Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

[Gentabout]

I don't do bikes but can appreciate the engineering in them, but, that is a piece of ART that I could spend a lot of time looking at.


I came to this thread originally for the house but have stayed for the amazing skills shown and the brilliant storytelling, long may it continue as I look forward to your updates.

 

[civhatch90]

Finished bike looks amazing! Thanks for taking the time to write up the process and keeping us updated. It surely is a lot of extra work on an already tight schedule!

 

[kap384]

Wow! Such an incredibly cool and beautiful build!

 

[shirk]

Inspiring as always.

Soo many details.

Do you turn up your own countersunk washers? I've wanted to start using those on my mountain bike builds. Either figure out how to turn them on my little benchtop lathe or buy em.

 

[GeddyT]

I wish I didn't have to work this weekend. I'd be down there in a heartbeat!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Lovely craftsmanship. Definitely not my cuppa, but lovely work.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

The quality and the machining on these is really something and these are the hard coat finish which is a dark gray - so now I'm like Batman - I only work in black. And sometimes very, very, dark gray (that's for all the Lego fans).

Luckily, it works quite well with the Light Bluish Gray and Transparent Red fork bits.

What a fantastic bike. Plating + carbon = magic.

 

[sakurama]

So I made it to The 1 Moto Show Friday morning about an hour after it opened Friday morning - well after the Thursday load in. I was very lucky that Thor saved me a spot at the entrance where the bike could catch some light - it's a bit dark inside and the bike is dark.



The show is the largest of it's kind in the country and was started and is still run by Thor Drake who is a singular and jovial genius for devising ways to have fun. He wanted to have a show that wasn't a "custom" show, or vintage show or concourse show - but one that brought all the strange, varied and motley interests that he loved about the motorcycle culture under one roof: scooters, choppers, cafe bikes, rat bikes, dirt bikes - all of it. If it has two wheels and was cool it was in.

I've been very lucky to have almost every bike I've built in this show over the years and it's served as a great impetus to finish projects - nothing lights a fire like a deadline.

The other amazing thing is that it has such a variety of things; bands, art, cars, food, stunt shows, vendors etc. that even people who aren't interested in bikes come out. . Today is the last day so if you're local and haven't gone yet (which would be hard to believe as I think there's been over 20,000 people this weekend) you should head on over before 3pm.

I'll shoot some "nice" photos after it's out of the show and the dash is up and running. There's a few more things to sort but it's pretty much done and ready to have fun on.

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

So I've finally caught up on sleep from the whirlwind weekend. It was pretty amazing to see the response to the bike which was universally liked by pretty much everyone who took the time to stop and chat. It also won both of the peoples choice awards - done by phone voting or in person voting at the show and I don't even think the organizers were prepared for that.




So fantastic weekend and it means a lot to be recognized as a builder. The bike isn't complete yet - I need to complete the mount for the Tripltek tablet and the rear luggage rack from titanium and a few small odds and ends but it's pretty much done. Which feels great.

Gregor

 

[kap384]

So I've finally caught up on sleep from the whirlwind weekend. It was pretty amazing to see the response to the bike which was universally liked by pretty much everyone who took the time to stop and chat. It also won both of the peoples choice awards - done by phone voting or in person voting at the show and I don't even think the organizers were prepared for that.




So fantastic weekend and it means a lot to be recognized as a builder. The bike isn't complete yet - I need to complete the mount for the Tripltek tablet and the rear luggage rack from titanium and a few small odds and ends but it's pretty much done. Which feels great.

Gregor

Congrats! Well deserved!

 

[Gammaboy]

Hey Gregor, hope the Van is ok, glad it's been found!

 

[tjpavlov]

Hey Gregor, hope the Van is ok, glad it's been found!

Everyone should head over to his Instagram to check it out.

 

[Seagoon]

Everyone should head over to his Instagram to check it out.

Much as I like to hear Gregor's stories I shall go to Instagram when Hell freezes over.

 

[gasgas17]

Much as I like to hear Gregor's stories I shall go to Instagram when Hell freezes over.

