Yeap, I got the Bomber look, after a lot of fiddling, machining & grinding, here is the result, a gorgeous fat ass of a bobber. Went out for a ride yesterday night to Hilton with a friend. The bomber was absolutely a dream to ride, next up is to put the Blitz in it.
6 hours of continuous work, grinding, cutting, welding and the result is nasty 180 tire replacing the skinny 150. I have also decided to mount the original fender not shown in the below pictures. It looks like a G-String :)
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Just when you think that bikes manufacturers know what they are doing, you realize you are just another stupid consumer. Lets face it buying performance heads from a reputable company , such as HD, should make you feel at ease. However due to the commercialization of such items, some performance related issue seems to surface. I have posted a question on techtalk, to check the validity of my build and the guys feedback is amazing. Link
The combination I have installed on the Blitz, is powerful and effective, however does not live up to the Blitz Bomber reputation. Power delivery is smooth and linear but lacks that punch in the midrange. The cure is a set of heads, the last of their kind as HD has pulled them out form their 2009 SE catalogue, a larger 45mm Mikuni, to flow better AFR into the Blitz and effectively raising horsepower and torque beyond the below chart given my current cam.
Sound like a cosmetical surgery and as a matter of fact it is. I just received my new 16X5.5” outer rim. Its chrome, shiny and made in Japan. Took to the powder coating shop yesterday, unfortunately I know they will not be able to give that wet black finish, oh well this is the least of my worries. As my new spokes that were supposed to ship Fed-Ex end it up in APO which is going to set me back 2-3 weeks till finalization. The other challenge is fitting that 5.5 rim in the swing arm, some extensive grinding and machining need to be done. Hope this goes right. I want that fat 180 look.
The need for speed, an all time addiction, that I cant seem to shake. Although I am past 46, I am still a Deamon once I get on the saddle. So next thing you would say, why don't buy a Ducati or a Honda, it handle better and out perform a Harley and satisfy your need for speed. That’s true but I love my underpowered overweight behemoth, its a rush to see it cranking up more power. I mean Harleys are stereotyped as laid back old geezer bike. But Blitzy changes the mold, it delivers the goods and that torque is orgasmic, it lays the rubber on the red light like butter, yet does not take you to Mach 1. So how much is enough, it depends how deep is your pocket. I have an excellent cam on Blitzy but the set up is lacking that extra uuuumph. That elusive feeling of brute force is what i am seeking and power I will get.
In my previous post I ranted about the seat comfort on Blitzy, looks are unfortunately not always synonym with comfort. Its like a nice looking shoe that you cant wear all day. The cure was to purchase a Cross Bones seat from my aching butt. I guess this would relief me of any future agonizing pains.
Been quite lazy lately in updating this blog, mainly cause I have been busy with my career and secondly, the weather has gotten much better with more outings on the Blitz. Here is what happened since my last post, I have received my 180 new tire and wider fender. After visiting Pirelli in Shuwaikh, they managed 2 failed attempts in installing the new Dunlop on the 3” rim, the first attempt resulted in blowing my inner tube so did the second, obviously the narrow rim could not accommodate the wider tire. Yet again another failure, the solution to order a wider rim which will entail relacing the rear wheel. I found the rim, now I am awaiting the new spokes and inner tube, to make it all work. Mechanically the Blitz is a marvel, no hiccups from the powerful engine, for the exception of a minor leak from a defective clutch cable, what are the odds? Easy fix, using liquid nails I sealed the clutch cable preventing further spillage. The powerful torque has proved to be a nightmare, resulting in wheel slippage AKA burn outs under hard acceleration, accentuated by uncontrollable power slide under cornering. Its fun to deal with, but not when slippery. The front brake are not state of the art and still need a handful to stop, still looking for a new brake cylinder. The forks dive too low under hard breaking, more than I like them too, thicker oil needs to be filled. On the comfort level, the seat on long rides is a bit of a torture device so is the cramped seating position, need to install 3 “ forward controls.
That's a rap for this round, I will be posting about the new mods as soon as I get my parts.
I know been lazy lately with this site however the good new is that my parts are arriving this week, meanwhile I took the Blitz and headed out to Marina for breakfast at Zaatar wzeit then riding up the Gulf to Starbucks free zone, not bad for a second outing on the Blitz. A couple of hiccups, are yet to be ironed out, rear tire needs to be replaced with 180 as traction is lousy with power slides in every corner. A small oil leak has developed that needs my attention as well as the front brake cylinder feels mushy. The front forks needs thicker oil to minimize nose dive, minor stuff.
