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[96turboracer]

Ok everyone, I'm looking to chop up my bike again and make it a bit simpler and more fun to ride.

I've ridden it in it's current configuration for a couple years now. Here's some pics of it now:







Things I like about the bike:

The front end
Exhaust
Wide rear tire
Gas tank

Things I no longer want on the bike:

Air-ride system
Jackshaft
Too long wheelbase
Wide handlebars
Headlight
Forward controls
dropseat

I've really enjoyed riding this bike as is for a long time, I've taken it to a few shows and gotten some good feedback, but I think it's time for a change. I've done the air-ride thing and now I'm over it. It just takes too long to fill the tank in the mornings, there's endless air-leaks to track down with all the vibrations, but most importantly the charging system on the bike is not strong enough to completely overcome the drain when the compressor is running, so while it's airing up the tank it'll start missing on one cylinder, and this problem is compounded when the bike is cold. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal, and it wasn't too bad for a long time, but I'm tired of it now. I just want to jump on the bike and go.

So here's the plan- I want to make the bike still cool, but with a different look, more upright riding position and just a more sporty ride overall.
I'm going to cut the back half of the frame off, try to use most of the existing swingarm as the rear section and just make it a traditional hardtail frame, no dropseat this time. Handlebars will be Mike's XS superbike bars, the guy I got them from is shipping them now, but here's a pic:



Sorry to Twinsarehot, I stole your pic

The current handlebars will get cut off at the fork tubes, and the headlight mount will remain, although it'll get modified to accept a different headlight, This awesome yellow lens 6v studebaker lamp with peeling chrome  ;D I just need to buy a voltage reducer to run it.

The bike will be shortened by almost a foot, the bars will be higher, I'll probably switch to mid-controls and this time I'll have a sprung seat so people will shut up about it. Overall my goal is to make the bike a lot more fun to ride, not as much of a cruiser. More responsive for cornering, ect...

After a couple hours work today here's how the bike currently sits:





I'll get to chopping the frame tomorrow. No turning back now! Thanks for coming with me on this latest journey. I'm really hoping to complete this rebuild in under a month. Much unlike my usual build times.
Sky

[Joseph Davis]

This is time and effort that should be directed at the turbocharged badness.

[PhilStubbs]

I said "why?" about the air ride when you built it. Sure it was cool, but I saw this complaining coming a mile away.

I also agree with JD, I wanna see the turbo bike run. Either way I will be watching cause I always like your build threads

[highroller54]

turbo

this

[96turboracer]

I hear you guys, but I realized I was focused too much on trying to get the turbo bike started and I was starting to take shortcuts with it. So i'm taking a break to regroup.

[Phate]

I hear you guys, but I realized I was focused too much on trying to get the turbo bike started and I was starting to take shortcuts with it. So i'm taking a break to regroup.

So put a turbo on this one too?

[HiProfile]

Yeah, take a shortcut with a t25 fluxcored onto this one instead.


I don't understand why you wouldn't just replace the cylinder with conventional shocks. It would probably make riding it a little more comfortable.

[96turboracer]

Pivot point is in the wrong spot, if it actually had give the chain would lose tension and make it un-rideable.

[96turboracer]

Chop Chop.... seems a bit shorter now!





Here's my headlight and the headlight mount with the bars cut off. I still need to remake the part where the headlight attaches as it's a different style than the other light



Really enjoying playing with my new lathe, turned down some tube to fit perfectly inside the other to make some frame slugs:



The swingarm has all the stuff I don't need anymore chopped off and is ready to weld back on. Here are a couple pics of it in its planned location:





Super happy with it so far, and I'm glad it's moving along quickly as well. I kind of have a deadline for finishing it, my brother in law is coming to visit with his bike on the 21st, so I'm really hoping to have this done in time to ride with him.

Thanks again for looking
Sky

[TunerToys]

Always enjoy your projects Sky.  Thanks for posting up and doing so much!  Craig

[BoostedSchemes]

you really should do work on your turbo bike, you are not a gay old man yet so you should save the choppers for them

whats with your neon, i dont remember you getting rid of it. that was a hella beater, i liked it.

