AC Choppers

The Doctor is in

2007-03-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

We all owe a major hats off to The Doc (aka JT, aka Jig Masta J) for this one:

Here is the surgery specialist at work with the assistance of some fine collegues:
"scalpal! (scalpal) 10 MIL!! (10 mil) VICE GRIPS, STAT!!"

Apparently, however, The Doc has made some major advances with the internal combustion engine because this particular model runs on Pale Ale:

The test pilot (who also happens to be the previous owner of this machine) embarking on the always-scary-after-reassembly shake down ride:

Exactly twenty years of changes between these Ninjas..

The first pretend ride: (Although I seriously doubt this was the first)

The first real ride:

Congrats, Doc! See you in Kentucky!

New Addition

2007-03-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Maybe one of these days MF'er will actually post something to this blog, but in the meantime I figured I'd make a little announcement on his behalf..

A new set of keys can only mean one thing....

The Road, and What It All Means

2006-08-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

I suppose I should preface this edition of The Dude's Philosophical Thoughts with the disclaimer that I, along with anyone and everyone else, have no idea what The Truth is about what it all really means; only what it means to me, and maybe even more importantly, only what it means to me right now.

I had attempted to resist intellectualizing the experience of those seven days under the illusion that it would be impossible. It will be, by nature, impossible to define and, in fact, "language experiences its limits in trying to describe what it’s like to ride on a motorcycle." (Steven Alford) And that has never been more true, especially when considering the intensity of the experience of doing so for a somewhat extended period of time. I can only imagine the profound effect it has had on those who have done it for any longer than we did; and for those people, I have nothing but the utmost respect.

There are, of course, many factors that can affect the experience; not only the duration of time, but the motorcycle, the roads, the weather, the motivation, the dedication, the conviction, the luck, and probably most importantly, the company. Nothing is ever just about the thing itself; and more often than not it's about the people we are surrounded with.
Besides the personal aspect, I don't know what it is about traveling, and specifically, traveling via motorcycle. It has been expounded upon thoroughly, and by authors much more adept than I, nevertheless, this is my attempt to describe my perspective.

I've described, in the past, the internal illusion of defying gravity while riding; the idea that we are, by some miraculous event, defying the very fundamentals of the physical world. This thought, while every bit as relevant as before, now seems incomplete and insufficient. That rule-breaking feeling of scientific disregard is congruent only with the characterization of the sole experience of riding, in and of itself. But, as stated, nothing is ever just about the thing itself. I am almost forced to draw a comparison to the adventurer who packs all he needs into a backpack and straps it to his back for days or weeks on end; the purity of living not only with only what you have, but also with the dependence on the performance of a machine. In that case, the machine is the adventurer's own body; programmed and designed for the purpose of walking. Then ensued are the mental and emotional debates and struggles; constantly confronted with discomfort, fatigue, and wherewithal. The hiker must persist and withstand this self-inflicted contest in order to accomplish not only his geographical, but also his internal goals; in many cases, he must do this in order to survive.

Similarly, traveling via motorcycle tests our ability to withstand. We are just as the hiker; exposed, vulnerable, and alone. There are no guarantees that we will reach our destination, and no guarantees that we will even be alive at the end of the day. There is nothing to protect us, or the journey, except ourselves and our ability to perform and endure. It is intermittent and unexpected, and often completely surprising when all of this seemingly impossible pursuit of adventure presents itself in overwhelming awe. These are the moments in which we are reminded of why we embarked in the beginning; these are also the moments which are actually impossible to describe. An author can organize his words to convey the ideas, the goals, the hardships, and even some of the pleasures, but the one thing he, without question, cannot do is share the feeling with anyone except the person who was standing next to him when the feeling happened.. and even then, it isn't the words that remind them of it; it's just knowledge, a memory, and the experience.

Things have changed drastically since our return. For me personally, the experience was a reminder of a philosophy I used to subscribe to religiously, and beyond that, an exploration into taking that philosophy further. I never used to debate about pursuing exactly what it was that I desired. Regardless of what it was or the outcome of the pursuit; a job, an experience, a direction, a motivation, a creative endeavor, a friendship, or a relationship.. there was never any reason not to pursue it with absolute dedication and conviction. Things were so clear then, and they have become so again. The ideal is directly parallel to the actions of a child; pure, immediate, and complete. They express themselves in this way consistently; completely and fully, and are then able to return to solace and contentment almost immediately. A child has no reservations and also no life experience to draw upon and therefore, no fear. I suppose it's the occasional mortal fear while riding that reminds me of this;.. reminds us that we're truly alive, and that this is a very short life.
I have been at a loss for words when asked how my vacation was, and eventually realized that the only reason I was at a loss for an answer was in light of the fact that it was the wrong question. Traveling has never really been vacation for me, and there certainly wasn't a reason for that to change this time. In fact, the journey we made wasn't a vacation at all, but actually a glimpse into reality, and a reminder that while there isn't a lot of time in this life for trivial things, there certainly is no time for deliberation, doubt, biding time, biting tongues, or complacency in any form.

