The Beatdown!!! - Page 5

**quiktekk** · 01-03-2010, 12:24 AM

What happened with this project? I'm still interested in seeing how everything went.

**Shadow Shack** · 01-03-2010, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by minibike

It's the internet, you have to expect some posts to get a little irritating.

Irritating? A discussion about design research and safety pops up and it becomes "irritating"?

JunkyardDog · 01-03-2010, 12:41 PM

I have to agree with the importance of design research and safety. Back when I was into mopeds, a number of mopeders made crazy modifications to their moped frames, with no consideration for anything other than how it looked. Many of them wound up crashing.

Just because riding a bike is dangerous doesn't mean it makes sense to go out of your way to try and make it more dangerous. It is also true that most custom bikes are not going to be safe as a completely stock bike, but IMO, it still has to be controllable under the conditions in which you intend to ride it.

I want a chopper, but realize that even taking safety into consideration in designing it, it will not be as safe as stock. That will limit me to riding it in conditions where I feel it will be acceptably safe. I believe the same thing applies to many professionally built choppers/bobbers. I have seen a lot of custom bikes on Craigslist (for ridiculous amounts of money), that would be completely worthless to me, because they would be unridable under anything but very controlled conditions. There are also a lot of bikes around here with ape hangers so high that the rider almost has to stand on the pegs to reach them. Their hands are literally above their head. They are not only illegal, but such a bike is barely controllable (with a lot of effort) under ideal conditions. Toss an unexpected Buick in front of them, and the rider is going to be in a lot of trouble.

The attitude some of these guys have also bothers me. They literally seem to be asking for it. "Riding a motorcycle is not safe anyway, so why should I be concerned about safety?". With that attitude, they are almost certainly going to get it.

While I admit I am not much of a "gear" type rider, safety is, and always will be at the top of my list. I believe my safety record speaks for itself. Even at work, which is not the safest job in the world, I have the best safety record of anyone there. Jerry.

**OldschoolJ** · 01-03-2010, 08:44 PM

Hey I have no attitude or problem with safety but you are the one who jacked my thread. I didn't think dropping the front and rear equally would cause a big uproar.

**Fridgitator** · 01-03-2010, 08:57 PM

I'm glad you're still here. I want to see the progress on your bike.

**OldschoolJ** · 01-03-2010, 09:03 PM

Sorry been busy with the holidays. I'm also working on 2 other bikes. More to come....

**Henryinva** · 01-03-2010, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fridgitator

I'm glad you're still here. I want to see the progress on your bike.

Yep, what he said.

**mnmike3** · 01-04-2010, 02:03 AM

I keep checking this thread for more updates on the bike but none yet. still waiting though.

i hope nobody takes this the wrong way and i promise i'm not trying to jack the thread or cause anymore debates I just want to see the bike as it gets built. I said this in henrys build thread, i Really enjoy seeing the process. But my opinion on modifying a bike is as long as the guy building it is the guy riding it and it doesn't endanger me go for it. obviously things can change the way a bike handles (thats a no brainer) so when you take the bike out for the first time be carefull and make sure the thing isn't going to kill you. once you know how its going to ride and how to compensate for any mods that may change the handleing on that particular bike (and this is my favorite part) RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!

Old School - i hope you still hang around and post pics of this bike. theres a reason its your bike and you are building it the way you want it. Everybody is entitled to voice there opinions and concerns but in the end its your decision how you build the thing and from the way it looks you might see it the same way I do.

**Shadow Shack** · 01-04-2010, 06:36 AM

So there it is, folks. All the pissing and moaning is because the OP failed to communicate a simple bit of input...

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldschoolJ

I didn't think dropping the front and rear equally would cause a big uproar.

You wait until NOW to say that you've lowered BOTH ends equally? Why didn't you say so in the first place? You had to let this crap spin for five pages before saying that? I just went through all of your posts in this thread and you never mentioned that useful bit of intel once.

I mean, here's my first post in response to the build, back on page one. Pay special attention to the boldfaced stuff at the bottom, and feel free to click back to page one if you feel I may have edited that from the first time around (which you will see isn't the case):

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow Shack

Cool peanut tank, digging the 'Frisco look! Is that rear fender a front fender off another bike? I only ask as a 1500A Vulcan front fender fits almost like that, yours looks a little wider (side to side) though.

Realize that by lowering the front like you have, if this is a permanent thing (you mentioned clip ons so I presume this to be the case), is going to throw off your trail dimension. The Rebel doesn't have a lot of trail to play with (4.3"), so shortening it like that can cause some ill handling effects depending on how far you go. 3" is within the realm of safe and sane and I wouldn't foresee that drop to lower the trail below that figure, but without a tape measure, plumb line, and the actual bike in question atmy disposal, I can't make that call...go too short on the trail and the bike will become unstable at higher speeds.

More importantly, whether the trail is safe or not, the bike is now in a leaned-forward stance. This is dangerous for braking, since momentum gets thrown forward during braking thus causing weight to get thrown onto the front tire...you're already in that stance so you'll be more prone to locking up the front brake as such.

Solution: longer fork tubes to compensate for the needed clip-on length up top (fork extensions will not work here, the seam must be between the triple trees for extensions to be safe and sane), or lower the rear to the same extent as you did with the front.

It was a simple statement that you completely ignored (along with the compliments and questions that the post opened with too), along with a solution to what I percieved to be a possible safety issue that you wait until NOW to mention that you've done. I mean, would it have been so difficult to say "Hey, thanks...but I'm going to lower/already lowered the rear too" instead of making the threadjack accusation? Bud, you jacked your OWN thread.

Or maybe...and I might be spit-balling here...you lowered them equally after reading that but don't want to acknowledge the acceptance of some friendly advice, and chose hostility instead.

Sorry, folks...maybe it's just me but I don't get the intent here.

**OldschoolJ** · 01-04-2010, 09:06 AM

Sorry I don't write books in each post but if u read I did say it was a premock just get a look and that it was not done. I decided that I did not want to try and shorten the shocks so I'm going with stiff struts a little shorter. Not cuz of what you said but cuz it would help with mounting the rear fender. I'm sorry I'm not as articulate as you.

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