Black and Bouncy

Two wonderful adjectives when pertaining to my front end or my wife's luscious boobs. Both of them make me smile and tingle with delight. BOOING! I have sold the abandoned Bandit project and moved on. The sale of PB and Dos provided the windfall of money that brought the new parts home. I am speaking of the DNA +4 Springer Front Fork Assembly that will suspend and steer the chopper. I have purchased a major piece of the puzzle and it feels good.

I still retain the front end that came with the motorcycle. In my eyes, all it is good for at this point is rolling around other chassis. Years of sitting outside ruined an already too long front clip. A rigid front end that would snap like a twig if ridden upon.

I had cleared the workbench the night before. Upon pulling into the garage mere seconds passed before the box was out of the back seat of the truck and lie emptied upon the bench. Like a kid on his birthday I unwrapped the fork and set aside the small pieces. Deftly I removed the top nut, top tree, and bearing nut and set them down on the stand. The forks weigh more than the empty frame does. This is important because the attached chassis is longer than the work stand. I had to hold the fork in place with one hand and set the top with the other. This took a little time as I have no intention of scratching it. Fortunately my son was nearby to steady the back of the frame as finished fastening the fork down. The hands free, step back look was impressive.

Beholding the line I was after, I knew I had chosen the right length fork. With the frame at a level stance, the old front axle sat lower than the bottom frame rail. This kicked the bike at an uphill racer angle. A classic chopper line without a doubt, but it's also a huge factor as to why choppers handle so poorly. I like mine long and low. The frame will remain much more parallel to the ground with the springer. The frame has a 38 deg. rake so the front still sticks out, I have improved the geometry of the bike. Lower Center of Gravity (COG) and better front to back weight distribution. Top end oiling will be less of a problem with the engine sitting flat as well.

Now I need wheels.