If I could have my way I wouldn’t have even put any blinkers on my bike at all.  Not only did it mean  more wiring to try to stuff inside the frame, but,  to me putting big stupid looking blinkers on my otherwise clean looking bike,  just plain looked the shits. Unfortunately the guy who was doing the DMV inspection said he couldn’t rubber stamp it unless it had functioning blinkers.  So with that said, I set out on a quest to find the smallest set of turn signals in the free world.  I did find some fairly small bullet LED blinkers on Ebay but at 1 1/2″ inches long they were still too big for my liking.  A guy on Club Chopper’s forum recommended mini LED blinkers made by Big Bear Choppers. The weren’t bad but they wanted 140.00 a pair little bastards ….screw that!  Then one day I happened to run across a little Web store called  AutoIllumination.com. They have these really nifty little blinkers that measure in at a mere 7/16″ in diameter (They also offer 5/8″ dia). I did have my reservations about them but I at 4.99 a piece I thought…”What the hell ” and bought a set of 4. Two amber colored ones for the front, and  a couple of red ones for the rear.  The glass lamps are actually clear regardless of the color they are when they light up. The only way to tell the colors apart without power on them is by the label on the bag, so I took care not to mix them up.
Another cool thing about them is that they have resisters build right into the base of the bulb so no need to have to wire them in.

To mount them I went down to the local hardware sore and bought 4 small L brackets that came pre-drilled with a hole on each end. The only thing I had to do was drill the  hole that light was going into a little bigger, then give them a shot of black with a rattle can to match the black frame and trees. I mounted the front ones under the lower triple tree, and the back ones I put on the frame under the axle block. It was amazing! They were almost invisible. I challenged everyone who came into my shop to try and find them. Not - a -one person could find them. I had to show everyone where they were. I hooked them up to a solid-state blinker that had a self canceling function built it…Found that on ebay for I think it was 24 bucks..When it came time to test them, my expectations were really low. I didn’t think a set of LED bulbs that small would be very bright, but holy shit was I wrong. I was totally blown away by how bright they were. I was pretty amazing. In fact the inspector looked at me and said (and I quote) “Where the fuck are the blinkers…I can’t pass this prick without any blinkers.” When I walked over and hit the switch on the hand control, the whole site of the shop lit up. The look on his face was pretty funny.

So for those of you that want to make the big clunky turn signals  on your chopper disappear I highly recommend these little mini blinkers. You can check them out at http://autolumination.com/indicator.htm

250 wide tire Mutant About a month ago Alan sent in some photos of his 250 tire, Redneck Mutant rolling chassis. Now, about a month and change later, he has transformed his Redneck roller in to one badass looking hotrod Mutant Buell

Here’s the before picture of Alan’s 250 Mutant roller.

The one thing I don’t like about Buell and Sporter engines is the big dorky looking cam cover. As you can see, Alan has taken care of that by giving the one on his Mutant a trim job. Looks much better if you ask me.

A little while back I sold my Mutant Buell to a really good guy named Marc. While he really dug the look of the Mutant I built, his girlfriend wasn’t too happy with the fact that she couldn’t ride on the back. The stock Redneck fender is just too short for carrying a passenger . To make a long story short, Marc bought the Mutant from me with the promise that he would extend the fender so there was enough room for the little woman.
Marc being a man of his word, made good on his promise  and sent me the pictures to prove it.
Check the before and after pictures….

Before the Mutant Fender Modification

After the Mutant Fender Modification

Lots of guys write asking what year and model of Buell makes the best donor bike for a Mutant or any other custom. Here’s the basics to get you going. Most manufactures of custom Buell frames are made to mate with Evo style Buells 1991-2003. Some do carry frames that will work with 2003 and newer XB models, but they are less common and usually a little more expensive.

Should I go Fuel injected or carburated?
Buell tube frame models from 1996 to 1998, 1999-2002 M2 Cyclones
were equipped with carburetors and standard dual fire ignition systems.
1999-2002 X1 Lightning and the S3 Thunderbolt models were fuel injected. One of the biggest issues when building a custom chopper of any kind is hiding the wiring. Given that, you’ll want to minimize the amount of doodads on the bike that require power, switches as fuses. Fuel injection systems require a fair amount of wiring which is the reason why most guys opt for a good old fashion carburetor. If your donor is fuel injected have no fear…It’s pretty easy switch it over. All you need is a carburetor, a manifold, an ignition module and some fittings.

