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[Dan_Lockwood]

I think that I've mentioned this over the past 11 years off and on, but couldn't find a thread devoted to my build, so here it is.  Hope it's in the correct forum.

Some of you know that many years ago, about 11 or so, I bought a Milwaukee Iron Boardtrack Racer bike project from Milwaukee Iron prior to their going out of business.

It's a Milwaukee Iron frame and I got the wheels, brakes and frontend from them.  The motor is an Ultima 113" with their 2" belt drive and 6 speed trans.  The brakes are HHI 4-piston calipers front and rear to stop the 21" tires front/rear.

I started out with Fat Bob 5-gallon tanks and had the right tank cut out to hide my battery and also hold 5 quarts of oil.  The left tank would then by my 2.5 gallon gas tank.  Cool...   But over the years of it sitting on the table lift, the tanks bugged me to no end.  From the side profile they looked great, but from front on, they looked hideously wide.  So I scrapped them and started making my own tanks, which of course meant that I also needed to make an oil tank now as well.

So I'll start with some old pictures of the Fat Bob version.







The front/rear caliper brackets were SS from MI, but didn't look right next to the caliper, so I had them chromed along with a lot of my home made parts etc.  This is the before picture.



This is the beginning of the new tanks.  Just a bunch of steel cut in pieces.  I quartered a 1-7/8" tube for the rounded corners on the tank seams.  I didn't want the square corners of the sheet metal.  Just added tons more welding is all.





The start of my oil tank.





A rough idea of how the two tanks fit up together with the bib in the middle.



You don't see any gauges as the gauges are in the mirrors.  Also if you look closely, you can see a bundle of wires on the handle bars.  These are for the right side mirror controls, same number of wires on the left mirror.



So this brings me to a good place to add another post.

[Dan_Lockwood]

Here's the finished ready to start body work bike.



I finished the paint work two weekends ago.  Had the color mixed and then put into spray cans.  I used urethane 2K two part glossy clear.  There's a plunger rod on the bottom of the spray can that when pushed breaks the catalyst bag in the can and mixed with the urethane.  The spray color sprayed very well and the clear was a bit to get used to and I did get some runs that I had to wet sand out and polish a bit.  I still have the two tanks to wet sand and finish rubbing out, but that's it for paint work.







I made all of the running board mounts and tried to incorporate anything else with them that I could.  Here's a shot of the home made brake lever along with the master cylinder mount on the transmission.







Here's the home brew shifter assembly.  All bushed with bronze bushing and greased.  Also you may notice that the traditional over the top of the primary shift linkage is missing.  I did a bit of work on the trans shifter and made a new one to come out the bottom and still clear all my primary housing etc.  So my linkage is all under the primary and hidden from view.  Also on the bottom of the belt drive, I incorporated the rear running board mount with the voltage regulator mount.  The regulator is in the wind, but kind of hidden up under the belt drive.





Another picture of the shift linkage and voltage regulator.



The Ultima 2" belt drive was polished aluminum and didn't really look good with the bike theme etc.  I painted it with Harley textured black paint.  I think it looks a ton better black.  Also the clutch cover and pulley cover were polished aluminum.  The belt trim retainer was chromed from Ultima and looked really bad with the polished aluminum.  I had them chromed as well.  My guy can get my chrome work done in less than two weeks.  The last bunch he picked up on Monday afternoon and I got them back that Wednesday afternoon.  He apologized for taking soooo long.



Time for another post with more stuff!

[Dan_Lockwood]

Here's more for your entertainment!

I bought the chain guard with some parts at a swap meet and it was chromed and had two holes for mounting.  I wasn't going to run a chain guard, but painted it at the same time just in case.  I'm glad now I did.  Having to use the two holes made the mounting a bit intriguing to say the least.  The front is a 5/16" rod bent in several ways and then welded to the two sleeves with button heads holding it on.  I used a small plastic washer to protect the paint on both mounts.  The rear mount I had to drill and tap the inside of the rear frame, which required me taking off the rear wheel... AGAIN!  But with the front painted to match the belt drive and the rear painted to match some of the other blue things going on in the rear, I think it turned out nicely.