For the regular readers of this blog, and specifically those who remember reading my post entitled "True Love", I was doubtful that the trip on which we were about to embark would exceed, or even meet the expectations I had at the time, and in retrospect, I can't believe I didn't see it coming. It was undoubtedly the most profound experience I've had in my 27 years on this earth; and although it has created an almost uncontrollable spiral of thoughts, dreams, goals, and emotions, and made my days since then go by in incredible agony. I can't wait to do it again. Next time will be for the greater good, and the next time will be for a greater purpose. Next time will be the beginning.

So what is it that it all means? It means that everything is valuable except those things about which we are not passionate. It means that the journey is the destination. And it may even hold the answer to the meaning of life; the experience of being alive.

2,374......

2006-08-12T19:29:00.000-05:00

---Day 1---
MF'ER: "What do you want to do today dude?"
DUDE: "RIDE!"

---Day 2---
MF'ER: "I'm going to make some coffee."
DUDE: "Sweet!", What do you want to do today?"
MF'ER: "Ride!"
DUDE: "Where's the closest place to buy beer?"
BIG MAC: "Dry County but I got a couple of BUSH Lights."
Dude: "That's ok, I'll go find some!"

---DAY 3---
DUDE: "Wanna ride The Dragon again?"
MF'ER: "eh, let's go hit the Cherohala"
MF'ER "Dude? What do you want to do today?"
DUDE: "eh, Ride"
MF'ER: "Dude, look at all the helmets."
Dude: "Where is the pitcher?"

---Day 4---
DUDE: "Damn it's hot!"
MF'ER: "Dude I'm leaking oil."
DUDE: "This place sucks, lets go back to the mountains."
MF'ER: "Sweet!"
DUDE: "What do you want to do today?"
MF'ER: "Ride dude, I want to ride!"
DUDE: "So would you give that one a green?"
MF'ER: "uh, yup...Where's the closest place to get beer?"
UNKNOWN: "About 20 miles back the way you came"
MF'ER: "It's pretty dark out here"
DUDE: "See you in a couple hours"
MF'ER: "MMMMMMM.....BEER"

---Day 5---
MF'ER: "What do you want to do today?"
DUDE: "RIDE!"
MF'ER: "Think it's going to rain?"
DUDE: "Shit!, I can't see a damn thing through my visor"
MF'ER: "Want to camp tonight?"
DUDE" "aaAAAAaaahh Fuck It!"

---Day 6---
MF'ER: "Think the camp stove will set off the smoke detector?"
DUDE: "aaaAAAAAaaaahh Fuck It!"
MF'ER: "Wanna ride the Blue Ridge some more?"
DUDE: "aaaAAAAAaaaahhh Fuck yeah."
MF'ER: "My seat sucks"

---Day 7---
MF'ER: "I hate the slab"
DUDE: "me too, lets not go home!"
MF'ER: "Do a U turn dude!"
DUDE: "What the hell was in the road?"
MF'ER: "A bicycle, dude"

Want to see what it was like? Go ride it yourself.
Here are the directions.

(Thanks, Tommy for the color scheme, now we know what to do with the blue highlighter)

PHOTOS.

Ells Last Hurrah!!

2006-07-27T20:26:00.000-05:00

As I sit here posting on this the wonderful blog my friends and I have created they are all chilling down at MidOhio Race Track waiting for the good times of vintage days to roll. I was scheduled to arrive there at about this exact time but I ran into a snag here at home. No, no, no, it's not mechanical, it's not work, and no my health is perfect, it's poor Sadie my dog of 11 years, she has been sick for 2 days now. I have 10 days of vacation waiting for me and I can't wait to join the good times but as for me now...I just wait. Sorry for my side track here on my post, but what this is really about is a fine young girl named Elle. Last weekend dude and I rode down to her dads house in Coshocton Ohio to camp, drink, swim, and eat in celebration of her opening the next chapter in her life, California! This place was on top of a hill, beautiful views, and man what a pool. Dude and I couldn't have asked for more. I wish her all the luck in the world, she will love it I know, and if you're ever out that way I'm sure you could drop in for the best vegan meal you ever had. Elle have fun, can't wait to visit, and thanks for the garage parking in Coshocton.
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Stopped for a Smoke After Slabbing it
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Early Morning Fog (could have been the beer)
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Morning Coffee Tent Side
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Mount Jeez Was Closed.....JEEZ
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Some little Picnic Spot
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True Love

