How legal is your chopper?

[Wired1]

I've been looking and drooling again over the "project" bikes on Turdeme and came across this little gem http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=55392219. Now it's a piece of crap as it stands but I do like the idea of building a chopper and this might be a good place to start. I don't much like the idea of a Triumph chopper but I do like the springer front end and I could probably sell off the other bits I don't want like the engine and Harley bolt ons (why would someone do that to a Triumph? - I mean it must be worth more as a standard bike?) and use a good old XV motor and tranny...
What I want to know is how much can you chop a chopper (if a chopper should get chopped?) before it needs recertifying, and what is the drama with getting it certified anyway? I mean do you need every weld looked at or is it more a case of major frame alterations that need someone looking over your shoulder?

[Shadows]

Now it's a piece of crap as it stands....

I don't much like the idea of a Triumph chopper

You're dead right that is definately a piece of crap. But maybe you are on to something, just a rolling frame can set you back a fair few grand new so it could be a starting point.

And I agree, Trumpy choppers just don't seem right to me either.

As for the actual question you asked, I'm fucked if I know!

[popelli]

and use a good old XV motor and tranny...


if you are going to use an XV motor then you may as well throw the whole bike away

the only thing that will be of any use is the forks

grafting a shaftdrive motor into a triumph frame is more trouble than it is worth

[Motu]

Forget the forks - do a rough measurement of the trail....

[Wired1]

Yeah it was an off the cuff comment - although with a chain drive XV it might work. I think what appealed to me was the springer front end.

[Wired1]

Forget the forks - do a rough measurement of the trail....
I just had another look it does appear to have negative trail or at best zero. This thing wold handle like a supermarket trolley at speed, hop the lucky new owner figures it out before they open her up...

[Motu]

I've done a few miles on a chop with a homemade springer front end with such long rockers that it had 8in of negative trail - it was ok to ride...but you wouldn't want to push it.

[Paul in NZ]

I gotta agree with Motu here. Home made spinger? Blerch! never riden one of them I'd trust that didn't weight as much as the rest of the bike!

Put it this way! Ask yourself why on earth someone would sell a fully functional (or near as dammit) bike that 'only needed a cert - easy' when it would be worth much much more with that cert? Maybe he knows it aint gunna get it????

As for vinning it?

Good luck!!!!

[hunt]

dont know the answer to your question, but looking at the bike the best parts are the engine and the tank,,whoever reconned the motor would of spent a few bucks, i dont think that particular bikes a bargin buy, a complete rolling triumph just had the engine removed sold on trade me last week, i think it went for $1825, auction 53746800

[Paul in NZ]

dont know the answer to your question, but looking at the bike the best parts are the engine and the tank,,whoever reconned the motor would of spent a few bucks, i dont think that particular bikes a bargin buy, a complete rolling triumph just had the engine removed sold on trade me last week, i think it went for $1825, auction 53746800

Depends on what was done to the engine.

Easy to spend a few bucks on rings and gaskets but you can drop $5k into one of those if the head is rooted etc.

Thus far I've spent around $2K in parts and engineering.

Reco stock cams
re harden followers
new rocker spindle seals
upgrade tappets
New valves and guides
rebore
New pistons rings
grind crank end (big ends OK)
clean out sludge trap
new cam bushes
all new bearings
replace oil pump (up grade)
new primary chain and sprockets
new gear box sprocket
modify chainchase
repairs to cases
Boyer

Still got to do the carb... sigh!

I would not use a big triumph twin with an unknown history without stripping it down for a look see.

I would not

[Motu]

grind crank end (big ends OK)


Oh man,how many times have I seen that!? Thugs who try to knock the crank out of the right hand case with a claw hammer! That end of the crank is soft and mushrooms over.I use (used to) my Triumph crank gear puller then press the crank out....

[Paul in NZ]

Oh man,how many times have I seen that!? Thugs who try to knock the crank out of the right hand case with a claw hammer! That end of the crank is soft and mushrooms over.I use (used to) my Triumph crank gear puller then press the crank out....