I am with you on Instagram, twitter (for twats) and Tiktok. Mind wasters to the extreme. But I will click on a known cool link to some cool bike pics like this.... click the side arrows for more cool pics

 

[sakurama]

Much as I like to hear Gregor's stories I shall go to Instagram when Hell freezes over.

Ha, it is a time ****.

The story on Instagram was that my van was stolen from the driveway this morning (or late last night). They punched the ignition and drove about 2 miles away and then drove into a ditch.



I'm guessing it was someone on meth - they rifled through the pickup truck center console and emptied all the pockets of the van looking for something that they could sell. If they'd put it into four wheel drive I probably wouldn't have gotten it back in one piece. Portland is the number one city for vehicle thefts in the country because the police disbanded the auto theft division and they don't prosecute vehicle theft - there's no money to be made in theft recovery.

While 80% of the stolen vehicles are recovered eventually they're typically stripped. That's what happened when Ben's FJ was stolen a while back - it ended up stripped of the bumpers, rack and winch. That stuff really costs a lot and insurance almost never pays.

But I got lucky. In a way.

I have always been really relaxed about this sort of thing because we're so far away from the north side where this typically happens. I'm going to be more careful, lock things up and add a tracker and a hidden kill switch.

So that was the excitement you missed on Insta.

Thanks to those that helped put out the word.

Gregor

 

[kaymccampbell]

Glad you got it back mostly intact.

 

[Seagoon]

Ha, it is a time ****.

The story on Instagram was that my van was stolen from the driveway this morning (or late last night). They punched the ignition and drove about 2 miles away and then drove into a ditch.



I'm guessing it was someone on meth - they rifled through the pickup truck center console and emptied all the pockets of the van looking for something that they could sell. If they'd put it into four wheel drive I probably wouldn't have gotten it back in one piece. Portland is the number one city for vehicle thefts in the country because the police disbanded the auto theft division and they don't prosecute vehicle theft - there's no money to be made in theft recovery.

While 80% of the stolen vehicles are recovered eventually they're typically stripped. That's what happened when Ben's FJ was stolen a while back - it ended up stripped of the bumpers, rack and winch. That stuff really costs a lot and insurance almost never pays.

But I got lucky. In a way.

I have always been really relaxed about this sort of thing because we're so far away from the north side where this typically happens. I'm going to be more careful, lock things up and add a tracker and a hidden kill switch.

So that was the excitement you missed on Insta.

Thanks to those that helped put out the word.

Gregor

Thanks Gregor. Glad it seems to have worked out OK

 

[rk_tek]

I’m glad to hear you got the van back. Looks like it may have some damage, but it didn’t get stripped. I’ve dealt with meth heads showing up on job sites looking to steal stuff or sell stolen tools and I had one dump a vehicle while running from the cops.

Not that the van needs to be any bigger, but let’s see it get rebuilt as a Baja chase van for some bikes. Long travel, flares, fully kitted out (removable) tool boxes…

 

[Horror Business]

Much as I like to hear Gregor's stories I shall go to Instagram when Hell freezes over.

I wish I could hit the like button twice!

 

[GGB]

Glad to hear you got your van back relatively unscathed. It still ***** when something like that happens. Frustrating as hell!

 

[rabakoe]

All I'm hearing is that we're not getting a new Adventure Van build thread. Boooooo!

 

[sakurama]

All I'm hearing is that we're not getting a new Adventure Van build thread. Boooooo!

Ha, you're a funny guy.

The friend that picked me up to go look for it is an ex mercenary who came very prepared to wrest the van back if we found it - even I was surprised at the arsenal he brought. For me the worry was that it was going to get stripped of all the parts which I just don't think I'd have the energy to remake. I'm installing a tracking device, a remote kill switch and I'm going to try to find insurance that will replace it at stated value.

The interesting thing is that the kids last night said someone was parked in front of the house looking at the van and I was like, "Oh, no, not again..." I went outside to check and it was a neighbor. He asked if that was my van and I said, yes, and that it was stolen last night. He said someone drove it to his house, parked and then stole his ball hitch off his truck. Unfortunately the video of the person was too blurry to make out but clearly the plan was use the van to steal a trailer and a bunch of other stuff. Theft is pretty rampant right now.

