Bandit/Sturgis 2005 Chop

We're starting another project at Bikernet, the Ultimate Chopper. I dediced that title was bullshit. I look at some of the bikes built nowaday and mine pale by comparison, so screw it. It's the Bandit/Sturgis 2005 Chop. It's been a couple of years since I built a bike for myself. Hell, I can't ride the shrunken FXR, it's too small. Besides I need a rigid chopper for everyday flying. I gotta tell ya, I love choppers, like women. They're sleek, slim and move with an indescribable grace.

It doesn't hurt to take shots as you tear an engine down, to keep track of what goes where.

This engine was already set to go with a Compu-Fire single-fire ignition.

Here's the design notion. No we're not trying to compete with the Martin Brothers, Paul Yaffee or Matt Hotch, who are all master craftsmen and artisans in the custom motorcycle world. They are incredible and I have the utmost respect for each one of them. I'm sorta Indian Larry West. I want to build a light agile chopper for the ride. I'll attempt to explain. I've been riding choppers most of my life. I've tried out many styles, but consistently come back to the mighty light weight chopper.

Get a bunch of clean boxes to store and sort parts for final assembly.

Remember, you can't remove the pump body without taking off the shaft clip ring.

Let's get specific. I needed something stretched to fit my 6-foot, 5-inch frame so were going with a stretched Paughco Rigid with 4 inches in the downtubes and 3 in the backbone. But I'm sticking with a very moderate rake of 35 degrees for handling. I'm running a 9-over light tapered leg Paughco springer for class and city handling. I'll run my traditional Custom Cycle Engineering risers for limited handlebar vibration and traditional appearance.

Place all the oil pump crap in the same box.

Here's one of those little bastards. Don't use them again. Get fresh ones.

One of the notions is to make this bike a very reliable, rideable chopper for long hauls, maybe to Sturgis next year. I would generally run a 96-inch Evo to fit the rule, but this time a brother, Richard Kransler cut me a deal on a Shovelhead engine with 3 5/8 bore and 5-inch stroke. That over 100-inch monster would tear this bike apart in short order so I called S&S for advice.

We're going to roll with a tried and true S&S formula for street power, reliability and balance–same bore with 4.5-inch stroke will give me 93 inches of grunt. I tore the engine down for modifications last week and shipped the lower end to Viola, Wisconsin for a S&S blessing.

There's another key and clip on the inside of the cam case to remove the oil pump drive shaft.

Here's the keys that drive the pump gears. The fuckers are tiny, so don't lose them. You can use them again.

In keeping with the chopper code of the west, no fat assed tire will cramp the handling. I'm going with only an Avon 180/18 and a 21 on the front. No wild billet wheels but clean Custom Chrome polished aluminum rims and 40 stainless steel spokes. This bike will have a touch of chrome, but not much. I'm going to start a bin of Stainless Allen fasteners to take care of assembly.

I was forced by the gods of Permatex to use a punch through the lifter stool hole in the case to reach the back of the cam cover to encourage its departure.

I devised a careful piston holder to prevent them from banging around. You don't want to damage the cylinder base area on the cases. I had a tool for this years ago, but it left me with one of my wives.

I'm not going to run anything that sticks out from this bike, no sidemounted license plate bracket or wide bars, just tall risers and what I call TT bars that I will narrow for splitting lanes on LA freeways.

I devised a tool for removing the pinion shaft nut, which is left handed.

Here's that bastard removed from the threads.

I may use a flush mount Sporty tank, or perhaps a Cyril Huze job like the one on the Shrunken FXR. What a sharp tank. I'll use a BDL belt, Compu-Fire alternator/ regulator and single fire ignition for reliability. We're mounting Kraft Tech fenders and oil tank, making our own pipes and brackets. Dewey's custom pegs will be used because they're light and contain just enough rubber to keep vibration away from feet and hands. The foot and hand controls are all Joker Machine for true reliability and simple clean design.

I did dig out a puller that worked to snap that gear loose.

Here's the key that holds that gear in place. Don't lose the bastard.

The Jim's 6-speed overdrive tranny is waiting a Custom Chrome Sprocket and Rev Tech O-ring chain. Finally I'll research the best possible sprung seat for comfortable, vibration free ride.

Here's the last keeper ring on the oil pump shaft on the pump shaft.

We're shooting for a bike that will be solid for the long run. It'll run strong, won't vibrate to shit, be reliable enough to ride to Sturgis, a street fighter in the old school fashion. Not a lot of flash, but tremendous class. Watch as it comes together right hear on Bikernet. Oh, I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve that will be revealed as we turn this pile of parts into a running gargoyle.

The alternator rotor came right off.

You get the opportunity to operate with surgical precision digging out the flat coil keepers that hold in the wrist pin and the pinion roller bearing cages in place.

The Stator is easy to remove once the locking plates are punched out of the way. But make sure to back out the case Allen set screw before you pull the guts out of the plug (below).