K9 Rebuild/Upgrade

[82ndAirborne]

You can say that again! Honestly, I expected it to be around 6K so this really was a much needed save. Paint needs to cure for a month he told me. With the new carb and Spike Air Filter I've got some coughing and a little backfire going on, needs to be jetted properly. There's a shop a couple hours away that has a DYNO, I'm thinking about taking it there as is. Then I thought I while it's on the trailer I'd take it directly to the Ceramic Coating Shop. So, the only thing left would be changing out the Inner Primary and everything inside. Anyway, that's my thoughts right now. I would like to first have my new V&H Exhaust Ceramic Coated...Installed...and Cut the Baffles some before doing anything. I'm told that if I coat it new, I won't have ANY blueing.

 

[kickstart]

The previous owner of my bike told me one of the side covers snapped off while he was riding. He gave me the other side but I don't believe this was painted by the same guy that painted my bike. Basically I thought it looked like crap so I didn't take it to be used as a guide. It's my guess that many of the Big Dogs suffered a similar fate...one of the panels snapping off. If you don't have a decent Airbrush Artist available you'll have to settle for a solid color. I'm happy with what he accomplished. He's done repairs for me before and when he is finished you can't find the previous damage. The only problem is that it's a long wait every time, however his prices are great $2,020.00 for everything.

BD had many issues with the side covers, tabs being broken off was one of the main issues, so they came out with a service bulletin and a kit for a quick fix. My thoughts on that after I installed the new kit was take it off and go back to the well nuts. I believe that the problem was overtightening that caused the tabs to break.
Confuses say " If painter good, he be very busy!"

 

[82ndAirborne]

I bought the kit but decided not to install it. I've never had a problem (so far). I did spend considerable time making sure they were adjusted correctly so I believe I'll be OK. I've got the new V&H in the car and plan to drop them off after work for Coating. Hopefully I can get them back in a week...get them installed and then make an appointment for DYNO Tuning. I still believe I can complete the whole project by May. The seat is also getting done now.

 

[82ndAirborne]

I've removed the baffles on my new V&H exhaust and would like to know what the ideal length should be. Basically wondering what length most of you went with.

 

[HMAN]

I cut them in half with decent results.

 

[82ndAirborne]

Sounds good to me. Appreciate it.

 

[82ndAirborne]

Got the baffles cut and installed the new V&H exhaust yesterday. Things were going pretty good until I realized I DIDN’T order new flanges! Getting the old ones off added an extra hour or so. Still, I got a pretty good deal on the pipes, $875 From BIOHAZARD CYCLES. Even came with a new K9 mounting bracket & all the bolts. I had already ordered a new bracket & bolts so I could have everything chromed. Also, when I installed the Arlen Ness Oil Pressure Gauge, the oil line was about 6" too long. I went to several shops trying to get a new one made but none had Fittings that worked. Finally found a cycle shop in Germany that specifically made one for the 117/Arlen Ness Gauge. Got it installed as well. Found a Cycle Shop in Brunswick, GA. that has a DYNO. I'm planning on taking it there this Saturday. I'll have to drop it off and pick it up the following Saturday. Shop owner said he wasn't sure it would fit on the DYNO but he could re-jet and tune it off the machine. By the time I get it back I'll be ready to install the fenders. Then a final clean/polish. Last stop, Ceramic Coating! It's possible I could wrap things up in 4-6 weeks.
I may have a leak on the front Master cylinder, saw a few drops of fluid twice. It's possible that that the cylinder wall was scratched when they removed everything for chrome. It wasn't leaking before, and I put a new kit in it. Next, I plan to send two sets of Grips to a machine shop in Kentucky. A stock BIG DOG grip set, an Accutronix Tribal grip set, and a new set of plastic grip inserts. I want the shop to fabricate a set of Tribals to the Big Dog specs and allow for the plastic inserts to prevent any metal to metal rattle. I can do that later...I'd really like to wrap things up.

Later, I still have to send the bike back to the paint shop for him to install my Inner Primary & everything inside. I decided that because there is so much dust in his shop, and I've done many hours of cleaning & polishing that I want the Coating done first.