Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 4, 2008 07:33 PM (Msg. 1 of 25)
After reading as much as I could find about the different chopper kits available, I decided that I wanted chrome plated steel, 8 inch over and an additional 14 degrees rake. From reading the reviews on IA, I read some good things about both of the suppliers that were posted about. The only negatives I could find about the chrome plated steel kit were regarding not having cable holes in both of the trees from one of the suppliers, and also the price for chrome plated steel. After sending emails for more information, I went with the kit from
After emails and phone calls, I found out that the kit could be ordered with the extra holes in the trees to route the cables and I liked their pricing with the free shipping at the end of the year. They had a wide kit in stock, but due to fear that it would hit my carb, I decided to to with the regular width kit. I placed my order and it arrived today. I am very pleased with Ken and Greg and was kept informed as to the expected arrival date. I contacted them several times with questions or wanting additional information and am pleased with their quick response and thorough explanations. In case you are wondering, I have no affiliation with them and anything I post here is for information only, and nothing else. I'm an Investment Banker, not a chopper kit salesman! Hopefully those interested will learn from my mistakes and assist them should they decide to install a kit. A year or two ago I posted many pics and comments when I rebuilt my engine. I received nice feedback from some members and hope that this thread will also be helpful.
After reading all I could find about kit installation, I ordered several tools to assist...Fork seal installers, large metric wrenches, slide hammer bearing remover, seal installers, bearing packers, Hex sockets, etc. As I go through this, I will show what works, and what doesn't. The tools are available to members to borrow as long as I promptly receive them back in good condition. Unfortunately, I have work, meetings, ballgames, and other bike projects to take my time, so this may take several days or a few weeks to complete. I hope to post here as progress continues. I do think that if someone was doing the chopper kit only, it could be done in a weekend easily.
Now for a few pics and comments.
Before
Overall length with stock forks, Progressive front springs and Progressive 12 inch HD rear shocks. Around 89 1/2 inches.
The parts that arrived today. I was very pleased with packing. The chrome stuff was covered with cardboard, then double wrapped with bubble wrap and well taped. It was then in a cardboard box with lots of packing peanuts. It appears that they all arrived in top shape. The longer fork tubes were in their own box and also arrived fine. The parts look great and the chrome is beautiful. I can't wait to get them installed and test the bike!
Another parts pic.
One thing that may slow me down is installing these bars and headlights. I hope to run the wires internally, but with the bar angles, that may not work.
A current project that will slow chopper kit progress is Nitrous installation. Mock up is almost done and more parts are on the way to finish. The twin Nitrous tanks are almost ready to complete installation in front of the engine.
I like to label wires, however, these small labels fell off. As you will see in later pics, I switched to larger, self adhesive labels and they work much better. I have wiring diagrams, but still like to label.
A pic of some of the labeled wiring. I have installed some extra electrical things, so stock should not look this bad. After testing the electrical connections, the large labels will be removed.
The stock handlebars labeled.
To remove the stock handlebars with internal wiring, a 32mm wrench works well. A large adjustable wrench may also work, but there is not much extra room.
Another change I hope to make at the same time is the installation of a chrome Acewell combination speedometer/tachometer. I ordered this around 4 months ago and was informed last week that it should be in the US tomorrow. If all goes well, it should arrive in a few days.
If you would have any questions, or need information as this project moves forward, please let me know.
David
Gender: Posts:575 Joined:Sep 2002 From:Brighton, MI Bike:VS1400
Pro-Street in the making
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 06:08 PM (Msg. 2 of 25)
Hello Dave, I'm still trying to make a choice on speedo/tach myself. I was told the same thing about oredering (waiting on US customs to clear ). I do have a catilog coming to me. I want to look at a new 4000 series unit they are just getting in with this order I hope.
My problem with 6 dergree trees was the steering stops on the frame, it was not big enough. It would have hit my gas tank before the stop peg on the lower tree would have hit the frame stop. I had to make a bolt on a bigger piece to the frame stop to cure. I remember you have a different tank than stock so watch out.
On the wires thru the bars, I was not able to do much there either ( 9 1/2" solid risers that are curved) .
