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
New Retroblaster Tank
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
Installing frame tubes
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
Hacking the KTM frame
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
Origins – Retroblaster
It’s official: I’m an irrational parts hoarder. I picked up yet another frame that I don’t have room for. I’ve had a hankering for a long while to create a lightweight retro-bobber-cruiser-sorta-thing, … Origins – RetroblasterRead more
Bending frame tubes
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
Engine cradle chopped!
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 Bride is a roller
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
Rear wheel mounted
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
More lathe work
I chucked up the sprocket carrier again and moved the sprocket face about 6mm inboard, to bring the rear sprocket in line with the idler sprocket. Now I need to modify the … More lathe workRead more