Ryan's A.M.C.A. Giveaway bike build!

[schmittm]

Wheel lacing

Matt, pay attention when you start lacing your wheels. The 16" Kelsey-Hayes for the front wheel has a different angle on the nipple holes for lacing the brake drum into it with the 20 short spokes, and the direction of the outside row of spokes is different than the star hub wheel used on the back.

Good luck, we're expecting pictures of the results as usual.

mike

[jwl]

Hey Ryan, Has Matt tried to talk you into using a few parkerized spoke nipples?? If not, it's just a matter of time. Ask him about mine.

[Ryan Mackey]

Hey Ryan, Has Matt tried to talk you into using a few parkerized spoke nipples?? If not, it's just a matter of time. Ask him about mine.

No he hasn't yet. I will have to ask him tomorrow.


Well it was a long day and we got a lot accomplished. First I am going to need your opinions. We started on the exhaust today and I found this really cool looking muffler in Carl's stash that I want to use. My question to you guys is should I run a square muffler?...


Or a diamond muffler?


All opinions would be greatly appreciated. I would hate to pick the wrong one and totally ruin the whole look of the bike.

After I spent a lot of time thinking about that I worked on the switch. It sat to high on the dash and was also not parallel with it.


So I chucked the spacers up in the lathe and faced them so that it would fit flush with the dash all the way around. Here were the spacers after they were done on the lathe.


And here is how it sits now.


Tonight was really productive. I worked on making the crossover shaft that the foot pegs and brake will mount on. The left side will be the same as stock but the right will have to be modified. Here is the round stock that I started with in the lathe ready to be made into something.


And here it is after I turned it down and put some threads on it. The stock one is on top.


While I was doing that Carl was working on machining the backing plate for the air cleaner. This is the piece of aluminum that he started with.


After a bit of machining, here is what he came up with. Check out that power cone!!


While Carl and I were using the machines, Matt was working on my brake pedal. He shortened it and then cut a hole to fit a tube that I machined to fit bushings in that will fit over the crossover shaft. It should be a really clean deal.


I can't believe that tomorrow is my last full day out here in South Dakota. We still have a lot of work to do so it will be another long day but hopefully we will be able to finish everything up.

[DuoGlide62]

Ryan, you asked for opinions on the muffler. To me, a square or diamond shaped muffler would work if you had square wheels. I mean, it's like a square headlight. (square ) Why use it ? Just to be different ? Traditional bobber should be traditional. (IMO) It's your call but that's just my opinion.
Great job so far. ...Rick

[schmittm]

Cool(?) looking muffler

I found this really cool looking muffler in Carl's stash that I want to use. My question to you guys is should I run a square muffler?...

Ryan, if that muffler was really cool it would be on one of Carl's bikes, believe me. It belongs on a hard-tail Triumph chopper with "Z" bars and a coffin shaped gas tank, not on a WLA Bobber.
I agree with Rick, throw it back in Carl's junk pile and find something round that matches the rest of your bike.

jmho

mike

[schmittm]

Carl's Cycle Supply accessory sticker

and the next sticker available from Carl's Cycle Supply should say something like "Come Out & Play....Ride a WLA"

But he better ask Todd first about using that picture

oh, I forgot to mention that the girl on the WL has your muffler, you should ask her where she got it.....

[Chris Haynes]

oh, I forgot to mention that the girl on the WL has your muffler, you should ask her where she got it.....

She got it from a K model. Like the one I am putting on my Knuck Bobber.

[Ryan Mackey]

I appreciate all the feedback on making my decision. I am leaning more towards diamond. After all diamonds are forever, right? Since you guys really didn't think it flowed with the bike, I also dug up this pretty little piece to put on the end. You can't say that doesn't scream cool!


Inbetween working on the exhaust, this morning we got the air cleaner cut down. A stock one is on the left and the right is mine. It helped to narrow everything up so that the clutch could be tighter to the bike while still being comfortable for me to use.


Here it is on the bike.