Nitrous installation I have done on car motors, but not on bikes. Fuel pressure/flow was everything. We have some V8 paperweights from trying more N2O without enough fuel ( puts holes in pistons faster than a drill bit can ). Get it right and it is a few seconds of fun!!
FIXITNOW
93 VS1400 powder coated Silver with clear flakes, Dyna 3000 box and green coils, 418 11.5" shocks and forks have Race Tech Gold Valves and progressive springs and 2" over tubes, 9 1/2" riser w/ dragbars,6* trees, Cobra drags pipes, a 21"' front wheel, new EBC rotors, 6 piston caliper and big bore w/ cams are here. WILL IT EVER STOP. NO
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 07:12 PM (Msg. 4 of 25)
I made a little progress today before going to work.
To remove the speedometer cable, I put electrical tape over some pliers to help prevent damage.
A very small flatblade screwdriver is used to pop off the chrome axel covers.
The axel pinch bolt is removed using a 6mm hex.
The axel is removed using a 12mm hex.
After removing the axel and pinch bolt, I loosened the Damper rod bolts with a 6mm hex. I first tried a a long hex that had a rounded head, the kind that fits on a socket wrench and allows you to work at an angle, but I felt it slipping. Then I used a T handle one, gently tapped on it to make sure it was fully seated, put an adjustable wrench on it for leverage, and they were tight, but loosened right up. These bolts concerned me since I had read about others that had problems loosening them. So, I wanted to at least loosen them while the forks were still attached to the trees, so that I didn't need to put the forks in a vice and have possible damage.
The fender bolts were removed using a 10mm wrench. This is a thin Craftsman ratching wrench and they work very well and have become some of my favorite wrenches.
I am a very big fan of putting parts in zip lock bags and labeling them.
The top fork nut is removed using a 27mm wrench. A large adjustable wrench would also work.
This is what is under the top chrome nut. This is the fork spring retainer bolt.
The fork spring retainer bolts are loosened (but not removed) using a 14mm hex. I loosened them so that they would be easy to remove without using a vice later.
The lower tree fork tube pinch bolts take an 8mm hex. They only need to be loosened (but not removed) to remove the fork tubes.
With the lower tree pinch bolts loosened, the fork tubes slide right out.
The center top tree nut takes a 30mm wrench. A large adjustable wrench would also work.
The top tree nut removed.
With the top tree nut removed, the tree can be unthreaded/slid up off the steering stem. Notice the slotted nut above the rubber cover. I am just holding the top tree in the pic, it is no longer attached to anything.
I expected the slotted nut to be very tight and put a clutch basket tool on it to remove it, but it did not require much pressure to turn and be removed.
The steering stem removed showing the lower bearing.
Another pic of the steering stem with the top bearing, dust seal and slotted nut just sitting on it.
A pic of the top bearing race. Now begins the hardest part of this mornings work.
After reading about the difficulty of removing the bearing races, I thought I would be "ahead of the game" and purchased an internal bearing/race remover and two slide hammers with lots of attachments. Don't make this mistake! I tried the pictured remover over and over with no luck. The measurements were spot on, but no matter how I tried it didn't work. So, I then used two different attachments on the slide hammer, and again, no luck. Luckily, I also picked up a Craftsman 4 piece angled prybar set and the next to longest bar worked great!
The tools on the left are just some of what I used attempting to remove the races. The angled prybar and small sledge hammer on the right removed both races within just a couple of minutes. The removed races are next to the prybar.
A pic of the neck with the races removed.
Although hard to see in the pic, I did make a small ding in the upper race while removing it. I will do some minor polishing with a dremel and stone to smooth it out.
I skipped some of the wrench sizes to remove the caliper lines since I don't have a stock caliper. Also, although not posted I took pictures of removing the speedometer/light unit if anyone has questions. Other than removing the races, this morning went very quickly.
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 07:38 PM (Msg. 5 of 25)
Thanks FIXITNOW,
Thanks for sharing your information!
