Another VN800 bobber project

[Thullan]

Hi!

I thought it could be time for my own project thread. I bought this very ordinary VN800A -95 last year with the intention to make something fun out of it. The original plan was to put a ribbed rear fender directly to the swing arm, maybe some flake paint, making it look more like a 60's or 70's chopper. That's why I bought the A-model. I later changed my mind and decided to go with a bobbed VN800 Classic rear fender instead, together with a lowering kit to get the wheel up into the fender. That would make it look more like an early bobber from the 40's or 50's, and I will also be able to take a passenger with ease if I add a pillion pad. I wan't it to look like a rough and patinated early old school bobber; bobbed stock fenders, hinged seat, black details, dull colors, hardly any chrome, maybe some art deco or scallops on the tank... The plan is to keep it simple and on a budget, so don't expect lots of show chrome, airbrushing or expensive parts anyway. A 16' front wheel might have been more typical for this, but a 21' will work to. Visit BobbersMC.se (in swedish) for a few realy good looking bikes among others from which I got some inspiration.

First thing I did when I bought the bike was to remove the bags, sissy bar, engine guards, tank bib, radiator cover, tank badges and a few other bulky parts. I later got a set of used V&H Straightshots from eBay, a Highway Hawk lowering kit and Sportster style handlebars. The H.H. lowering kit was crap, you couldn't hardly see any difference after it was installed and it took alot of time and efforts to get it there. I then spent the next couple of months planning and collecting more parts like a fender (eBay), Ultima seat, tail light, smaller indicators, a side mount for the license plate etc.

This month I also bought both the front and rear adjustable lowering kits from Scootworks instead of the crappy H.H. kit. Just as much work again to get this new kit into place, but this time it made a huge difference! I now have both the H.H. kit and the Scootwork kit in the rear at the same time, even though the Scootwork kit is only on it's second notch at the moment. I could probably go as low as 4 inches now if I want to by just putting it on it's lowest notch. I also modified the shock absorber to get it stiffer to prevent it from bottom out.

Next step will be to cut the VN800 Classic fender to give it a bobber look. I will be able to use the old stock seat untill I figure out in detail how to mount the new spring seat. Haven't decided on the tail light and license plate yet, it will go either on the left side or on the fender. Putting it on the fender will make it a bit safer, easier and more street legal, but a side mount might look a little better. Putting it on the fender does look a bit more old school though. Decisions...

Don't think I will do any painting untill the winter comes, but it will most likely be a simple rattle can job. I have some connections with a powder coater through my bro and was planning to use him for the fender struts, maybe the fork legs and a few other parts. Problem is that he lives like 5-6 hours away from here. Other ideas involves pipe wrapping, classic tires with thin white line, old school grips, pinstripes on the frame...

Don't expect this thread to be updated daily, I currently have pretty much to do both at the office and at home, but will write whenever there are any news to write about. Feel free to comment anyway as I am visiting this forum on a regular basis. I have attached a few pictures. First shows the bike as I bought it, pretty boring huh? Second shows an ordinary VN800A which I found on Scootworks.com, but I have maniulated it to give an idea of what it could turn out like. The third pic shows some of the new parts.

[CustomVN]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how yours comes together Thullan, as I like your different ideas for the rear fender and seat. I originally was going to go down the path of a ratty home done paint job and still like the idea, so it should look real cool.

[Thullan]

Thanks CustomVN, I really like your project thread and I have been following it from start. I also believe you are working alot faster than I am

I like the very early bobber look and thought the bobbed Classic fender would be a very easy way to accomplish this. A direct bolt-on with just a little bit of cutting. I will be able to take a passenger just like before without worrying about the safety issue, and I can even switch back to the stock seat if I ever want to. It would look like **** though if it wasn't for the lowering kit, which gets the fender snugged nicely over the wheel. I will still have a few centimeters of clearance just like the original bobbers.

It's far from the bling and wide tire look that is popular today, but this is the way I like it.

[Thullan]

A few updates and reflections,

The fender I have bought comes from a German VN800 Classic, and the German bikes seem to have a different tail light setup. They have a Lucas style tail light and then a separate license plate light further down on the fender. Because of this there are four big round holes in the fender just above where the fender struts ends, instead of two very small holes as usual. They have to be either filled or covered by something, like a tail light. I found an E-approved Sparto light the other day on a web store, which makes it legal here in Europe. It had both the braking and the license plate light. Think it was called "Sparto-II" and it had a just slightly different design from the classic Sparto. I might consider buying one, instead of the Midi Cat Eye i already bought for the side mounted license plate which was the original idea. Hopefully it would cover the holes in the fender.

The six bolts holding the rear fender to the fender supports had been replaced with longer ones before I bought the bike. Last week I bought new stainless bolts in a more appropriate length.

I have also noticed that the side stand scratches against the ground everytime I turn left. This is because of the lowering kit I installed a few weeks ago. Will have to solve this pretty soon.

That's it for now

[CustomVN]

Originally Posted by Thullan

I found an E-approved Sparto light the other day on a web store, which makes it legal here in Europe. It had both the braking and the license plate light. Think it was called "Sparto-II" and it had a just slightly different design from the classic Sparto.

If you prefer the original Sparto design, just use it, but use bolts with small lights in them for the bolts that hold your license plate in place. Apparently Hot Rodders use them all the time for the same purpose.

