Resurrection!

[Th3InfamousI]

(Caveat! this post is a few days late because you will see at the bottom of this post, wanted to post this last Thursday evening)

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I know I have been relatively quiet on the forum and haven’t relished in any details yet. Well, I’ve been working every weekend and holiday the last few months (since XMAS) to provide a new life line to this Big Dog K9 I picked up!

First off, I want to give a big huge THANK YOU to our forum advocates Derrick and Donna McCloud they were instrumental in being able to supply me virtually all the parts to rebuild this mess! Without their support for us BigDog owners we would be up shit creek without a paddle! They had virtually every single part I needed in stock and ready to ship! What is super easy as I didn’t want to call to burden Donna with a meaningless $30 part (I know she doesn’t mind phone calls either) so I would fire up eBay, do a quick search and click ‘Buy it Now’ and usually it was at my house in a few days! Curtis at WildSteedWorx also stepped in as usual and sent parts out that you can easily order from his NEW GREAT website lickety split! I could order parts on Monday and have them before the weekend!


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I have probably put in about 200 hours of garage time on it (apparently, I’m OCD and anal as hell about my bikes) to try and get it ready for the riding season this spring and back to a beautiful/pristine Big Dog Machine we all know and love! I have put 5-6 hours every Saturday and about 10+ hour Sunday’s in the garage listening to music and motorcycle podcast. Interestingly enough, some good motorcycle podcast have come out in the last few years and one guy from Texas that travels and podcast and gets small shop’s to just talk motorcycles for a few hours.

Well it all started with a text from Shannon, after I mentioned I had confirmation that the frame was bent on the 07K9 so the rebuild was off the table due to cost to get frame repaired and painted and time. Asked Shannon to keep his eye out he knew of one on the market up in his neck of the woods. I called the guy, he was on the forum technically but not active. We started chatting and come to find out I had met him before at Dave’s many BBBQ ago, I just plum forgot. I was also going to look at an 04 Chopper that was local. Well on my way to look at the 04 chopper I called the guy and left him a voicemail and told him what I could pay for the bike and rather than any back and forth let’s just either do it or move on! He took it!

Decided to rent the trailer and head up to go pick it up just after Thanksgiving….9 Hour Drive up to Shannon’s to stay for the night and then headed down to pick up the bike in the AM and back to Dallas I was the next. Backed a cooler and didn’t have to stop for lunch.

I hadn’t seen this bike other than pics and went to go pick it up and oh boy, was she filthy! Yikes! Not sure it’s been washed in awhile, no big deal bike fired up and then I noticed noise coming from the primary. Whoops! No problem, I’ll figure it out! The bike was dirty is an understatement had a hard time seeing what was scratched or dirty, regardless I was in! Bit the bullet and didn’t want to come home empty handed. Bike has 21k miles so I knew it needed some work and some maintenance and figured what the hell! New Lifters due to mileage, needed an exhaust this one was all scratched and I don’t like the mean mothers, and no sissy bar/struts . Front tire was also a Metzler (wrong size) compared to the newer Avon on the back.

Here she is on the trailer filthy as mud…

Got it home and on the lift, started noticing a few things through the dirt. Headlight Chrome was all rubbed off from some bag someone had mounted on it, fender had been scratched to heck from the seat, and the engine and rims needed serious cleaning.

Took off the primary first, drain plug was WAY overtightened so replaced it! To diagnose the whine I was hearing, easy fix it was a loose Clutch Hub Nut which is what I was suspecting. Took the clutch out and it was the legacy DSSC known for failure, well on the broken K9 I had installed the Bandit so I took it from my parts pile and threw it in this bike. Figured while I am working on this thing I am just going to go the whole 9 yards. I don’t want things breaking down on me. I spent years on the old K9 getting it to a reliable condition and unfortunately the year of the accident (2017) was the first time it didn’t break down. I finally had it dialed in!

I left the primary cover off and started tackling the rest went to go drain the trans and was overtightened and SNAP the 45 elbow snapped right at the threads in the Trap Door. So Trap Door had to come off so I could try and get that out. Left Hand Drill Bit and out she went! Trap door back on, all new seals and transmission cleaned and inspected…Moving ON!

Before I had the bike on the lift I just rolled it off the trailer into the garage and noticed the rear wheel made noise and I figured it was bearings but the rear wheel needed to come off so I could polish this thing! Wetsanded and Polished the rear which took 6 hrs and that was just the wetsand/polish time not the removal and re-install. Thing was filthy and it’s still not perfect, obviously wasn’t cleaned much before still has some work next time when it gets a new tire, I just got tired of it. While I had it apart I noticed the rear caliper brake spring was broken and that’s what was making the noise as I rolled it around the garage before getting it on the lift. Caliper came off and rebuilt sanded and replaced! I also ran a new brake line because the one that was on the bike was too long and looked terrible. You don't need the extension for the 2.5" controls guys!

