Aftermath

That's season 2016 for ya all !
The numbers are 1729km/1074 miles from 18 July to 1 October.
Some say it's much, some say it's little.
I'm very satisfied and just say, that's what it became this season.
It ran like a dream all the way with no major issues and gave a healthy 65Hp on the back wheel.
Went to Thomas at Tekmo to get some hard facts on the bikes power.

Couldn't really ask for more.
Sure, it's a bit harsh on bumpy roads but that comes with the territory with a rigid frame.

Start 2016

End 2016

Thomas on the dyno

The hard facts. Nice curves and good power output.

After the dynoday it was pretty much over for the season so here the Speedster have the tire outside for the last time 2016. 

So, finally airborne !
Next step is to give the little bike some wrenchlovin' so I had to get the wheels off the ground.
Solitude often dominates the Speedshop so clever ways to handle things alone must be created.
The method to get the little beast on the lift today was step by step by step......

So now the hard decisions what I want to accomplish this winter have to be made.
The downside with the fact that the bike became so awesome is that the urge to "update" is quite low.
And the "updates" already planned for this season are neither cheap, quick or easy so first I have to come up with a decision.
But I have some time left, I still want to tear down the top end and the cam side to maybe get some answers why I had such good numbers on the dyno.
I also want to give it a gasket overhaul just in case.
So, here I will start this season.

Video

I'm practically addicted to YouTube and spend a reasonable good time there.
There's so much great to see there and therefore I'm quite inspired to make my own clips.
I've done two so far, one back in 2014 and one just now.
I subscribe to about +200 YouTube channels and of those about a ten that I really look forward to seeing new stuff from.
Some favorites are:
Roadkill, Hot Rod Garage, Mighty Car Mods, Slingshot Channel, Unbox Therapy, Finnegan's Garage, Flite Test, Jay Leno's Garage, Marques Brownlee, Petrolicious, Revival Cycles, Rotor Riot and many, many more.

My last attempt of video making. 

Surprised it turned out so well actually considered I spent about three minutes on the filming and an hour or so in the TV sofa editing.
The music turned out really peppy but so is the Speedster itself so it matches quite well.

The first attempt was made back in spring 2014. 

End Of Season Run...once again

This weekend it was again time for the annual "End of season Run".
No run for me, but I did the startup anyway before I did a bit of ridin' by myself.
And it actually looks like it's gonna be the end of the season.
The rain seems to arrive real soon after an amazing fall. So now the wrenchin' season begins.
That's really my favorite season anyway and I have some real treat for the Speedster before next spring.
I'll keep you posted !

Evidence that I attended the meetup.

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