Tag Archives: Motorcycle

Yamaha V Star 1100 Bobber: Custom Paint

I have kind of a love-hate relationship when it comes to painting and finishing motorcycle projects. The paint is the part I get most excited about as it really gives the bike its identity, but it is also one of the most annoying parts of any project.  You spend a LOT of time sanding andContinue reading “Yamaha V Star 1100 Bobber: Custom Paint”

Yamaha V Star Bobber Custom Seat Creation

For me, bobbers all come down to the “backbone” lines of the bike.  That means how the rear fender flows up through the gas tank. I have seen a ton of Yamaha V Star bobbers, but the grand majority of them use the same generic template, most likely using the same exact bobber kit fromContinue reading “Yamaha V Star Bobber Custom Seat Creation”

Yamaha V Star Bobber Custom Gas Tank and Fender Fabrication

After taking about a year off from doing any motorcycle customization, I finally decided I wanted to do another bobber build.  The Honda Shadow Bobber I built was an awesome bike, but with one drawback; it lacked the power I wanted in order to be able to ride on the highway with my buddies.  IContinue reading “Yamaha V Star Bobber Custom Gas Tank and Fender Fabrication”

An Unfortunate Series of Events

Well, it was bound to happen.  Every project I have worked on up until this point has been successful without any major hiccups.  No mechanical failures beyond some simple adjustments.  No unfortunate wrecks.  All of that changed during the 2023 riding season.   During the Spring thaw, I took out my 2006 Victory Vegas 8-Ball forContinue reading “An Unfortunate Series of Events”

1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 5: Paint

Painting a bike is always a love-hate relationship for me.  On the one hand, I really do enjoy designing a paint scheme to establish the identity of a project.  On the other hand, I absolutely despise the actual process of painting.  As any painter will tell you, the quality of the paint job is allContinue reading “1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 5: Paint”

1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 4: Seat

Let me just start off by saying the seat itself turned out to be one of the longer portions of a bike-build even though it required less heavy tools.  There is A LOT that goes into a custom seat, especially when it’s not your specialty. That’s why it’s getting a full post to itself. WithContinue reading “1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 4: Seat”

1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 3: Seat Pan, Gauge, Handlebars

Something about a Minnesota winter can really bring out the best or the worst in my motivation to work on a project.  When I first started the scrambler, it was meant to be a good way to occupy my mind during the cold months.  But after I got it, we had an unexpected warm spreeContinue reading “1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build Part 3: Seat Pan, Gauge, Handlebars”

1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build – Part 2: Fenders and Frame

When I had left off the last blog, the rear fender had just been cut out and it was time to move onto other areas of the bike.  Keeping towards the back end, the next piece I wanted to add was a new bar frame for the eventual seat as well as creating an integratedContinue reading “1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build – Part 2: Fenders and Frame”

1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build – Part 1: Teardown and Early Fabrication.

If you are anything like me, the thought of starting a first bike build can be daunting.  Sure, there are a lot of bike videos on youtube that show you a quick run-down of the build, but they are generally in well setup shops with all the right tools.  When I first embarked on myContinue reading “1980 Honda CM400 Scrambler Budget Build – Part 1: Teardown and Early Fabrication.”