When I placed my order, the 4000 unit was not available yet. Since then, I looked it up on the UK site and like what I see, but since I have waited so long for the speedo/tach I ordered, I will give it a try. When I first ordered, chrome was not available. Shortly after I place my order I found that a chrome housing had just become available, so I changed my order to chrome.
I know what you are saying about the trees hitting the tank. This morning after I removed some parts, I just held up the new top tree next to the old one and am concerned that it may hit my Quickbob tank. During mockup, I will be extra careful and am prepared to modify some parts to slide the tank back a bit to clear. I plan on installing the Nitrous and Gas solenoids in the tank tunnel and am waiting to see how everything fits before mounting the brackets.
I have a bunch of different Nitrous and Gas jets to test, and plan on starting rather conservative first. I have a gas pressure gauge for the gas lines going to the Nitrous nozzles and will watch it closely. I have five different fuel pumps to test if the pressure isn't where it should be. I am currently running a Carter high volume low pressure fuel pump to feed the Mikuni 44mm side draft carb. It is regulated down to around 3 pounds and I plan on installing a T fitting between the pump and regulator for the nozzles. Hopefully this will give me 4 to 5 pounds of fuel to the nozzles, and 2 1/2 to 3 to the carb. If this doesn't work, I will just install a seperate fuel pump for the Nitrous nozzles.
My pistons are JE brand and hopefully they will be up to the task.
I have some solid risers and know that the wires can't be totally internal, but I would like to see if I can feed them to just outside the risers and then run them externally. Due to the funky angles on the bars this may not work and I may just have to cover them with stainless braid and clear heat shrink tube and leave them on the outside of the bars. If worse comes to worse, I have some standard (not crazy) Z bars that I am pretty sure can handle internal wiring.
Thanks for your input and please share any information that you think will be helpful.
David Edited by Daveguy on Feb 5, 2008 at 07:39 PM
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 07:46 PM (Msg. 6 of 25)
Quote:
Designer wrote:
Go David!! I'm sure this'll be one of your Super Detailed How-to-do-it's
Thanks Ed,
This morning went much better than expected, but I may still call upon you for your help and expertise to help continue this project. You know, we have several extra beds, plenty of food, the family and pets like it when you come to visit!
I actually spent more time uploading pictures and text than I did working on the bike this morning.
At least I now have something fun to work on when "enjoying" my insomnia.
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 5, 2008 10:42 PM (Msg. 7 of 25)
This project has gone so smoothly I decided to do a little more tonight before trying to sleep.
After gently removing burs in the race seating area with my Dremel, I used compressed air to clean out debris and followed up with an old oily sock run through the neck several times.
The top tree and bearing/race prior to installation.
The top tree and bearing/race sitting on top of the neck. Notice how much of the race is visible. After torquing it down, the race is flush with the top of the neck. A thin coating of grease is applied to the outside of the race where it contacts the neck prior to installation.
The fork stops are removed from the offset adapter (using a 6mm hex) to allow the large bolt to go into the hole.
The fork stops removed showing the large hole.
This is the bolt that fits in the hole, it will need a good 14mm hex.
You can see that quite a few threads stick through the hole.
A thin coating of grease is applied to the part of the adapter that fits in the stock lower race area. I used feeler gauges to make sure that the adapter was centered. This is tightened down and adjusted to make sure it is centered. If it is not, the bolt can be loosened and a rubber mallet used to make sure it is just right. When it was well centered, I tightened it down until the race areas disappeared into the frame. Ultimately, this bolt will be torqued to 148 pounds. There are 3mm hex bolts on each side to assist with it staying centered.
After the centering and snugging down is complete, the bolt is removed and cleaned.
Thread locker is applied to the cleaned bolt.
The bolt is torqued to 148 pounds. That thing is tight!
A rather fuzzy pic after the bolt is torqued but before the fork stops are installed.
The fork stops are re-installed and the bearing retaining circle clip is removed.
The lower tree is turned upside down and the chrome bearing cover is removed.
A little grease is applied to the inside of the bearing.
The lower tree is slid over the adapter and the circleclip re-installed.