[96turboracer]

whats with your neon, i dont remember you getting rid of it. that was a hella beater, i liked it.

Hah, most people don't remember that car anymore. I sold the supercharger system to a guy in Pennsylvania, put the car back to stock and realized what a piece of crap it was. The car was pretty well worked over by that point. So I sold it to a junkyard for $400. Kind of a sad end to a car that gave a lot to me, but at the time it felt like the right thing to do.
Sometimes I miss it, but then again I don't miss FWD.

[BoostedSchemes]

look at your skillset brother, who said you needed to keep the neon fwd 

something made my 96 neon feel like a better "beat the shit out of it" car than any crappy old civic... it somehow felt lighter? more tossable? less valuable? I dunno, but they are fun to abuse.

[Towdogg]

Neon....

Nigger. Excited. Over. Nothing.....

Fuck a Neon.....

Nice bike btw...

[Joseph Davis]

Neon....

Nigger. Excited. Over. Nothing.....

Fuck a Neon.....

I want a 1G Neon with an SRT-4 swap. 

[PhilStubbs]

I like to show srt4's my taillights. All of them around here are slow and have open downpipes with turbos that spool if you just consider touching the go pedal

[96turboracer]

Progress!

Got my handlebars in, they are perfect just what I wanted!



I also got some springs for the seat, just cheapo 3" springs



I'm hoping to have those mounted tomorrow. To what you ask? My new seat:



Haha, I know what you're thinking. Truth is this bike will still only be ridden about 60 miles at a time, and I'm thinking that a combination of the gel seat and the springs will be comfortable enough. Anything has to be better than what I had right?

Got the frame together and welded up as well:







I've got to cut some new wheel spacers to recenter the rear wheel, but man I'm really happy with how this is looking right now.

Plan for tomorrow is to get my pegs mounted, center rear wheel, remount rear lower fender mount, Cut down rear fender, make new shorter thicker fender struts, mount seat.  I'll never actually get all that stuff done, but I can dream right.....

Thanks for coming along
Sky

[DmC]

Choppers are gay. Work on your other bike.

[96turboracer]

Choppers are gay. Work on your other bike.

No  ;D

More pics....

Didn't get a whole lot accomplished today, but it's coming together. I did get the pegs mounted:



I realized that I shouldn't go with mids because it'd just be too short for my size. So I just redid the existing pegs.

I got started on my seat mounting, this looks like angle iron, but is in fact two pieces of flat stock, I used what I had around



Front mounting point getting there:



Tossed the engine back in to check alignment and such, some quick mockup pics:







I need some opinions here though guys, I'm pondering leaving the rear fender the length it is instead of cutting it down. What do you think?

Also, eagle eyed people will recognize the front seat mounts as being my old fender struts haha,

A couple pics of me on the bike as well:





I'm feeling good about the deadline right now, lots and lots of little stuff to iron out, but still I think I can make it!

Thanks for looking
Sky

[robus]

Before looking at the fender you need to get a decent seat 

[michigan_soler]

Fender that length or longer imo.... no shorter

[jabberwock]

ride naked
scoot up a little
poop through seat slot

[PhilStubbs]

I like this bike so much more now. It was cool before, but seeing it as a rigid just makes it 10x cooler to me.

I say leave the fender alone also.

[dvst8r]

I too like the fender as is, and I agree fully that the bicycle seat is super gay.

[highroller54]

that the bicycle seat is super gay.

this bitch.

[Joseph Davis]

Looks like you're making a lot of progress.  Will you be finished by tomorrow afternoon so you can get back to el turbo beasto?

[BoostedSchemes]

I may not like the project as much as the other shit you do but I cant argue with a guy who "does work".

[dvst8r]

I may not like the project as much as the other shit you do but I cant argue with a guy who "does work".

This.

[Towdogg]

I may not like the project as much as the other shit you do but I cant argue with a guy who "does work".

This.

[bigdaddyvtec]

I LOVE HARDT TAILS... SO GLAD you got rid of all the air ride shit. Looks great, but the seat,,, its got to go, iit doesnt look right, at all. Your legs will get sick of sitting on the frame rails too. Ditch the seat....  Id rather see this thing turboed than the other one.. LOL