2006-07-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

Back when I was a kid with a snotty nose, grass stained knees and a rubberband-shooting pistol permanently affixed to the palm of my hand, I had an affinity for companionship; constantly and persistently begging Mom to let me stay out longer to play in the woods with the neighborhood kids. Back then, of course, I didn't know what relationships were and the only thing I knew of love was that feeling I had when I got a new bike, or cap gun, or fire truck. What I did know, was that I couldn't get enough time with my friends, and certainly wasn't happy with the amount of play time I was allowed. If I only knew then what a microcosmic metaphor that was for what the rest of life had in store.
Naturally as we grow up a bit, most of our friends begin to develop interests outside of aimlessly running around in the woods and riding our bikes around in circles in the driveway; so we drift apart and are forced to find our own proverbial "niches". I had no idea, at the time, that I would get so excited by motorcycles a little later in life; the thought had never really occurred to me, and for that matter, I didn't so much care. Suddenly, I was a sexual being, a pubescent teenager, and I didn't care much about anything except the new, weekly someone I was watching in the hallway between study hall and lunch. To say that I would acquiesce to this transition would naturally be an understatement; after all, human companionship is, usually, every bit as much human nature as eating, breathing and sleeping. It was, and continued to be what I was passionate about, longed for, and strived for.
Over the years that desire has faded a bit as the raging hormones racing through my veins started to slow to a steady and sensible pace. That's not to say, of course, that I have abandoned all kinship to human nature, it just doesn't seem so essential or necessitous these days.
It was fairly recently, though, that I did meet the love of my life; a companion whom I am confident will endure. It is, sometimes, a labor of love to keep our relationship running smoothly, and I admit that there are times at which I could communicate more fluently; after all, it is my input that dictates behavior. There are also times, however, when I should spend a little more time listening, rather than incessantly running around for the pure thrill of it. Taking care of my baby is undoubtedly a first priority as there is nothing I want more than continued and improving performance; you could even call it an obsession; it's a give and take, a balance, and the proverbial 'two way street'.
When we have good times (which is the vast majority of the time), it's blissful, and could even be described as godly, or perhaps more fittingly, orgasmic. My one and only is always on my mind, and spending time together has undeniably become cherished.
On occasion we do have a disagreement; even downright brawls, but as in any relationship, a little exercised patience and the willingness to listen, pay attention, and even communicate my thoughts fully, will eventually lead to a peaceful and understanding conclusion.

Perhaps faintly romanticizing this affair, the feeling that comes from our intense and fanatical alliance is one that I have not yet felt from any other.

Even as I contemplate the most effective words to use in description, I'm consistently faced with an incredible loss for words; I'm just not sure that true love can be expressed effectively. It's been attempted for years; the definition of love, and it's pretty well understood that it simply can't be done. There is no real protocol in love, and there most certainly are no rules; and though this relationship may appear unorthodox, it certainly cannot be denied.

And so, as we head out for the road for the first epic occasion, my mind is reeling with expectations of grandeur and transcendency. The journey will not, of course, reveal itself in so much majesty, as we do naturally tend to embellish our expectations. Nevertheless, my motorcycle and I will attempt to maintain the posture of true unbridled wanderlust and remain conscious of the intuitive recognition of quality in the human experience.

"It should not be denied...that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom.." -Wallace Stegner

The Traveler

2006-07-24T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well having traveled over 10,000 miles over 2-3 months Don finally returns to the good old Cleveburg. He happened to time his return perfectly, rode in just as dinner was being served, we had all gathered, and our ride was done. Funny I think he was planning it that way. I think he will have to start his own blog for his adventure, but first he needs something better than dial up. Dude, dial up is dead! Anyway, here are some shots, enjoy, if anyone even looks at this thing.
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Tommy and Don
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Don and His Bike
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Beer Me Bitch!