The chrome bearing cover is re-installed on the bottom of the lower tree. (Edit added after posting-this chrome cover will need to be removed when the fork tubes are installed to make sure that the bearing is in the correct position as the pinch bolts are tightened down. After tubes and lower bearing are in the correct position the cover will be put back on.)
The trees are done. A good time to stop
This is one motorcycle project that has gone much better than expected. The fit and finish of the parts is excellent and these trees are quite a bit heavier than the stock trees. The next step is to dis-assemble the stock fork tubes and transfer the sliders springs, etc to the new fork tubes. My only experience with fork tubes has been changing the oil and installing progressive springs. I hope that the next step goes as well as what has been done so far. I have meetings and ballgames each evening the next four days, so it may be Sunday before I can dig into the fork tubes.
David
Post edited to add additional information regarding the chrome cover in the next to last picture. Edited by Daveguy on Feb 6, 2008 at 07:09 PM
Gender: Posts:1289 Joined:Jan 2006 From:Colorado Springs, CO Bike:S83
Another one riding for the SON.
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 10:53 AM (Msg. 8 of 25)
Excellent write-up. So, apparently, the chopper kit replaces the tapered roller bearings with sealed bearings that are not tapered? Anybody know why they chose to do it that way, and is it as good?
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 07:12 PM (Msg. 10 of 25)
Quote:
lrn2skiS83 wrote: Another question: Do other Chopper kits exchange the tapered roller bearings for this type of bearing?
lrn2skiS83,
I'm afraid that this is the only kit that I am experienced with. Hopefully someone with experience with different kits, or bearing knowledge can chime in to answer your question.
David
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 09:52 PM (Msg. 11 of 25)
Now that the fork tubes are removed, the spring keeper bolt is removed using a 14mm hex. Remember that the spring is putting pressure against this bolt, so keep a good grip.
The springs just slide out now, and the fork tubes are turned upside down to drain oil. Pumping the fork and slider may assist in removing the old oil. In this pic, the fork is upside down. Notice the slot built into the aluminum slider.
A screwdriver is placed in the slot and a hammer used to help tap out the chrome dust seal cover. This did put a small ding in the chrome. To do it again, I would try and fine a small rod instead of a screwdriver.
The chrome cover removed.
Under the chrome cover is the dust seal. It is easy to remove using a screwdriver to pry it away from the slider.
Although hard to see in this picture, there is a stopper ring (a wavy inner circle clip) that needs to be removed.
The stopper ring is easily removed using a screwdriver to twist the spring towards the center of the tube.
Next I removed the bolts at the bottom of the tubes. These were loosened (but not removed)while the forks were still on the bike and the springs still installed giving pressure to help keep the dampner rod from spinning. They came right out now.
With the dampner bolt removed, the dampner rod slid right out.
The fork is now ready to pull out of the slider. This is how it looks partly removed.
The removed fork tube on the bottom and the new, extended fork tube on top. The anti-friction metal ring on the bottom of the old one will be transferred to the inset area of the new tube. Although I ordered new oil and dust seals, I did not order new anti-friction metal rings. To do it again, I would order new anti-friction metal for the few dollars they cost. I will probably go ahead and order them and install them if the rest of my parts don't arrive soon.
Here is a pic of the old and new dust seals.
Here is a pic of the old and new oil seals.
Even after draining the sliders and removing all parts, there was still sludge in the bottom of the slider. I wrapped some cotton cloth around a long wooden broom handle and inserted it and spun it around. A couple of times doing that and the inside of the sliders looked clean.
After cleaning, the damper rod is inserted into the new fork tube.
The oil lock piece is slid into the bottom of the fork tube before installing the slider.
I guess I forgot to take pictures, but the new tube is installed into the slider and the larger anti-friction friction metal is slid over the tube and put in the receased area in the upper top of the slider, followed by the retainer, and oil seal.
To install the oil seal, I used a two piece oil seal installer from Motion Pro. It was covered with a thin film of fork oil prior to use.
The Motion Pro tool in use. It worked well sliding the oil seal into the tight spot.
The stopper ring is installed.
Edited by Daveguy on Feb 8, 2008 at 05:43 AM
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 09:53 PM (Msg. 12 of 25)
The new dust seal is slid over the fork tube after applying a light coat of clean fork oil to the inside.