Yup!

I think the wear here was a contributing factor in the engine failure. I better remember to fit an oversized seal into the timing cover ;-)

The rest was in real good condition! I also stress relieved to rods and they came up great (phew)....

Low comp pistons and an easy life for this girl.... erm... well....

[hunt]

Depends on what was done to the engine.

Easy to spend a few bucks on rings and gaskets but you can drop $5k into one of those if the head is rooted etc.

Thus far I've spent around $2K in parts and engineering.

Reco stock cams
re harden followers
new rocker spindle seals
upgrade tappets
New valves and guides
rebore
New pistons rings
grind crank end (big ends OK)
clean out sludge trap
new cam bushes
all new bearings
replace oil pump (up grade)
new primary chain and sprockets
new gear box sprocket
modify chainchase
repairs to cases
Boyer

Still got to do the carb... sigh!

I would not use a big triumph twin with an unknown history without stripping it down for a look see.

I would not
yea i know what your saying there, just added my receipts up for my engine and gearbox overhaul and i got $2444, and thats without new rods, and nothing done in the primary, now while i'm on the subject of the primary,does anyone have a primary cover that has the inspection hole to strobe time thru, that they would like to sell at a reasonable cost, to fit my 72 650?, pm me if you do,
I'm guessing the seller on trade me would want $4k for that bike, its bloody expensive to build up project bikes these days.

[Paul in NZ]

I bought one of those a while back for.. well nothing actually! They are usually munted around the 2 bolt holes cos people don't use the spacers under em. Cost me about $50 to get John to weld it all up and make it spiffy again.

I just bought a slimline tank for $70.... It erm needs a bit of work!! (ah hem)

[hunt]

this one might be of interest if you havent seen it already, i'm not clever enough to get a link up but its on trade me auction 55772058, triumph chopper, rigid frame with gsx 650 engine, photos are crap but its a chopper alright

[hunt]

I bought one of those a while back for.. well nothing actually! They are usually munted around the 2 bolt holes cos people don't use the spacers under em. Cost me about $50 to get John to weld it all up and make it spiffy again.

I just bought a slimline tank for $70.... It erm needs a bit of work!! (ah hem)

$70 bucks for a tank is pretty cheep, get the rust out,bit of bondo, bit of paint, it ill be good as new, have you seen the price of tank badges? i'm using a mid 60s primary cover at the mo, got the welds already around the bolt holes,i thought they were factory,not,its just bit of a drag to remove it everytime i want to check the timing, i'm running points so i need to check more often, :scooter:

[Paul in NZ]

$70 bucks for a tank is pretty cheep, get the rust out,bit of bondo, bit of paint, it ill be good as new, have you seen the price of tank badges? i'm using a mid 60s primary cover at the mo, got the welds already around the bolt holes,i thought they were factory,not,its just bit of a drag to remove it everytime i want to check the timing, i'm running points so i need to check more often, :scooter:

I stuck with points for yonks and aBoyer is going in this time. If my experience is anything like that on the Moto Guzzi it will pay for itself in no time!

Have you checked Best of british in ChCh?

[hunt]

I stuck with points for yonks and aBoyer is going in this time. If my experience is anything like that on the Moto Guzzi it will pay for itself in no time!

Have you checked Best of british in ChCh?


No, but i will, tried british spares only, been hoping one will get listed on T.M

[Paul in NZ]

No, but i will, tried british spares only, been hoping one will get listed on T.M

Also try Bob nesbit at Classic Cycles and Cycle Torque up north.

This gives you an idea of who is selling stuff...

http://www.motorcyclemarketplace.co.nz/t.htm

Cheers

[Waylander]

I think some of you are missing the point. The idea of a Chopper is not to handle well.