2006-07-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

Well bike night almost had a full house, some people were absent but we were all there in spirit...living the dream, working on the dream...drinking, smoking, and saying BEER ME BITCH! Sorry this is no philosophical post, involving deep thought, or hidden emotions but damn what fun!
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Salvation Sunday

2006-07-04T17:04:00.000-05:00

We don’t find it inside 4 walls, we don’t need stained glass, or hymns, and we surely don’t need to be read a story that has been translated into hundreds of versions, over thousands of years; no…all we need is the ride. Salvation is had by millions of people on Sunday, and it occurred to me that through riding and reading dudes posts here on AC Choppers that in fact I have been seeking salvation on Sunday too, it just comes in a much different form than how the rest of the population sees it and I’m truly blessed that I share these days and miles with some of the best guys around. When you find yourself leaned over in a turn, not sure you can hold the yellow line, you grab a handful of brakes and start to react, maybe your mind is saying stand it up, your body is leaning it over, and your nerves are shaking, nervous that you are over too far on this ancient thing to hold the line; what could be a better gathering of best friends in your mind than that. Riding does something for me from the second I put that helmet on, Velcro on those gloves, and tighten my jacket, the world becomes clear…open…and alive, everything is felt and seen, and every word I whisper, shouts back into my ear, and I love the solitude of that trance, but there is another side on the Salvation Ride and that’s the dudes I surround myself with. We fall into a grove, a pattern and feed from one rider to the next; The straightaway leads to speeds as open as the throttle will go, we stager out, alternating 5 deep and give each other room, a sign to the right indicates that a 25mph turn is approaching, we all down shift, keep speed till the last moment, and hit the brakes, fall in line and take the turn single file. We know what line we want, and all of us want that same line, it’s an unspoken rule of the fast lane…how we make the bike get from here to there as fast and smooth as possible. There are no radios, or intercoms, or hand signals here; just the road that drives us, we are merely passengers on this great ride, the ride for salvation…
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Thanx for the invite Micky!

2006-06-29T08:19:00.000-05:00

I was slightly bummed that the films debute has been delayed until the end of the season. But I await its arrival with bad breath.

Now that I have an acct. , I may just have to try out this blogging thing.

No Ordinary Enllightenment

2006-06-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

So there I was, when it all hit me;

glancing down at the tach, watching the speedo steadily rotate clockwise and feeling the hum of the motor between my legs as I tucked behind the fairing. I was in some kind of trance. I felt no fear, and was nothing entering my mind except the reaction of the motorcycle as a result of my input. This subconscious enlightenment became clear to me as the straightaway came to an end and the road disappeared and the sweeping left guardrail grew larger and larger as I let go of the throttle and reached for the clutch.

The next few moments could be pivotal in my survival on this earth. For an escaping moment, the quintessential question entered my mind and just as quickly as it had come, it was gone; what do I need to do to survive?
Instantly I had re-entered this proverbial trance, and instincts regained control. I don't need to describe my actions for the following few seconds; obviously I executed the turn successfully, and the point here is not the turn anyway, it's the meditation.
It's the level of pure concentration and ultimate focus that interests me. Now, I won't pretend to have studied any form of meditation, or Tai Chi or Zen practices, but I do know that this has been discussed before; the level of focus acheived by anyone involved in anything intense. From my perspective, it's what naturally occurs when you are passionate about something, and when performance is everything. All thought leaves our brains and our bodies are perfectly aligned with our minds; this is the point at which meditation happens. This is the point at which we realize, in retrospect, that we were completely and solely dedicated at that particular moment in time, and to one specific function. It's an enlightenment that only happens in retrospect, and at times can even be frightening. It's not just the vernacular type of enlightenment, not the kind of enlightenment that happens when you first realize that the green stuff next to your sushi isn't avacado, and not even the kind of enlightenment that happens when you realize after twenty years of marriage that you're no longer in love. The experience of, and enlightenment from riding motorcycles is one like no other, and it's certainly not ordinary.

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By the way.. for all of you Sunday riders, it has been decided by the cinematographers, that the recent video footage will be making its debut in the form of a feature film at season's close.. so just keep your boots on ...

oh, the suspense!.........

the waves of the amish country

2006-06-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

on yet another spirited 300 mile ride through the amish country I came across another thought in the expanse of grey matter inside my helmet. In my last philosophical moment, I professed that it's the ride that claims and retains our attention, and I dont think that could be any more true; it is the reason we do this.

But what is it about the machines that we chose to ride that makes us feel that we have chosen the right vehicle? or is there a "right" vehicle? i've been under the impression that because it has two wheels, it's right. am i wrong?
in the past there has always been some kind of unspoken rule that we don't wave at harley riders, mostly because they usually wont come off their high hog to wave at us first. do those guys think their ride will be more fun than ours? are they just loyal buy-american fools?
there must be another feeling of belonging in owning a harley davidson that we are just plain unexposed to. that infamous ideal of the american dream that can only be acheived on a harley; that level of freedom that can only be felt on a harley. or do they just feel that they have the right to disregard their fellow riders because they've spent $18,000 on a bunch of chrome and billet bolt-ons?
in the amish country, harley riders wave; and sometimes, they even wave first. in the amish, you're there for the ride; and the waves from harleys prove it. in the city it's another story; it's all show.. who can look the coolest, sound the baddest, and stick their nose up the highest.. but when you're surrounded by the roads that define our passion, every rider is there to ride; and it shows.

