rufus

Yeah...we got it in Chicago. Just got back. Ended up doing some shoveling.

good time?

Yeah...other than the shoveling...

Made my annual trip to Al's Hobby in Elmhurst - picked up some etch, decals, and a few other odds and ends. And hit the two closest Harley shops - finally found the smooth chrome bolts for my handlebar clamps. And got a look at the new Profile rim for laced wheels...going to build up my wrecked wheel with that rim and twisted spokes now.

i've been looking for some xs650 rims to put spokers on the beast. those cast klunkers don't make it on a vintage hot rod. i could do a drum rear conversion, but them disc brakes are nice. did you get a oem replacement for the trasher?

Yeah - they gave me an entire wheel assembly, tube and tire. The old tire only has 5500 miles on it, so I may mount it on the new build up. I'll use the old hub (it's chrome) and get a set of stainless twisted spokes and the new rim. I think I'll also replace the wheel bearings just to be sure.

Now I have to think about what to do with the rear...

you know how to build a cheapo rim aligner? i used to relace after school for the local honda guy. kept me in parts for a superhawk that i had stroked to 420cc and blew headgaskets on once a week of so. thing would outrun a command in the 8th and on top end.

Yeah... I know how to do one in theory. At least a front one - the rear one has an offset in it. Don't know if I'd want to ride one I laced, though. Had a guy in the club do one on his own and it broke on him - one spoke at a time. I'll let the pros handle it.

Thinking of putting a solid disk on the rear, but not quite sure of the over all look I'm after yet.

i'm an all spokes or all solid..never liked half and half.

Yeah - that's what I'm struggling with. First idea is a solid polished chrome disk with a spoke pulley, but I may end up all spokes. And I'm still knocking around over brake disks.

if you go spokes in the front, go dual disc brembos. they can make even a harley look good.

Yeah - I could see that.

get the gray spokes with the black bremboe calipers on the chrome forks. on the rear wheel, black spokes and silver calipers.

Yeah - I've been thinking along those lines...different coloration for the front vs the rear. Just because I can't break up the components on the rear brake bracket - it's one casting with the caliper.

Might do something funky with the brake disk centers...like painting them to match the tin-work...what I'd REALLY like to do is have the frame chrome or nickle plated...but I can't stand to be without the ride that long. I'll save that for a build-up.

ditch the bracket. bremboe makes those, too. if you go chrome frame, spend the big bucks for a company that does bike frames or you'll be very unhappy.

That's the problem - on my '98, the bracket and caliper were two seperate parts...so I just chromed the bracket. On all of the bikes with factory two piston calipers, the rear brake caliper and bracket are cast as one piece. So it takes away some of the mix-and-match options on the rear end.

From what I've seen, the aftermarket manufacterers are doing the same for those bikes. I've seen some of them, just not the Bremboes yet.

but the single caliper/bracket do unbolt? or are the part of the frame? wish i had looked closer.

The axle goes through the bracket. And then it lugs to the swingarm, and the caliper bolts to it...at least that's the way it is on the Dynas and Softails prior to the factory twin-piston calipers.

Personally, I don't like Harley's twin-piston brakes - I think the single piston brakes on my '98 stop the bike way better than the twins on my '03.