Post 25: New Levers for the Vegas

I decided to make new front brake and clutch levers for the Vegas, out of 3/4" aluminum plate. I kept the design simple, classic and elegantly curled, and chose to stay away for the more radical designs I had considered:

I cut it out with the band saw, drilled the holes, and rounded all edges on the belt sander. I will get it polished as soon as I get the part for my compressor.

Post 24: More About the Motorsports Museum

As it turns out, most of the bikes that really turned me on were early pre 1930 bikes. Very few after that get me really inspired, with the exception of "The Lakewood Special".
Now, here are some more of my favorite bikes.

I seem to particularly like the stripped down track bikes. But then, I also liked the Military bikes with hteir leather gun sleeve, especially the twin flat Harley:

Also of interest was the Nimbus, a 1954 Danish bike that seems to be the only one ever built with a riveted flat bar frame instead of tubing:

Post 23: A Visit to the Barber Motorsports Museum

This Sunday morning, after my usual practice rounds in the Bank parking lot, I took a ride to the Harley shop, and then rode on to the Barber Motorsports Museum in Leeds. It is huge, and has a collection of about 750 motorcycles on display. It has another 500 in storage waiting to be restored...
Strangely, I did not see a single French bike. Granted, the French have not been the greatest motorcycle makers, but what about
The visit really helped me to clarify my taste in bikes, and confirm my choice of the Vegas was right indeed. Of all the bikes made today, the Victory Vegas IS the best looking to me. They had a 2007 Yellow pre production model donated by Victory on display, and it really stood out for its design, style, and curvy flowing lines:

But by and large, my favorite bikes were the early machines until about 1930 or so. I also liked the military bikes. Rack after rack of nearly identical triumphs don't do much for me, except for a few odd designs, Italians bikes don't turn me on. I couldn't care less about the painted up racing bikes and the street bikes with their turned up rear ends and their plastic fairings. Nor do I like the touring bikes much.

All in all, probably a dozen bikes REALLY stopped me. More or less in order of preference:

The fabulous bright Red and Yellow 1925 Bohmerland, a Czeck bike and one of the oddest and longest designs ever, with a wooden sidecar that looks like the Hindenburg.

Now, THAT is really an inspiration to me.

Next, the "Lakewood Special", build in 2007 for the Discovery Channel Biker Build Off show, but made to look like a 1930 or so machine, with a wooden cane seat, antique car parts, and copper oil lines.

This one is also extremely inspirational to me.

Then, there is another very unique Czech bike: the Red 1998 Jawa ice racer, with its long spiked tires and very clean functional lines.

And also the strange looking British 1929 Scott Sprint Special, with odd shaped gas and oil tanks.

As well as the fabulous 1949 Jackson Rotrax Speedway, with its very unique British J.A.P. engine:

Post 22: Tag Side Mount

I hated the big black plastic tag mount that was on the bike, so I removed it and made an aluminum bracket to re attach the turn signals directly to the fender.
I made an aluminum plate with and angle bracket to attach the tag with the rear wheel nut, and ordered a chrome tag cover plate and bullet shaped bolts to attach the tag to it.
May be not exactly legal, but much better looking...

Post 21: New Crash/Highway Bars

I have been worrying about dropping the bike, especially in a braking emergency in a curve, when the bike is leaning, if I don't have time to straighten it up before it stops.
I found some cheap black crashbars on the Internet, but the chrome Lindy Linbar is much better looking combination crash and highway bar, and has O-Ring foot rests matching my foot pegs and grips, so I decided to splurge. They actually add to the bike, with that shape, and are extremely heavy duty. Installation was easy enough, except they forgot to send the replacement bolts, but I found some at the hardware store.

Post 20: The Trailer 2

Well, I rebuilt the swing arms out of 3/8" Alloy Steel, and they are stiff now, but the brackets for the shocks are not strong enough, the welds on the braces broke,and the shocks are compressed too much with the 700 lbs Vegas loaded. So, I will need to find bigger car shocks, and make thicker posts with thicker mounting plates, back plates, and stiffeners at 45 degrees.