Topic: Project Cheap Thrills (the Bar Hopper Chopper)

[MJL]

I haven't got a title yet, but then again I haven't paid any cash yet. The license plate expired in '02. I think (and have been told) it spent a lot of time outside.  Something went wrong with the engine, which was taken apart and the parts subsequently lost.  It's rougher than I thought it was.









Fortunately I have a good motor, purchased from a board member. I hope it's still good, there isn't anything left of this one to salvage: it's locked solid.
I'm not sure what to do with it, a period correct resto, a blacked out rat chopper, or paint it up and modernize it.

Both tires are flat, all the chrome is rusty, the paint is peeling, but the wheels turn and I have the tanks and exhaust. I'm open to ideas...

[knowsnothing]

That frame definitly isnt stock, but it definitly is cool.  i cant wait to see what this turns into.  Good luck!

[Stev-o]

Snow machine?!

[rb550four]

It would be interesting to see if PO had a pic of it in good shape. And if not,by the time you take it all apart and paint that frame ,I'll bet you'll have your own ideas on what it will be. Looks like it could keep you busy all winter .

[MJL]

The PO filed for a new title, he said it'll be here in 10 days. Meanwhile, I found the registration which just says '76 Honda.

When I first saw it, it was in his garage with some stuff stacked on it. I didn't get a good look at it, so I thought it had been stored inside and was in better shape. The plan then was to put a new motor in and ride the dust off it, leaving it period correct. Looking at it now, I see it as more of a blank canvas.

Yes, I have plenty to keep me [strikeout]broke[/strikeout] I mean busy this winter, this bike (the bar hopper chopper) my somewhat restored '73 cb750, a '76 KZ750b, a '64 Scout (which is at the top of the list) and i suppose the supercharged 3800 Fiero that needs a clutch.

I think I'll head over to Hondachopper and get some ideas.

[thedrewski86]

Supercharged Fiero?! Where in Indiana are you??

[MJL]

I'm in Fort Wayne. The Fiero has something wrong with the clutch, it won't disengage. I've replaced the master, slave, and clutch pedal as they are known to bend.  I've got just over an inch of travel at the slave, and yet I can't shift. It's too bad, it's a fun car to drive but I just don't have room to drop the motor right now. I'd sell it for a good offer.

[thedrewski86]

I know a guy here in Hammond w a blown 350 Fiero, I thought you were him! Good luck, sounds like fun.

[754]

That is a Santee frame..
 ..someone will come along soon and tell you it cant handle.. But to me it looks like cool 600+ mile a day bike when finished..

[MJL]

That is a Santee frame..
 ..someone will come along soon and tell you it cant handle.. But to me it looks like cool 600+ mile a day bike when finished..

Thanks for the info. I've been looking on the internet for chops with similar frames, and so far just about every chop I've seen is a hardtail.  I've sat on it and it does feel comfortable. I may put my cheap ebay saddlebags on and take it on day trips.

Currently taking ideas on which way to go with this.

[Stev-o]

Currently taking ideas on which way to go with this.

I'd suggest pulling that motor and spraying some paint on. Head to Toledo and buy one of those parts bikes for $200 (keep motor, sell the rest).
Start looking for a prism tank?

[Tews19]

What is the engine vin?

[MJL]

I bought a running motor from a member a few years back, it's in my garage.  I did see the post about the parts bikes in Toledo, I am tempted to head up there but I have no room in my garage, no do I really want to have them sitting around my yard with the rest of the crap.  I'm not a fan of the prism tanks, so that's pretty much out. I do have the tanks that were on it, HD tanks I think.  A friend who does paint and body said " I actually have a set of tins, already custom painted, that I'd sell ya cheap for that! The front and rear fenders are Dyna wide glide, and a set of 5 gallon fat bobs, with fancy recessed gas caps! (I'm not certain, but those fenders look like wide glide fenders.)"  So once I gett he frame stripped down I'll be hauling it to him for his opinion.

The engine vin is CB750E2455418. I don't have the new vin handy, but I think it's a 76 or 77 motor.  I just thought of this, if the vin on the title is the vin on the motor, I'm going to have to jump through a few hoops to either get the vin from the new motor reassigned, or get a new made up vin.



