Trips to Doc's and cops

My new S&S heads, pistons, cylinders, etc, were at Doc's Hawg Clinic in Sunset, Texas. Doc is moving on to bigger and better things at Wind River Harley Davidson in Lawton. Ed was going to deliver my parts to me, but the jackshaft on his starter broke and he couldn't get a replacement from Rivera Primo  for a week or so. We decided that me going to get Ed and the parts was the only way we could get my bike together in time for Shovelfest. It's only 160 miles one way so a turn-and-burn is no problem.

Here's my high tech navigation system.


Remember Oklahoma is windy because Texas blows.


Getting there.


Uh-oh Texas state trooper wants to talk.


I was legally driving 75 mph. He flew by me at 85 or better. A mile or so later he slowed and I thought I might be coming up on a speed zone, but I wasn't. I clearly saw another 75 mph sign. You guessed it, another, "I saw you touch a white line," stop.

"I can see you're not intoxicated. Where are you headed? Sunset? Why are you going to Sunset? Oh Doc's. Can you step out of your vehicle to sign this warning? Any weapons? Any drugs? I saw a prescription pill on your seat. Can I search your vehicle?"

"I DO NOT CONSENT TO POLICE SEARCHES."

"Okay, but I have to check this pill. Do you know what this is?"

"Yeah, it's a nerd, you know the candy nerds?"

"I know what a nerd is. You're free to go."

Seriously what drug looks like one nerd, not even a bunch of nerds?  Strawberry Quick maybe?

Here's my warning.


The Hawg Clinic.


Lunch at the Longhorn Cafe in Bowie.


Everything I need from Texas. My parts and a case of real Miller High Life tallboys. I hope the Oklahoma Highway Patrol doesn't bust me for bootlegging "6 point" Texas beer into Oklahoma.

Memphis Shades Fairing with Jardine Lightbar on a 1500 Vulcan

This is another one those projects that "shouldn't" fit together, but bolt on parts generally don't bolt on easily any way.

Here's our starting point 1500 Vulcan Classic with a Memphis Shades quick release fairing. The turnsignals aren't stock, but basically in the stock location.


First the fairing needs to come off.


Then this extra french style headlight nacelle.


Now the headlight.



Two long bolts go through the headlight bucket mounts, the fairing hardware, and bottom tree and its chrome cover.


The headbucket should come free except we had run a spotlight bar previously and this relay needs to be unbolted to get the bucket out of the way.


These top bolts are the last thing holding the fairing hardware


To get the turnsignals off, the covers between the top and bottom tree have to come off. That means the top tree has to come off. So the top nut comes off.


The top pinch bolts get loosened. Put a blanket on the tank and rest the bars and top tree there.


One tiny bolt holds the cover in place.


Now the turnsignals can come off. I do not recall if you can pull the stock rubber booted turnsignals out of the cover without removing the tube cover.


Time to test fit the spotlight bar. And the lowers were in the way.


So we pulled the plastic off the lowers for now. We'll either need shorter bolt to dump the mounts or make plastics to a new shape that will fit with the turnsignals of the lightbar.


I missed a few pictures in here, but We were able to swap the monstrous turnsignals from the lightbar for the smaller duece style lights that we had been running.

We also discovered that someone had tried to wire this thing up before and we had to undo all that mess.




Again I missed a few pictures here, but you have raise the bike on jack to get the top tree back on and adjust the tubes.

With the top tree back it's time to run the bolts into through everything, but the headlight bucket. Keep in mind that the fairing hardware is raised about and 1/8 to 1/4 inch from being on top of the spotlight mount. So the top bolts of the fairing don't fit yet.


Pop the fairing on and check clearances. Everything looks fine, however I would not attempt to run full size windshield with this lightbar. The Cobra lightbar can be made to work with a windshield, but the lights on this Jardine are way too far back.



Off with the fairing and back getting the top bolts of the hardware together. The top of the hardware doesn't fit in under the top tree like it should.


Die grind it until it fits. (Use gloves, ear plugs, safety glasses.)


A couple check fits and more grinding and you'll get there.


This hole doesn't line up either so more grinding.


Perfect fit!! Do the other side and you're good to go.


I didn't get all the details of the fun with solder, but basically I had to wire it from scratch other than the relay and the leads from the accesorry circuit already run from under the tank into the headlight bucket.


Do a quick function of the turnsignals and lightbar, then come up with headlight.


Pop on the fairing and go ride. The project is straight forward, but it took embarrassingly too long to complete.

Two blown headgaskets and Two ruined heads all at One time

Well Ed and Columbus decided they would pull my heads and replace my blown headgaskets.







Yeah it was worse that just headgaskets. This the front head.








This is the rear head. Yes both blew and both heads are ruined.

Gutting Stock Sportster Pipes

This type of thing has been done a million types, but why wouldn't I take pictures of the efforts. Building decent Sportsters as cheap as possible is as popular as ever. Here's my cousin's 883 Iron. He got it at an insurance auction. Someone else had chopped the rear fender and struts and then wrecked it. My cousin painted it and swapped most of the bent pieces with swapmeet take-off. These pipes are stock off a Sportster 48, I think. Anyway they are too quiet and he didn't want to drop five bills on new aftermarket pipes, so gutting the baffle seemed worth a shot.


The inside of the mufflers look like this. Tube in the middle and flatish surface connecting it to the outside of the muffler.


Step one: Drill as many 1/2 inch holes as possible as close together as possible in the flat surface


Wear safety glasses, my cousin refuses to.


It should look something like this.


Step two:  Cut anything left between the holes out with a dremel or die grinder. Seriously, wear gloves and earplugs on this one.


Step three: Pull out the metal tube of the baffle.


Pull out the nasty fiberglass packing, too.


It should look about like this one when you're done. Don't forget to do the other one.


It should sound like this when you're done.