SBS Project - Sportster Chop w/ Lots of Photo's

[DK Custom Products]

That's an impressive way to "trial" things.:LooksGreat:

Yes, we've been very pleased with it. Had it about a year and it makes prototyping MUCH faster, and MUCH less expensive.

It also allows us to try things that may turn into products, that in the past we might not have even attempted, due to the longer, more expensive process of prototyping in metal.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

We have been using our 3D printer, most everyday, since March 2017.

We had our first mishap over the weekend.

The "hot end", what I would call the printer head, ran into (repeatedly) some plastic that had come loose from the base. Ended up making a melted mess on the hot end.

We're going to try and clean it...if we can't get it cleaned up, we already have a replacement on the way.

Thought you might be interested in a few other pics....

...interesting to see that big sections of the 3D printer were Made With a 3D Printer-

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Got the 3D printer back operational.

Here is the 3D printed battery retainer-

Another view-

Top view with battery inside-

Sizing of the retainer was a bit off...we did not account for the space the welded seams took.

I'm going to look at it on the bike. But I don't think I like it. The idea sounded good...but looking at it, I am not sure I like it at all. I'm thinking it may look better, and go with the overall minimalist theme, to just have a leather strap holding the battery in place.

We'll see.

Kevin

 

[peteg59]

A+ for your efforts on the batt.box topper/cover Kevin

To my untrained eye the cover looks odd mainly due to it being black, & the silver unpainted lower box together don't match and sort of clash with each other right now? I'd try to picture exactly how they'd look together & assembled in place on bike, once finished in whatever topcoat you go with. Then maybe you might think they belong together & that they add just that much more "custom" to its overall look/value?

Simple is also good. Tough choice and even though you've not hinted at this along the way, if completion of the project is becoming an issue, simple is usually better...

 

[DK Custom Products]

A+ for your efforts on the batt.box topper/cover Kevin

To my untrained eye the cover looks odd mainly due to it being black, & the silver unpainted lower box together don't match and sort of clash with each other right now? I'd try to picture exactly how they'd look together & assembled in place on bike, once finished in whatever topcoat you go with. Then maybe you might think they belong together & that they add just that much more "custom" to its overall look/value?

Simple is also good. Tough choice and even though you've not hinted at this along the way, if completion of the project is becoming an issue, simple is usually better...

Getting it completed is taking longer than expected...but I want to do it right. I want this bike to be magazine cover worthy.

I agree, after seeing it, even thinking about it after everything is painted and powder coated...the lines just clash. Pretty sure I will be going with a simpler, more elegant look.

Thank you for your input, it's appreciated.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Well guys...today we did not have any time to work on the chop...business got in the way.

But I did take the tank/batt over to the bike and shoot some pics of it in place.

First pic, just sitting on the table-

Bad ugly.

It has been sitting on my desk most of the week, and I had pretty much decided to go with just a leather strap holding the battery in place....

But when I put in in the bike...

...I started having second thoughts...

...I'm thinking it looks pretty good in there.

Something about the lines of the bike, the fender...it does not look so obnoxious, like it does when sitting on the table.

Gonna ruminate on it some.

Kevin

 

[rallsqh]

I like it. I think once it is painted/powdered to match the oil tank it will look like one unit and not stick out as much as the battery would.

 

[DK Custom Products]

I like it. I think once it is painted/powdered to match the oil tank it will look like one unit and not stick out as much as the battery would.

Yeah, I'm leaning that direction...but think I will mock it up with a leather strap to see how it looks...also keeping an open mind to some other direction entirely.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Got some more work done on the chop today.

First thing was seeing what it would look like with a leather strap. This is some unfinished leather....I think it would look better with a dark dye on it.

Did not have a second piece of leather handy...so yellow paper to look like a second strap.

And another thought...putting the strap this way.

The above thoughts are instead of using a box around the battery.

Dunno which I like better...still thinking about other ways to secure the batt.

Next thing we did is decide where to position the headlight. We took no photos...but the center of the headlight will be above the top triple tree.

We both thought it looked good there, it exposes the entire neck (which we're thinking of putting a custom badge on) and it makes it easy access for me to see the oil and neutral lights that will be in the light bucket.

We will be fabbing a special headlight bracket that will attach to the handlebar riser bolts, at the bottom of the top tree.

Next up was the final decision to nix the idea of embedding the switches into the frame.

Since we wanted something to tie the cylinders together, we decided to put the switch box there.

The fins on the switch box will be sitting between the cylinder fins and are at the exact same angle as the cylinder fins.

There will be 3 waterproof switches in the top plate. On/Off, left and right blinkers.

Couple of pics showing the cavity for the bottoms of the switches and wiring.

The plan is to make the entire box black, and then finish the edges of the fins and the raised edge of the cap polished, to match the polished edges of the cylinder fins.