As much as I enjoyed building the van I'm not keen on building it again. Much rather finish the roof rack and the rest of it.

Gregor

 

[bdking]

... He said someone drove it to his house, parked and then stole his ball hitch off his truck. Unfortunately the video of the person was too blurry to make out but clearly the plan was use the van to steal a trailer and a bunch of other stuff. Theft is pretty rampant right now...

When my Land Cruiser was recovered it had some trailer stealin’ gear that wasn’t mine in there- trucker sized come-alongs, a 4’ high lift jack, a couple of ball hitches, etc (along with meth debris required to motivate trailer theft.) The dude must’ve been high to think an FJ60 is the rig to tow stuff with.

FWIW State Farm was good to work with and covered most of the stuff that was stripped off my LC.

 

[bdbecker]

It is ridiculous how easy it is to break into F and E series vehicles of that era. My 2003 F150 was broken into in a hotel parking lot in Kansas City. It happened around 8:30pm. It was a nice hotel, parked under one of the lot lights in the front row, and in full view of the front door. When we watched the security footage, the thief casually walked right up to the truck and it took him no more than a few seconds with a screwdriver to get the door open - almost no different than if he had a key. He then sat in my truck for a minute or so looking through everything, hopped out and looked behind my seat and grabbed by bag of road tools, then shut the door and walked off like nothing had happened. Luckily they ended up catching the thieves later that night and I got all my stuff back. The police officer I spoke to said they hit something like 10 or 15 trucks that night.

I did a little research on how to prevent it from happening again and found this company:

PunchPlug door lock replacement

I had manual locks, so I couldn't install the kit - only useful if you have a fob or door keypad. If your battery goes dead, you'd also be in a little bit of pickle, but a call to the locksmith is easier than likely cheaper than having the vehicle/items stolen.

Glad it ended up working out for you Gregor.

 

[GeddyT]

Looks like it may be leaning a bit on the ladder that you made. Is that still in good shape?

 

[sakurama]

Looks like it may be leaning a bit on the ladder that you made. Is that still in good shape?

There's still a rock wedged in between the body and ladder but surprisingly the ladder didn't seem to get bent. It is very burly so perhaps it's not a surprise. It was a surprise that it didn't seem to hit the side - I think the tow truck guy was pretty good. He could have easily tipped it over I suppose but the weight is pretty low so maybe it was going to be fine.

Gregor

 

[Boostingaz]

I feel your pain. My F350 got stolen and subsequently recovered out in the middle of the desert on probably it's 3rd or 4th trip back from mexico. The thieves probably used it as a coyote vehicle was the police officers conclusion. They hit a barb wire fence and that's what ultimately stopped them. Both axles were completely wrapped in hundred of feet of barb wire and ultimately disabled it, along with all the blown out tires (which trashed the front fenders).

Door Lock Protection Plates Ford Super Duty F250 F350 F450 Excursion

I'd get the plates not the plugs.

 

[DeeDubz]

Glad they found the sportsmoblie. Kill switch is a good idea. I thinking about putting one on my truck. A buddy of mine at work recent installed one on his Acura.

 

[gasgas17]

I used to take my daughter to MX races in the province of Quebec to race in women's national events. Vehicle theft is pretty rampant there so we would remove the fusible link for the fuel pump and the starter while at the hotels. Another family we knew from our region stopped at a restaurant for supper in Quebec after driving 8 hours from New Brunswick and one of the guys ran back out to get his wallet 2 minutes after they went into the restaurant and the parents brand new diesel truck, cargo toy hauler and 4 MX bikes where all gone. 4 sad teenagers stranded 8 hours from home.

