The Bride

With the engine positively located, I used a laser guide to check the alignment of the drive chain and sprockets. All three sprockets all line up — Yay! — and I think … Chain alignment testRead more

I’m making progress but taking it slow, trying desperately to not end up with something misaligned. “Measure twice, cut once”, as they say (or in my case, “Measure as many times as … Engine mount fabricationRead more

To aid in fabricating my engine mounts, I attempted to order a press brake for my hydraulic shop press. When I learned that it was backordered indefinitely, I had time to consider … Aluminum-cutting saw bladeRead more

I like to say, “Mistakes are easy to make, so make them as easily as possible.” In that vein, I’m developing my engine mount with a series incremental mock-ups, using easy-to-fabricate materials. … Initial engine mount mock-upRead more

I used my HF Titanium 125 to tack The Bride’s frame tubes. It was my first time striking an arc with the thing and, for FCAW, it works surprisingly well. It’ll never … Spot-welding the frameRead more

I have successfully bent The Bride’s new frame downtubes to fit. Now I need to make slugs for the joints with the existing frame. But how do I go about inserting a … Installing frame tubesRead more

Working on the frame,I started first with test pieces, bending cheap conduit. It took me three tries to get the proper shape. Confident of my dimensions, I ordered a couple lengths of … Bending frame tubesRead more

You know that whole part about swapping the engine in without cutting the frame? No matter how I reoriented the engine and torque converter, something ended up bumping into the frame somewhere: … Engine cradle chopped!Read more

The front end got wheel spacers and new tire this morning, so I mocked it up for a preliminary geometry assessment and then rolled it outside. 34″ seat height and 48.5″ wheelbase. … The Bride is a rollerRead more

After measuring a bunch of times, I conjured up the gumption to cut into the swingarm. I went slow, with a hack saw, and actually managed to make a perpendicular cut. I … Rear wheel mountedRead more