Well guys, it's like this, this is going to be my next project.... Sort of, that is.
I sold my '55 Nomad about a month ago to a guy in Florida and then this weekend my Beck Racing Engine 540 BBC 660 hp motor went bye bye to Racine WI. So now I have the funds to proceed. I still have my '76 FLH to deal with and as soon as I get rid of the miss and the rattle,,, again, I'll be trying actively to sell it.
I talked to Ness about their kit and they have discontinued it but still have a couple frames left over. There have been two of them getting a little ink in a couple mags this past month. One actually has a '56 KH motor and the other is an '87 1200 Sportster.
What I'm going to do is to use the Milwaukee Iron frame with the single down tube that comes down under the motor case very similar to the old Harley's in the teens. I've priced an Ultima 100 ci / 110 hp with their 2" primary clutch drive and one of their 6 spd transmissions. I'll be running 21" front/rear 120/70-21". It will be using the Paughco spring and spring mounted solo seat. I'll be doing all the rest myself as a get back into building project. It's small enough for me to try my hand at painting again.
The only problem with this is that I pretty much have to move away from a HD motor. Although I could get one of the $2650 EVO's I see advertised in the mags, but actually I think the Ultima 100 ci will end up being a very good choice for the bike.
I'll keep you all informed as I get things around.
To get back to the question, I like them a lot and they aren't that expensive. The frame, wheels, brakes, springer, handlebars and risers will set me back about $5k and the motor, primary and trans will set me back less than $5k. So for under $10k I'll have all the basics.
Thanks for bringing up the topic.

I just cut loose yesterday on the motor/trans combo.
I'm getting a black Ultima 113"/120 rwhp rated, 2" wide Old School primary belt drive and a Ultima 6 sp black with a 2.94 low gear. I also got one of their 1.4 Kw back starters to match the motor/trans color. The motor has pop out compression releases which I think are a very good idea.
I'm going to cut loose on the Milwaukee Iron frame today. This is the single cradle old style HD looking frame. This differs a bit from the Arlen Ness frame. I can tell you that the MI is about half what I had quoted from Ness.
I'm going to make my own tank and probably do an oil tank up top side by side by the gas tank. I also hope to hide most of my electrical between the tanks. I'm doing a front axle speedo drive too.
This is going to be fun and shouldn't take too long to complete. The problem I had with my '55 Nomad project was the overwhelming scope of the job and the lack of a good workshop. I had a nice fully equipped 28'x32' up in Michigan and now I just have a 3-car garage, so the bike project better fits my environment.
I'm picking up the motor/trans this weekend. Once I get the frame here I'll pop pictures of the starting of the project with most of the pieces shown.
Anyone that has questions as I build this can PM me or call me, I'm always glad to talk to people and get to know others. Home 1-636-294-4834. If my wife doesn't recognize your number she'll let it go into voice mail. I will return your call though.
Back to the project. I'll keep you all updated as I begin.
Thanks for the interest...
I have one question though.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about names of the bikes etc, Harley, Indian etc. If this is a representation of an early HD and it has a similar looking V-twin motor, could I get away with older HD decals clear coated in the paint on the tank? This really isn't much different than a HD bike that has a Jims motor, aftermarket primary and a Baker trans. Okay, it's a lot different as it IS a HD to start with.
But you guys get my point... Do you think I could pull it off? Or to put it a different way, I have a HD motor/trans combo and put it in an aftermarket frame, could I decal it as a HD?

Thanks again to all.
