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my 83 bobber project (with pics)

10K views 33 replies 14 participants last post by  kwickez 
#1 ·
so here is my 83 shadow bobber project, i wanna hear your comments and suggestions.....dont be too harsh, this is my first time doing custom work


this pic is the bike just the way i bought it
 

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#5 ·
i have always liked the left side with the license plate. keep posting the pics.
 
#7 ·
cool
 
#8 ·
Very nice. Is the new fender attached to stock mounts? I would also like to customize my '86 500 with a bobber look. What are you doing about the seat?

I might make a fiberglass seat pan and then cut a fender from a metal spare tire cover from a junkyard.
 
#14 ·
I hate to p**s on your parade but the way that fender sits it will rub on your tire. Best fix it while you still can by adding more clearance or get used to riding with your shocks turned all the way up. ;-)
 
#18 ·
you think it will? it may be hard to tell from the pic but i have a pretty good amount of room under there.
i sat the bike on the ground and had my buddy bounce on it (he weighs more then i do) and it didnt hit the tire....will the back wheel travel more when riding then it would just bouncing the suspension? im glad you brought this up before i go any further
keep in mind im a pretty small dude....i weigh about 145
 
#19 ·
ya know i didnt even think about that...good call. i bet that would work, just might be a little more complex trying to make it strong...
the exhaust was on the bike i just cut the angles on the pipes...im thinking about either wrapping them or using extra high heat paint and blacking them out...what do u think?
 
#17 ·
looking good, i would suggest trimming the fender back. looks a little large for the rear. Good job on the tank man.
 
#22 · (Edited)
No I don’t think it will, I can say first hand that it will. My fender sits at almost the exact same height (I can tell from the frame rails). I see (from the photos) that you made some of the same mistakes I did in setting the fender with the bike on the center stand (suspension hanging). I did the bounce experiment also and thought I had enough. Ruined my pretty & painstaking powder coating job in the first few weeks. Get yourself a golf ball sized piece of modeling clay and place it on the very top of your tire (12 oclock). Re-create your bouncing experiment, you’ll find you have a lot less than you think.

Ever wonder why a stock VT has so much travel space? (guessing 3-4+ inches) Because it uses it in real world riding.

Best bet is to give yourself a little more than you think you need, to be safe. Or mount it to the swing arm (as 83Shadow500 mentioned). I have seen this done and it turns out pretty trick. Google it and I am sure you can find examples & tutorials. Either that or hard-tail it like razor78016’s (sweet ride).

EDIT: I just checked and with the bike as upright as possible (not on any stand) and with no weight on it I have about 2 1/4 inch standing clearance. That’s with the shocks turned all the way up. Ideally I would like to make that at least 3 inches (at mid-shock level) to be sure, and then you never know (jumping railroad tracks :shock:).
 
#25 ·
I would cut the frame of behind the shock mount points (red), fab up some struts and mount the fender to the swing arm (blue) and then mount a new seat. This is all assuming you have access and know how to use a welder. And of course I have no idea if this is the direction you want to go. Do you have pics of insperational bikes that can show what your trying to go for?

Also if you want more of a softail look you can check out hondachopper.com. In the tech section they have a walkthrough on how to "Kong" your frame which lowers your seat height. NotE: this requires a welder as well.

All that said, love to see you chopping this up! I run a side mount on mine but I also like to sparto on top the fender look.
 

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#26 ·
Did you buy your fender at a trailer supply? thats where i got mine and they look like twins.. Mine is mounted directly to the swingarm. The PO had welded some mount points on the side, and also on the front part of the swing arm. I will try and get you some pics tonight when i get home from work. Lookin good so far.

My rear end

 
#27 ·
yeah good idea on mounting the fender to the swing arm, that way you can hug the tire close and not worry about anything hitting....ill look at that tonight and take a few pics from the side...i just got my seat in the mail yesterday so ill be able to ride it now!!
 
#28 ·
What are you doing with the exposed frame that the stock sissy seat covered? Is your new seat going to cover it?

I was just looking at my bike and noticed that part of the frame. Then I read your post again. I wanted my fender to sit close to the rear tire and have a bobber/solo type seat, but I don't know what to do with the exposed frame. I don't want to do any irreversible mods since I plan to sell this bike eventually and upgrade to a larger engine.

Chopped 02 Shadow , do you have a good, straight on side picture of your bike to show your seat and fender configuration, and how much room exists between the two?

Thanks
 
#29 ·
The mods the PO did to my bike are un-reversible. Never will this bike be able to go back to a stock fender setup, unless i can get a new frame.

Here is the best side shot i have. I can measure the distance if you would like when i get home.



This is what the bike looked like when i bought it.

 
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