In the end, sometimes you are what you ride, but when it comes down to it, you are because you ride.

There was a big Corvette show going on in Roscoe Village when we rolled in, and here's my "best of show":

.. it's some crazy two stroke motor that only fires once every couple of seconds.. turns some big belts and churns the home-made ice cream in big wooden barrels. WAAY cooler than some LS1 with a $100,000 twin turbo motor in it. 600hp don't mean shit when you've got one of these bad ass little john Deers around just make some damn ice cream!

modern machines and philosophical moments..

2006-06-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

And so I enter the world of the modern motorcycle. Some of you may be shocked to be confronted with such a machine on our blog, which has been so endearingly devoted to chopper building and riding vintage bikes since its inception. But what is it which aligns us all into this fanatical and maniacal sport? Is it the drag bars or the home-made suicide shifter behind your left leg, or the custom fender you so painstakingly fashioned, or the blood, sweat and tears we pour over our bikes in the garage or on the side of the road? Maybe so, but more likely it's something much bigger than all of these things. Motorcycles are associated in our minds with escape; from daily routine, from opression and law, and irksome obligations; and with absolute freedom. Or maybe it's simply the intuitive recognition of quality in the human experience. The purity and amazement in the experience of believing that we're breaking some kind of scientific law; defying gravity and the logical intuition of how the world functions. We intentionally position ourselves into an experience that constantly reminds us that in that particular moment, with no gaurantees, we're alive. In every motorcyclists mind there's something that assures us that there's nothing that more accurately and completely defines the experience of being alive.

So maybe it's time for a slight shift in the philosophy that supports AC Choppers. Sure we love choppers and, of course, the mechanical process of creating or modifying our motorcycles, but in the end it's not the choppers that command or retain our attention; its the ride.

And with the welcome of El Bandito, we also need to wave goodbye to a good friend. A bike that was dearly beloved.

But it went to good hands.. a guy named Matt from Knoxville. He definately had an appreciation for the bike and the work that went into it. Maybe the best part is that, continuing in the trend of constant improvement, he was eager to make it run even better and his girlfriend will be taking it to Phoenix with her while she attends MMI.. Surely this supersport will reach a level of mechanical excellence that even I couldn't give it. Ride on Matt & Supersport, hope to see you at Vintage!

the clips

2006-06-02T00:55:00.000-05:00

me and the bandit somewhere in the Amish.. this curve lended itself to our little video shoot..

Tommy and the Beemer.. seems like he took this the slowest doesnt it? haha.. all joking aside, this guy out-rides most of us!

and the trooper, John, on the SV.. it sounds the best..

one more of the Sv for good measure.. this was after the Sv took a low-side in a blind, downhill, hairpin left turn.. John is braking with a roadside-fixed brake lever.. nothin like a 3/8x2.5 bolt through your barke lever...

Another New Addition.... The Dirt Rat.

2006-02-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

check out this bad ass little piece of shit! ya know the best part? f.r.e.e.
ahhh, free motorcycles.

the green of the headlight is the actual original color.. apparently after only 175 (that's right,, the odometer reads a mere 175) miles, the original owner decided it would look better baby blue. dumb fuck.

man i can't wait to sink that tire into some mud!

looks almost decent huh? just wait till i get the photos matthew shot of the first oil draining in 20 years! holy disgusting batman. first he peed. then we think he had a sever case of diarrhea. yeah. nasty.

stay tuned to see how this one turns out.. so far it's promising to be the biggest challenge yet. but if he runs,, just wait for the paint job we're planning! mwah ha ha ha........

A Post Long Overdue!

2006-01-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

OK, OK,, I've had just about enough of all of this shit i'm takin from you guys about not updating the damn blog! is it my fault that i have no time to keep up with this shit?! hell, any spare moment is spent in the damn garage gettin dude's 4 wheeler rollin!
(he's got a blog for that, too,, why don't you all ask him where the updates are for that one! hehe)
Anyway, so here's a whole bunch of shit from a long time ago that never got posted.. most of this goes back to the summer,, and for now, i'm not going to organize it..

points gap & timing adjustment in progress... it's kind of a pain in the ass, but donnie has a great little system of using an old turn signal as the "timing light".. (static, that is..)
it worked pretty damn well

god damn tdc.

there's the lead going back to the turn signal.. and hey, there's dude in the clutch cover..

apparently i thought a close up was necessary.