The dust seal in position. A little help from the Motion Pro tool helped.
The chrome cover installed. Again, a little help from the Motion Pro tool helped.
The spring is wiped down to clean, and installed. This washer (included) is placed on top of the spring.
The included spacer is placed on top of the spring/washer.
12 ounces of new fork oil is measured and poured in the fork tube. Even though the tubes are longer, you still use the stock amount of fork oil.
The top inner bolt is installed. I was alone at the time and couldn't photograph it. I thightened it enough to hold, and then did the final tightening after the fork tube was in position and the pinch bolts helped hold it.
After both fork tubes were ready, I loosened the lower tree pinch bolts and removed the stainless shims. I slid the fork tube up past the lower tree and then slid the stainless shim over the fork tube before sliding the fork tube all the way into the upper tree. After loosely installing the uppermost chrome bolts (the ones on top of the upper tree), I slid the stainless shim down into the lower tree in the pinch bolt area. The upper bolts were just tight enough to allow me to change position of the tubes and start bringing them into allignment. Once things seemed close, I installed the fender to help keep the fork tubes in similar position. The stainless shims have a slot in them and I had the slot match the slot in the lower tree. Doing it alone, this was time consuming. Once things were close, I removed the upper chrome bolts and then really snugged down the 14mm hex bolt that keeps the fork spring in, as well as the bolts in the bottom center of the tube, the bolts that go through the slider into the damper rod. I then installed the wheel, without tightening it yet. At this time I realized that it would be much better to have assistance. Since everyone was asleep, it waited until tonight.
That assistance came in the form of my 16 year old son Bryan. As you can tell from his closed eyes, he didn't want his picture taken, but he knew better than to let go of the fork.
With Bryan's help we carefully loosened the pinch bolts and made sure that the forks were slid all the way to the top part of the upper tree and then snugged down the chrome bolts.
Then came the careful part, the lower tree was carefully positioned so that the lower bearing was not rubbing the upper chrome bracket, or the circle clip that holds it. After some careful moving, tightening, measuring and repeating the above, the pinch bolts were tightened.
Having done this partly by myself, here is a cut and past of what I think would be a far better way to do it if two or more people were doing it. The following is from Ken Wardlaw from Chopper Kit USA.
Begin of cut/paste
Remove the circlip and pull the bottom tree off the adapters shaft. Measure from the top of the tube down 9" and put a piece of tape at that point on both tubes.
Now loosen the pinch bolts and remove the polished stainless tube shims from the lower tree.
(Now is when an extra pair of hands is a must to install them the way we do.)
Have a buddy stand both tube assemblies upright on the floor. (We put them on a rubber mat so as not to scratch anything) Your buddy needs to grasp the tubes at the tape line. Have them arranged in the right order and diection as they will be when on the bike.
Now take the bottom tree without the shims and slide/guide it over and down both tubes at the same time. Let the bottom tree rest on your buddies hands....he's still grasping the tubes at the tape line.
Now, slide the shims down each tube, align the gap in the shim with the gap in the tree and push the shims into the lower tree. (We find that there's less chance of scratching a tube doing it this way.)
Snug the pinch bolts enough the tubes don't turn in the shims. You should have something that resembles the letter "H" now.
One takes the H assembly in both hands and the other guy gets the circlip and tube caps handy.
Now your ready to install the bearing in the lower tree onto the adapter shaft and at the same time align the tops of the tube with the holes in the top tree so your buddy can install the circlip and screw in the tube caps. With this done, tighten the tube caps. Now loosen the pinch bolts just enough that you can tap it up or down to set the lower bearing at the right place on the adapter shaft.
The bearing should not be touching the adapter or sitting on the circlip, but split the difference both above and below it. Check that the top and bottom tree are square with each other, then torque the pinch bolts.
End of cut/paste
Having done part of it alone, next time I would make sure that I has assistance and do it the way that Ken suggested. I think it would have saved a good bit of time.
