Posted by Bryan Felsher on June 01, 2002 at 07:01:51:
I'm really excited. I've got all my material together.
The top tree is 1020 hot roll steel .75 thick. The bottom
tree is 1" thick 1020. The sprung fork mount is 3/4 inch
1020. The stud mount is 1/2 inch 1020. The rigid fork
is 1 1/4 " o.d. cold roll 1018 1/8 mandrel rolled pipe.
The sprung fork is 3/4 solid cold roll round stock.
The rockers are 1/2 inch 1020 hot roll. I'm using brass
bearings in the rockers that I made. I decided brass was
stronger then roller bearings which don't have much thrust
resistance or torsion resistance. I got some Paugcho springs
from a buddy. I even bought a welder!! I'm going to wire
feed most of it but if it's not strong enough, I'll stick
weld it. The forks are 7.5 inch over stock and the trees
are raked 9.47 degrees. The final rake will be 47.5 degrees
and my final wheelbase will be 70 inches. It's a narrow springer,
(which I prefer, like the old Denver choppers) 6.4 between forks.
Just a moderate chopper. I personally think a bike really kind of
needs a springer to be a real chopper, so I opted to make my own
rather then buy the Seeger cycle kit. Besides I don't like
the way the bottom tree mounts with the kit. I'm really
F%#^ing excited. I already finished the first cnc operation
on two of the parts, and made one bearing. I have a lot
more work to do before it's ready to weld up!! My bike
is looking pretty mean!! I hate those dime a dozen stretched
Softail Harleys with Salvador Dali paintjobs and $30,000
into them and the owner rides on weekends and doesn't know
how to change his own oil!! Choppers RULE!!