Off the Bike Lift

[greenbarn]

I just had them done with the spokes in.  I checked them to make sure they were straight before sending them.

[Bucko]

-The wheels were sand blasted and powder coated gloss black,

Were the wheels powder coated with the spokes in or spokes out?

[Bucko]

.... they did not have a "gloss" high-temp black- only the "matte"  in the high-temp.

Yes, a durable high temp gloss black seems to be the 'holy grail' of exhaust coatings.

[RockinRollin]

When I brought my bike in for the dyno tune up he set my idle and told me the same. (So did the Ratman)

[RockinRollin]

Good job Mr. Greenbarn, now that's a retro bike!
And nice tank badge, you make that?

[kw-retrorider]

Greenbarn...nice job. Particularly like lots of the little details....rear light set-up and tank badge aesthetics to name a few.

For the greater good: I was also interested in the powder coat in gloss. Last saw you at Drift-in in 2013. I finished the black roadhouse on my 800 with high temp flat black exhaust paint, followed by semi-gloss black engine paint. (rattle can)
- This scheme worked on the exhaust tip, which is showing no degradation
- The canister has a hot spot that is peeling the top layer of engine paint, but not disturbing the underlying flat exhaust paint.
- The heat shields had to be unbent so were refinished with the semi-gloss engine paint and have held up fine.

Exhaust paint good for 1000 degrees F; Engine paint good for 500 degrees F.

So, was your powdercoat guy out of gloss or did they tell you it wouldn't hold up? Anybody ever try black chrome or porcelain finish? No looking to do anything immediately. My experiment largely worked....and a rattle can touch every couple of years is cheap.

Photo below when completed in time for Drift-In 2013. Will follow with a current photo.

[greenbarn]

Looks awesome!  Couple of questions:

• How did you achieve the black wheel and spokes?  Powder coat? Paint?  It seems that you left a strip un-blacked around the outside of the rim - was that to allow for mar-free tire changes?
• How is the gloss black powder coating (I think I read that) holding up on the exhaust heat shields?
• Did you consider doing the muffler in gloss black too or were you thinking the gloss black wouldn't hold up to the heat?

Thanka Bucko nand Old Drifter for the compliments.  Bucko to answer your questions:
-The wheels were sand blasted and powder coated gloss black, then I had my pin-stripe guy hand-pinstripe them.  He's over 60, and he's been doing this for a long time.  He did the pin striping on the tins as well, and also did my 1500 pin-stripe work.
-the pipes are doing fine so far- I don't think the heat shield will give me problems.  I actually would have preferred the whole pipe, muffler and all, to be the same matching gloss black, however they did not have a "gloss" high-temp black- only the "matte"  in the high-temp.  When I got them back, found out the "matte" also has a lot of texture, which I'm not really nuts about.  Not sure how it will be to keep it clean.  I may have to clean it with a brush, and live with how it turn out, we'll see.  They assured me the gloss would be OK for the shields (they don't get as hot), and actually thought the gloss "might" be OK on the muffler but I made the decision to go with the "high temp" for the muffler. 

[greenbarn]

does she sound something like one of these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yggVeXqrpP8  (this one, it's the second exhaust he's running)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfAwc6d4j_s

Yeppers, sounds a whole lot like that blue bike in the second vid.   I'll have to see if I can figure out how to do a short video.

[Tfrank59]

Mine too

[CDNRatMan]

Yeah you were saying in order for the oil to pump properly it needs to idle at about 1000 so that guy's got turn it up a bit

Tfrank: I was told by the local Kaw guy that a Vulcan engine had to idle at 1000 rpm or the oil would not get to the top of the engine properly. The engine is meant to idle at 1000. This is the guy that I would trust to work on my bike and to do the right job. So if he says it is so then it is so. I have heard this from other mechanics as well. So mine is idling at 1000 rpm when warmed up and ready to run.

[Old Drifter]

Looks great! Well thought out with awesome personal touches.

[Bucko]

Looks awesome!  Couple of questions:

• How did you achieve the black wheel and spokes?  Powder coat? Paint?  It seems that you left a strip un-blacked around the outside of the rim - was that to allow for mar-free tire changes?
• How is the gloss black powder coating (I think I read that) holding up on the exhaust heat shields?
• Did you consider doing the muffler in gloss black too or were you thinking the gloss black wouldn't hold up to the heat?

[Tfrank59]

Yeah you were saying in order for the oil to pump properly it needs to idle at about 1000 so that guy's got turn it up a bit

[CDNRatMan]

The blue bike sounds more like my Roadhouse pipes other than the idle is set to low that is the sound.....

[Tfrank59]

does she sound something like one of these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yggVeXqrpP8  (this one, it's the second exhaust he's running)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfAwc6d4j_s

[greenbarn]

Mr. Tfrank you will be needing to be careful if you have never heard a Roadhouse exhaust in real life you will get a little stiffy. Because it has such a seductive sound....you will be in love instantly.

Ain't that the truth... LOL.   It does indeed sound throaty.  It came with a baffle which I cleaned up and painted and put back in.  The baffle has no packing on it.  It's louder than I thought it would be (to my extreme satisfaction), but it's still not as loud as the Hard Khrome duals were, to my memory...  It seems to me a little throatier than the Roadhouse on the 1500 for whatever reason.

Make sure you come up to Andy's for Canadian Rendezvous, and you should be able to hear a few of them.

[CDNRatMan]

  Mr. Tfrank you will be needing to be careful if you have never heard a Roadhouse exhaust in real life you will get a little stiffy. Because it has such a seductive sound....you will be in love instantly.

[Tfrank59]

Again, very nicely done. I wonder how it sounds, I've never heard the exhaust note of a roadhouse on a 800 V twin-- is she a little throaty?

[greenbarn]

Yes, I sandblasted it down to bare shiney clean metal. 

[Tfrank59]

Boy that exhaust was in pretty rough shape! Did you sandblast it or something so it won't keep on rusting through the paint?

[greenbarn]

forgot the rusty pics...

[greenbarn]

Not going to say much because I have been on this build since day one. I have to say that I think that the exhaust system looks rather awesome, that "should" have set you back a small mortgage payment.

I won the Roadhouse exhaust on Fee-Bay, for a great price - $50, and shipping was another $30 USD.  It was in really rough shape, I'll attach some pics of the "as found" state, LOL., (how does a pipe get that rusty?!?!

I had it powder coated, same time I did the crash bar - I think the combined bill for the pipe and crash bar was a couple hundred USD, can't remember for sure - I traded with the guy on some tires.

Planning to bring the old girl to Rendezvous -- I'm currently looking into getting them both to fit in a small enclosed trailer I have access to....  may need a shoe-horn,LOL

[CDNRatMan]

  Not going to say much because I have been on this build since day one. I have to say that I think that the exhaust system looks rather awesome, that "should" have set you back a small mortgage payment. I really like the finished product, but I knew that you could make it work. I hope you trailer it up in July so we can all drool on it during Rendezvous. Great job my brother.

[greenbarn]

Went for a ride today, but actually I took the 1500...   hadn't been on the 1500 since I took the 800 off the lift, and didn't want her to get jealous, LOL.    Beautiful day here for a ride...

[mittico68]

Now that's a real beauty and a one-of-a-kind Drifter!!!
You've made lots of mods that I've been thinkin' of, but still am awaitin' for...
GREAT WORK!
Now listen what TFrank said and go ride that beauty!