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Newbie
Jul 6, 2013 11:07:55 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by brucetrout28 on Jul 6, 2013 11:07:55 GMT -5
I have an 83 special and was wanting to start the process of a bobber look. I know this wont be easy! Can weld pretty well and fabricate some. Somewhat mechanically inclined but I'm no engineer. Hints, tips, or suggestions of any kind would be awesome! Thanks everyone glad to be on the forum.
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Post by headcase on Jul 6, 2013 11:44:03 GMT -5
Welcome to the asylum, Bruce. The subject of cutting and welding usually wakes the inmates up pretty quick, be prepared. Then again I've been proven wrong 87.4% of the time, so who knows....
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Newbie
Jul 6, 2013 12:25:49 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by brucetrout28 on Jul 6, 2013 12:25:49 GMT -5
I hope they do! I'm ready to learn!
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Newbie
Jul 6, 2013 17:49:30 GMT -5
Post by grizld1 on Jul 6, 2013 17:49:30 GMT -5
Bruce, when you alter the chassis, you change more than "the look." Take a long cruise down the highway, count bikes you see and the number of bobbers among them. Do the same count at a few bars. Then compare the ratios of bobbers to others on the road and the ratio of bobbers to others for parked bikes. It'll tell you something--you're either going to have a motorcycle or a fashion accessory, the ride or the "look." It's your machine, so do what you want; just be sure to have your priorities sorted out before you start cutting.
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Newbie
Jul 6, 2013 18:24:16 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by brucetrout28 on Jul 6, 2013 18:24:16 GMT -5
I definitely appreciate the opinion and feedback and I do want to clarify that I'm not going for a full bobber look. At least I'm not intending on a hard tail. I'm a short guy so I want to lose some height and clean up the overall style. Take some "clutter" from the bike. Maybe the term "bobber" was used incorrectly on my end. I would rather not lose the comfort in the ride so maybe there a different style I'm unaware of. Thanks for the feedback!
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Newbie
Jul 6, 2013 22:56:22 GMT -5
Post by grizld1 on Jul 6, 2013 22:56:22 GMT -5
The suspension is there for more than comfort--it's what keeps the tires hooked up to the pavement so you don't bounce off the road in bumpy corners. If you want to lose some saddle height, you can take a lot out of the seat without messing with the shocks and/or forks. A thinner layer of closed-cell foam will be kinder to your glutes than the thick pad of cheap open-cell foam that came from the factory.
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Post by headcase on Jul 7, 2013 2:57:21 GMT -5
The 1/2 inch gel trick works pretty decent, Griz. My seat pan was really crappy looking to begin with, so I did a bit of ball pein sculpturing to flatten it out a tad, which lowered it even more. Bruce, you can lose a few inches of seat height just like I did, nice n easy. The gel is a bit pricey, but worth it because the butt doesn't go numb as much on long rides. And as for slicing frames....the stocker crowd frowns upon it, but whenever an original frame gets a slice, we stockers can raise our price Have fun, and lets see some photos!
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Newbie
Jul 7, 2013 9:20:18 GMT -5
Post by grizld1 on Jul 7, 2013 9:20:18 GMT -5
Yeah, Dan, isolastic gel is great stuff--I redid the passenger perch on my SV650 with it, and my wife quit wanting to stop every 20 miles. Since it's very heavy stuff, I used 1/4" of gel under 1" of memory foam. Apart from the weight, the only downside to gel is that once it's hot or cold it stays that way, so it's a good idea to have more than the seat cover between the gel and the rider.
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Post by richard on Jul 7, 2013 13:26:10 GMT -5
I've built a couple of seats with gel inserts, how the heat and cold effects them is interesting. Having Gel is a great improvement, especially on trips over an hour. In the cold my seats feel stiff until they get warmed up from sitting on them, after that they are downright comfortable. for any length of ride. Gel is expensive but worth it.
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Newbie
Jul 7, 2013 15:38:20 GMT -5
Post by headcase on Jul 7, 2013 15:38:20 GMT -5
Now if I could just figure out how to make a couple of gel pucks from the scraps to squeeze between the rubber handlebar biscuits. That's an adventure for another post though....
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Newbie
Jul 7, 2013 17:50:02 GMT -5
Post by richard on Jul 7, 2013 17:50:02 GMT -5
Some people put weights in the ends of the handle bars to cut down on vibration. It helps a little. They also put bark buster on and attach shields like they have on dirt bikes to them. It' just a matter of how unconventional you are willing to be to gain that comfort.
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