So when I got the bike in my garage and started taking it apart, my Brothers wanted to know why I am going to go to all this trouble. I mean this won’t be just a dust and cover job. I am going to rip this bike down to the frame. It’s really something when you get a bike totally in boxes, boxes of parts that you can see it in its finished state. A basket case that you made your self. It’s kind of like when a painter sees a blank canvas. The painter knows damn well what he sees, what he wants to see in the end. I think that blank canvas, or the boxes of parts, scares some people. Not me. Taking the bike apart is the easy part. Hell we used to do that in a few hours back in the day. I guess I am getting a little patient in my old age, or maybe I just move a little slower.
It’s nice to have a project to work on. Gets me out of other things I probably would rather not be doing. Like filling out tax forms. Gotta leave something for the little lady to do anyway.
I got the bike totally apart in a few days after work. I mean totally apart. Split the cases, gears out of the tranny, everything. I remember when I was a younger man and I would do a project like this and categorize every part in little bags, I was so worried about mixing nuts and bolts up. Then you do it so many times, so many bikes, that you end up just putting all the nuts bolts and everything else in one bin and you just pull them out as you need them. These are the perks of getting old.
Seems so simple to me. Take it apart, new chrome, new paint, new rubber, mounts and tires, wash every part in the parts washer, bead blast the rust off where necessary, tap every hole, thread every bolt, and before you know it you have it all spread out to put back together. It’s easier than building a chopper cause this bike was already riding. Building a chopper takes more time cause you gotta do a lot of fitting and stepping back to see what looks good.
So, I am looking at my boxes of parts and all I see is the finished bike. A chromed, flamed, badass street machine, worth more than it was when I started. I ain’t scared.
My wife is Dutch, and she has reminded me of a quote from a famous Dutch painter with one ear, I think it went like this, “Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the real passionate painter who dares.”
I’ll keep you posted. Talk to you soon.
FAT BOB SPOKES MC
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hey bob,
By Rusty on October 2nd, 2009 at 8:48 pmI seen some harleys on SOA but not sure what some or all of the models are. I am pretty good at telling the harleys apart. I guess my main question is what makes and models does “SAM CRO” use?