Junior's Chopper - First Ride!

This is a bit long, but definately worth the watch. She runs really well, and has the best gas tank mounting setup I've ever seen on a bike!

Tuning JaPanhead's new exhaust

If you check back a few posts ago, you can see the crazy exhaust we built for JaPanhead. Of course, with an back pressure change you gotta tweak a bit. Check out the sound of those new pipes - awesome!

1950 TR5 - First Ride!

Well we couldn't have a running bike without taking for a ride, could we? The video is a bit dark, but worth watching. This is later in the evening on the 23rd, the first day the bike ran. We just added a primary cover, some footpegs, and zip-tied the hanging bottle to the frame. Fantastic!

1950 TR5 Update - She runs!

We were really exicted about this project when Dennis picked it up, and immediately put the bike back together using mostly what came with the bike and stuff we found on the shelf. Our original plan had been to get her rolling, then see if she might want to run. We got as far as a roller that would kick over, and then the workload at the shop became too heavy to spare any more time.

So fast forward several months, and Dennis decided there would be a shop fun day on the 23rd (last day we were open during the year). RC spent the day getting the odds and ends sorted, and then...

Started on the first kick!

How's that for a bike that had been dismantled for decades? You just can't kill these old Triumphs!

Japanhead update - Chain Adjusters

The chain adjusters that we had on Japanhead were a little too traditional chopper and stuck way too far out. These are Jap dirt bike eccentrics, indexed for easy wheel alignment.

Much sleeker!

JapanHead upate - Stainless Exhaust

After setting up our chin spoiler oil bag, we decided that the exhaust needed to be routed differently, for a lot of reasons. So, we started playing with some bits of stainless pipe in different bends.

Hours and hours and hours and hours.....

Twisty

Spaghetti, anyone ?

The slip fits are held together with loops of stainless and hook springs, superbike style

JapanHead Update - Tag Bracket

After having a temporary tag bracket for the mechanical shakedown for almost a year, it was time to work out something sleeker and permanent.

After building a tab that comes off of the axle plate we drilled it and tapped it. then we cut a bung and welded it to a piece of strap.

Dual purpose, tag bracket and chain guard!

The absolutely coolest part of this system, if traveling through certain states that may or may not have a ban on vertically mounted plates, it's a simple switch thanks to the channels we cut in the bung with the mill.