Editors Note: The following was sent in via e-mail by Bikernet reader Mike Hahn. We’d liketo share his story with you. We particularly appreciate the fact that Mike cooked thisbeast up in his dining room…. The only question we have is, which wine is bestserved with a rigid?
Dear Bandit,
Thanks for the quick response to my e-mail. Here is my story: I havedreamt of building my own bike for about eight years. Every time I went to build it,I was discouraged by the amount of money I needed. I did, however, end up buyingand rebuilding a 1978 FXE about five years ago and rebuilt that to how I wanted.
I ordered the kit on Dec. 1 and received it on Jan. 15. The engine was on back order when I ordered the kit (which they didn’t tell me until they got the certified check). I had a party when it arrived and went to work.
It mocked up pretty well, except the rear fender support sucked. I made my own.
I had the frame powdercoated, which took about a week, had the tanks lined professionally (too much time in the past wasted on cleaning out filters and petcocks with that creme shit), and had a buddy paint it good and cheap.
I started the final assembly about the second week of February. I worked three jobs all winter to help pay for this shit and found time to finish it in about six weeks.
1. The rear fender support sucks. 2. The handlebars suck (no knurling, good size bump, they slip). 3. It’s a very, very, very nice kit for the price. It comes with a West Coast Choppers fender, Accell charging system, Crane ignition, Lepera seat, BDL belt primary, 100-inch engine with a 6-speed transmission and a nice BIG back tire. 4. There were a lot of cheap import miscellaneous items such as nuts and bolts. 5. It rides good and the rear tire absorbs the road better than I had hoped. 6. I’m very happy with the overall quality. The most important parts were of high quality. It just seemed like some of the things could be better.
I did change the forward controls to Jay Brake, and installed a Hookerexhaust system. Getting the inspection for a title around here can sometimes be a pain in the ass, but I was in and out in under 20 minutes. I’veattached pictures and will send more on request. Every good day we’ve hadso far this spring I’ve ridden instead of stopping to take pictures. But I will take more soon.
Thanks for your time,
Mike Hahn
Rosemount, Minn.
