Mockup

I started with a 1995 Buell S2 Thunderbolt (pictured here) and completely disassembled it. I sold the body work, oil tank, and frame, but kept the wheels, front end, motor/transmission, etc. I then purchased a rigid frame kit from Redneck Engineering in South Carolina. I didn't like their gas tank setup (the rear of the tank seemed to stick awkwardly in the air), so I purchased my own flat-bottom Sportster tank and mounted it to the frame. Everything else bolted up fairly easily, with minor fabrication of things like a mounting bracket for the rear brake caliper, spacers for the rear wheel, a choke mount, headlight mount, voltage regulator mount, installation of hidden fork stops on the front triple trees, bar-end mirror mounts, etc.

Version 1: Rigid Drag Bike

Once mockup was done and I verified that everything fit together as expected, I took everything back apart for paint and powdercoat. I took the frame, oil tank, miscellaneous brackets, etc. to East Coast Powdercoating in Northeast, MD to have matte black powder baked on. I like powdercoating better than paint for things like frames and brackets because it's a much more durable finish. Essentially powdercoat is tiny plastic particles that are baked in an oven until they melt together to form a smooth coating that is very resistant to scratches and chips.

While I was waiting for the powdercoating, I had the front and rear fender and gas tank painted with a black base coat. The gas tank was pinstriped with simple white flames, and then everything was covered with a matte clear coat to protect the finish. I also worked on covering the seat pan with high density foam and a vinyl cover. It wasn't pretty, but it turned out half-way decent.

Once I got the frame back, I installed the motor/transmission. Because of the way a Sportster motor mounts, its actually easiest to lay the motor on it's side, and then carefully place the frame over the motor and transmission unit. Once the lower motor mounts and bolts were slipped into place and tightened, I tilted the whole thing back upright to install the top motor mount. Next, I installed the oil tank, oil lines, and rear fender, and then began the wiring process. I made my own wiring harness and ran everything through the frame so there would be no exposed wires. It was a bit of a pain to get all the wires fished through, but the end result was worth it.

Next the front end and wheels went on, along with headlight, taillight, speedometer, key switch, horn, turn signals, and handlebars. I used the stock handlebars, which clamped to the tops of the fork tubes, but I reversed them to change the angle and prevent the bars from hitting the tank. With the last of the electrical components in place, I was able to finish wiring, and verified that everything worked (nothing smoked or melted!). I then installed the forward controls and ran the front and rear brake lines. Filling the master cylinders with fluid and getting the lines bled was a slow and tedious process, but I finally got all the air bubbles out. I also installed and adjusted the clutch cable and mounted the Bassani Sweeper exhaust pipes.

At this point, I was dying to see if this project would actually run, so I installed the carburetor and added oil to the oil tank. I then hooked up a funnel and a gas line to the carb, and poured a bit of fuel down there. It took a couple of tries to crank it over, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when it rumbled to life! All that was left was installing the gas tank, running the gas lines, and popping the seat in place. After finishing installation of the rest of the parts, I checked all the bolts, cables, hoses, lines, etc. Even though it was 2am, I just had to take the motorcycle out for a shakedown run (which I'm sure the neighbors appreciated). What a rush!

This motorcycle likes to go fast in straight lines but, with the frame so low to the ground, has extremely limited cornering clearance. The low frame also prohibits any roads with speedbumps unless I want to teeter on top like a see-saw with neither wheel touching the ground. A nearby stretch of washboard pavement that I never noticed before almost killed me with what felt like rapid-fire kidney punches, but lowering the air pressure in the rear tire helped soften the bumps a little bit.

Version 2: Rigid Chopper

After assembly was complete, I rode the motorcycle for about a year with the low drag bars. I liked the look, but the riding position was very stretched out and put a lot of strain on my neck and lower back. I decided to install ape hangers to allow more of an upright seating position. I drilled two holes in the top triple-tree to mount a set Sportster risers, and installed 16-inch ape hangers. Of course that meant I had to install a longer clutch cable, longer brake line, and longer throttle cable, as well as extend the electrical wiring inside the handlebars. To clean up the bike, I also removed the speedometer and turn signals.

As you can see from the pictures, just changing the handlebars completely changed the look of the bike. For me, ape hangers that are about shoulder level make for a very comfortable ride, and give just about any motorcycle a little extra "attitude".

Version 2b: Rigid Chopper with Spring Seat

While installing ape hangers helped, different handlebars didn't completely solve the issue of "comfort". I know, I know, a rigid chopper isn't supposed to be as plush as an Electraglide or a Goldwing, but I do want to still be able to walk in 10 years, and besides, what's the point of a motorcycle if I'm not going to ride it? I had wanted to install a spring seat for a while, but was struggling with how to make it work without welding seat brackets to the frame. That would have involved stripping the motorcycle back down the the frame welding on the brackets, re-powdercoating the frame, completely re-doing the electrical, and then re-assembling everything. Not really a viable option.

Instead, I drew up some plans for a machine shop to make some frame brackets out of blocks of aluminum. Once the brackets were done, I clamped them to the frame, and then mounted a brown leather seat for a little old school look. After the first ride on a sprung seat, I couldn't believe I hadn't made this change sooner. It was so much more comfortable than the rigid mounted foam seat, and I liked the look better too. The spring seat makes the chopper so much more fun to ride, especially when I hit a bump at 75 miles an hour and catch about a foot of air!

What's next? I'll probably keep this motorcycle as-is for a while, although I've been toying with the idea of a suicide clutch...