so jsut unplug one of your turn signals, and run a lead from it's wire to the points... no fancy-ass timing light needed.

we also did valve clearances that day,,and this is the only photo to prove it.. spectacular, i know..
actually, i ended up doing my valves a couple of time because apparently i didnt pay enough attention to the process and f*$#ed it up.. misadjusted valves are noisy and annoying.

rainy day .. pit stop so the amatuers could buy rain gear at wal-mart.

ahhh, juxtaposition.

sky doesnt look to promising, huh?... and this is when we were just starting out for the day.

mm hmm.

four bikes. two guys.

aforementioned rain gear from wal-mart. apparently people who shop at wal-mart have severe cases of enlarged nutsacks.

we love you, paddy.

commuters.

one day matthew and i had a little company in the garage during a rain storm.. he hung out for a while.

i forget what the hell he was doing ..

torque induction kicks ass!!!!

here's an old one for ya.. this crazy double exposure from way back when.. i think that was 2 summers ago.. cool huh?

oh yeah,, one last thing.. the most recent and most coveted addition to the shop:

the "be cool". 40,000 btu of propane forced air. this is how winter should be.

old photos are never old

2005-10-24T21:33:00.000-05:00

Dude happened across these in an old camera he had. Check them out, my fender in the early stages.

the days of vintage

2005-07-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

ac choppers 2nd annual attendance at the vintage motorcycle days at mid-ohio proved to be an astronomically better experience than the first..
the weather wasnt all that wonderful, but a little rain in the face at 70mph and wearing sweat-drenched clothes for three days aint really all that bad when every time you turn your head there's another fine specimen of vintage motorcycle history.. ok, ok,, the drenching of the clothes wasn't really caused by sweat,, it was admittedly our awe-inspired jealousy drool.

we listened to some dude talking over the loudspeakers while watching the 250's go motoring around the track about motorcycle touring and how he had never spent more than like $3,000 on a touring motorcycle.. that these readily accessible and inexpensive 60's, 70's and 80's bikes are more than adequate and pretty damnreliable..
.. well,, we're not so sure about the reliable part, but these two supersports did a pretty damn fine job all weekend..

this guy tommy even trailered down a project bike for the weekend.. he picked up this little yamaha for 100 bucks!.. so after nearly blowing the damn thing up, it ran like a champ..it was one of those little "rrrriing ding ding ding ding" kind of dirt bikes, and man was it squirrely in the gravel..

oh.. and here's a view of "tent city"... acres of camped out vintage motorcycle fans.

i think i saw god while i was there.. and im pretty sure that mid-ohio IS heaven..

glamour shots

2005-06-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

A fair amount of work has been done to the '76 supersport in recent weeks, but I've been either too messy or too lazy to take any in-progress photos... to fix the charging system, we finally gave it the bench tests to figure out which components weren't working and thought it all made sense for a while, then it didn't make any... to make a long story short, the tests worked and gave me an idea of what to do, but I ended up replacing all charging system components anyway (stator, field coil, regulator and rectifier) to eliminate the possibility for error...and thus, the battery charges!
I finally replaced the rear brake pads, since I hadn't used the back brake since I bought the damn thing.. and while I was at it, realized I also needed to rebuild the master cylinder..now they work like a dream.
I finally found an old supersport seat for my cafe seat project,, maybe one of these days I'll get started on that...
But for now.. enjoy this glamour shot Matthew and I shot a few weeks ago.. he's been on my ass to post it, so here you go,, for all the zillions of people that read this blog, and of course, you Matthew.........

Aint it pretty?

The Latest News for the 75

2005-06-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

After much work on the brakes, 2 master cylinders, 1 rebuild kit, and several frustrating hours working on them I have given up for now. They rub a little, get a little too warm but I'm ready to ride the thing so I will deal with it for now. I put on clubman bars, cleaned the carbs, fixed a stuck float that was causing a gas leak, removed rust from the inside of the tank, replaced the heavy signals and head light mount with some lighter hardware, (thanks to dude once again) and lots of other little things but she is on the road. Here is the current state she is in.

I also spent a day polishing up the caliper and the hardware since the paint was pealing anyway. No more paint to peal and it looks pretty good I think.

Newest addition to the garage

2005-04-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

So while surfing ebay one day I came across this auction right here in the heart land of Ohio and to make the long story short I ended up owning this beautiful '75 cb750f. The owner of this bike had to have been the nicest guy I have ever bought a vehicle from, he even gave me 4 bottles of Yuengling, and here in Ohio the closest place to get this delicious beer is over the boarder in Pa. Well anyway the bike is beautiful and I couldn't be happier. See for yourself, of course I will put a slight twist on it so stay tuned for the updates as this bike grows to fit me and the classic racer style.

