From cruising to bobbing - because IT guys CAN DO ironwork

Recently, we have been experiencing real admiration for AI and the possibilities of Chat-GPT-3 (vide posts of Andrzej Sobczak , Pawel Plowiec or Tom S. ). What such AI platform can generate leaves many questions in my head: from what I can use it for, to how the latest future will shape in various industries. Because the new Chat GPT-3 is so good that basically this post could be entirely generated by it .... if it wasn't for the fact that no AI can replace good, old-fashioned ironwork ??

Oh, by the way - this post is not intended just to brag or inspire, but I also have a few questions to specialists (last paragraph entitled "Questions for specialists").

But first - let me share you my story "From cruising to bobbing".

A little bit of context

Somewhere around 2014, I fulfilled my childhood dream: I bought my first motorcycle. And not just any - a cruiser! Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic (manufactured in 2002). A beautiful machine with an aggressive engine and a wonderful sound (after making a few holes in the exhausts ??).

The machine had an original painting and made many people turn their heads to check it out both in the city (Warsaw) and on the road (Romania, Ukraine). It worked well both in single and double (with my wife).

However, since my first child was born (2018) I have rarely driven it. Too rare. And never with a passenger. Since the upcoming 2023 season should be kinder to me, I decided to prepare for the season. After the cruiser, my dream was to have a bobber (a type of moto with a cut back). I didn't want to sell the Vulcan (this engine is indestructible and doesn't use much oil), and at the same time this year's budget does not allow to send it to someone else's hands. So I figured I'd do it myself! It is true that my father always criticized me for being all thumbs, but he always said so and it was time to finally free myself from it and prove he was wrong.

First: the plan

It was simple. I took a photo of my motorcycle from the side, and then in the graphic editorial program I trimmed the fender in various ways. I selected a few designs that I liked the most, and then I gave the graphic below for evaluation on my social media. There was 2 reasons for doing that:

1. Sometimes a second glance or someone's eye can notice something I have not seen before
2. I was hoping that maybe someone knew about a formal regulation that prevents such and no other formation of the back.

After consultation, the choice fell on the 1-1 design (row 1, row 1). So it was implemented.

Execution

I used a simple angle grinder and metal discs (cost me around PLN 200) to cut everything out.

Cutting off half of the rear fender was trivial (even though the fender is reinforced because the weight of the passenger and seat was supported on the fender without any additional brackets).

The most difficult, however, turned out to be profiling. But I don't think it turned out badly... (picture below)

Although it could be a bit better on internal angles with chamfers (picture below). I thought about smoothing these edges with some tapered rotary files (the kind you put in a screwdriver or drill), but I only had those for wood and I thought it would be a pity to damage them.

Assemble

After trimming, I put everything back together. The plate with the registration number has been moved to the left side. Initially, I thought to put it above the wheel, but then its angle of inclination would be inconsistent with the law regulations (the regulations allow the board to be tilted by a maximum of 30 degrees in each axis, from 90 degrees to the ground).

There is a lot of space above the wheel. This is because the wheel is still cushioned (many bobbers have a rigid suspension and then the cushioning is transferred to the driver's seat - however I don't like this design at all).

For comparison - the plan on the left, the execution on the right. I don't think it turned out that bad ?? (slightly different photography account, but I pay attention to the smooth transition between the chrome fender handle and the new fender profile)

Electrics

Ah, and there's still an element of electricity left. Throwing out half of the fender, I had to give up the original lighting and wiring (which by the way was already of average quality). Therefore, I had to do the rear electrics practically from scratch - new harnesses, new connections, new lamps. I learned a lot then (and I already understood what my mechanic meant when he told me a few years ago that I should connect the USB charger to the lamp and not directly to the battery ??).

I admit that it came out nicely, and the rear of my vulcan looks beautiful!

Questions to the specs

If there are any motorcyclists here who like to tinker, then ask for a hint.

Questions for the picture below:

Question 1: How/with what to seal the screw holes?

Question 2: The fender is badly scratched (and there is even bare metal in one place). In other words, I have to give it all for varnishing or maybe there is a way to order paint in the color of the fender and paint it myself?

Question 3: These screws look nasty. Are there any nice screws or ones that don't stick out much? Or at least how to camouflage it elegantly?

Questions for the picture below:

Question 4: How to protect the cut fragments of the chrome fender brackets and the fender itself against corrosion? Is it just paint or are there any special preparations?

Question 5: Do you have any clever ways to camouflage those black holes left after cutting the side supports?

THE END