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.