Bombus Speedster 1.0 -> 1.1

Both weather and the mancold I got in the beginning of the summer vacation tried to stop me and the Speedster to get to know each other.
But we overcame that and got some fun time together anyway.
The Speedster is a really fun roadfriend I must say.
It revs like hell and moves, even on twisty roads which surprised me.
A rigid end ain't the optimal chassie solution for handling, especially paired with OEM Harley forks and brakes.
But apparently the bike doesn't know all that and handles quite OK anyway.
Up until today 16/9 I've run 1587km about 1000 miles.


But to reach from 1.0 status to 1.1 some small things needed to be done.


#Gearing
It revs like a beast in "highwayspeed" so a front sprocket change was necessary.
Also the already worn out mock-up chain was replaced with a new one.

#Nuts n' Bolts
All nuts and bolts was gone through.
But nothing had moved so I was OK.

#Oilchange
Don't know what the engine went through before entering Bombus Speedshop so the goal was a quick rinse inside with fluids, both engine and trans.
But time went on it both sounds well and runs ever better so that will wait until spring.

#Throttle
The throttle is more than peppy I must say.
The short travel of the "quick throttle" makes driving harder then necessary.
So a re-construction from peppy as F¤#K to just way to peppy was made but more about that later.

#Dynorun
Just for fun I went to my friend Thomas at Tekmo Service for a reality check.
It runs surprisingly good so I was curious about the real numbers.
A healthy 65.52 hp and 100.44Nm on the rear wheel was the verdict.
Way better than I thought.

I've realized that I'm the total opposite on most things, even with this build.
The goal for most stock bike owners is to get their stock bikes look custom.
But I want my custom bike to be as stock as possible but still a custom.
The convenience with a stock bike is so appealing. The flawless functionality is really missed when riding on a customized bike.
Therefore I have realized that the best combo, for me is to have my full custom build but at the same time the OEM functionality, at least so much it's possible.

One month summary

A month have passed by and even if the weather have been quite mediocre here I've got some experiences of the bike.
Have also made small updates already and it have been a few minor mishaps but more about that later on.

But some reflections so far.

# Riding position
It's actually not so bad.
Much bigger bike to drive than what it looks like.
But some inches back for the hands and some inches forward for the feet would be ideal.

#Engine
It's just a 1200 converted 883 so it ain't no rocketship but the power to weight ratio is waaaaay better than I've experienced before so it goes like hell in my opinion.

#Comfort
I had no experience of rigid frame before this.
Maybe the most surprising thing was how "normal" it feels to drive.
One judgement on the final tech inspection was that it felt like a stock bike.
A good remark in my book.
BUT when it's bumpy it's HELL for the back, and city driving is very bumpy.
But overall it's over my expectations.

I think this one is a keeper and will be a good companion both on the roads and wrenchin' in the winters years to come.

Maiden voyage

The first day (July 18 2016) I put some miles on it to get the feel of it and sort things out.
I rode different places and different roads, both rural and urban.
It rides surprisingly smooth on the highway with the rigid rear end but urban riding with bumps, tram tracks and so ain't the nicest rides I've done.
But overall it turned out as I planned and expected.
Now I just I'm just gonna keep sort it out over the summer until the winter darkness strikes Sweden and the fluorescent light in the Speedshop is on for the winter.

First stop Thomas at Tekmo Service

Next stop Caveman Choppers

And in the evening a nice trip to the "Cars & Coffe" at Nääs outside town

And finally I could lock up the little beast in it´s cage back home

Today was a GOOD day !!

Registration inspection

The final inspection step is the registration inspection.
This time it's the government who will call the shots.
But with the solid SFRO documentation it's just a formal step.
Some measurements of the bike, weighing and a test drive.
Then all the official data went in to the computer system and out came a registration number.
And two days later the flat brown box with the actual plate arrived.
Smack that on the bike and a insurance was left before the maiden voyage.

The bike on the vehicle scale

The weight verdict was 200kg/440lbs

Back at the shop after registration

Two days later the number plate arrived

Sound inspection

One step more done.
Soundcheck also went according to plan.
Went under the legal limit of 84dB with a healthy 80,2dB average over four passes.
Now just the registration inspection and vehicle inspection remains done by the national technical inspection that I'm hope to make in a couple of days.

The little rascal just after the successful sound test. 

The new zero

The new zero for Bombus Speedster is 19557 km.
That's what the odometer reading was when first powered up in its new habitat.

19557 = 0 km for Bombus Speedster

Build inspection 2:2

The SFRO build inspection 1:2 was done back in February and in June, about five months later the final SFRO inspection was up.
Not a single remark and very good judgement from the test drive.
Couldn't be happier at this point.

Remaining now is "just" noise test by SFRO, followed by registration inspection and vehicle inspection done by the national technical inspection.

Loaded and ready for final inspection.

After the inspection with no remarks at all and very good judgement about handling.