After measuring, double checking, measuring and double checking, Bryan and I thightened the top bolts, axel, pinch and axel pinch bolts down. Then everything was measured and checked again.
The nearly finished project.
The other side of the nearly finished project.
I was very concerned that the upper tree would hit my tank, but there is equal or more room than with the stock tree.
The bad news is that the Duece Pull back risers do hit the tank. This pic is with them mounted backwards, which will work, but I don't like the looks of. Hopefully some straight 6 inch risers will take care of it.
I was VERY pleased that no spacers were needed for the brake caliper since I made a mount for my 6 piston caliper. It appears that the axel, fender, caliper etc, fit perfectly and I hope that some different risers will assist me in installing the handlebars I want to use.
As the pictures show, I won't have this on the road to test within the next few days, but I am very excited to test it and will post more as parts arrive and they are installed.
Designer and I had plans to do this project together. It went so smoothly that it is almost done already. Hopefully the additional parts I ordered for Nitrous, speedo/tach, risers, etc will arrive soon and Designer and I can wrap it up and post more information.
I will give my "verdict" after I get it on the road and test, but thus far, I give a very big for the kit from Ken at www.chopperkitusa.com
David Edited by Daveguy on Feb 7, 2008 at 10:04 PM
PRINCEMO ctrl_c.....ctrl_v Gender: Posts:14724 Joined:Feb 2004 From:BURBANK, CA Bike:VS1400
"I'LL SHOOT ANYTHING FOR MONEY"
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 10:07 PM (Msg. 13 of 25)
OUTSTANDING!
I really like the paper showing the size tool needed..
Great job.
THANK YOU!
How long did it take?
Prince>
www.yveevans.com DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.
Remember how the American Indians found out what happens
when you don't control immigration.
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 8, 2008 06:10 AM (Msg. 14 of 25)
Quote:
PRINCEMO wrote: OUTSTANDING!
I really like the paper showing the size tool needed..
Great job.
THANK YOU!
How long did it take?
Thanks PRINCEMO,
When I started this part of my winter motorcycle projects, I already had the handlebars, headlight, tank, signals and side covers removed so I already had a good start when I started taking pictures that were specific to the kit installation.
I would guess that what I have posted about (not including time to remove the parts listed above) was somewhere around 4 hours, give or take. I do know that it took almost as much time for me to take the pics, save them, upload them and write a brief descripton as it took to actually do the wrenching. Since I did this in a in a few short garage sessions, I am not quite sure about the time, so 4 hours is just an educated guess from memory.
I do believe that if two people were working together, and they had the necessary tools on hand, that it could easily be done in one day, with plenty of time left over to bleed the system and get on the road to test.
Originally, Designer and I had plans to get together and document this all in one session. After the parts arrived, my excitement got the better of me and I thought I would "just get a start". Well, it went so well, that I just kept going and before I knew it, it was almost done in just a few 1 hour or so wrenching sessions in the evenings and a morning.
Gender: Posts:19971 Joined:Jun 2004 From:Torrance, CA Bike:LC1500
Goin' for a Ride!
Posted: Feb 8, 2008 09:35 AM (Msg. 15 of 25)
Quote:
Daveguy wrote: I would guess that what I have posted about (not including time to remove the parts listed above) was somewhere around 4 hours, give or take. I do know that it took almost as much time for me to take the pics, save them, upload them and write a brief descripton as it took to actually do the wrenching. Since I did this in a in a few short garage sessions, I am not quite sure about the time, so 4 hours is just an educated guess from memory.
Now David your talking to Prince.....you mean to tell him it too 34 hours, not 4 hours
Otherwise I might wake up some Saturday morn to see Prince standing out on my driveway saying.....'You up yet? We need to get my Chopper kit installed....remember it only takes 4 hours'
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 10, 2008 12:01 PM (Msg. 16 of 25)
Quote:
High Desert Intruder wrote:
Now David your talking to Prince.....you mean to tell him it too 34 hours, not 4 hours
Otherwise I might wake up some Saturday morn to see Prince standing out on my driveway saying.....'You up yet? We need to get my Chopper kit installed....remember it only takes 4 hours'
Seriously David it's lookin' great
Thanks HDI,
If you guys feel like a long road trip to COLD west-central Illinois, come on over and we will have some weekend fun putting a kit on. You bring the parts and I have the tools and we will get to work! Food, beverages, cigars and beds provided.