A rear shot showing the twin mufflers coming out the rear.  The MI frame was designed as a Boardtrack, but made wide enough for a 200mm rear tire.  This left way too much tire to inner frame tube clearance and just looked dumb.  I used this space to run my mufflers through and they took up the space very well.  Looks kind of like a plan happened.



This is the finished oil tank with the custom MI logo I had made up.  I used a local company to do the logo and the tank decals.  I did the original design work on the tank decals and then worked with the graphics lady to come up with the final color and font style.  Two or three tries and it turned out just right.  Almost matches MI's front company sign they have on the Internet etc.





Since you have to lift up the seat to check the oil, I made the seat post rods a bit longer so it's not really possible when riding to come off the posts, but you can easily lift the seat to check the oil.





This is it with just one half of the tank set on for a good look see.  It's really coming along very well now that I've been "working" on it for 11 years.  Bottom line is that I have to finish it and sell it to fund my Harley powered car project coming up.  I'll put a couple hundred miles on it and make sure it's good to go and then list it for sale, but until then, I'll keep you guys updated with the progress.  I hope to possibly fire it up by Sunday before we go to MI for the holidays to see family and friends.





Still have all the frontend wiring and tail lights to do.  But it's going fast now!

Hope you are all staying safe and healthy from COVID.

Have a great holiday season!

Dan

[GregKhougaz]

Very Nice!      

[OBB]

WOW! That looks great. Nice work.

[FLSTFI Dave]

Wow.  That looks fantastic.  Great work.

[Wrongway]

 Looks great and your foresight and craftsmanship are above and beyond! 

[pudgeyxj]

Tres Cool!!! Wasn't sold on the new tank design at first, but the finished product makes it look like it belongs. Very, very nice work. I also like how the duals come out the back. Doubt this will last long once for sale.

Cheers

Paul

[fastfreddy]

home made  CVO .... love it !!!!        have a great holiday and stay safe

[Dan_Lockwood]

Thanks guys.

I still have tons to do on this.  I was thinking last night that I've spent about the same amount of working hours on this as I did building my '40 Willys coupe.  Only I wish I had never sold my Willys and my wife is still pissed at me for doing so.

Now I'm off to the farm store to buy some more button head bolts.  They have a huge supply of custom nuts/bolts etc, LOTS!  Although when you buy a 5/16 1-3/4 chrome bolt for $5.99 each, it doesn't take long to add up on the ole wallet...

So many little things that I missed in my pre-build years that it's taking me lots of thinking time to figure out things, like the chain guard mounting brackets etc.

I'm dreading the handlebar wiring for sure.  With about 12 wires from each mirror for the digital gauges in each, along with 3 push buttons on each hand grip area, it will take some time to get it all sorted out correctly I'm sure.  But with the furnace on in the garage and XM playing on the stereo, I'm good to spend as much time as I need to get it done right.

Yes, the tanks did give me some issues on the design.  I knew I wanted a flat side square'ish looking tank setup, but the front of the tanks kind of had me stymied.  As Paul said, they turned out okay and "look" correct.

I'm excited to get it running.  Had it for 11 years and never heard it fire up.  I think the factory warranty is long gone...   But everything is still NEW!

Thanks again everyone and stay safe!

[RivRaptor]

Amazing!  Nice craftsmanship

[rayson56]

A MAY ZING!! Better clear off some shelf space cuz you'll need it for all those trophy's you'll be bringing home!

[08glide]

I'm from Lynchburg,Va & MI  was herejust down the road a few miles back in the 90's upto around 2007 ( there about. not sure of exact date or year). just curios about the Milwaukee Iron & logo? where did you come up with it? do I know you & can't remember. I have a t-shirt for a benefit we did for Wolfie

[B.A.]

