I’ve wanted to build a sprung-seat cruiser with a tiny tank. The Retroblaster is a half-baked, constantly evolving attempt at this.
Since the five-horsepower diesel engine I bought has been reallocated to the Benelli 2C project, the Retroblaster’s KTM frame was suddenly without a suitable engine. It occurred to me that the ATC250 … The Retroblaster goes back to a 2-strokeRead more
I bought a pair of Heidenau K66s, which I really like. (I used this same tire on The Bride). In this case, I’m going with identical tires front and rear, 90/80-16. They’re … Tire mounting — never easy, is it?Read more
Since this project will entail hitting the easy button whenever possible, the jack shaft is a full-keyway 20 mm shaft supported by flange-mounted bearings in ridiculously heavy 3-bolt bracket housings. A pair … Configuring the drive trainRead more
Ever since The Bride went to the West Coast, I’ve missed having a CVT-equipped bike to toodle around on. So, I’m jumping back into this pond and combining a mini-bike-ish industrial engine … A diesel cruiser?Read more
As I face some fairly significant life changes down the road, I’ve decided to start selling off much of my stash of parts. I pulled out everything I’d stored in the crawlspace. … Only mostly deadRead more
With the completion of The Bride, I took some time to take stock of the various projects and parts I had squirreled away in corners of my basement. I decided I’m not … Revisiting the RetroblasterRead more
Unlike the Suzuki triple clamp I used on Bultakenstein, the Yamaha Venture triples are aluminum. That means that the steel steering stem is simply pressed in, not welded. No grinding needed, or … Steering stem removalRead more
Regular followers will recall that I originally bought a pair of Yamaha Venture XVZ1200 front wheels and tires for The Bride. The hub turned out to be too wide to use on … Forks and brakesRead more
When I’m frustrated by not being able to spend time in my shop, I cruise Ebay for parts. I bought a fuel tank for the Retroblaster-KTM-Bobber-Thing. For $55 shipped, not a bad … New Retroblaster TankRead more
This is me being disciplined, sticking to my prioritized task list, and NOT getting distracted by the newest trinket I bought. Actually, I told myself that I needed to go ahead and … Hacking the KTM frameRead more