 

[Dr Klaun]

Glad to see the bike make the show but sad to hear about the van theft. With the lack of PDX cops doing anything it would seem that folks taking care of their own business could get messy... I find the erosion of general civility allowed by public officials very disturbing (meaning not investigating this type of thing). Insurance is the thing though - you can get coverage for whatever level you need / want (I am not an agent...). On a side topic, for those of you with the big shops with tools, etc. better take a close look at what your current coverage is vs. current replacement costs and values. I just upped my house, etc. by close to 50% due to material inflation if there was ever the need to file a claim. I feel that most folks haven't looked at this stuff in a while and could get screwed.

 

[Boostingaz]

Glad to see the bike make the show but sad to hear about the van theft. With the lack of PDX cops doing anything it would seem that folks taking care of their own business could get messy... I find the erosion of general civility allowed by public officials very disturbing (meaning not investigating this type of thing). Insurance is the thing though - you can get coverage for whatever level you need / want (I am not an agent...). On a side topic, for those of you with the big shops with tools, etc. better take a close look at what your current coverage is vs. current replacement costs and values. I just upped my house, etc. by close to 50% due to material inflation if there was ever the need to file a claim. I feel that most folks haven't looked at this stuff in a while and could get screwed.

Very true regarding current replacement cost insurance. Good advice here!

I am working right now on a house that caught fire and he had his dwelling coverage from many many years ago set at roughly 180k with no extended percentage adder. The repair quoted out at 230k plus any change in materials that take place. So we are really talking more like 250k+. So he would be 70k+ out of pocket to rebuild. He is selling and waking away, it's an investors feeding frenzy here and he will walk with way more money If he doesn't fix it. But that's not always the case.

So yes, this is very good advice indeed, listen to @Dr Klaun

 

[sakurama]

So after the show I had to pay the piper with a few weeks of work - and I'm still working on those projects but I needed a some shop therapy time and there was still the nagging issue of the tablet on the bike that needed to be solved.

For the show I made a small plate that just bolted the Tripltek to the dash - it was good for the show since no one could walk off with it but for me I want the ability to remove the tablet and take it into a restaurant or my tent or whatever. So how do you hold a tablet or rather what sort of ways can hold something valuable firmly but still make it easy to take off?



The tablet's only mounting points are four m2 nutserts in the back cover. I'm dubious of their holding power but I'm usually surprised by the strength of bolts in shear and there's four. My first thought was a tripod head mount. If I trust a $10k camera to these tiny french cleats of aluminum surely they can hold a tablet. I cut out and milled a small 1/8" (3mm?) plate with a recess to allow a standard head to grip it.



There's also a pivoting tilting head used for video so I bought one of those as well - I know I could machine all this myself but why reinvent the wheel? My goal is to get the tablet mounted, low profile and be able to tilt it so it faces me if I'm standing or sitting, or just to adjust for glare, and to easily remove it. I ended up cutting up several cheap mounts to get to here.



It's interesting to break things and see how they work. I ended up having to buy a lot of very small fasteners that I don't typically use: M2, M3 and M4's. If I need something I don't have I tend to buy more so I have it for next time. My shop is very well stocked and the realization of many years of work.



Since the tablet is so large, much larger than any camera as far as foot print, I needed to make a new, longer knob to close the mount. The mount that I'm using is called an Arca-Swiss style and it's simply a pair of french cleats or dovetails that clamp. Simple and elegant. The knob is just simple aluminum which I dressed up by using my indexing head and a ball mill like I did when I made the knobs for the Naim amps.



I had to do a fair bit of machining to be able to keep it all low and tight.




Including cutting out one of the receptacles for a light or switch so that the knob could clear the return. Bead blasting aluminum makes everything look so nice and professional. And so do ball end mills and chamfers.



It remains to be seen if the friction of the tilting mechanism is going to be enough to hold the tablet. Ideally I think you'd want to remake the whole top dash panel and inset the tablet slightly with a pivot in the center. I spoke to the Tripltek folks and got them to send a tablet to Dimitri from Aurora and he's going to probably machine a CNC perimeter case that would eliminate the four M2 screws and give a lot of protection. From there the case would be bombproof and very suitable for motorcycles so perhaps this will help make tablets an easier option. If this happens Mikael you are the reason.



