Get yourself some of that front end!

Boom! There you go! :) front end in place and I love it! 

And look what else turned up today!

The pop up flush cap is a nice touch.

My frame is nowhere near standard now so the brackets that came with the tank are no good. I will need to get some welding done to fix the tank in place. First I need to get the engine back in so I can space the tank correctly.

Getting the bike to the welding shop should be fun. Looks like more expense and I will have to hire a van.

The front end was a little tricky. Fitting the shock was harder than I though it would be. I had to remove both springs. It's amazing how much force it takes to compress them to fit them again. The shock lower brackets sit under the spring retaining screws. The springs when loosened can shoot out like a crossbow bolt. Thankfully I'd done my home work and used a ratchet strap to lower the force and all went without a hitch.

I'm happy with the bars. I was worried after buying them that they may be too far from the seat. But the seating position is perfect for me.

A little stretched and wide so loads of style but not at all uncomfortable, actually I'd say better than the old doner bikes riding position.

An eventful weekend, now time for a beer!

Minor frustrations

With the frame back from the welders I decide to build up the front end. 

Annoyingly there are some fixings missing from the kit and the included wheel/brake caliper axle spacers are not the right size. Thankfully they are oversize, so I can modify them to suit. I just need to find a lathe I can borrow or someone who will do it cheaply for me.

Happy with the forks though, they look good.

I will give my friends at P&D a call and see if they will do me a favour.

I am very happy with the frame. I located the rear wheel over the weekend.

The fender will need to be modified. I will round the corners at the rear.

I will profile this once I have the front fender located and the tank, giving me a full picture of what is required. 

I do plan on adding a spine to the rear fender to match the gas tank, also a cover for the left rear hub which would normally hold the rear brake disc. As this is redundant due to the brakester setup.

Early shape

I picked up the frame from P&D today.

It's amazing what a seat and mudguard can do to give you a very early sense of shape/form.

I have some jobs to do this weekend and busy with the day job for remainder of this week. However, I am hoping to find some time this weekend to build up the springer forks and create a rolling chassis.

Happy with the brakester/pulley setup. Rear wheel and axle are now correctly spaced. I needed a spacer between the wheel and the pulley due to the width of the tyre.

I am also chuffed with the rear fender. Liking the length of it. Will round off the edges at least, however I will make all decisions on the fender once the tank, bars etc are all assembled. Only then will I get a true idea of the finished product.

The fender struts are made from stainless. So I plan on polishing these up to a chrome like shine for a great contrast against the paint of the fender.

I also like the idea of getting a 'spine' added to both front and rear fenders to match the gas tank........still no sign of the tank though, perhaps I should have paid a little more for air freight. 

The next phase should be a major step forward. Forks, bars, wheels assembled. Exciting times!