Also While I had it apart ALL of the washers were missing for the Hub Bolts, so I got some new ones from the McClouds. NEXT!!

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Shiney!

Broken Caliper Spring

Also had to clean the master cylinder because it had a lot of dirt, got out some QTips.

Better!

Started looking at the wiring and Oil Lines on the bike and sure enough someone Soldered the VR wire? Who Does that? Well another thing I had just replaced in the old K9 due to a failure was the VR that blew up my PDM so I took the newer compufire VR and Stator from my parts bin and put that on this bike. This bike is also an 06 and had the original VR! Installed and Moving ONWARD!

While I was re-wiring the VR I noticed that the clutch cable was worn through from rubbing on from the oil line. I’ve seen this before and make sure ya’ll zip tie the clutch cable and oil line and keep it secure otherwise both will need to be replaced as the braided oil line starts to fray and will cut that clutch cable which is exactly what happened. So, had to replace the clutch cable and the damn return oil line back to the tank. While I was doing this, I removed the Oil Cooler’s, I didn’t want them on the K9 as this bike is intended to put miles on in all weather conditions and if it’s cold out the engine oil doesn’t get to operating temp, nor did I care for the look and I like to have a tool roll down there. Yes, they do help in the Texas heat but only if I’m sitting in traffic at 100 degrees and I don’t like doing that anyway.

I also have the oil coolers on my rigid and didn’t want to have them on both BDM, too much alike both are black and chrome already. NEXT!!

While I had the bike apart and it has 21k Next order of business was to just go and replace the neck bearings, don’t know if they had ever been touched or regreased so while I am at it I tackled that job. New Races and Bearings and Grease! My one time save was I knew Shannon had JUST replaced the prior year the fork oil seals and they looked fine and the owner only put a few hundred miles on the bike so I just decided to drain the fork oil and put in fresh 30w. Probably wasn’t needed but while I was there. Polished the tree’s and hand controls, every aluminum part on the bike needed to be wet-sanded then polished. NEXT!!

Since it was at 21k and S&S Recommends lifter replacement at 20-25k this project sounds like a good time to tackle that job, so off came the cam cover and in goes the new lifters and went ahead and figured while I had it apart might as well toss in a new 585 cam. Obviously, motor hadn’t been touched had the stock cam. NEXT!!!

 

[pknowles]

You have been busy

 

[TapioK]

Very nice job Well done time for a

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Continued had to break this up...


While the motor was apart it gave me a great opportunity to polish it, I honestly don’t know how long this took me hours wise, it was a lot of beer and took multiple weekends to tackle. End result is NOT perfect but a HELL of a lot of better. I also rebuilt the carburetor and added in the stainless braided fuel line and angle fitting.

I polished the forward controls and levers…it’s just more time right? Added in the Cruise mate from the old K9 as well!



Now onto the PAINT. I had to wet-sand and polish the rear fender and gas tank. Also, I didn’t like the shorter 04 Fiberglass Chopper Fender that was on the K9, PO gave me the steel fender that goes on the K9 but of course it needed re-paint! Thanks Shannon!

Saved!

Also, going in Shannon mentioned the sidecovers were NOT the same, so I brought the side covers from my wrecked K9 to Shannon to paint. Thanks again Shannon!

Well once, I got the bike together I got to the inspection station ran it a whole 2 miles there and 2 miles back and went back on the lift. Next weekend I went out and noticed there was a huge (half dollar coin) amount of oil sitting on the newly polished primary, I looked up and WHAM! Bottom Rocker Gasket was leaking, A LOT considering it was only a 4mile round-trip OFF came the rocker assembly now! Figured what else could I possibly have to do to get this bike road ready?

Yep Gasket is ripped right at the leak

New

OKAY SO IM DONE, RIGHT? THINK SO! Maiden Voyage a 55 mile trip around the lake in 20 mph WINDS on Monday, just in-time! Bike is ready for inaugural trip down South to Texas Hill Country Easter weekend then off to Big Bend National Park! Nothing like a 2,000 mile 6 day trip to break in a freshly re-built and resurrected BigDog! Oh, but I think I’ll be scraping this exhaust and cut off the daggers So much for custom pipes all chrome!