I got the front wheel all laced up. It took a few hours of work to finally figure out that the repo nipples are slightly bigger than stock and do not have enough clearance to lace the spokes properly. After I drilled the holes out a little bit, it only took about 15 minutes to lace it. Now I know for next time!
Here is the brake side laced.


And here it is all done


I have about 9 hours left to work before I have to head to the airport. Its crunch time!

[schmittm]

WL 16" Front Wheel Spokes

Ryan,
You didn't read the head's up I posted earlier about lacing that front wheel. You laced the wheel the wrong way. On a 16" front wheel the outside row of spokes go in opposite directions, just the opposite of a star-hub wheel. Instead of drilling or wallowing out the nipple holes (dangerous in my opinion) you should have used a long taper bar to tweek or bend the nipple holes to a flatter angle so that the short spokes would line up better with the spoke holes in the brake drum. I guess its a done deal now, but it ain't right.

mike

oops, I forgot to mention that the upswept scalloped fishtail IS cool, go with it!

[Matthew N. Olse]

Mike,
Both of the wheels on Ryan's bike are laced up to 18 inch rims, not sixteen inch rims as per your advice. Ryan reffered to the palmers book for instructions on lacing his front wheel, and double checked with an old original wheel that I have had forever.

We had to make the holes in the rim bigger by .020 of an inch, because the repro nipples were a little to big. I appreciate your input, but if I thought it wasn't safe I wouldn't have let him do it. With your advice in mind, I will check the nipple holes for cracks after they are trued up.

[schmittm]

WLA Front Wheel

Matt,
Trust me on this one, get Palmer's book back out and reread page 101. The lacing is the same for both 16" and 18" wheels and the front wheel is opposite the back wheel.

I've been down this road too many times fighting the curse of repop rims, NONE of the repops have the correct nipple angle for lacing a brake drum into a front wheel. If Ryan had problems trying to lace that front wheel into an OEM rim it is because he was trying to lace it in the wrong direction (but, the pictures show he had the brake drum side laced in the correct direction, the spool side is going the wrong way). Is that an OEM rim, or a repop? If you got the repop from AAOK it probably is bad, they will be the first to admit (when you hold their feet to the fire) that nobody makes a decent repop front rim for a WL or WLA, either 16" or 18".

Next thing, the Buchanan spokes and nipples will work just fine in a repop rim if you tweek the nipple hole in the rim with a long taper bar and bend the opening for the short spokes a little flatter and aim it towards the brake drum. You shouldn't have to drill out the holes, just adjust them a little so they point in the right direction.

Ryan's wheel is laced wrong, but it looks good. Usually the short spokes will bow a little when installing stainless spokes in a repop rim but Ryan's spokes look straight. As you said, inspect it closely after truing it and keep an eye on it after it has been in service for a while.

mike

[Ryan Mackey]

Matt and I spent the rest of the night just getting things finished up. Matt gave me some wheel rings that he makes. They are normally chrome, but we got them powder coated black to match the bike. I think they will look really cool. Here is what the front wheel looks like stock


And here it is with the wheel ring.


We ran out of gas for the welder so there are still some things that need to be done when I get back like finishing up that killer exhaust and a few other small things. We were able to get a lot done on the brake pedal though.


I have had a blast on this project and can't wait to come back to finish it up. Luckily I have things to do still while I am gone like working with Larry on the paint and going to the Wheels Through Time museum and building the transmission. It's been a crazy fast five weeks but keep checking in here as I will try to post periodically on the status of everything.

[Paps]

Mike is correct Ryan and Matt... Those spokes are laced incorrectly. Though the rim and hub pictured below are 16" oem components, 18" lace up the same direction. Look closely at the inner spokes on this wheel. The inners are opposite each other. Paps

[Chris Haynes]

Is that an OEM rim, or a repop?

It was an NOS WLA front rim that I donated to the project.
Here is how the MoCo laced them. Outside spokes goung left and inside going right.

[Paquette]

Ryan--I have sent you a PM--Michael--6671