Making a sissy bar for 05 Chopper

Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Well I wanted something to hang a bag from and refuse to spend a fortune on a BD sissy bar ( a used one just sold for $380 on ebay)so I figured I'd try my hand at making one as I've seen a few others do. I don't have a nice torch setup so I didn't know what I could bend using MAP gas so I went to Lowes and picked up 2 lengths of 5/8" steel rod to try it out, I figure if it comes out good I'll use it for now and order some 11/16". Might need to find a torch setup for anything thicker cause it took about 5-6 minutes with the map gas before I could bend the 5/8". All in all I think it came out pretty good for a first attempt, I still have a little more fill welding and smoothing, want to do some more bending to give the whole bar a slight kickback, and drill and tap the bottoms for some bolts. So far I have $30 invested and that includes the tank of MAP gas, so not too shabby!!! I'll put up some completed photos once its done. I'm thinking about just painting for now, then I'll pull it off in the winter and maybe powdercoat unless I decide to make one out of 11/16" instead. Only downfall with the 5/8 is I'm gonna have to shim it somehow so there is no play.

Twisted



 

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Mr. Wright

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
That looks sweet. It's amazing what one can do when he puts his mind to it.
A buddy of mine wanted a taller sissy bar for his Vrod, to keep his wife happy. He's also is a helicopter mechanic for Air Evac, and uses his bike when he can, to run out in the field to work on them, and needed a bracket to hold his tool box. I made his sissy bar out of 5/8'' stainless steel rod, and then polished it out. The shelf is some thing I made years ago, and it fit right on. The tool box shelf, you just take two bolts loose, and it lifts right off.
 

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francoblay1

francoblay1

The Spaniard
Mr. Wright said:
That looks sweet. It's amazing what one can do when he puts his mind to it.
A buddy of mine wanted a taller sissy bar for his Vrod, to keep his wife happy. He's also is a helicopter mechanic for Air Evac, and uses his bike when he can, to run out in the field to work on them, and needed a bracket to hold his tool box. I made his sissy bar out of 5/8'' stainless steel rod, and then polished it out. The shelf is some thing I made years ago, and it fit right on. The tool box shelf, you just take two bolts loose, and it lifts right off.
Click to expand...


 
francoblay1

francoblay1

The Spaniard
Twisted said:
Well I wanted something to hang a bag from and refuse to spend a fortune on a BD sissy bar ( a used one just sold for $380 on ebay)so I figured I'd try my hand at making one as I've seen a few others do. I don't have a nice torch setup so I didn't know what I could bend using MAP gas so I went to Lowes and picked up 2 lengths of 5/8" steel rod to try it out, I figure if it comes out good I'll use it for now and order some 11/16". Might need to find a torch setup for anything thicker cause it took about 5-6 minutes with the map gas before I could bend the 5/8". All in all I think it came out pretty good for a first attempt, I still have a little more fill welding and smoothing, want to do some more bending to give the whole bar a slight kickback, and drill and tap the bottoms for some bolts. So far I have $30 invested and that includes the tank of MAP gas, so not too shabby!!! I'll put up some completed photos once its done. I'm thinking about just painting for now, then I'll pull it off in the winter and maybe powdercoat unless I decide to make one out of 11/16" instead. Only downfall with the 5/8 is I'm gonna have to shim it somehow so there is no play.

Twisted
Click to expand...


 
Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys, and nice work Mr. Wright!!! I would like to make mine out of 11/16 stainless too so I can polish it out, but I'm going to have to find a nice torch if I try that, my little can of MAP gas isn't gonna do the trick. Plus I know you can weld stainless with a mig but I'm not setup for that either and I like the pointed vs. the rounded top. I know they make some nice powdercoat that looks like aluminum or chrome now, might check that out, or just stick with a steel one and get it chromed. If I can shim this 5/8 bar up a little to fit better in the hole I may just stick with it, its only to carry a bag and look bad-ass!!!

Just fun making shit!!!!!

Ohh yea, I made this one to sit 16" off the fender, 12" seems way too low for a chopper, and I though 18" looked a little too high. That's the other beauty of making your own.
 
Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Bent it back a little the other night and drilled and taped it last night, its bolted on the bike, love it!!! Now I just gotta finish filing and sanding and it will be ready to give it a coat of paint for now. I decieded I either want it powdercoated to look like an aluminum or chrome, or just get it chromed over the winter. Now I need to order a bag for it. I'll post a few more pictures when its done. The 5/8 bar is really stable and solid once bolted up, may just run with it.
 
bearman

bearman

Active Member
I would think that you should not need the bar to fit the hole in the strut too tightly. But I would put a stainless flat washer on both sides of the strut so that the new bar doesn’t mar the soft aluminum strut.
 
Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Good thinking Bearman, I put one in from the bottom but didn't think about one on the top, I'll do that when I finish it up. Just about done with it, haven't gotten much time to finish it up. Just have to fill a couple pin holes, and do some more sanding as this steel rod has a lot of tiny pock marks. Then just give it a coat of paint for now and mount it up, till winter when I'll pull it and have it chromed or powder coated. Looks better now that I bent it rearward a little. Thanks for the tip!!! :cheers:
 
Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Ok, I got the sissy bar finished up yesterday, and just coated it with Duplicolor Chrome paint for now so I can start using it. Looks more like a polished aluminum or stainless but good enough till winter. Happy with the way it turned out, just letting it harden up and I'll bolt it to the bike. Heres some fresh pictures...

Twisted
 

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Twisted

Twisted

Well-Known Member
Wow, that sounds like a good price, will do, Thanks!! And great job on the sissy bar, great to see people willing to make their own stuff!!!
 
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