[Thullan]

Yes I have been considering those bolts, but then I still need a braking light. And I also need an approved replacement light to put on for the inspection we have every second year (my next inspection will be in a couple of months from now)

The Sparto-II looks pretty cool to, maybe even cooler than the classic Sparto

I have also decided to get rid of the V&H Straightshots, as I have got tired of the obnoxious noice they make. I have put V&H Quiet Baffles in them to get a deeper sound, but you can never get that good sounding "fishing boat rumble" from an 800 anyway. Last night I took out my stock exhaust from the attic and polished them up pretty well, will put them on later this week. Might consider wraping the headers as a future project, just for the look. And I would have to put the stockers on for the inspection anyway.

[El Skitzo]

Have you got a picture of the Sparto-II tail light or at least a link to a site where we can see one?

[Thullan]

Here is a picture, but I seem to have lost the URL to the web shop I found the other day:


I suspect that it is most often refered to as something else than Sparto-II, but I have seen quite a few bikes with this setup.

[El Skitzo]

Ah yes I've seen on of those on a Harley locally. I assume the brake lense must have a clear section on the underside of it, to allow light to shine on the license plate.

[Thullan]

I finally got some time yesterday to start working on the rear fender. Cutting it with a hacksaw and then shaping it roughly with a file was really easy, as the metal is only about 1 millimetre thick.

I made the cut 6 mm outside from the actual shape that I hade decided on, as seen on the picture. The intention was to bend these edges inwards under the fender to make it more sturdy and less sharp, just as on the stock fender. The raw edges turned out to be pretty sturdy even without this reinforcement, so I might cut the excess material of to. This would also make it much easier to accomplish exactly the shape I want. I have the cutted of rear part of the fender to practice on, to see if the bending can be done with a good result. I will then decide upon how to do with the real fender.

There are four big holes for the stock tail light just at the tip of the fender. Will see if I can get one of those Sparto-II taillights to cover the holes.

I have also put the stock exhaust back on instead of the Straighshots. What a relief, I can now go for a ride without my head blowing!

[El Skitzo]

I don't think the Sparto taillight housing will cover the holes from the old tail light, but once the number plate is hanging off it, that definitely will. That sinlge small hole towards the top of the fender could be perfect for the rear most mounting bolt for the new taillight.

[Thullan]

I have measured and it need to be 6.8 cm wide to cover the holes completely, if I remember correctly. I woun't put the tail light as far up as the smaller hole, but I do believe the license plate will cover pretty well even if some parts of the larger holes will still be seen. Not that I care to much about that, I want the original rough bobber look and they had quite a few holes, rivets and raw edges all over their fenders.

I will use the three smaller threaded holes to mount a pillion pad, if possible.

[Thullan]

It was a while since last time, but here is a little update. First of all I have moved the project over to Flickr: Vulcan Bobber Project! I will continue to write about updates here in this thread too as it allows for much more feedback!

I am finnished with the shaping of the fender (pic 1). The raw edges were strong enough even without enforcement so that made it a little easier. The big holes left from the stock taillight has also been solved. I cut a small plate out of the leftover from the fender and glued it in place from the inside (pic 2). Then it was simply to fill the holes with putty from the outside (pic 3).



Unfortunately if turned out to be plenty of rust underneath the primer. I haven't decided on wheter I should try to solve both the rust and the painting by myself, or if I should have a professional paintshop do it for me. I bought a Sparto-II taillight and a shorter VN800 Classic sidestand from eBay, hopefully they should both be delivered this week.

The main issue for the moment is the rust and the paint, but in a month from now I will have alot more free time for this project so stay tuned.

More pictures and more detailed descriptions on Flickr: Photos from Vulcan Bobber Project

[El Skitzo]

Looking good

[DONK]

looking forward to seeing this one. good luck

[Thullan]

Thanks guys! I bought myself this amazing Dremel* tool the other day to take care of the rust. I spent hours doing it by hand last weekend, but with the Dremel it took seconds and the result was ten times better.

I called a paint shop as weel but they only did cars, not motorcycles. They did however redirected me to another shop which I will give a call later on.



* It wasn't actually a Dremel(tm), but a $20 Dremel copy.

[04800aCstm]

Hey bro, did you have to re-jet your carburetor for the straightshots? I'm wondering if the baffles produce enough back pressure to leave it alone.

[Thullan]

Hi, no I just put them on and left the carb untouched, but I also kept the stock intake. I did however put V&H Quiet Baffles in to get a better tone. The bike also seemed to run better with these baffles. I have since then put the stock exhast back on again.

[CELTICCB]

Hey if you got a garage and patience you can use rattle cans I do it all the time. Sand between coats with 400/800/1200 grits and alot of water at least for three coats of paint but I like to do @5 then I shoot laquer for another 5 coats and they turn out just fine, almost factory.

[CELTICCB]

OK I need some Ideas on what to do with my bike. I have some ideas. I have the VN800A model and what I wanted to do was:
1. Lower the bike with the kit from scootworks
2. cut another fender or purchase one for @$55.00 and cut & paint.
3. Get rid of the EPA crap on the carb.
4. go with drag bars or 1/2 Apes?
5. Solo seat, I think that this is what really makes the bobber look and wherecan I get one?
6. Make my own damn pipes because 400+ for pipes is crazy! The Drag look I figure to take the existing cut the pipes at the end just before the muffler and weld straight pieces on and do the wrap thing.
7. Take all the chrome off and go for the black matt finish. Like the Night Train.