Rings, gaskets, and... baking soda.

My friend's bike smokes. So we had a little get together with myself, Herb, and Paul. Rings and cylinder base gaskets are in order. While the top end was off, he shot the heads with a bit of baking soda out of Paul's $30 sandblaster. That little gun rules for little stuff like this, the heads came out spiffy. Everything else went as planned, the motor is now back together.

Here you go Blair!

A couple pics of your finished bars. They're in a box and ready to ship.

Tall tank

Always liked the tall narrow sporty tanks that I've seen here and there, well now I have a reason to make one. Nickle needs a tank for his bike and he wanted a tall, narrow, friscoed sportster tank. Nothing totally original or groundbreaking, but it should be cool nonetheless... when it's done.

pillion pad

Started making a base for a pillion pad so my wife doesn't bruise herself in a bad place. Some trimmed down fender halves from Craig at Front Street, a little massaging so it fit my fender contour, tig welds, and we're in business.

George St. uphill race

Hung out a little today to watch my friend Lex take a shot at taming George St. in Worcester, time trial style. Back to his pad for ultra competitive games of "throw the sack in the hole", vodka tonics, and beers.

Photos by GG

My good friend Gregg Greenwood, of Dataharvest Inc. fame, totes a slew of cameras wherever he goes.  I've known him for more than half my life, he's like a brother to me.  Oh, he takes really good photos too.  Check out the Lake Tahoe photo album here.

W650 clubman bars... are done

Done and ready to mount.  I'm definitely going to make some stainless sets now that I have the measurements all figured out.

I know...

... this isn't welding, fab, or moto stuff, but here's the perfect picture of how my friend Jack plays tennis.  Full contact, at your head, be ready.

Blair's bars

Working on some stainless rabbit ear bars for Blair's ironhead project.  Been going back and forth about the sweep back of the bars, want to make sure they're the way he wants them before I weld in the cross piece.  I mounted them on my bike for reference, they certainly won't work well with a frisco mounted tank.  Grip area will be trimmed down at some point in the future.

Thanks Chris!

Got the new Biltwell cast stainless seat hinge in the mail with a grip of stickers from Chris Collins.  Thanks for the package Chris, I owe you one.  I did a bit of modification to work with my seat tube setup, and the hinge works and looks smooth.  Check out all the cool bits these guys have going on here.

T.I.T. 2009

Got an extra long weekend in out in Tahoe.  Breathe, unwind, and have some drinks.  My good friend Jack has been putting on the Tahoe Invitational Tournament for the past 17 years, and I've been lucky enough to miss only 3 (I think).  Golf, tennis, and volleyball are the official team sports played for the title... poorly, I'll add.  Horseshoes, foosball, ping pong, and bocci keep us busy at the cabin while we kick back.

Our team (actually it was myself and Kevin) lost the tennis bit of the tourney to slip into second place and give up the trophy for 2009.  Crap.

2 stroke

My friend has been building this '69 Kaw H1 750 for a few years now.   This bike will be deadly fast when it's done.   We reinforced the frame in some key areas to keep things from twisting when it gets opened up.  

Smell that?  You smell that?   Two stroke, son.  Nothing else smells like that in the world.

July shut down

Other than the tanks/bars I'm working on right now, I won't be taking any orders for the month of July.  I will take orders for work, but they won't be started until August.  Unfinished projects need to be put back on track so I don't go insane.  Wilbur was going to help out, but he's only good with mig welding.

Oliver's tank

Finally got Oliver's sectioned tank back from the blaster.  This tank will be getting narrowed, shortened, and fitted to a XS650 frame for more of a dirt track/flat track look, non chopper style.  Check out what Oliver has going on at Shop Gentei.

W650 clubman bars

Making some prototype clubman bars for my friend Mike Jackson.  That's right, that's his name.  I used to own the bike these bars will be going on, I wish I had never sold it to him 6 years ago.  I'm putting threaded bungs in the front of these bars so he can relocate his turn signals when he gets around to it.  The grip areas look short because the 1" to 7/8" step down hasn't been added yet.  I'll be making stainless clubman bars for W650 models as soon as my tubing is delivered.