Which models have the best engines?
If horsepower is important to you, you’ll want a Buell donor with a Thunderstorm engine. The Thunderstorm engine made it’s debut in the 1998 limited production S1 White lightning. The high flow heads, 10:1 pistons, hi-performance cam, and hotter ignition had the Thunderstorm engine producing 100 plus horsepower right out of the box.
The Thunderstorm engine became standard in the 1999-2002 in all three models ( X1,S3,M2 ). So how do you know if the Buell your looking at has a Thunderstorm engine? The first thing to look at is the heads. All factory Thunderstorm engines came with black powder coated heads.

Front Ends
All 1996-1998 S1 and S2 as well as 1999-2002 X1 and S3 models came with the Showa inverted front ends. while all 1997-2003 M2 Buells came with the regular tube and slider forks you see on a stock Harley.
Both will work fine. It’s a matter of choice. Some like the modern aggressive sport bike look of inverted forks, while others like the old school look of a regular front end. Either way, both will work fine.

Wheels
All Buell models from 1996-2002 came with cast aluminium wheels. While most were powder coated to match the color scheme of the bike, some models like the 1997 S3 had polished aluminium instead. Not a big deal but something to consider.

Part one of a two part tutorial on padding and covering your mutant buell seat.
When working on your Mutant Buell project (or any chopper build for that matter), you’ll find yourself constantly looking for ways to save money in one area, in order to be able to spend a little more in another. Padding and covering your own bike seat is a good way to save some coin. It cost me all of about $50.00 to pad and cover the seat on my Redneck Mutant build. Not bad considering the quotes I got ranged between $200.00 -$ 400.00.

My first task was to find some good material to pad the seat pan with. I needed something that not only felt good on the ass cheeks, but was going to be easy to work with and shape. As luck would have it, I found exactly what I was looking for at Walmart in the form of a foam rubber camping mat. It’s just a 1″ neoprene rubber mat used to lay your sleeping bag on . It turned out to be the perfect thickness and density for a motorcycle seat, and, at the fraction of the price of what they wanted for the same chunk of 1′ closed cell neoprene rubber at a supplier. Now on to the business of padding the seat pan.

Start off by cutting the 2 pieces of neoprene rubber that will make up the first course of padding on the seat.
Cut them out so that there is a good inch overhang around the edge of the seat pan.

Before we go any further, make sure your seat pan is clean and free of any grease and oil. Give it a light scuff with a brillo pad and wipe it off with some brake cleaner or acetone to get rid of any oil or grease.
Now grab a can of spray on rubber adhesive, and coat the surface of the seat pan, as well as the bottom
of the two pieces of padding you cut for the first tier of padding. After applying the glue, let it sit for a few minutes until the glue becomes tacky. Now lay down the bottom part on the pan so that the edge of the rubber pad butts up against the back section of pan that sits against the fender. Now lay the back section of padding down. Because the back section of the pan is curved to the contour of the fender, the back section of foam tends to lift up. To remedy this, I took a couple of short bungee cords and wrapped them tight around the the back part, and let it dry for an hour or so.

Next, I cut the two pieces of neoprene that will make up the next two layers of the seat padding. Again, be sure to cut them so there is 1″ of excess material over the edge of the seat pan. Grab your spray glue and coat the top of the first layer of padding you applied, and the bottom of the piece you’re about to lay on top of it. Once the glue becomes tacky, lay it down on first layer of foam, pressing it down firmly making sure that it’s laying on top nice a flat. Now do exactly the same with the third and final piece.
It’s really important that all the layers are glued down tight and you have a good bond between them. To ensure that happens, I wrapped 4 bungy cords nice and snug around the whole works and let it dry for a couple hours before continuing on with the next step.


Padding your Mutant Buell seat pan continued

Using a knife with a long serrated blade, trim the excess padding off flush to the edge of the seat pan, using the outside edge of the pan as your guide. (As pictured below)

Sculpting the contour of the seat
Time now to put your artistic skills to the test. This is where you’ll carve out the shape of your seat. The goal is to make the seat flow with the curves of your bike, while at the same time, making it feel comfortable on the old keester. To achieve that, you need to approach the job like a sculptor. Chiseling a little, then stepping back for a look, chiseling a little more, trying it on the bike, taking it off, repeating this process over and over until you’ve got it just right.