Wired1 why not just look at putting some springer forks on your XV frame. That way you don't have to worry about converting it to chain drive if you don't put a fat rear tyre on it.
There is a guy down Otago way on this site that has chopped out his Virago and he makes springer forks. If I remember his online name I'll give it to you.

[Paul in NZ]

I think some of you are missing the point. The idea of a Chopper is not to handle well.
.

Yeah and the idea is not to kill yourself either.

Engineering a set of springers is not all that easy as a great many people have found out. They usually end up super heavy and are a real pain to attach brakes too... While we got away with all sortsa crap in the 70's, you better get an engineering cert etc etc if you want to ride a bike like that these days.

I've only see one raked out, springer equipped chopper in NZ that looked semi safe and that was a big flathead HD built by one of the Lost Breed in the 70's.

I've ridden things like CB750 chops (guy bought it for $99) with long springers and I reckon it was a bloody death trap.

Your choice but if you want bling.. A long girder might be easier? Personally I'd just go for a couple of inches over and a 21" rim up front but....

[Motu]

Sorry about the composition,we didn't know about that stuff in the '70's.This is my brothers chop in about 1971/72 - it originaly had a set of beautifully made springers on the front...but as mentioned earlier,they had 8 inches of negative trail,but still riderable.The forks he has on it here were off a Rocket III,6in over and in raked Triumph yokes (the Triumph guys will know what I mean) Tiger Cub tank,this is about as good as it got back then.

WTF? A picture is worth a thousand words,but aparrently seeing as I've already used the picture I can't use it again,even if I link to the other thread.You'll just have to use your imagination.

[ezinnz]

I run a 4' long springer on my chop with 4" of trail and a single sided disc front wheel. It handles and stops fine.

While you might not throw long bikes around in the twisties on those hill rides you still need to build a chop that handles and responds well or you'll pay for it dearly!

My 2c.

[Wired1]

Yes do, dredge out the old synapses if you will. I had a shit of a time finding a set of drag bars to fit my XV750 and ended up finding a guy local (in Nelson) who makes them and sends them all over the world. Similarly I have been looking for springer front ends for Japas but there is buggerall around. If someone is making them it would be worth a crack...

[Waylander]

As above
How much for those drag bars? and would he be able to just make the risers? I,ve got a set of flat bars just need the risers to come up about 10-15mm from stock to clear the tank.

[Wired1]

I paid $120 for my metric bars with 100mm centres on the risers. He normally makes 3.5 inch centre riser bars for the non-jappas. I don't think he makes risers but I noticed there are shitloads of them on ebay when I was looking for my bars. His work is very nice, checkout the website at http://www.thehandlebarcompany.com/ and tell him the guy with the XV750 recommended him and maybe he'll start making more jap bars.

[Waylander]

The triumph ones will fit on a Jap bike mate. Could't tell if the risers were just HD or not though. Only ones I've seen on Ebay and trademe are for HD only.

[Shotgun]

I know that bike well.....Old Stan....nothing that a FULL rebuild & a fresh start wouldnt cure....lol

[Shotgun]

I think some of you are missing the point. The idea of a Chopper is not to handle well.

Wired1 why not just look at putting some springer forks on your XV frame. That way you don't have to worry about converting it to chain drive if you don't put a fat rear tyre on it.
There is a guy down Otago way on this site that has chopped out his Virago and he makes springer forks. If I remember his online name I'll give it to you.

Its Southland actually bud.. :-) and the bike has just been sold for 8K uncert'd as is. New project underway with a 300x18 Avon up its ass on a 10" wide Boyd Coddington 'Junkyard Dog' billet rim & a custom built singlesided fork assembly (2nd I've built)

[Waylander]

New project underway with a 300x18 Avon up its ass on a 10" wide Boyd Coddington 'Junkyard Dog' billet rim & a custom built singlesided fork assembly (2nd I've built)
Make sure you post up some pics of that man should look sweet.