First order of business was to get the motor out. All the electrics was in a "Santee box". This is bolted on by three long bolts behind the cylinder. I didn't get pics of the box before I took it off, but the top was held on by two screws, and the innards was padded with blue foam that fell apart when I tried to pull it out.  Fortunately I didn't have to cut any wires taking everything out, but the big rectangular one that I think goes to the generator/alternator wouldn't quite fit through the hole, so I trimmed off the tab lock. I don't know why I was so concerned with not cutting wires, the motor is junk and going to hit the scrap bin.

Surprisingly so far all the bolts have come out rather easily.



Yes my garage is a disaster.



I didn't take any pictures, but the rear brake is cable operated.  As to the cush drive in the wheel, shouldn't there be rubber cushions on each side of the drive tangs? I'll get pics if you don't quite understand what I am talking about.

I had some family stuff to do, so this was the stopping point today.



I'll be out of town most of Sunday, but I'll work on this as much as I can.

[trueblue]

If the frame doesn't have a VIN stamped on it, just stamp the VIN on the title onto the neck .

[Red Good]

Nice find , Santee rigid arm frame  with their struts and oil tank , they used the stock Honda swing arm , wheel  and shocks  with usually an extended Honda front end  . Stockish ride with a distinct chopper look .  I put in lots of 500 miles days on one of those .

[MJL]

Today and tomorrow is pretty much booked up for the holidays, I hope to get back to disassembly Wednesday.

[MJL]

Finished stripping the frame down. I've come to realize this bike was not built with quality in mind. Mismatched bolts and half assed wiring have been the name of the game.  I am happy to report that the only bolts that were hard to remove were the ones holding the headlight ears to the forks.

My oil tank has a hole in it, and the battery box is rusted out. fix, buy new, or build new?




This bracket and the kickstand bracket are booger welded, so I'll be grinding and smoothing them down. I'm not sure what it's for, maybe it holds the coils?




My steering stop is broken and booger welded, do I really need it or can I cut it off and smooth it out?




I wanted to use tapered roller bearings, but the chrome pieces at the top and bottom of the tube are the bearing cups. So, I don't think I want to go back to ball bearings, does anyone with one of these frames know if the cups are removable? I hate to do it, but I have a GL frame section with the headtube, I'd rather not cut this one off and weld that one on, but I suppose I could if I built a jig.  Opinions?  (I did make sure to keep the old ball bearings.)






Is this right? I thought there were rubbers on each side of the drive "ears".




Can anyone identify this rim? It's from a 79 Yamaha I believe. I'd like to use them rather than relacing the spoke wheels I have, plus I would be gaining a disc brake in the rear. the Honda axle doesn't quite fit through these bearings, so I'll have to maybe do some mix and match to make them work. Of course I'll have to do the same for the front wheel as well.




I need to find out if the rear fender  and fuel tank are unique to this bike, or if I can use HD parts.

[754]

I think that mount hanging down is lower fatbob tank mount. I would build new oiltank.
 Is there a vertical mill in the background and a white visible gas pump.. Wayne or Butler? Maybe..

[MJL]

Yes I have a Bridgeport mill. I don't have much tooling for it yet. I don't have a gas pump, you might be looking at my kerosene heater. I also have a small lathe with no tooling, it's at my mom's house.

[754]

 To run the Yamamag you have to turn a plate to hold the sprocket..easy if you can live with solid mount..

[dusterdude]

The mount hanging down is not a fat bob mount,way too low

[754]

 Think lower fatbob mount, has to come from somewhere..

[MJL]

I just came in from the garage and found that the long piece hanging down under the tanks is indeed a fuel tank support, as well as a coil box support.

I've got a few parts soaking in vinegar for rust removal, and I'm curious about filling the tanks with vinegar to remove the rust that's in them. Aside from plugging the holes and buying more vinegar, is there any reason not to?  Should I just put them in a big tub of vinegar instead and soak them that way? I guess it wouldn't matter about the paint, everything is getting painted again anyway.

I was thinking maybe about hiding the electrics in the starter space, then put the coils under the carbs with the wires run up and over. Bad idea?
I'm wondering also if the oil tank and rear fender are specific to this frame as they both have notches for frame clearance.

[Scott S]

 That Yamaha rim looks like a shaft drive wheel.

[754]

 Rear fender is known as fatbob fender, that is  why I suspected fatbob tanks , the fender was used on FXWG series HD
 If you look on ebay there is a. Nice set of long forks and legs for 40 bux..look under flattrack.. 17 pages but fair easy to find..