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99 Vulcan 800A Bobber project

251K views 581 replies 72 participants last post by  IMB4U 
#1 ·
Alright. So on Friday I will be picking up a Vulcan 800A for my third bobber project, well really second, the classic I did wasnt really a bobber but was merrly styled after one. I am starting this thread to document its progress along the way. I will be working consistantly on it throughout the winter, hopefully done for riding season 09. Here are pictures of the first two.

 
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#6 ·
I just picked up the bike today so the plan is moving along, I will take a picture of the bike tomorrow, it is dark right now. I dont really have a preference A or B. The plan is as follows: Right now i have a VN800B which is the second picture on my first post. I am taking the wheels off of that and putting them on the new bobber project. Taking the wheels off of the 800A and making the classic have the 21" wheel. I am going to mod the classic front fender by taking about an 1" or so out of the middle to make it skinnier. Then taking the new 12" fatty apes i got for the classic and making the wires internal. The classic will be done. Now the VN800A will have the 16" red wheels white wall tires, I am now in the process of buying a sportster tank cap and petcock, dirt bike style handle bars and grips, adjustable lowering kit for the rear, solo rear fender, solo seat, side mount plate and tail light and what ever other ideas i may come up with along the way. Now this is a fresh start so any input would be great.
 
#10 ·
So the 21" wheel is on the classic. I actually had to swap out the fork tubes because the base of the fork tubes on the B and A are differant so in order for the axles to fit the swap had to be done. I also had to switch the brake calipers as well. The front of the B now has to be dropped an 1" or so so the fork covers cover the dust guards. Next I have to mod the classic fender to fit around the 21". Now for the bobber project I have the front wheel installed. I have some pictures which will be uploaded tonight.
 
#16 ·
I hear ya, thought about it after the post and slapped my head, ha Just going to do a flat black on the bobber nothing crazy. I am going to take a picture of the classic and the way the bobber sits after work today.
 
#17 ·
You should think of doing something different with this bike unless you are just dead set on what you got in your head. Your first two bikes were like that and obviously you know your way around the bike with the work you did in the first two so you could really do somethin with this one. These bikes are so versatile. Just my opinion but yours is all that matters. Do it up.
 
#18 ·
Ok, so I have purchased the Handlebars, Solo seat, side mount plate and tail light, and the rear fender. Now i just have to wait for them to come in. In the mean time I took apart the bike. I also snapped some shots of the Classic while i am also doing some finishing touches on that during the "bobber" project









 
#19 ·
So, when I pick up the sportster tank, it was mentioned that the vacuum lines would have to be blocked or cut off? I noticed that the sporty tank only has a petcock, how is this hooked up so the gas does not keep pouring in the carb when at a stop light or a short or long stand still.
 
#21 ·
Ok so I have a couple of questions moving forward here, So along with shutting the gas off when you shut the engine off, how are the vacuum lines blocked? I just run a line from the petcock to where the line goes now? And if you look at the last picture of the Bobber project, on the forks there are metal covers covering the dust guards, I have no idea how those come off? And why does the first picture always show a link instead of the picture I copy and paste it the same as the others. These are just some questions I would love to have the answers to. Thanks
 
#22 ·
Can't help you with the fork cover or petcock, but that first picture probably didn't copy & paste properly... just go back and edit that post, make sure the IMG and brackets are around both ends of the string, and if you have to just copy and paste it again. You can always check if it worked by clicking on "go advanced" and then "Preview Post"... that should do it.

(I've heard of a lot of people asking about those fork covers, I'll be glad to see when you finally get an answer...)
 
#24 ·
Thanks for the advice i'll use it moving forward on this project, any idea about how to set up the gas line? I predicted this project taking a few months, but once the parts are in i have a feeling it wont be long at all. ha
 
#26 ·
well yeah you still have to change the axles, but the hubs are the same so bearings will fix that. How are you gonna paint it?
So you're saying that in order to put the 21" wheel from an A onto a B, all you need is the 21" front wheel from the A with the bearings from the 16" wheel of the B in it, and the axle from the A model and that's it? If the axle is a different diameter how does it work with the fork legs?

Sorry for going on about it, but I'm just trying to figure out if the wheel swap using A parts is easiest, or just taking the 21" rim and spokes from the A and relacing them to the hub from the B.
 
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