The tablet is running Drive Mode Dashboard for the launch screen. I have purchased and installed the OBD dongle which should wirelessly send diagnostic info to the dash but I haven't gotten that dialed in yet. I did install a black brake fluid resevior on the bars in place of the ubiquitous clear ones that always look like urine samples.



The final part of the equation is this bluetooth controller which just runs off the bikes power but links to the tablet seamlessly. It's a lot of controls over on the left side of the bars but so far I'm loving the ability to move the map around with my thumb and not having to rely on the touchscreen.

This week I need to find a good location to shoot the "beauty" shots of the bike and get them finished and then right up a story for Upshift about the build. At some point I'm hoping to head out to Mosko Moto and pick up some new luggage for the bike as well. Ben and I and maybe a couple of other folks are planning on taking a week to do some exploring in eastern Oregon in two weeks which will be the bikes first real test.

I have ridden the bike around town a little bit for some shake downs and it's really amazing on many levels. The tower is fantastic and really transforms the bike - being clear and open it's sort of like having no fairing and wind protection at the same time. The power the bike makes now is bonkers - it's just effortless to wheelie in almost any gear. It's nothing like what I started with - a complete transformation.

Lots of things are happening - hopefully this week I'll be able to say more.

Gregor

 

[dchasins]

Wow. That's all I can say. I've lurked on this thread for a long time, and have learned a lot, and found a lot of inspiration for my own, more modest projects. Thanks for sharing so much.

 

[burger]

Gregor, Thank you so much for sharing. This thread is one of the best on the webs.

 

[burger]

Pictures are as always beautiful. You’ve clearly got that down!

 

[burger]

Also

You’re creating an adventure motorcycle that manufacturers should make. You’re way ahead and all manufacturers should all have a good way to mount a tablet.

 

[dznnf7]

I really hope the Thork/DMD/Carpe Iter/Tripletek venture doesn't fall victim to supply chain and development issues. It truly deserves to revolutionize the industry. This is a great way to put it on the top of a lot of lists!

 

[sakurama]

Also

You’re creating an adventure motorcycle that manufacturers should make. You’re way ahead and all manufacturers should all have a good way to mount a tablet.

Thanks. I feel like it really makes sense.

I really hope the Thork/DMD/Carpe Iter/Tripletek venture doesn't fall victim to supply chain and development issues. It truly deserves to revolutionize the industry. This is a great way to put it on the top of a lot of lists!

I think Dimitri, if he manages to make a good mounting system, will help open the doors to the tablet market. Carpe-Iter has a tablet that seems good but it's a lot more money and doesn't seem as flexible.



I did my first real ride on the bike out to Mosko Moto to fit the bike for luggage. It was a bit of a disaster as the bike seems to have a fueling issue with regards to the Power Commander. I think a wire has come loose or something but the bike went into limp mode and the fueling below 5000 was just horrible - like it was running on one cylinder. I've called Rottweiler but they've not gotten back to me and I have zero time to look at it right now so I'm going to take it to our friend Rick who's a local independent KTM mechanic. So, looks amazing, runs like **** right now...

The reason I have zero time is because, after 8 months, Judiaann and I finally came to a resolution. She never really wanted the house - it's nothing but work and projects but it's taken a long time to realize that. We signed a contract, I have financing lined up and I'm working my *** off to get the house cleaned up for the appraiser. If nothing goes wrong we should close by the end of the month.

The house needs work and buying it is going to be a stretch but it's the right move and I feel re-energized about it.

This summer I plan to replace the roof, skylights and the rotted beam ends. I will need help. If you're interested in working for pizza hit me up.

Gregor

 

[gearhead1960]

Gregor,

If you were down the street from me, not 3,000 miles, I would be there. SWMBO might also frown on taking vacation without her. She doesn't do construction....

 

[nicholam77]

Gregor,

All of your projects are interesting and enjoyable to read about, but the house has always been my favorite. Personally I am very happy to hear it will live on, with you as its custodian. It is the name of the thread after all! The KTM build came out amazing.

-Nick