A look at the unit with the switch cap in place...

...and showing a fastener in one of the holes.

Still have a ton to do, but was nice progress today.

Kevin

 

[peteg59]

Your battery box/oil bag will have a more finished look with the cover you've designed.

A strap, in my opinion only, looks cobbled and not top notch from a fabrication heavy custom chop perspective that you've worked hard on to date.

You're into it this far, why not go the extra step in finishing off this area on the bike, & be done with it.

It isn't likely to get damaged from anything falling onto the battery in an "exposed" state, but if a chain unexpectedly goes south it's in pretty close proximity, just sayin'...

The 3 switch box looks good, too. Assuming you're staying with running wires in frame to the box? Keep up the good work Kevin. ThumbUp

 

[paws]

IMO....Your battery box would certainly hide all the obtrusive lettering/signage on that battery. That stuff is detracting to the rest of the bike’s appearance.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Your battery box/oil bag will have a more finished look with the cover you've designed.

A strap, in my opinion only, looks cobbled and not top notch from a fabrication heavy custom chop perspective that you've worked hard on to date.

You're into it this far, why not go the extra step in finishing off this area on the bike, & be done with it.

It isn't likely to get damaged from anything falling onto the battery in an "exposed" state, but if a chain unexpectedly goes south it's in pretty close proximity, just sayin'...

The 3 switch box looks good, too. Assuming you're staying with running wires in frame to the box? Keep up the good work Kevin. ThumbUp

IMO....Your battery box would certainly hide all the obtrusive lettering/signage on that battery. That stuff is detracting to the rest of the bike’s appearance.

Yeah, I think I agree with both of you...strap is not in the running anymore.

Yes, still planning on running the wires hidden, within the frame.

Thanks!

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Hot off the 3-D printer.

We did not have the right size screws on hand...they should sit down flush...but you get the idea.

We'll be mocking it up with the buttons, on the bike, later this week.

I like it!

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

So yesterday we got some work done on the chop.

Removed the engine bracket that has just been a placeholder...

...installed 2 of the 3 switches in the prototype switch box.

Bolted it up to the bike...

With a flash...

At first we thought the fins on the switch box were at different angles than the fins on the engine. Just depends on what angle we were looking at it from.

Can't even see it from the top with the tank installed...

...but the switches are easy to reach/push.

So, we are done with that for now. We have a growing list of things that need to be cut from billet...the switch box now joins that list.

Next up was deciding how to mount the headlight. The Visor style light below is black, we'll be using the same style, but in chrome.

It is going to be somewhat close to the placement pictured.

We kicked around several different ideas on how to mount the light...none of them just stood out...so it is on my list to come up with something I'll be happy with.

Next up was deciding on the front and rear brake lines. Part of that is that we need to have brake line pressure switches, inline, for the brake light.

The lowest profile switch we found is the Goodridge Brake Light Switches BL816-P. The one for the front will probably be mounted under the bottom triple tree. Platinum colored braided brake line will be on either side of it.

For the rear we are running the MC in the stock location, so we played around with how to run the same braided line....it is pretty much a straight shot from the MC to the caliper.

Then a light went on! Instead of running the standard flexible line, we're going to get some smaller metal brake line. We'll bend it ourselves, and run it along the bottom of the frame rail. It will be 90% hidden, and it will be powder coated along with the frame.

The only parts that will show are the two ends...going up to the caliper and up to the MC. It will be the same color as the frame, so should pretty much not be noticed.

Wow! There are a thousand details, but we are slowly, but surely, working our way thru them.

Hopefully we will have more time next week to work on it.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Wow! We have had no time to spend on the SBS Chop since before Christmas!

This last Friday we had a few hours set aside.

First-

We decided on a headlight mount bracket...I've been trying to come up with something special, but in the end we are going with an unobtrusive bracket.

We'll 3D print it, make sure it puts the light where we want it, then make it out of metal.

Next-

We're moving ahead with our original idea of a vented box surrounding/securing the battery.

We're making a few changes to the dimensions, will 3D print it to verify, then make it in metal.

Lastly-

This is what we spent the majority of the time on...an electrics box.

From measurements we had taken of the underside of the bike, we made this little box.

We wanted to fit all this into it-

Not only would it not all fit, but I did NOT like the idea of having that open circuit board in there. It just seems like a failure begging to happen.

The purpose of that board is to convert a small momentary switch into an On/Off switch.

Even if we had enough room...I just did not want to use that. So we set about figuring out where we could put a real On/Off switch.

We realized we can use one these-

mounted flush on the bottom of the switch box.

So that leaves us with this stuff needing to fit in the electrics box-

It almost all fits.

Looking at where the box goes on the underside of the bike, we realized we will have to shorten the height by 1/2" for it not to sit below the bottom of the frame rails.

But we can lengthen it by 2.5" to gain some more room.