David
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 10, 2008 01:35 PM (Msg. 17 of 25)
Since I am waiting on new risers and Nitrous parts I thought I would post an update.
In one of my earlier posts, I commented about how the Duece pullback risers would not work in the standard position. I should mention that my tank is larger than stock and is taller. They might have worked with a stock tank. This morning I went to place the stock tank and risers back on to take and post some pics, but the different intake I am using will not allow the stock tank to fit on and be lowered to the frame.
Since I am waiting for risers, I went ahead and made headlight mounts. I really like the looks of the Cyclops style and decided to run two of them. Got a great price on ebay ($140.00 for the pair) and am pleased with the heft and look of them. Each one has a separate light bulb for low and high beam, so once adjusted, I hope to have good night time vision, as well as being seen during the day. I plan on using a seperate switch to control the lower light and use it similar to how I used my fog lights. I will know more when on the road at night.
The lower mount from the rear. My budget will not allow fancy chrome or billet mounts, but I could swing 8 inches of angle iron. After some carefull cutting, milling and drilling, this is the lower mount from the backside.
The upper mount from the backside.
I know it is not chrome, but I powdercoated these at home and used stainless or chrome bolts I had on hand. Not counting my labor or what I had on hand, I have under $1.00 in these. Something new I did that worked very well was how I shortened the long bolts and I would like to share. I have shortened many bolts over the years and had some good luck threading nuts on them and then cutting the bolt and then using the nut to help make the threads good at the end. This time I put a die on the bolt with it at the very end of where I wanted to cut it, then cut it with it all in a vice. The large diameter of the die helped keep my hacksaw aligned much better than just a nut. After cutting the bolt, I threaded the die towards the head of the bolt giving me a little room around the cut end and very gently used the fine wheel on a bench grinder to barely taper the end. After tapering, the die was unthreaded and re-threaded a few times to smooth the threads. This worked very well and I will use this method in the future.
Also, I want to comment about the included brake line. Just sliding it through the trees makes me think it will work, but I am not going to install it until I have installed the risers and handlebars that I will use. This is because if it is not the correct length, I can return it and exchange it for the length I need.
The chopper kit comes with a piece of hex in a plastic bag. This hex fits into the large bolt that is torqued to 148 pounds. I did not understand the purpose of this since it would not fit my torque wrench. I am a pinhead! An email to chopperkitusa made me aware that this piece of hex fits into a socket that can be used on a torque wrench. If you have a 9/16 socket that fits your torque wrench, you are good. Don't waste your money like I did and buy a special socket!
After the different risers and Nitrous fittings arrive, I hope to wrap this up and do some testing. fIn addition to ChopperKitUSA, I want to thank slickhick for his help. His posts regarding Nitrous intall have been helpful, as well as the many PM's I have sent him for information. Thank You slickhick
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 11, 2008 06:51 AM (Msg. 18 of 25)
I need to clarify something that I didn't think of when posting my last post regarding the headlight mounts. I made these mounts to run aftermarket headlights, not because the trees don't have a mount on them. The lower tree is pre-drilled and ready for the stock Suzuki headlight. I only made the cheap angle iron mount because the headlights I hope to run don't fit the same bolt pattern as the stock headlight. Also, the upper tree is drilled and threaded and ready for the stock speedometer. If you are using the stock speedometer, it is ready to go. I have an aftermarket speedometer ordered that I hope will arrive in the next few days, that is why I used the speedometer mounting points as a place for my upper headlight mount. I have other ideas of where to mount the aftermarket speedometer, but if it doesn't work, the upper headlight will be removed and the stock speedometer will slide right in and bolt right up. I just like the looks of two Cyclops stype headlights and want to give them a try.
David Edited by Daveguy on Feb 11, 2008 at 06:52 AM
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 16, 2008 05:42 PM (Msg. 19 of 25)
A couple updates.