Back of Aaron's truck, Thanks dude, and nice shot Christiana.

This paint is the original Honda Orange Metallic Flake from the 70's

The other side.

Some beautiful chrome on these pipes, and the covers are all polished, it looks good for being a year older than me.
Thats it for now, stayed tuned...

now for the racer...........

2005-04-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

1st order of business is cleaning the crap out of those carbs! after 27,000 miles and sitting around for a few years, they've built up quite a bit of varnish..

this is a fairly tedious and smelly process. watch out for filling the garage with the fumes from carb cleaner, and make sure you stay sober enough to keep all the parts with the right carb, keep everything organized, and put it all back together the way you found it..if not better.

who comes up with this shit? the engineers that design this crap must be aliens because they've dreamt up a system for delivering air and fuel to the combustion chamber unlike anything a human could think of. don't get me wrong, i think they're fuckin genius.

So now for a sneak peak at the upcoming plans for this cafe.... a conical fiberglass tail cone not unlike this one, that turns it into a one seater and adds tons and tons of style.. if only i had four into two exhaust, i'd upsweep the pipes like this, too.. (what a beautiful ride, if anyone's interested, i'll post the full picture of this bike...)

So then, i'll take one of these way cool old caddy taillights and fashion it right in there to complete the cone.. one sweeping cone section that works its way, as seemlessly as i can get it, to the tip of this caddy lens..

81 custom laid to rest......

2005-04-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Today marked the end of the 81 cb custom bobber.

It pains me to know this bike never saw much of the road and never will again; at least not as we knew it. Certainly a bad ass chop, and definately one of the most insane, but then again, look who built it.

So, he who builds it, must destroy it.

lots and lots of trashish

parts flyin...

at least i got to sit on it while destroying it...

the struggle to yank the motor was over... and i just felt like pissing.

the beast

chopper frame anyone?

'78 Finished for Now

2005-04-11T08:14:00.000-05:00

I spent some time with my ride this weekend, finishing up the tank, putting the carbs back on and rebuilding the forks. I think overall it came out nice for my first attempt at body work.

Damn it's low, and ummmmm black.

Yep, what a nice weekend.

You will see this view a lot...as I scream by ya.

Tank close up.

It was recommended not to paint the fuel door, I'm glad I didn't.

Here is a little detail of the door latch, it was Ken's idea and I stole it cause it's cool. Thanks dude.

'78 Body Work

2005-04-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

Well time for some tank improvements, the blue had to go first, and with the investment of a Millermatic 135 mig welder and a simple slide hammer the dents were worked out.

This side had the huge dent, I'm in the first stages of stripping the tank.

Here is a close up after cutting the bolt off I welded on to pull the dent with a slide hammer.

The other side, notice the nice hole I made removing the tank emblems, thank you JB Weld for the the repair.

Now on to the after stages of bondo and lots of sanding. I am by no means an experienced body man, but I think I did ok. Worlds better then the dented ugly rattlecan blue tank.

Patience Patience Patience, nice finger print right....well wait for the primer to dry dumbass.

This was the side with the monster dent, not too bad if I do say so myself. There are still several more coats of primer needed, bondo really sucks up the paint. Stay tuned for the finished product, it can only get better from here....I hope.

Since we are still talkin' history how about the 78' super sport

2005-01-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Well I found this 1978 CB750f basket case in a barn outside of Canton Ohio. There were piles of bikes and parts in the garage and there by the door sat this cb750. Wires were hanging out of it, mouse nest in the air box, this monster king and queen seat, I can't believe I brought this home with me, but i did.

...oh did I mention the bars, man those are ugly...

...the barn where she was resting in the background...

...one of the first days at her new home, my garage. I told you that seat was big...

First things first this wiring has to go. I found some great articles on wiring these bikes on Honda Chopper web site, there is a huge wealth of information there, check it out. I even found a diagram for building a Santee Electrical Box. Check out these pictures.

...I told you there were wire everywhere...

...This was all the left over wires after building my Santee Box, these wires were unnecessary to make the bike run so why have them there?...you got me...

...Santee Box complete with all wiring and switches...

...the other side...

So one day while digging in my basement for what ever it was, I found this old police spot light, just the thing i needed for my project. Who would have known carrying that thing around for years would pay off.

One of the last projects I worked on was the fender. I must have looked at 500 fenders looking for the right one. Well I finally determined I needed to make one. I didn't have the experience to build it out of steel, but fiberglass, I can do that. I made my mold out of foam insulation, coated it in vaseline and went to work. Please if you try this do it in a ventilated area and where a mask, I was high as a kite working on this project.