As I said, you’ll approach the job like a sculptor, but instead of a hammer and chisel, you’ll be using a 4″ mini grinder with a sanding disc on it. I find that a 120 grit sanding disc works good. Start off by rounding the sides then work your way to the center. Keep your disc as flat as possible to avoid the disc grabbing and slicing into the neoprene. The key is to take your time, taking small amounts off at a time until you get the shape just right. You want the surface to be smooth with fluid curves. Any lumps or ridges will stick out like a sore thumb once you have leather stretched tight over it.

By the time you’re finished sculpting your neoprene seat padding, it should look something like the illustration above. The next step is to cover it with some leather, which will be part 2 of this tutorial.

How to Paint Hot Rod Flames on your bike

The basics of painting custom flames.

Materials Needed
3/4 inch masking tape
1/8 blue fine line masking tape
600 and 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper
X-acto knife
Orange and red paint for the flames
Black paint
Pre-cleaner
Touch up gun
Airbrush (gravity fed dual action preferred)
Clear coat/hardener
Variable speed buffer/ buffing compound.

Flames or any other graphics should be applied on top of an existing base clear paint job. Painting on top of a clear coat allows you to simply wipe off your flames and start over again should you screw up.

Step 1:
With your 600 grit paper thoroughly wet sand the clear coat on the part your about to paint.

Step 2:
With your fine line tape, lay out the shape of your flames, working from left to right. Use both hands to pull and place the tape into place, lifting it up and repositioning it when required. Be sure to pay attention to the over all shape and the balance between the positive space of the flames, and the negative space which makes up the background. If it seems tricky, don’t sweat it… you’ll get the hang of it with a little practice.

Step 3:
Once you’ve got the fine line tape in position and you’re happy with the layout, burnish it down thoroughly to prevent the paint from bleeding under the edges when spraying. This is especially important on the overlapping ends.
After the fine line is burnished down nice and tight, grab your roll of 3/4 inch masking tape and start masking off the negative areas carefully butting it against the edge of the fine line tape. Be careful not to leave any gaps between the masking tape and the fine line.

Step 4:
With the flames carefully laid out and masked, it’s now time to paint the flames. Mix up some orange paint and load it in your touch up gun. Spray on a couple of thin even coats, just enough to cover. Once the orange base dries, load up your airbrush and add some red highlights to the tips and outer edges of the flames.

Step 5:
Once the paint has dried, carefully remove the masking tape, pulling it in the direction away from the painted surface to avoid lifting paint from the edge of the flame. Once the masking tape is off, carefully remove the fine line tape, again, pulling in a direction away from the painted flames.

Step 6:
Dab some pre-cleaner on a rag, and clean the tape residue from around the flames where the masking tape was. It goes without saying but…Be super careful not to hit the freshly painted flames.

Step 7: Time now to bury your flames under some clear. Apply as many coats needed so that the flame job is completely covered. If you can feel the edges of the flame job through the clear when you run your hand over it, you’ll need to spray another coat or two.

Step 8:
Once the clear has dried, wet sand it flat with 600 grit. As you sand, ridges will appear in the clear. Keep sanding until they disappear and the clear is smooth and flat. Now wet sand it down one more time with 1500 grit.

Step 8:
Beg, borrow, or steal a variable speed buffer, a foam buffing pad and some buffing compound to bring your flame job to a gleaming mirror finish.

For a complete guide to custom paint and graphics go here

Thinking about building a Mutant Buell? You’ll want to get a copy of the Timothy Remus book, How To Build a Cheap Chopper . Featured in the book is a step-by-step build sequence, complete with photos showing how to build a Redneck Mutant Buell. I kept it in my garage and referenced it more than a few times as I built my Mutant Buell. Click on the link below to get it from Amazon.

How to Build a Cheap Chopper

Alan was kind enough to send in some early shots of his Mutant Buell project. Alan opted for the 250 rear tire with the sprocket/brake assembly on the same side leaving the left side open. He’s using a solid wheel in “brushed aluminum” to give the bike a hotrod look. [singlepic=49,320,240,,]
Here’s a shot of the donor Buell Alan used for his build. It’s a 1998 s1 Cyclone. It was a super clean one says Alan. He had a hard time butchering it…but he got over it.

[singlepic=46,320,240,,]
Here’s Alan’s project from last winter. A 1975 XS 650 Yamaha bobber. …Very cool.

