American Iron Garage – July-August 2019

(Barré) #1
ISSUE 419 • GARAGE BUILD • 43

Next was the installation phase. But the act of actually
installing parts was really just one step of a long and ardu-
ous process since most of the parts he would install had to
be fabbed. “The options out there are expensive,” Shane
reveals. “And nobody really makes anything for this bike.”
For example, he made some old pieces of stainless
sheet metal into a battery box that he installed under the
seat by tapping holes into the frame. And mandrel bends


now make up the pipes, which have some tractor exhaust
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The rear fender, while a fender, came from a trailer, not a
motorcycle. Shane mounted this onto brackets which he weld-
ed to the swingarm to obtain the closest tire clearance possible,
which he did, but Shane still cut the fender. “I wanted it to
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There were instances, though scarce, when Shane bought
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into which he tapped holes and drilled (using his makeshift
jig). To the bracket, he welded a hinge. “That way, the seat
could lift up and expose the battery,” he explains.
Shane was originally going to keep (and not modify) the
tank, but then he decided to try out his 2-gallon Sportster
tank “just for the heck of it.”
And, heck! It looked good. “It was a no-brainer,” he
says. “I immediately knew that was the only option. It had
to be a Sportster tank.” Just not that one. He ordered a bare
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