More on El Cheapo

A thought occurred to me today that El Cheapo probably isn't a good name for a bike that costs 5k. Considering tons of good XS650s and other great bikes can be had way cheaper. But, El Reasonably Affordable didn't sound too hot and five large for a trip-worthy, pretty modern HD doesn't sound out of wack when you compare it to a lot of stuff out there. At any rate, in about two weeks I'll be bouncing off the ceiling of that budget and about to start putting this thing back together. To make up some of it, I sold the fork to McGoo for his Hondabobbertracker project and I'm taking some of the leftovers to the Long Beach Swapmeet this Sunday to try and recoup a few beans. Tonight, some progress was had. I shaved one fork leg and ran out of flapper discs, so I tore the stock seat apart to see what the pan looked like. Totally useable, just needs some trimming. Also started in on the Biltwell Do It Your Damn Self Pipe Kit. Man, jigsaw puzzles were never this fun. I got the front pipe all cut tonight but will wait until tomorrow to tack it when I can borrow another set of hands (thanks, Chris). Because I don't want to take over this blog with my mediocre skills and ramblings, I started a Flickr photoset, so if you are REALLY bored and want to see what progress (or failures) I've made, you can check that out.


In other news, my friend Todd has finally finished a year-long project that proves craftsmanship is not dead.



Actually his carpenter neighbor proved it, Todd just bought the beer and hung out watching his magic. The end result is a wooden surfboard, albeit made from a kit, that is nothing short of art. Todd plans on hanging it in the living room (I"m lobbying for a special spotlight) and is scared to ride it. I think he has to get at least one session on this thing before it gets reduced to furniture, but man, I feel him, it is gorgeous and would be a shame to get a schnackle in it. You can see construction photos here, and the guys who provide the kit have a site with more to drool over here. What does this have to do with outlaw choppers? WGAF, these things are bitchin!