You can check out all Alan’s bike pictures in the gallery below.
[gallery=7]

The basics of the do it yourself motorcycle paint job
How to paint your motorcycle or chopper

MATERIALS
Reducer
Lightweight Filler
Flowable Putty
Epoxy primer
Epoxy Sealer (Optional)
Base color Paint
Clear Coat
Sandpaper by grit: 80,120,400,600,1500,2000

PAINT BOOTH IN A PINCH
If you’re like me, you don’t have the luxury of a down-draft paint booth in your garage. Here’s what I did. I cleaned out a storage area that’s attached to the side of my garage. I lined the walls with white plastic, and installed a variable speed fan in the window. I then went around with a roll of insulation tape and sealed the edge of the fan to the surrounding plastic on the walls. Now onto lighting. After the first time you try painting something, you’ll quickly learn just how critical good lighting is. In fact when it comes to lighting, the brighter your paint area the better. A buddy gave me a couple four-tube florescent light fixtures, which I hung on either sides of my new paintbooth. It’s good to have reflective walls. Lining the walls with white poly not only saves your walls, but it’s also very reflective.

SAFETY
Before I continue, I want to stress safety. It’s a really bad idea to paint in a room that’s attached to your home. In fact, it may be against the law in some municipalities. Furthermore, paint fumes are not only super toxic, they’re extremely flammable. Make sure your fixtures are wired correctly, and that your fixtures are completely encased with lens covers installed. Last but not least, be sure you have a good quality respirator with the correct filters for the type of paint you’re using.

TOOLS FOR PAINTING
For tools you’ll need at least two paint guns, an air regulator with a water filter, a compressor, and of course some air hose. As previously mentioned, you’ll need 2 spray guns… one for painting primer, and another for painting base and clear coats.

PREP FOR PAINT
Make certain your fuel and oil tanks are pressure tested and leak free before you begin. Ideally, it’s good to sandblast your steel parts, especially if they have old paint on them. If you choose not to sandblast, be sure to sand them really good and wipe them down with a non oil-based degreaser before starting the job.

The next step is to apply filler to the low spots and any trouble spots. It’s a matter of personal preference, but I prefer to spray a coat of epoxy primer prior to starting the prep work. This gives a nice base for the filler to stick to. prepare your filler in small amounts (it hardens fast) and apply it smoothly and evenly onto your part.

After the filler has dried, sand it smooth with 80 grit and look it over for any low spots or nicks, then fill and sand again. After the necessary rounds of filler and sanding are completed, it’s time to prime.

Spray on a couple of coats of epoxy primer. After the primer has dried, get a spray bomb of black paint and very lightly spray it on your part. This is your guide coat. The thin black coat will show any ripples, low spots or defects in your prep work. To repair the trouble spots that the guide coat revealed, you’ll want to use a light finishing putty rather than filler. Apply the putty in nice even coats, then smooth it off with 80 grit sandpaper (wrapped around a foam sanding pad). Once you get the high spots levelled down, smooth it down even more with 120 grit, then finishing it with 400 grit. You’re now ready for the last coats of primer.

Once the primer is dry, sand it thoroughly with 400 grit to give it a roughed surface for the base coat to stick to. I like to lay down a coat of epoxy sealer just before applying the base color coat. In addition to providing a really nice surface for applying the base color, it also helps stop any solvents from popping through and causing bubbles in the clear coat. Be sure to follow the paint manufacturers specification sheets with regards to mixing times, mixing ratios and painting temperature. Failure to following the instructions will cause you much unhappiness…trust me.

BASE AND CLEAR COATS
Time for the color coat. Spray on the color coats as per your paint manufacturer’s tech sheet.
Now comes the clear. After the first round of clear has dried, wet sand it down with 600 grit. You’ll notice ripples appear in the clear as you sand. Keep sanding until the clear is even and the ridges are gone. If you’re painting graphics on, now is the time to do it. After applying the graphics,cover them with another round of clear. It may take one or more coats of clear to completely bury the graphics. Be sure to wet sand flat with 600 grit between coats of clear. After the last coat of clear is on, sand it down flat with 600 grit like before. When it’s nice and flat, finish it off with 1500 grit. If you want to get it crazy smooth, go for a final session of 2000 grit.

POLISHING
Now for the gratifying part. The final step is to polish it to a mirror finish. You’ll need a variable speed polisher, a buffing pad, and some polishing compound. There are many different kinds of buffing compounds available. Your local body shop supply store will be able to recommend a good buffing compound.

For in-depth detailed instruction click here