The chain guard does NOT detract.  Nice addition, IMHO!!

Great job!!!

[kevin_n]

Looks amazing Dan, wish I could see it one person before you sell it. I can't remember, did you sell your 76? ( it was a 76 right? 😁) Hope you and Linda have safe travels to Michigan and have a good Christmas.

[Dan_Lockwood]

I'm from Lynchburg,Va & MI  was herejust down the road a few miles back in the 90's upto around 2007 ( there about. not sure of exact date or year). just curios about the Milwaukee Iron & logo? where did you come up with it? do I know you & can't remember. I have a t-shirt for a benefit we did for Wolfie

Milwaukee Iron was the name of the company that I bought the bike frame, frontend and wheels from.  They were in Lynchburg VA.  They were, for a time on TV with their own reality show similar to OCC, but way less stress.  Randy Simpson was the owner and had been in motorcycles for decades.  There was a downturn in the industry around '09 and he just couldn't keep up with the debt etc.  Also around that time his best friend and welder at the company died.  The combination took him down I believe.  About 2 months after I bought the parts from them, I saw they were having a huge liquidation auction.  There were many bike frames, fenders and parts for auction.  They were huge in making custom fenders.

They had a white sign out front of the building with their logo, the MI in a diamond and the Milwaukee Iron font.  I was able to replicate a similar font and worked with Cool Touch Graphic Designs, a local company in St. Charles MO.  They made up the tank decals and the oil tank logo for me.  It was $192 for 2 logos and 2 tank decals, and that included design artwork time as well.  I felt that was fare and if I need another, they're going to be quite cheap for me to get.  But I think I'll be good for now...



Here's a link to one of their show bikes of the boardtrack racer.  I think mine looks a "bit" better so far!

https://www.baggersmag.com/2003-replica-j-racer-worlds-dirtiest-showbike#page-11

Thanks again for all the kind comments guys!

[Dan_Lockwood]

Looks amazing Dan, wish I could see it one person before you sell it. I can't remember, did you sell your 76? ( it was a 76 right? 😁) Hope you and Linda have safe travels to Michigan and have a good Christmas.

Hi Kevin!

I still have the '76 FLH Shovelhead, but "IF" the right person came along, I would sell it.  I have too many projects ahead of me that I want to do, but Linda says no money from our retirement fund or a loan.  So funding my projects relies on me selling STUFF! 

I have most of the expensive items for my Harley powered MG M-Type replica project.  So not a lot of extra money needed there.  But I also would like to build a rock crawler off road buggy of some sort.  Probably a GEO/Chevy Tracker or Suzuki Samurai would do the trick.  That project may need the funds from the '76 to get it past Linda...

If anyone would like to add a new toy to their garage, we can talk...





We're doing well and haven't had any issues with health etc.  We enjoyed hooking up with you and Kathy while in SD this summer.  Hope you two stay safe and healthy.

Have a very Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!

[Dan_Lockwood]

Just finished up the re-install of the tail light and turn signals.  They've been done for 10 years, but just replaced all the old cracked rubber gaskets and converted to LED's.  I flattened a 3/8" copper tube to match the arc of the rear fender and bonded it to the inside of the rear fender.  That gave me a place to run my four rear wires through without getting them tangled up in the rear tire.  Also did my ignition wiring to the coil and buttoned that up last night.





Thanks again!

[Mikey]

Hi Dan,
Really nice work on a very cool project! Rock crawling is really popular here. Happy Holidays to you and the lovely Linda!
Mikey

[Royalroadie]

It turned out terrific !   I hope Linda doesn't put a limit on you range toys.

[acevtwin]

It's really coming together. If you think of it, post a picture of the gauges in the mirror.

[Dan_Lockwood]

It turned out terrific !   I hope Linda doesn't put a limit on you range toys.

Thanks John.

