Thought I'd start a thread showing pics of my old girl's rebuild. As with anything good ,it takes time and money to realise a dream, and HD, Kuryakyn ,etc, will be the benefactors of my dreaming. I bought the bike 3 years ago as seen below and the staffy is growing up with the bike! She's an '01 Heritage , injected version and OZ delivered ,which makes her kind of rare when ordering bits and pieces, and seems to fall between EVO and twin cam parts. I have to be pretty specific when ordering bits, but find between 2000 and '06 most parts are the same or can be adapted.
Tried a set of V&H Long Shots and a HD gunfighter seat early and turfed them both. The HD seat was one of the most uncomfortable I'd ever ridden on! you'ld get a sore arse after 20 kays! Now use a solo made by a local bloke name of Jason Skinner and it gets better the more it's sat on.
Nick at Pro Street Cycles in Lonsdale here in Radelaide fitted up some long desired Samson fish tails, chrome 80 spokers, rotors and pulley to match. Head stem bearings, riser mounts were replaced and smaller Beach bars and braide cables fitted up along with all hand controls chromed.
Now it's winter time , and I've pulled off the tank and guards to send them off for their new paint work. Still hummin' & harrin' about the exact scheme, but it'll be two tone retro to combine with the white walls. I'v already fitted the killer freight tran head lamp nacelle and ally full length dash panel . After having a year with forward controls, i\m going back to boards, as I find them far more comfortable on a longer trip. !6" and 21" DNA Mammoth rims are ordered with Progressive suspension monoshock to lower the front 1 1/2' to compensate for the 21' wheel with the added bonus of a much better front end ride. The rims will be matched up with Avon Cobras- 150 -16 rear and 120/70 front to go on the wider 3.5' rim. Not a fan of the skinny look! Got my front and rear fender rails sitting on the bench waiting to be fitted also when the tins are painted. The Shotgun air suspension will go on the card last of all to help with the two up riding. Have heard nothing but good reports about this set up.
This last pic is what she looked like before going into the man cave with the billet forward controls and my skull fetish popping up all over. Enough typing! Gotta get some parts organised to get to the chrome platers tomorrow. you can never have too much chrome!! More updates as time and spondooliks permit.
Footboards fitted with brackets finally chromed, along with HD billet brake arm and Willie G pad (skull theme, of course!). Chrome master cylinder and skull themed board inserts also added. Amazing how much thickness the chrome adds to pivoting surfaces, such as the brake pedal pivot pin and floor board mount extensions that let the boards kick up on contact. A liitle bit of shaving and grease (like all good things), makes things slippery again. Floor boards digging in would NOT be good for my nerves!
Rear wheel off to access rear caliper. I'll be fitting a chrome replacement once I've fitted a new kit.it's a good time to get in and clean areas that are normally hard to get to with everything installed. Must get a blinged up spacer kit also.
Going back to the heel /toe shifter, but have bloody lost the original longer shifter arm(replaced with the standard softail forward control shifter earlier in the piece). People say you don't need to keep your old bits, but ( like now) ya never know when your going to change your mind! Chrome front brake caliper fitted up (PM later when funds allow), and still waiting for Diamondback braided rear brake line from HH. Tanks are being bead blasted, and I am already driving my friendly painter mad asking him to spray out colour cards so I can decide on final paint scheme. I'm sure the relationship will be tested by the time the finished product is bolted back on. Want to try and get the rear guard after bead blasting so I can dummy fit all bolts so there will be no scraping at any height with the 150 tyre. Won't be until the DNA rims are fitted, but if anyone in South OZ is interested in a pair of 80 spoke, 16 x 3.5 chrome wheels with ally hubs, feel free to let me know. They will be up for sale once the Mammoths are fitted. Anybody know if there's any truth in the statement that Shotgun shocks can purchased at a discount if you are a member of the Yank HD forum? Adios for now.
Sunday in the shed with a hangover. Back wheel refitted now with the re-chromed and kitted caliper. Also fitted the braided back brake line to finish off the brakes for now. PM gear down the track, but that's big biccies to save up for! Tanks are off to the bead blasters, and when they come back, some minor panel work to be done to get everything straight for her new coat of paint. Lucky it's winter and it's bloody freezing, but I still miss going for a ride. Hopefully the wait will be worthwhile. I'll post some more pics when the tins go into the paint shop.
Thanks Sqid. I'm all for paying as little as possible!!! I'll take your advice and ring JD to see what i can get the kit landed here for. As you've said also ,don't hear anything bad about this product, and if anything stuffs up , the after sales service is outstanding.
