z00t3ch's Bike Build Thread...

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#1 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 3:59 pm

Not so much a blog, I don't find myself or my life terribly fascinating, but here's a bit of a forum diary of my latest bike build, a 1994 Honda VLX. First, pics of a few previous builds...I'm the worst at taking pics, I just don't stop and take the time to...but here's a few that I actually took and kept...

Here's a 2006 Suzuki C50...800cc, shaft drive. Used a Blue Collar Bobbers kit and powder coated everything, including the wheels, bodywork, and exhaust:

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#2 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 4:05 pm

Here's a buddy's 2004 Suzuki Marauder, also 800cc but carb'd and chain drive. The wheels, rotors, and gas cap are all powder coated but some of the bodywork is plastic so everything was painted with 2k Satin Black. He wanted it lowered so I cut into the swingarm and moved the rear shock mounts down from above it to inside the middle of it:

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#3 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 4:23 pm

After I sold my C50 bobber to acquire my '09 Nomad, I was left without a bike that advertised my powder coating and bike work, so I purchased a 1994 VLX which I always wanted to bob. It had sat for 12yrs with only 4k miles on it, perfect condition, and I gave just $600 for it as the owner wanted a garage heater more than the bike. This is not a picture of my actual bike, I never took one when I bought it, but this is identical, just a bone stock black '94:

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I chose Biltwell Keystones for handlebars along with Avon Air Cushion grips, chucked the front fender, and mounted a Coker tire to the front along with a Wide White Wall rear. The seat is from La Rosa, the subframe chop was done by me. I used a TJBC rear fender and a common sissy bar everyone carries. Exhaust is stock but debaffled, and intake is a pair of velocity stacks ordered from Japan, very hard to find...they have oiled filters at the top making them work even with the CV carbs. The headlights are hand-cast with brass trim rings, and I chose to use two. The side covers are from Blue Collar Bobbers custom ordered in raw metal since I'd be coating them myself. The wheels are Illusion Cherry from Prismatic Powders. Anyway, I made all the desired mods and rode it around a year like this to give it a proper shakedown before teardown:

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#4 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:11 pm

After a year of riding and shakedown, it was time to blow it apart and powder coat. I chose to represent some vintage colors with a modern twist, so I wanted a dark blue and deep red that harkened to the 1940s. To compliment the leather on the seat and later acquired toolbag, I developed a custom 4-stage color I call "Ginger Ale".

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#5 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:14 pm

#6 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:27 pm

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#7 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:28 pm

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#8 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:32 pm

Devil is always in the details, and I've done due diligence to pay attention to those details. I had a machine shop bore out some aluminum tubing to fit over my fork tubes to cover them between the triple clamps:

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I also coated the fork caps:

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And even the wheel spacers:

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#9 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:34 pm

I shaved the fork legs, meaning I removed the cast-in fender mounts and smoothed them before coating. I coated the motor's covers with hi-temp bronze powder from PowderBuyThePound:

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The TMW YouTube Channel! · #10 Unread post by **JackoftheGreen** » Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:01 pm

Awesome work, very impressive. I can't imagine the amount of work that must go into teardowns of this level.

#11 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:46 pm

JackoftheGreen wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:01 pm
Awesome work, very impressive. I can't imagine the amount of work that must go into teardowns of this level.

It can be daunting at times...a lot of baggies full of hardware that you hope you remember how to reassemble...this bike has been in boxes on a shelf for 3yrs...tore it apart and then life got real busy...I'm reassembling this at home now to dis-associate the bike with work, but the powder coating still has to be done at the shop. Hardest thing really is not getting in a rush...I'm eager to get it done but know I'll obsess over any half-assed detail if I don't get it done proper the first go.