We're up in MI now at the old homestead with family and friends for a couple weeks.  I brought my pistols for a little target practice with my nephews.  One of them brings over his side to side flipping metals and we have contests to see who can flip them over the other side before the other.  Then we go around on the ground to pick up all the brass as he reloads.  When my buddy and I go to the range back home, I always pick up the brass on the floor for him...

I still have tons of small things to do on the bike project, most important will be the front end wiring with the six early Harley style push buttons and then integrating the mirrors into the wiring harness.  I had misplaced the instructions to the mirrors along with the 12v to 5v power supply and momentary push button.  As it turns out, one of the old distributors for the Badlands mirrors had some documents and sent them to me, just what I was missing.  Then I ordered a power supply and push button from Amazon and they will be at my house when I get back home.  Hopefully I will have it running by the end of the year.  Then it's time to get it inspected and do the title thing.  I hope to put a couple hundred miles it before I put it up for sale.

You and Val have a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year!  2021 has to be better than 2020!!!

[Dan_Lockwood]

It's really coming together. If you think of it, post a picture of the gauges in the mirror.

Ace, thanks!

I've not put any power to the wiring yet, still have the whole front end wiring to do when I get back home from MI for the Holidays.

I looked online and there are no "good" pictures of the mirrors, so I will do a few pics when I get power to them.

Thanks again for the kind comment.

Happy Holidays!

[acevtwin]

Ace, thanks!

I've not put any power to the wiring yet, still have the whole front end wiring to do when I get back home from MI for the Holidays.

I looked online and there are no "good" pictures of the mirrors, so I will do a few pics when I get power to them.

Thanks again for the kind comment.

Happy Holidays!

When you visit Michigan, where do you go?
I live near Hell.

[Dan_Lockwood]

When you visit Michigan, where do you go?
I live near Hell.

Mentally I feel like I live there too...   3

Our family homestead area is the Clare / Farwell area.  That's where we are now.  If you're fisherman or hunter, you probably have heard about Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare.  My brother's house is about half a mile from there.  I graduated from Farwell in '67 and my dad graduated Farwell in '32.  I lived all my life in MI until we moved to O'Fallon MO in '02 for work.

For about a year I worked for a company that sold to Johnson Controls in Manchester.  I had an office in their corporate headquarters for that time.  Spent about three days a week there.  I commuted from Midland where I lived.

Now that I'm retired, I'm trying to talk my wife into moving back to MI, but she's not having any of that, at least for right now.  She's from MO and I moved her to MI in '89, so her home is only 20 miles from where we now live.  But she has no relatives living in the area and all of her old work friends have moved on or passed away.  I think it would be a good move to MI, but I'll just keep plucking away at her resistance a bit at a time...

Got snow up here before we got here on Monday, but no additional snow, just cold.

Hope you all have a great Holiday Season!

[acevtwin]

Mentally I feel like I live there too...   3

Our family homestead area is the Clare / Farwell area.  That's where we are now.  If you're fisherman or hunter, you probably have heard about Jay's Sporting Goods in Clare.  My brother's house is about half a mile from there.  I graduated from Farwell in '67 and my dad graduated Farwell in '32.  I lived all my life in MI until we moved to O'Fallon MO in '02 for work.

For about a year I worked for a company that sold to Johnson Controls in Manchester.  I had an office in their corporate headquarters for that time.  Spent about three days a week there.  I commuted from Midland where I lived.

Now that I'm retired, I'm trying to talk my wife into moving back to MI, but she's not having any of that, at least for right now.  She's from MO and I moved her to MI in '89, so her home is only 20 miles from where we now live.  But she has no relatives living in the area and all of her old work friends have moved on or passed away.  I think it would be a good move to MI, but I'll just keep plucking away at her resistance a bit at a time...

Got snow up here before we got here on Monday, but no additional snow, just cold.

Hope you all have a great Holiday Season!

It really is a small world isn't it? I lived in Farwell and went to Farwell High school. I lived on Coolidge off of Surrey rd. Our property backed up to the river if you know the area I'm talking about. Still have friends up there.