Get's the Red out Plus Changes...47 Flathead

Time to lose the red rockers and star...

Disassemble...

One down...

One to go...

That's better...

Loose the red star...

Pop on a chrome one...

Put the wheel on temp...Installed a Ride control...

Ride Control assembly and install complete...

Stand back and take a look...good...Next...

Front Brake! Found a nice old chrome set up complete...

Cleaned up the drum and popped it on with some old chrome lugs...

Backing plate cleaned up and installed...

Wheel mounted with old chrome axle and spacer...

Spins like a dream...

All good to go on this side...

Need a few parts yet for this side

Another look at the Ride Control...

Now it's time to remove the Thoro Speed Shift...and here's why...It works, but I didn't like the way it had to be set up around the carb on the Flathead...also with the addition of the front brake there would be too much stuff on the Apehangers...levers and cables everywhere...and this way the brake lever can be installed on the left side where it belongs on a springer bike...Not to mention I have a '50 pan project that I want to run the Thoro on...so off it goes...

Complete Thoro Speed Shift deinstalled...

Now to install the tank shift and foot clutch...

But here's the catch...these old chrome 47 Knuckle tanks that I used on this bike had the shifter gate holes leaded over prior to chrome...So I'm gonna try it out without a gate and see how it works... Oh and I used an old Shmidts Phila PA beer tap handle as a shift knob...

If the gate-less approach is found to be ineffective I will gingerly grind out the lead and install the gate...that will be a bit hairy but what the hell...

Dug up a nice Old Chrome foot clutch assembly...

Popped it on and hooked it all up..

I took a spin down the road and went right through second into third...this gate-less approach might take a minute to get used to...next I need to get a front brake cable and lever installed...

Get's the Red Out...

About 10 years ago I re-did my old Flathead and went crazy with RED...Recently I decided to "tone down" the red a bit and change some stuff out...

  

I started with the seat in March...removing the sparkly red one and adding an old Bates solo...

OK better but...still a whole lotta Red...

A couple days ago I got the urge to rip around on the Old Apehanger and thought it a good time to tone it down some more...The red primary was a bit overpowering...so I figured the theme is Red and Old Chrome...I'll go with chrome...

Found a nice old chrome primary and fixed the "pulled in" holes by using a steel block underneath and a wide punch (bigger than the hole) from inside to bring them back to shape...easy and works well.

OK... Chrome Primary in place...adjusted the chains and went for a blast! Oh yeah, in case you didn't notice, I replaced the late model kickstand as well...

 Now...about that Red Rim...maybe later...

Halloween TT Racing at Rick Petko's Track...

Photo by David Carlo

Photo by David Carlo

Early in the day...

Josh getting around...

Billy still healing up did some spectating...

Josh's 45

Rick's 45

Nick's Knuckle

Greg's 45

Peanut gallery...

Baked on...

The track is big and sweet...

Oh yeah! My favorite turn...

Leigh ruined Jen's Sprint...Just sayin'

Jason and Jen arrived pretty late but Jason got his Knuckle out for a couple laps

Hey look out for the ...never mind...he'll figure it out...

Maybe a bit of a front fender next time...nah...

David Carlo and Rick

Nick givin' it a hosing...

Ahhhhhhhhh....

A few of us met up at Rick's on Halloween to try out the new track improvements...much longer and wider with plenty of dirt and mud. Leigh and I showed up just before 10AM...I was eager to get out there! It was me and Rick on the track in the AM...a few of the folks were out celebrating Mischief Night the previous evening so they showed up around noon...We blasted around out there for 4 or 5 hours and had a great time! How could you not!