855 project"RATROD!"

[GinSonic]

Hello all!
Well I got some things done to this ol beast. The URL to the thread on the"RATROD," that no one replied to, will explain things some regarding this build;

http://idriders.com/cgi-bin/YaBB_K2/YaBB.pl?board=news;action=display;num=1179600230

You may remember, from my introductory thread, of my acquisition of this bike, my plans to retire it from mountainbike duty, and to provide 'er with an easy life of a coffeeshop cruiser bike. Maybe not.

Never the less,

here's what it looked like when I first got it;



This is its present state;









I got the 24" rear on it by filing the dropouts till the 12mm axle fit in. I figured since it's not ever going to experience anything remotely "offroad", save for recreational pathways, that it was safe to do so.

The 8spd cassette, BB, and headset were replaced with new ones.

I dismantled the rear swingarm assembly and lubed everything. No more creaks and awful sounds while pedalling. Yeehaaa!

The rear brakes were completely removed because the V-brakes don't match with the 24" rim. Instead I run dual front brakes.

The V-Brake front is still on there, but the lever is mounted on the right side. The lever on the left operates a front Magura Gustav Hyd brake with a 190mm rotor. Can you say "stoppies?"

I've painted the crap MCU's black with shoe dye. {A rear shock install is always on my mind though.} I've replaced the seat with a Selle Royal Shark Gel. The handlebar is a flat one with department store alloy bar ends.

Oh yeah. It's also got a combination AM/FM radio/headlight/horn apparatus. Just the right amount of "dorkiness" to set it off. It's a very "cool" ride on a sunny afternoon cruise.  

I'm going to remove all stickers and decals, paint the frame black and polish all the aluminium you can see.

I've also got chrome ducktail fenders that I have every intention of installing. It already catches the eye of bike geeks and with the radio blaring, non-bike geeks. Woohoo!

If you all are at all interested in this rather "odd" build up, I'll keep you updated.
Cheers.
 G.

[orange]

will certainly win the prize for the most unusual Proflex here!!

Can you say "stoppies?"

yikes!!

[shovelon]

Yes, I want to see the "ODD" buildup.

Should be a real eye-popper.:-)

[GinSonic]

I've got a little update.
Here's the pics of the chrome ducktail fender trial fit;









Some cutting and drilling will need to be done for sure to get them fitting properly.

For the rear, I plan to use the rack mount eyelets on the dropout area and the pivot points just forward of them for the anchor areas of the arms. I'll drill a hole to anchor the fender at the front area where the rear brake thingy is mounted on the swingarm, just above the main pivots. I'll have to indent the areas between the struts to clear for any movement that might rub on the fender there. If/when I install a rear shock, the clearance will definitely be required in that area.

For the fronts, I will be required to jerry rig a couple of brackets that wrap around the lower part of the shock stanchions, which will serve as the anchor points for the arms. I'm going to drill a small hole at the top of the shock crown to anchor the top of the fender.

Once again, some of you may think this build borders on the higher end of the moron scale in terms of safety and metal removal fatigue, but keep in mind. This bike is not ever going to see anything more than recreational trails and predominantly will be an easy riding street cruiser.

Hmmmm....now that I see these pics again, I'm getting visions of Steve McQueen in The Great Escape. Hmmmmm....army jeep green anyone?
  G.

[shovelon]

Ok, I am liking it way too much!

Keep going.

Terry

[Willie_B]

Where are you going to hang the fuzzy dice? Racoon tails on the bar ends. You can go for Redneck cruiser.

[jeffhop]

how about some forks off a 29er to raise up the front end and slacken the angles off a bit?

[GinSonic]

Okay gang.
The fenders are on. I'm on my days off and took most of the day and evening to get them installed. Oh how I wish I had a workshop!

There were a couple of issues, but I ironed 'em out okay. Here's some pics. {Man I'm a cam/pic whore!};






The rear fender wasn't too much of a problem. Had to trim some off the front area where it mounts to the swingarm via the brake bracket. I used an old shifter bushing from my car,

as a spacer between the fender and the swingarm joint:



The support arms were mounted on the rack eyelets as per normal procedure. They were shortened some and new holes drilled. I used aviator scissors to cut unwanted metal.



The front fenders required a bit more thought. Seeing as they're to be mounted on a front suspension fork, jerry rigging was the order of the day!

Since both the front fender support arms usually share a provided eyelet on normal rigid forks, I had no such luxury. I chose to anchor the support arm from two different locations. The front arms to the dropouts and the rearmost ones on the lower stanchions via a hose clamp;



After measuring and cutting the arms to length, I cut slots on the ends instead of drilling holes. Then I just slipped the ends into their respective positions and tightened things up.

Because I chose two different anchoring points for the support arms, I found I  didn't need to anchor the top area under the fork crown. It seems pretty solid and stable as is.

I took it out for a test ride and all was good. A slight rattle from the area between the fork lowers on bumps or rough roads, { a piece of old innertube oughta' fix that,} but nothing bad at all. Nice, quiet, smooth ride all in all!

I'm lovin' this bike. I love all my bikes, but I'm in love with this one!

Think I'm gonna put on a rear rack. Not a seatpost one, but a normal type one. Another jerry rig install comin up!

Jeffhop wrote:
".....how about some forks off a 29er to raise up the front end and slacken the angles off a bit? ...."

Actually, truth be told. I was thinking of a long travel triple crown fork. However I'm gonna stay with the old Bomber for now, but who knows. I'm pretty fickle at times!

After the rack install, it all comes off so I can paint the frame matte black.
 


Cheers.
  G.

[rightturnclyde]

I LIKE IT. I think a wide-ass springer saddle may just be in order for this ride. Killer with those flared fenders.

Keep posting pictures!