Let’s ROCK AND ROLL! Updates to Follow, Let’s see how good my BigDog Knowledge is, I’ll either end up on the side of the road 1,000 miles from home in the middle of nowhere Texas near the Mexican border or be back! Either way that is the chopper life! Wouldn’t want it any other way! Tool Roll is also on and stocked with all the necessities. Also, this looks like one of the first no-rain weekends so far this year! I am grateful for this opportunity like ya’ll wouldn’t believe! I can’t WAIT!


First gas STOP

Quick Stop for pics

I wasn’t a HUGE fan of the paint but it’s been growing on me as I worked on it and notice the pushrod covers I added

.



Update!!!! Reason why i didn't get this posted LAST Thursday evening before my trip was because I noticed the Front Rocker was leaking too and blowing oil back on the coil cover so the night before I left I took the front rocker off and replaced it...

oil on the coil cover from the leak:

Off comes the Rocker the night before a trip! haah

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Phew, DONE Trip report will have to wait a bit!

 

[awg]

Man That was alot of work. Longest post I think I ever read.

 

[Unsprung]

Man you’ve been on it. Had to catch my breath just reading the thread. Congratulations on the new steed Eric. Keep making it yours.

 

[Ernie12]

Wow I just wish the pics showed up.

 

[KaptinAmerika]

Ha Ha Haaaaaaa
Now imagine having to do all that almost everytime a new customer arrives in your shop. It can get a bit disheartening sometimes seeing how poorly folks test these bikes.
Good to see that you've recovered from your unfortunate incident and are on track to be all the better now for most of it.

 

[Mr. Wright]

FINALLY. You how hard it is to keep a secret.
I feel a need to defend myself here. Yes, I knew the bike, and rode with him a couple times. He did all the work on his own bike. He brought me the forks to rebuild, and I might have done a couple other things to it, but the bike was never in my shop over night till he put in one of those high cranking amp, cheap ass batteries, that shorted out and smoked his EHC. That was back when I was trying to get Big Daddy and Shaine's bikes done. So all I did was put in a new battery and EHC.
Glad you was able to save the Dog and Is there a reason I didn't see the paint job on the tank, or did I just miss it.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Very nice job Well done time for a

I had quite a few while I was polishing already! Haha

 

[Unsprung]

Wow I just wish the pics showed up.

Same here with the pics but it was a good read. If you knew Eric’s story of “why” he had to do that, it’s really nothing short of inspiring.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Same here with the pics but it was a good read. If you knew Eric’s story of “why” he had to do that, it’s really nothing short of inspiring.

I hope these pics work, I just spent 3 hours uploading them to the forum because my Google ones just had links. I guess I could have kept both

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

 

[Th3InfamousI]

FINALLY. You how hard it is to keep a secret.
I feel a need to defend myself here. Yes, I knew the bike, and rode with him a couple times. He did all the work on his own bike. He brought me the forks to rebuild, and I might have done a couple other things to it, but the bike was never in my shop over night till he put in one of those high cranking amp, cheap ass batteries, that shorted out and smoked his EHC. That was back when I was trying to get Big Daddy and Shaine's bikes done. So all I did was put in a new battery and EHC.
Glad you was able to save the Dog and Is there a reason I didn't see the paint job on the tank, or did I just miss it.

I wanted to keep it quiet for a bit while I sorted things out. I appreciate it.

Yea, no need to defend yourself! I certainly hope nobody things otherwise. I didn't mind the work, I don't care I learned a lot along the way which is most important to me.

Regarding the paint, there is a pic but I'll put another.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

 

[Unsprung]

I wanted to keep it quiet for a bit while I sorted things out. I appreciate it.


Not big on skulls but that is some skillful work right there.

 

[pknowles]

I wanted to keep it quiet for a bit while I sorted things out. I appreciate it.

Yea, no need to defend yourself! I certainly hope nobody things otherwise. I didn't mind the work, I don't care I learned a lot along the way which is most important to me.

Regarding the paint, there is a pic but I'll put another.

Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

Skulls just don't do it for me but at least these are more subtle than some I have seen.

 

[Ernie12]

Same here with the pics but it was a good read. If you knew Eric’s story of “why” he had to do that, it’s really nothing short of inspiring.

Definitely a good read. Insane paint on that tank.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Well I didn't post everything but I also figured worth mentioning I did get a custom license plate. If you know my story, you'll understand!

If I can't joke about it, I'm looking at the situation wrong. The saga has not ended however, that's another story.

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[bigkelk9]

Idk if it’s just me, but I only got a pic of the tank.. all the others wouldn’t show up