

    I am not really sure how many people read this lil blog but sometimes it is therapeutic for me to write things out. My father passed away on June 12th of this year and his birthday is coming up August 15th. My plan is to have the Wonder Shovel back on the road by then and take it for a good long ride, as Bonz and I never really got to ride together. Now that his energy is all around, we ride together always but that is a different story.
    My original idea was to chronicle my work on the bike this month but work and booze have gotten in the way so far. I am gonna get the fender/sissy-bar straightened out today and will post pics as soon as my OL gets home, she has the digi cam. So this post is for me to get some things off my chest and out of my head.
     I am an only child and Bonz pretty much raised me alone. My mother and I have a solid relationship now but again another story for another time. To my father I was always 4 years old, always his lil knucklehead. In some ways that has hindered me. I think Rachael put it best when she said "you know when you're teaching a child to ride a bicycle and you finally let go of the bike and let them go on their own? I don't think Bonz ever really let go" So on the flip side of that coin, I am having a hard time letting go of him now.
     I have let family relationships hang in limbo because of my fear of confrontation and being emotionally drained. I haven't filed a death certificate or probated his will because I know then it is final. My father is dead and I don't really know how to fully be a man on my own. Thankfully I have a rad-ass OL that has been my rock throughout all of this but I know she has her doubts. She is concerned about me and sometimes feels left out because I internalize alot of things. That is something I need to work on. I am going to grief counseling starting this week.
     I think about Bonz everyday. I have almost called him a few times. I have wanted to hug him and wanted to ring his scrawny neck. If you ever met him, you know what I mean. I will always be my father's son, now I just have to figure out how to carry on without him.

 I didn't get to make this year's Round-up but I found this at Lovelady the other day for $1.48!! Score!

 Top mount tapped for 3/8"-16. I have inch and a half bolts right now but will change em to one inch soon.

 Old Honda seat that was cut and shaped long ago. Fits it perfect for me.

 OK I don't have a lathe or a mill or a Smithy so I have to figure out how to make shit work. Adapt and Overcome! Semper Fi!

 So here is what I came up with in a pinch to drill out the ID of these reducers I had that fit real good as spacers. Until I can get some real ones.
7/8" Impact socket, worn-out clamp, and my Home-made work area/spot/POS.

 It actually work fine. It only needed a smidge taken off.

 Tanks back on, new fuel hoses in a few spots, got her up on the sidewalk and the battery died. FUCK!!

 Ol girl is charging right now, so time to check all bolts. As I found the kicker was loose after trying to fire her off the 2nd time.

I am gonna drink about a gallon of water as I do inspection and if the rain holds off I will take her for a spin.


                                             Fried Chicken and Gasoline!!!!!!

Here is what I am doing to the 67 FLH Shovelhead I inherited from Bonz. Just cosmetic changes( no blinkers, shortened 2 piece bars, mids instead of floorboards, tank swap, blah,blah,blah) More updates later today.
 Here are the pics from yesterday.


Here are the bars pretty much finished. cut about one and a quarter inches off the grip ends and about 3 inches off the clamp ends. Both the outside clamp pieces were broken. Bonz did the clutch side a while back, I did the brake yesterday from a wire wrap piece off a Honda.

 Whipped up some pegs from the old floorboard mount, left-over twisted square stock, and old Honda pegs.

 

This is a tip I made from an old after-market muffler. Just cut out the baffle at the seams. Then clean and weld, grind and file. I like the lil missile tip!

 

Fried Chicken and Gasoline!!