The new straight risers arrived and fit just right.
It appears that the Acewell gauge will fit fine where I measured and hoped it would.
The Nitrous mockup is almost done so hopefully I can get back to the actual chopper kit install and give it a test ride soon. I took off work next week to try and wrap this up. With the Z bars, I anticipate some difficulty routing the wires. If I can't get them to run internally to come out at the bottom between the risers, they will just be run outside.
I am waiting for a few more NOS parts and different LED switches to arrive to completely
finish, so I am hoping that they will arrive next week.
Gender: Posts:1984 Joined:Sep 2003 From:Carthage, IL Bike:VS1400
Posted: Feb 22, 2008 08:28 PM (Msg. 20 of 25)
A whole lot has happened since my last post in this thread. The chopper kit was done several days ago, but I needed to finish up some other projects before taking pics. Unfortunately, it is quite cold and our driveway is still snow covered so no road test yet. After some good road miles, I will update. The chopper kit was one of the easiest bike projects I have done. The fit and finish are excellent and the customer service from Chopper Kit USA is also excellent. For example, during mock up, I convinced myself that the included brake line was 5 inches to long. I contacted Chopper Kit USA on Monday evening, and the new shorter line arrived on Wednesday! It ends up, I was wrong and ended up using the hose originally sent. It has more sag than I like the looks of, but the 5 inch shorter one was very snug with no sag at all. I may buy a slightly shorter hose in the future to get rid of some of the sag. Now that I completed the kit, I believe it could easily be installed in a couple of evenings, or a Saturday. If it works as well on the road as I expect, I will be one happy camper. So far, my experience with ChopperKitUSA is excellent and I can easily recommend them!
Here is a side pic. The side cover is not yet installed since I had a small gas leak that I want to make sure is now fixed. From this angle, between the carb, NOS bottles and engine gard, cluttering up the area below the neck, the longer forks are not as obvious.
A front angle view.
Some of the projects that took much more time was installing new headlights, front signals, new throttle cable and 1 1/4 Crazy Z bars. It took me longer to internally run the wires and do some wiring changes than it did to do the whole chopper kit! I like the looks of these turn signals, but they are not very bright when blinking. To do it over, I would not have purchased them. While posting this, I realized that the top of the bars is cut off in the pic. These are Harley bars that I lengthened. I had concerns if the front brake and clutch resevior would clear the fat part of the bar, but they fit just right.
I also changed my dash and put in heavy duty LED switches. The RED LED's only show lighted when the switch is on and what it is connected to is powered. The top left switch is low beam bypass (for starting). The top middle turns on both high and low in the lower headlight (to function like auxiliary/fog lights). The top right switch is the Nitrous arming switch. The lower left and middle switches are for the carb and intake heaters. The lower right is auxilary (Radar detector, GPS). I also installed the Acewell gauge and think I will really like it. At least sitting in my garage, it was very easy to read and the different indicator lights showed up great. I also had more great service from them. They sent me a different speedometer cable that screws right into the stock speedometer drive. A LED gauge showing battery voltage was also added. It will be on 24/7. I had concerns about keeping it on all the time, but I had it connected to a battery on my workbench for around 7 weeks, and only dropped by .2.
This is the drivers view off the right side. The left fuel pressure gauge is the Nitrous fuel pressure, the right fuel gauge is for the carb. The blue gauge towards the front of the bike is the Nitrous bottle pressure.
Another new installation was a pair of LED turnsignal mirrors. I don't like the visible wire coming from the base of the unit, but they do show up nicely. Hopefully the mirror will work well, or they will come off.
Here are the NOS bottles. I will do some more testing prior to filling them. The garage tests are fine and the solenoids appear to turn on and the fuel solenoid does seem to function fine.
I am watching the weather channel hoping that it will clear up enough to melt the rest of the snow on our driveway and streets so that I can start some road time. After some testing, I will need to adjust my bars, mirrors, levers, headlights, etc and get ready for some fun.
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Posted: Feb 4, 2008 07:33 PM (Msg. 1 of 25)
I'm sure this'll be one of your Super Detailed How-to-do-it's