This has not been the best week in my calendar year. I have been pretty much in bad shape over the past couple of days. The weather has been fluctuating with a lot of humidity carrying loads of viruses in the air. To worsen matters, most of my stuff from the US is on back order and now I have to deal with a new employee at my supplier side making thing slower then ever. I am hoping to put the final touches on Blitzy soon, although to tell you the truth, I am not keen on driving these days.
Today I took the Blitzy to Salmeen's shop in Shuwaikh, the task is to manufacture a seat pan to hide Blitzy's wiring. The task is tedious, first off the designated area need to be shielded with tape. The bike had to be covered to protect from any resins drips. The fiberglass mesh was laid, then resins mixture was applied thoroughly making sure all the air in between the mesh was forced out. Second layer was cut and applied and the third using the same procedure. After 2 hours the pan has taken a rough form, its a matter of waiting for the resins mixture to dry, hoping it will be done by tomorrow.
After the first long ride on the Bomber a couple of issues considered minor, or major depending how you look at it, have surfaced on the bike.
Lessons learned after the first long ride:
Blitz Bomber is home and no!!! I did not get to have the test ride on Thursday, it was simply too hot and there are still minor issues to be fixed on the Bomber. Below is the latest set of Pics, soon I will be posting a video.
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This is a review of the first bike ride, after 3 month in the workshop, the green machine hits the pavement. Forget about carburetor, lights and whatever minor issues that popped up at the last minute. The main thing is to test the Blitz.
Ergonomics: Seating Position is leaning a bit forward, still comfortable, the springer seat needs some getting used , the pegs might need relocation two inches forward, I don't feel cramped with my 6 feet height, but a couple of inches will help, too early to talk about long haul comfort, this will need a trip of 200km to give you the final verdict.
On the road: The first thing that hit me is the feel of lightness that the Blitz have, all Harley's tip the scale at 300KG+ , not light in my book, however the bike feels nimble. The Blitz is stable with loads of clearance on both sides. the 16/150 up front a far cry from the original 21/90, gives it stability and begs for high speed cornering. negotiating curves at 120KM is a breeze, and no sign of flexing or wobbles. The rear end is the lightest part of the bike and has the tendency to slide if pushed hard, this is attributed to the relatively small patch of rubber the 150/16 a 180 section would have been better. Overall I like the frame geometry and if you really want to l know, I did push the Blitz to 170KM took my hands of the handlebar to check for any geometrical deficiencies. Verdict I am still here and writing this blog.
Bring on the horses: The Blitz engine has been rebuild, with 1550 high compression piston, Woods Cams, Alloy Pushrods, 42 mm Mikuni that sucks and high lift springs. Engine is a bit noisy but the exhaust note is gorgeous, the RSD 2-1 give the bike a nasty note once you flick that throttle open. The engine has loads of torque, easily spins the rear wheel at the red light, however power is delivered progressively and the torque is available on tap with in the whole power range. This is the 4th engine I build, and by far my favorite. Verdict too early to judge but 170km on the first day with lousy carb is not a sign of weakness.
Tonight I might take Blitzy out for a drive and see what it is made off.
A sort of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to large numbers of minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck. Unfortunately I do not believe in the theory of being jinxed, however I am a subscriber to the theory of challenges, when building a custom bike. Why am i raising this issue, its because Abdulla believes that the Blitz project is jinxed for the multitude of issues that have surfaced throughout the building of the bike. So whats new? Problem with my used carburetor bought used off eBAy a couple of month back. After readying the bike for the test drive and rolling it out to the street, it failed to start, even though the previous day there was no signs of carburation flow. The engine was starved and petrol did not flow to the cylinders, which prompted us to take it apart and clean it. The Blitz started, however the problem of high idle is still persisting making it a bit uneasy to drive. Furthermore the rear brake light is always lit due to some short in the wiring harness. overall Nothing alarming still a few glitches to iron out, this is expected in any build.
Blitzy is nearing D-Day, although this bike has been marred with tiny little issues and set backs that made me wonder sometimes what went wrong.