[Wired1]

That's one long mother of an XV you have there, are there more photos here somewhere? Did you rake the existing frame or build a new one? it's hard to tell if there is a down tube in that photo. And where did the springer come from?

[Wired1]

Here are a few bikes I like the look of... any ideas where you can get overstock fork tubes?

[ezinnz]

Its Southland actually bud.. :-) and the bike has just been sold for 8K uncert'd as is. New project underway with a 300x18 Avon up its ass on a 10" wide Boyd Coddington 'Junkyard Dog' billet rim & a custom built singlesided fork assembly (2nd I've built)


You're a legend Dave - keep up the great work! This (to me) is what choppers are all about. Skilled guys building their own rides. Not dropping 50 or 60k on something someone built/imported.

Looking forward to seeing it when it's a roller Man!

[Paul in NZ]

Here are a few bikes I like the look of... any ideas where you can get overstock fork tubes?

Probably 'Forks by Frank" in the USA.. Been making this stuff longer than anyone. Makes a lot of stock stuff and has a good reputation...

[Shotgun]

Will do bud....currently bikeless and got an itch already to ride... lol

[Paul in NZ]

Franks the man...

http://www.frankmain.qpg.com/

[Shotgun]

You're a legend Dave - keep up the great work! This (to me) is what choppers are all about. Skilled guys building their own rides. Not dropping 50 or 60k on something someone built/imported.

Looking forward to seeing it when it's a roller Man!

Howdy Ezi, keep yer eyes and ears open bud....those imported chops will see the ass drop out of them in a year or two, totally way over priced, heaps cheaper to bring one in yourself if thats yer bag anyway......
Oh yeah, and with the new EPA rules in the US now starting to impact custom builders over there...expect a few more to start coming in...cheaper too I'd bet.....
Latest news..... all new genuine HD 1340 motor/5spdtrans/primerydrive/starter/carby,ign packages for NZ$13500.00 (Complete Driveline Kit) landed here in NZ...add oil gas and go....Easy to see how a brand new HD chopper could be built for around just 25K....

[Shotgun]

Franks the man...

http://www.frankmain.qpg.com/

Not too badly priced either, around the 600 to 800 buck mark delivered to NZ depending on the length you want....a cheaper way to building a chopper without buying a springer or full extended fork setup from the US

[Macktheknife]

Heres my project at the last photo time, couple of months ago. I decided I wanted a custom paint job so I have it in the shop at present getting some airbrush work done and lots of clear. Got some seat work to do and some chroming to do, then a little bit of adjustment on minor shit and we are on the road.

[MeHigh]

Super cool chopp man!

[classic zed]

http://www.demonscycle.com/chassis.htm for rolling chassis

they export all chopper bits all over the world and have a great eBay shop

or the home page.

http://www.demonscycle.com/

[Wired1]

What about an alternate Yamaha front end that is longer than the stock XV750 front end. I have the perfect bike to chop and rake at the moment so I'm not bothered about giving it a go. Does anyone know of a longer front end than the XV750 but with the same neck diameter etc? I did wonder about using trail bike forks as they are often 36mm same as mine so I could use my existing triple clamp... probably have problems with the road bike wheel & guard etc.

[Colapop]

A good place to start is The Chopper Builders Handbook (http://www.chopperhandbook.com/). Coupled with the advice of a few knowledgable people should make for an interesting bike.
I see more and more overseas builders are getting into bolt-on bits. I'm not saying that the parts are crap, it's just it doesn't seem to me that's what building a 'chopper' is about. The first few episodes of "American Chopper" showed them fabricating parts, in the latest ones they don't seem to fabricate at all.

[Wired1]

Yes I agree, if you don't chop it - it ain't a chopper!
Thanks for the link, I have a few good books on the subject, I need a front end first then I'll make it fit...

[bernardf]

if you are serious about building a chopper contact the Hog Farm and talk to Orb he has been building custom bikes since 1974 and knows his stuff he will chop anything and does a bloody good job
his ride is a late model triumph chop very trick