I'm baffled!

Did this work a couple of weeks back. It happened so quickly I didn't document it with pics except for the final product. These are aftermarket baffles and cost only $39 for the pair.

Baffles not only tune the sound a bit from that with the open drag pipes, they also improve the mid-range power a bit. I noticed after I cut the pipes, the "tuning" was off in low-mid throttle. These baffles put everything back spot on.

Story behind the baffles.

Back when the pipes were stock length.

I was concerned about the loudness of the pipes. I had intended to add baffles to the pipes. But when I cut them off:

I found that these pipes did indeed have the exhaust manufacturer's own brand of baffles and I had cut right through them. They weren't very effective and cost $49 for each baffle.

So I found these on Amazon:

8" Exhaust Baffles for 2-1/4" Drag Pipes Harley Exhaust

They fit almost, but not quite perfectly.  I cut the end without the nut (right hand end, top picture) making 8 cuts from the end to the bend and bent the tabs I had created open like a flower, just ever so much. This created a tight fit when inserted into the pipes, and of course, the other end was mounted with bolt.

I am happy with the result.

Some finishing details...

Just some finishing details.

I was sick of the single mirror on the left, missing a RH mirror, I found this mirror pair on eBay for not a lot of money. They are Chinese, shipped from Hong Kong, but are excellent quality being all metal.  I'm pleased with the fit and finish.

Further, I was running out of ideas for the air filter. It fits fine, but the embossed K&N is upside down (no, it can't be rotated as the carb mount is off-center the back of the filter and that's how it must fit to clear the tank). I had several ideas, but none that would provide a satisfactory finish.

I found this cool "truck sized" Autobot chrome finish medallion on eBay. It fit perfectly.

It carries the Transformer theme into the engine.

Old vs New

Some comparison photos from the beginning with this bike when I first got it home and now that I've bobbed it.

More Than Meets The Eye

Purchased some custom vinyl off the Internet and had my son, who once did vinyl application for a living apply it to the rear of the Bobber. This is a grey 3M reflective vinyl.

Must cover up the nasty bits

In most projects, there's the last untidy area, the nasty bits that need some kind of covering. In this project, I removed the stock side panel covers since they were hideously bulbous and covered up essential parts of the engine. A motorcycle after all is all about the "motor" or engine in this case, so I removed the panels, but this left the LH side wiring and fuse area messy.

I created a cardboard template (several in fact, at least 5 iterations in total to create a minimal cover over the tidbits). My farrier/blacksmith/fabricator, Kevin Mead, said he could recreate the template in metal, and he did an excellent job. I only had to tweak the final metal cover a bit to fit perfectly. Took some fabrications on my side as well.

Here's the completed cover, painted and installed.

This is of the untidy area without cover. Very unsightly.

Here's the raw cover before I cleaned it up and painted it.

That little hole in the middle mates with a standoff that I fashioned myself using aluminum stock and drill & tap. Had to align the standoff in the correct place using paint on the inside of the cover. When I pressed it in place, the paint left an impression where the hole needed to be drilled. Presto chango.

Here's a close-up of the standoff. I used an existing bolt welded to the chassis and removed it's nut. It was m6x1.00 and I purchased this 12mm hex aluminum stock, drilled a 5mm hole centered on each side and tapped both ends. It was a bit tricky to get the length of the standoff just right to hold the cover in place.

Front end done

I completed the front end by finishing up the upper fork covers. Here they are in all their splendor. I purchased raw aluminum tubing with an internal diameter of 44mm to go over the 43mm fork tubes, cut them to length (7") and painted them with rattle-can gloss black. I used a little electrical tape wound around the tops and bottoms of the upper tubes to keep make up the 1mm difference in diameter so they fit tight. Looks pretty good.

The rest of the pictures are the various steps involved.

The raw upper tubes.

Tubing cut to length, sanded and washed with soap and hot water to remove any oils, thus the paper towel.

Painted.

Both tubes. Pre-installed.

Front end 95% done!

I got the front end 95% done.  Fork lowers professionally painted (Florida Custom Paint). Fork gaiters installed. Front turns updated. Wiring tidied up a bit. I still have to cut the fork upper covers and paint them. (My saw broke and I'm waiting for parts, but no sense leaving the bobber apart.) Plus I dyed the seat dark brown for the contrast.

This is a tilt-shift photo of the bobber. Looks like a toy. :)

I fashioned some brackets for the front turns from aluminum angle stock. The turns are the same brand as the rear, Eagle Eye, but in amber.  Here are some details of the mounting.

Here's the dyed seat. More brown in bright light, darker in shadows. Nice contrast.

Here's the entire side view.

Left to do besides the fork upper covers includes doing something with the air cleaner. I have some ideas that I will explore. Plus I will install some baffles into the drag pipes. The tuning is off now that I cut them short (and cut the old baffles out).