So all of this will fit in the, soon to be printed, new electrics box.

The components will be mounted onto the box cover, so if work needs to be done, the cover can be dropped and the components are accessible.

All the components are waterproof, but don't want them getting too hot, nor sitting in water.

The new 3D printed box will have some venting louvers in it, along with a drain hole in the "cover", which sits on the bottom.

One more thing-

When we were playing around, looking for an inconspicuous spot to put the On/Off switch, we test fitted the coil.

While doing that we became fairly certain that the bracket that holds the coil would fail, sooner or later (probably sooner), so we are designing a lower profile, and more sturdy bracket to hold the coil to the frame.

Hopefully we will have time this next week to do some more work on this...it is moving along slower than molasses.

Kevin

 

[Jack Klarich]

Looking good Kevin

How about a headlight dimmer switch in the end of the handle bar grip

I did this on a shovel head chopper

It was a nice clean look that few people could find when looking at the bike

Kind of hard to run the wires, but still a clean install

You will have 1 wire coming out at the base of the bars to the light

 

[DK Custom Products]

Looking good Kevin

How about a headlight dimmer switch in the end of the handle bar grip

I did this on a shovel head chopper

It was a nice clean look that few people could find when looking at the bike

Kind of hard to run the wires, but still a clean install

You will have 1 wire coming out at the base of the bars to the light

That's a good idea! Thank you. I'm going to look into it. I was planning on putting a toggle on the headlight bucket, but this may be nicer!

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

We had a little time on Friday to work on the SBS Chop.

Fashioned a prototype headlight mount.

This was the first rendition...

....don't really like how close it is to the bars...

...oh, I will be using a Chrome bucket...but have this black one we're using for mocking up.

So we moved it a bit further out...

...I like this better.

The one that is a bit further out, is also a tad lower.

Close and higher-

Further out and lower-

I'll be shortening the mounting bolt off the bottom of the headlight, so it does not protrude so much.

I've been banging around in my head for awhile, trying to think of something cool/unique for mounting the headlight. In the end, simplicity seemed the best route.

Kevin

 

[peteg59]

I'm getting a bit ahead of where you are in the project, so please forgive me if you've already addressed this idea:

While practically impossible to avoid, the concealment of wiring might be an issue with the headlight mounted high on the top tree, maybe?

I do like the "bottom" H/L pic/location. From an purely aesthetic point, it seems to "flow" best with the current lines you have so far.

Hard to tell, but it might look different with the tank in place?

 

[DK Custom Products]

I'm getting a bit ahead of where you are in the project, so please forgive me if you've already addressed this idea:

While practically impossible to avoid, the concealment of wiring might be an issue with the headlight mounted high on the top tree, maybe?

I do like the "bottom" H/L pic/location. From an purely aesthetic point, it seems to "flow" best with the current lines you have so far.

Hard to tell, but it might look different with the tank in place?

There will be a wire exiting the frame backbone (under the tank) and running up to the headlight. It will be a vintage curled wire, so hopefully it will add to the look.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

I went a couple of weeks without touching this bike...but Friday did get a bit of time in on it.

(after we had finished welding up a fender for another bike...UNDER water...well, almost completely under water...see photo's in this thread-

https://www.triketalk.com/forum/threads/39377-A-Day-in-the-Life/page63 )

We have the new 3D printed electrics box...

...the previous one was too short AND too tall. It would not fit everything AND it protruded below the frame rails.

This one is better, it fits the bike, and all the components will fit in it.

BUT, as we were measuring how much extra wire we would need in it (so we could drop the components out and have enough slack to work on everything), we realized we were still short on room.

Necessity, being the mother of invention, we realized we do not need that bulky fuse block. We are going to use some micro inline fuses.

This gives us enough room to put 12" of extra wiring in the box, for ease of access, should the need arise, down the road.

Most of the wires going in and out of this electrics box will be routed thru the frame, so there is no other easy way to get slack in the wiring for work.

Here it is, everything in it.

There will be mounting tabs (with fasteners) for the box at the front and rear of it, should it need to be removed. However, I anticipate that any work on the electrics will be a matter of dropping the box cover and accessing the components that way.

Soooo....after we finished that up, we went back to the board to see what was next.

We realized we are nearing a stopping point. The items with a "0" next to them-

License Plate Relo

Electrics Box

Battery Box

Have already been proto-typed and are in process of being fabbed out of steel.

The items with a "+" next to them-

Mirror

Battery cables

Oil line hoses

Fuel Line

Installation of LED indicator lights and Hi-Low Switch into the headlight housing

Need to be purchased or installed.

Everything else is either needed to be CNC cut, or can't be worked on until after the CNC pieces are cut and installed. EEEEK!

We will not have time on a CNC machine until 1.5-2.5 months from now.