For starters
With all of the above we managed to pull it off and yesterday, we started the bike, running rough need to check ignition setting.
Things to do for today to close the project
I will start off this post by thanking Abdullah for 2 major things, the first is his kindness of letting me use his garage and the second is him landing a hand when I needed it most. Yesterday started off with a disaster as the Blitz brake was not keen on bleeding properly. Abduallah's ingenuity and perseverance prevailed, where I would have been bitching and cursing in multi languages, he really focused on getting this crappy pre- 2003 brake cylinder to bleed. I have to add that his skills in electrical trouble shooting are exceptional. OK this is not a brown nosing post but credit is given when credit is due, although Abdullah deserve a medal, he will settle for Sushi.
Talk about being jinxed... Harley-Davidson Motor Company is recalling 2008 FLTR. FLHR, FLHP, FLHX. FLHPE, FLHRC, FLHRSE4, FLHT, FLHTC, FLHTCU, FLHTCUSE3, FLHTP models. The recall is due to a problem with the cracking of the fuel filter shell. It may creates a loss of fuel pressure which could make the motorcycle fail to start or to stall in traffic when riding, with possibility of crash and injury for the rider. Harley-Davidson dealers will replace the fuel filter shell for free. Contact a Harley Dealer if they did not contact you yet and give them your VIN.
After my woos with the tank and dash I managed to develop a quick fix for the problem. Instead of cutting, grinding and welding. I managed to keep down to grinding and welding. I went down to Salmeen, found a piece of scrap metal and worked my way through manufacturing a rectangular piece of support. As usual Salmeen is very helpful in landing a hand when it comes to welding and practical advice. After 2 hours of work the console fits on the tank simplifying the task of repainting the tank, I hope I still finish the bike this week.
So I expected to wrap things this week, well guess again, things always tend to hit a brick wall when customizing. the Theory of interchangeable part went through the window. The cross Bones consol which fits the tank did not match with the mount on the tank, which means I will have to take my painted tank, grind the mount and reposition it 7 cm lower and repaint to match. will this bomber ever be ready!!!
On the other hand, i will never ship with Fedex again I ended up paying 76$ for Customs & Shipping.
Here we go, all the parts are here, no more excuses and delays to wrap up the project this week and bring it to closure. its been quite an uneventful week for the Blitz Bomber. My to do list is still extensive and should be done in a couple of days.
At last I got a copy of Iron man, I missed it at the movies and was still waiting for a clean DVD copy. This is not a movie review (although superhero cliche, I did like the movie). However what caught my attention was the two gorgeous bobber in his garage. After a thorough investigation it turned out to be a Pan Head from Zerobikes. Enjoy the Pics Link
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So I did decide to purchase the XBones few months back, although the Bones sits on a Softail Standard/Nightrain frame with Springer Front end, painted black with 96ci engine. I somehow felt that this Bike will not satisfy my needs in term of power and look. So why go with the flow and buy an assembly line so called bobber when i can build my own. Although I am 80% into the project, I believe I am on the right track and happy with the outcome of my work, the Bomber has an imposing meaner look than the Bones with a post war era design powered by modern day technology and enough power to pulverize any stock TC HD. Dark Customs get ready to be Blitzed.
It had to happen at a certain time and after 4 years of eBaying, I got scammed or more likely ripped off. I bought a triple tree from a vendor on eBay and got it shipped to a powder coating facility in California (BPpowder coating), after agreeing on the price and money was transferred via paypal, nothing showed up after 21 days. The logical thing to do was to raise a case on PayPal, the vendor response was simply to reverse the transaction and leaving me with no option of appealing as the case was closed. Now at a loss of 130$, I can only hope for ethical good will.
I got my fender today, great job on graphics however the tone is about 3 degrees darker. So back to the painter for final touch ups.
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Looking back at my initial plan the bike should have been on the road by now, however my challenges have been related to lost and delayed shipments.
Lets start with run down of what has been accomplished to date.
Rear End: Wheels came off a 2008 heritage, harley managed to change the bearing size and the hub for this year which resulted in some modifications to the rear pulley and spacer.
| Rear End
| Engine
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| Front End
| Body Work
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My seat and Old school air filter arrived today, it was a straight forward of installation for the exception of the air filter which needs some spacers. My triple did not show up yet, which really getting a bit frustrating as it is impeding the whole progress on the front end.
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