...I was going to go to work...

...but i got high...

...Final Product...

There were lots of other projects that went into this bike, and plenty of stories, maybe if you ask nice and buy Ken and i some drinks we will tell them to you. Be sure to ask about the time I caught on fire, thats a good one.

Here is the progress, I put on about 300 miles this summer, I didn't really get it on the road till well after the 4th of July, this year will be the year of the chopper.

...

...YES, it's low, I can't even clear a pack of smokes standing on end with those pipes...

...and yes I plan on fixing the dents in the tank and of course it will be painted the only color a chopper should be, matte black...

History of our name "AC Choppers"

2005-01-16T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well I guess it just fell out of our drawers one day while wrenching on our bikes and has stuck with us ever since.

Ass Crack 1

Ass Crack 2

History of the '76 Cafe Racer

2005-01-15T18:42:00.000-05:00

This bike came into my posession near the end of the summer out of frustration.. after working on the Custom all summer, i was ready to ride..

I pretty much stole it from a guy out in Ashtabula, jumped on and rode back to cleveland..
the bike has about 27,000 miles on it.. the first owner probably put on 25,000 of those, then sold it to the guy i bought it from after about 10 years. this guy owned a metal fab shop and made custom sheet metal for bikes,, tanks, fenders, etc.. he used this bike in his heated showroom for the last..eh.. 19 years?.. to display the custom metal they were making.. he said they'd take it out about once a month or so to keep it running, but otherwise, there it sat..begging to be ridden.
I havent done much to this bike as i bought it purely to ride the hell out of.. i just recently put the race fairing and way cool retro clubman bars on it.. and that's it.

..routing all the wires, cables and lines up front is the biggest bitch about switching bars,, everything changes.

but the result is well worth it.

check out these way cool clubman bars,, matthew picked them up for me at the rice paddy.
they are actually supposed to curve a little more downward, but because of clearance, had to be mounted this way,, and after i tried them out i was glad they sat a little higher.. they completely changed the way i sit on that bike.
it blows a "little" smoke once in a while because i think a valve or carb is stuck open and it floods at least one cylinder after riding long enough, but otherwise runs like a champ.

some history on the '81 custom

2005-01-15T18:05:00.000-05:00

A friend of my roommate's father had this bike sitting around in his barn for a couple of years,, all he ever used it for was riding the kids around in the yard, and was hanging on to the bike to salvage the rubber for his sportster (aka, the piece of shit also featured in this blog). I was ready for a chop project and basically made him sell it to me. this is how it looked the day i brought it home:

obviously i wasnt about to ride it around like that..
So, the first order of business was ditching a bunch of crap. mufflers, front fender, chain guard, bars, seat, side covers, rear fender, the ridiculously huge taillight assembly, and eventually the footpegs and the entire electrical system..
We dropped the bike a few inches by dumping the rear shocks and replacing them with solid struts..while we were at it, we had to cut the rear section of the frame off to get that clean look in the rear end.. i wanted the fender to sit less than an inch from the tire..

first the struts were just some flat stock with a couple of holes drilled in them to get the spacing right..then i thought i'd try some square tube stock for a little different look,, it looked box-y and cool, but we were all convinced i'd end up flying down the freeway with the tire spinning 3,000 rpm under my ass, and i might want something a little more substantial. so we cut and welded some struts out of steel pipe and used the rubber bushings from the original shocks..
worked pretty well, and definately a bit safer.
..the bike now sat the way i wanted it to, but my legs were still too god damn long to ride it comfortably,, hence the forward controls..
try as i might to find a how-to from someone who had done it already,,no luck..
i ended up making them out of some old stock footpegs, fabricated steel plates, carriage bolts, old stock pedal rubbers fitted to fabricated pedals, some rear brake linkage, and several fabricated spacers made from pipe.

they look pretty bad ass huh? on this side though, there was a problem..
the brake pedal in this configuration functions pivoting on one of the main supports for the pedal itself.. which means that support has to be a little loose to allow the brake pedal to pivot around the pipe. .. i still havent figured out the perfect solution for this, but my two thoughts are either (1) dump the back brake alltogether, (taking the pedal and linkage with it) or (2) starting over and fabricating some serious shit this summer while the motor's out of the bike.. stay tuned to see what happens with that..
what about the clutch pedal you ask? there is none. this bike as it sits right now is a suicide shift with the clutch lever built into the shifter arm.

The Projects

2005-01-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

The Bikes:

1981 Honda cb750c dohc bobber

1978 Honda cb750f sohc low rider

1976 Honda cb750f Super Sport sohc cafe racer

1984 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 piece of shit