I did not anticipate that so many items would require CNC work when the project started....but that is just how it evolved.

In the meantime we will get the "0" and "+" items done...then it is a wait for when we can get on the HAAS.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

It's been over a month since we've had any time to work on this bike.

Among other things we've been re-arranging the shop to make room for incoming equipment.

We ended up not having enough room to keep the SBS project bike at the shop...

...and since I have no extra room in the bike room at home, a couple of days ago we moved it into the house.

Hopefully we will get back at it later this month. Who knows, with it at the house I may be able to work on it some in the evenings.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

Time has just been flying by, and we've done close to nothing on this bike for months.

Finally, last Friday, Devin and I set aside some time to work on it.

Since it has been so long, we first reviewed where we were, and what we still have to do.

As you can see from the photo below, we updated the list, erasing what little we've done, and then spent time deciding what we're going to do for foot controls.

In keeping with the overall theme of the bike, keep it simple and clean, the foot controls (rear brake on right and foot clutch on left) will be CNC cut, curving forward, and then in line with the downtubes.

That way, when looking at the side of the bike, the controls (which will be powder coated the same silver as the frame) will "disappear" against the frame. Pedals on both sides will be simple, silver, and rounded, larger at the base, and getting smaller near the pedals.

By cutting our own controls, we will be able to have a much cleaner (more hidden) connection between the clutch cable and the control arm.

Instead of the connection pictured below, we will use a mini-heim joint.

We're also going to CNC cut some custom axle covers.

All the parts for the battery box and electrics box are cut, ready to be welded together.

The switch box (see photos below) will be CNC cut next month, then powder coated, then put back in CNC to have the fins shaved for a contrast cut look.

Fortunately for me, unfortunately for this project, I am leaving on a 40+ day road trip in a couple of weeks. So I am busy between now and when I leave, getting everything ready to be gone.

Fortunately Devin will be working on the CNC pieces that need to be done while I'm gone, so this summer we should be able to make some good progress on this chop.

Kevin

 

[Mrmri]

I keep waiting for updates.

 

[DK Custom Products]

I keep waiting for updates.

Yeah, me too! :laugh:

I'll be back home from our trip soon. Take a week or so to get caught up on things, then diving back into this bike. Gotta get it done so I can ride it. Actually had a dream about it being done last night, riding around with the foot clutch.

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

It's the right foot that is bad...and it can handle the brake pedal...it's the walking that hurts. :xzqxz:

Kevin

 

[DK Custom Products]

We finally got back on the SBS Chop in the last couple of weeks and got a few things done.

Here are the parts we worked on recently-

First up was the brake caliper spacer for the Sproter (combo rotor and sprocket).

Next up was the wheel spacer to take the place of the two we have jimmyed in there right now.

Next up was the wheel cover. This wheel was made for a pulley on one side and a rotor on the other. Since we are running a sproter on the right side, the left side of the wheel looked unfinished. So we made up a little cover to finish it off. We may change the design, but this is what we have right now.

Next up was to double check the battery cover fitment on top. Notice in the first pic we have rubber isolators sitting in the oil tank battery shelf, bottom and back.

Battery sits on them fine.

Cover is just tacked up right now. Looks to fit well, need to do a bit of grinding for perfect fitment. There are rubber grommets right above the battery, where the studs will pass thru for cable connections.

Cover still needs to be welded up, connection studs welded to tank to secure the box to it. Foam pads will sit between the sides and the front of the battery and the cover.

Sitting in its' home on the bike.

Last thing we worked on was the electrical component box. This box will contain the RBT module, fuse box and relay.

It is going right here, between the frame rails, let's see how good our measurements were....

Fits perfectly. We'll be securing it to the frame rails with 2 fasteners on either side.

Kevin

 

[TonkaDriver]

Coil Clamp

Hello Kevin,

I really enjoy build threads and have read this one in a single sitting. I admire your ability to go from concept to reality. Your switch box for the turn signals is genius. I don't know if you have finalized your mount for the coil yet. I recently did a build of a mid-engine VW sandrail. Axia Alloys makes a coil clamp that may give your installation a cleaner look.

I got mine from Pacific Customs and the clamps are configurable for many tube sizes and are built to take a pounding. Just a thought. Looking forward to more entries on your build.

Kurt

 

[DK Custom Products]

Hello Kevin,

I really enjoy build threads and have read this one in a single sitting. I admire your ability to go from concept to reality. Your switch box for the turn signals is genius. I don't know if you have finalized your mount for the coil yet. I recently did a build of a mid-engine VW sandrail. Axia Alloys makes a coil clamp that may give your installation a cleaner look.

I got mine from Pacific Customs and the clamps are configurable for many tube sizes and are built to take a pounding. Just a thought. Looking forward to more entries on your build.

Kurt

Thank you for the info on coil clamps!

Kevin