ReBornFree3

Follow with me as I ride across the States back to Wisco, then on to Pennsylvania for the Gypsy Run - gonna be posting along the way...

In the meantime, here's video from the months, days, and hours leading up to Born Free 3. Both of us working on our builds, with parts of our ride out to Southern California for BF3.

Unfortunately, even with all of the work, Rich didn't get his bike done. So, since I was already re-building my chop, we put mine in the builder's circle instead. Got the chop put back together on the 19th of June, then took off on it for the coast three days later...

Here I go again-

P-Funk...RE-BORN

Turns out, some dude shot photos of my bike at Born Free for Barnett's online deal... Barnett called Rich and he filled them in on the details, except the name - it's all good Rich, I never really told you about the name change.

So, this bike was named after a good friend of mine, Peter Friedrich, who passed away back in '07 when I started the original build. He smoked P-Funks and with PF being his initials, I named the chop, adding the Re-Born since Born Free was a factor in deciding to rebuild it.

Other factors were pretty strong motivators in making some changes as well...

After riding the hell out of this bike for the past two years, there's a lot I've had to think about and wanted to alter on the bike. Don't know what you really want to add or subtract from your bike? Take it on a long excursion and you'll find out, fast.

Not like it needed it, but I felt it was time....

I wanted more power, even better handling, and to make it more of a traveling machine than it already was. So, I had the heads shaved 62 thousandths, put a new cam, push-rods, and lifters in it as well as cleaning the engine out completely. I put a new race tech suspension kit in the front end and also fabbed up the gas tank and fender for removable gear-racks(protecting my paint and giving me more room to carry gear other than my back fender/sissy bar).

The auxiliary gas tank is something I had thought about since I first took this chop on a long trip. Something that Dick Allan would hopefully be proud of, since he's the influence behind building it. I got sick of having extra gas canisters taking up the majority of the packing space on my bike, I had seen other guys build similar oil tanks between their frame rails, and the way I ride this bike - it just made sense.

I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I love this bike. There isn't a bike out there that I'd want on a long haul more than this chop. It's proven its durability, go ahead and dog on the Evo, this bike is bulletproof. I'm not trying to prove anything, I've dreamt of this lifestyle since I was four years old. Whether people take notice of the chop or not doesn't matter to me, this bike was built to be ridden. I am, on the other hand, making an indirect attempt at showing what you get as an end-product from Shamrock Fabrication. There's a lot to be said from the miles that this build has conquered.

I'd be lying if I said that people speaking highly of the bike didn't make me smile. It does, and most of the guys that have said it are guys I look up to. It's always nice getting compliments, but nothing is perfect, I'll take criticism as well.

For the article on Barnett's website, copy and paste:
http://www.barnettharley.com/component/k2/item/3349-point-p-funk-revisited-by-shamrock-fabrication

Coming Together -

Starting to look like a motorcycle again - waiting on my paint...

Old Bull - Young Bull

Taking my time undressing her, still trying to figure out a concrete plan to go forward with. Have a lot of ideas, but like always, I'm back and forth on most of them. From the miles I've put on this bike, I've learned a lot about what it could use. All I know is, it looks good in my head and it's gonna be a pavement pounder this coming summer - trippin' all over the USA and possibly the Baja and/or Canada - there's really not enough time in the summer for all of the trips I wanna take this coming season.



Goodbye torn up bird-shooters... man I loved these pipes.

Mustang Tank Mounting -

Before my long trip down to Austin, TX and back, I ordered a new 3.5 gallon mustang gas tank to mount up on my chop. Before this, I would strap 3 MSR 33oz. gas canisters to my sissy bar - either waiting to run out or pulling over if I knew I wasn't going to make it on certain stretches. On most stretches with my 2.2 mustang tank, I could make it roughly 75-85 miles. On my way out to L.A. for the Born Free 2, I made it 62 miles before I ran out around Beaver, UT. The wind was hitting me at about 40 mph from the front and I was hauling ass, both which killed my mpg. I love smaller tanks, they look great, but aren't too handy if you take big trips.

I didn't have to do much to this tank to get it set on my backbone, but here's the story anyway...

Bareback


After cutting and smoothing off the original front mount, I made a set of mounting tabs to be welded into the tank's tunnel - cutting, drilling, and cleaning them.


Since the 3.5 has a similar back mount and the tank is the same length as my 2.2, to mount up the back I only had to open up the bolt-hole to fit a rubber grommet in it. After bolting up the back mount, I set the front up to the desired height - Rich and I usually use wooden pieces to space parts in situations like this.

I set the tank up a little higher on the backbone for both the look as well as to make the mounting tabs run flush with the bottom curve of the tank. It's more of the little details that I pick up from working with Rich.

I set the tabs up as needed and marked the inside of the tunnel.




After marking the placement of the tabs in the tunnel with the tank on the backbone, I took the tank off and placed the tabs up in the tunnel - using small magnets to hold them in place when I tacked them on.



I MIG welded the tabs on the inside of the tunnel, then Rich TIG welded the outside. After welding the tabs in place, I sanded the entire tank to rough it up before priming - using a scotch-brite pad on the inside of the tunnel.


Taped up the filler neck and bungs, then sprayed it down with primer a couple times - using a little too much in the process.


No muff too tough...



Placed some rubber padding in-between the mounts and backbone when I bolted it up. Hooked up the fuel lines and... done. Picture of the finished product before leaving for Texas.