While I'm patiently (pig's arse !) waiting for my tank and guards to be painted , and while my wheels are travelling from Septic Tank Land on a slow junk, I have decided to undertake some preventative maintenance to while away the time. As everything was pulled from the tank for painting ( pump, sender unit fuel lines etc), I reckoned it would be a good time to replace the fuel filter and submerged lines while they're accessible. Mine's an injected version, so the pump, filter ,sender units are all one unit. Removing the unit is quite straght forward if you're aware of a few tecniqhes beforehand. Before anything, all the fuel needs to be drained, and before that even, make sure your earth strap to the battery is disconnected. Once the tanks off,the quick release unit below the tank needs to be partially un screwed to release any remaining pressure and fuel.Don't, for Gawd's sake, try to unscrew the unit fully, or you'll twist the submerged pipe in the tank connected to the vacuum housing and potentially break it. Undo the screws holding the sender unit housing to the tank and raise the unit a couple of inches to expose the filter and articulating arm which holds the pump and float assembly. When this assembly is sitting in the tank, it has a right angle configuration. To straighten the arm to enable removal of the unit, you need to raise a small plastic tab on the arm to allow it to pivot. Hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean when you observe it in the flesh. You can also see that main fuel pipe that ascends from the quick release valve where it is clamped to the filter vacuum housing. The clamp can be loosened with a small flat bladed screw driver, and the pipe pulled off from the housing. You can now, (and feel free to swear!) manipulate the unit carefully until it miraculously springs free. Be careful of the float and arms, and don't force it!
Now we're on the kitchen table, where we can pop off the spring loaded arm and metal spacer that holds the filter in place. Undo the clamp on the pipe attached to the pump, and you can throw the old bits away. Fit the new pipe and clamp to the new fuel filter ( I use a tiny bit of vaseline- many uses ,has this product!) Make sure the little o-ring supplied with the filter goes back on the vacuum housing and then insert it into the new filter, making sure it has seated properly. Replace the unit back in the tank top base, insert the spacer, squeeze the spring clamp arms together and snap into place. Refit the other end of the pipe to the pump and crimp the new clamp in place. That's it! All that's left now, is to screw the new check valve with the pipe attached into the bottom of the tank until you only have a couple of turns left, leaving the top couple of inches of pipe sticking up through the tank sender unit opening.Make sure the mesh filter on the bottom of the pump is clean before you re-install the unit. Carefully re-insert the assemby until you can support the top part and re-attach the main fuel line to the vacuum housing outlet pipe. HD, in their wisdom, do not supply a clamp for this pipe, so remember to buy a new one ,or use a standard screw clamp you can buy anywhere.Before you tighten the clamp, fully seat the check valve at the bottom of the tank while you can still see the top of the pipe where it attaches to the vacuum housing. Once it is secure, tighten the clamp on the upper pipe end. Replace the sender unit gasket, drop the unit down into the tank and don't worry if it feels springy, as the filter/pickup needs to sit right on the bottom of the tank and will find its correct spot when everything is tightened up. Install all of the torx screws, and bob's your Aunty! A little bit of insurance to keep shit out of your fuel lines.
Almost forgot to thank my tech advisor !
Finally, the tank and guards have been prepped and the base White Hot pearl has been shot. Hard to see the pearl in weak sun, but it has a beautiful opalescent effect in full sun. Next up ,and ready for the weekend, is the blue pearl side panels and stripe to enable the retro look i'm after. Progress, at last!!
At long last! Paint work completed. Now for the fun of slowly putting her back together. Back guard is dummied up to make sure the length of all strut bolts ensures none will be hanging foul inside the guard, as I want to try and get a 150 squeezed in there.
My technical assistant is quite pleased with the outcome so far!
Bobby, the wheels are sold to a mate when the DNA versions eventually show up from Septic Land. The pipes will be up for grabs when I source a set of true dual fishies. I'll let you know when if you like. Thanks .Good to speak to a fellow South Aussie.
Getting close! It's an awsome feeling when you hear your bike fire up after 4 long months of listening to every other bastard's bike. Even better, the DNA Mammoths have turned up in Oz and I should be able to get them fitted by the end of next week. Its funny how things stuff you around, though. One bent pin on the multi plug to the fuel pump nearly drove me insane till i worked out why there was no power to the pump. Pulled thet f*****g sender unit out 3 f*****g times before I sorted the problem. More pics as she gets finished.(better focus those spotties up too, sooner or later.)
Best day of the winter!. First ride for 5 months, still bloody cold, but the sun's out and its time to get the new wheels and bars fitted. Freedom Sharktails ordered and Shotgun Shock is ordered from JD in the States. Might take a little bit longer than normal, though, while JD is enjoying Sturgis, the lucky bastard!. Further pics as things happen.
Finally! Mammoths are on. These wheels are a work of art, and are worth the long 12 week wait. Dropped the front 1 1/2" with the Progressive Mono-tube drop ins to bring her back to original height after fitting the 21" wheel. Harley beach bars on and these Freedom Sharktails are the sweetest sounding pipes. Not bad to fit, but would have been nice to have some instructions in the kit... all pretty commonsense anyway. Last thing ( Famous last words!) to fit will be the Shotgun Shock when it turns up. Looking forward to that install also. Only a quick shakedown run, but the front end feels so much better, no dive under brakes and broken teeth from hitting pot holes like before. Weather permitting, a decent run tomorrow to sort out any blips. Seeya on the road.
