I've got a younger pal who's got a bad back. He's nixed the notion of welding on a rigid tail section to his early 1980s Shovelhead. He just wants to sit lower in his bike. I suggested to him to convert his stock frame into a drop-seat type frame, ala Duo Glide. He's good with that idea. He'll still have rear suspension and sit lower in the machine. I like the clean lines of a rigid frame, but guys like my pal (and yours truly) simply can't ride a bike without rear suspension. America's roads aren't getting much better. Just a thought. Thanks, Grease's Garage. You covered that conversion very well. Ride safe.
Totally understand, that’s a great idea too. The best of both worlds! Thanks for checking out the video even though it’s not something you’re looking to do personally 🙏🏼
From learning to work on classic aircraft, the way to join the two pieces together is to insert a smaller tube inside of the outside tube, drilling two holes beforehand and champering the edges where the tubing meets. Use rosett welds in the holes, then weld where the tubing meets up. You can grind down the welds smoothly, and after prime and painting, you'll never be able to tell where the welds are, and because of the rosett welded interior tubing it's extremely strong. This also leaves the interior hallow, so if you want to get fancy, it's possible to run wiring through the bottom interior of the frame. Not that I would consider doing that. I'm way too lazy, hahaha Just wanted to put out another option. The way you are showing is 100% acceptable, and your videos are appreciated and informative. FYI: on classic tube and fabric aircraft after finishing all the welds, you drill a hole in the highest point of the frame and pour full of boiled linseed oil then drain it, and reweld the holes for prevention of corrosion inside the tubing.
I read in some motorcycle book somewhere about using tubing instead of a solid slug to join the 2 tubes. I remember him saying that the tube slug has some flex while the solid slug won't flex & could cause a crack at the end of the slug.
There is a video ,That show you how take measurements from the stock frame to the new hardtail section . Called , welding a Harley hardtail , By Chopper Time , How to line up frame With out a frame jig This could be helpful !
I was thinking of doin the hardtail on my softail frame. Before I made the big changes on the frame I just tig- welded some two inch strips where the swingarm sisors in the frame. After 1 month of a rigid I just cut those strips again. My back thanked me.❤
Making the swingarm rigid tends to ride and handle a little worse than a full rigid frame because the geometry is different. The swingarm is positioned where it is to allow it to flex up and down so removing that flex doesn’t always mimic the experience of a rigid frame. Same goes for the sporty when people add rigid struts. But in the end it’s your bike and if you like the suspension you should keep it
Thank you! It’s much trickier for me to do it that way but I think it makes for a better video vs holding the camera and talking into the back of it. I appreciate you noticing 🙏🏼
Great vid! Chopper Time has a great video showing all your steps for the same shovel style hardtail kit. Not many vids how to do it but yours and his will help a lot
Watching this as I get ready to remove the shock mounting bolt on my 99 fatboy that snapped off (guess I have to learn to weld today!) Worth the consideration, but I want to make at least one long trip before maybe actually hardtailing it. I think my back will thank me lol
Just put a lowering kit on your shocks it's cheaper than doctor bills and will save your back and a ridge you feel every little defect in the crappy roads that are everywhere in our country. I'm 66 been riding since I was 15 dropped my softtail 1-1/2 inches looks great rides nice because i also adjusted the shock springs . I have rods in my lower back and a plate in my neck so got to go with comfort and looks.
Hey brotha, thanks for reaching out. I stepped away from the podcast a little over a year ago, right around the same time I started on UA-cam. I felt like I had done all I could do for the community via the podcast platform in those 5 years I was hosting and wanted to branch into video content like this. I knew I couldn’t do both at the same time so I had to choose one. I’m happy I stepped away to do this channel because the response has been great and a lot of people have finished their builds via these videos which is what my main goal was from the start 🙏🏼
Back in the days of yore, there were several companies making frames that kind-of looked rigid but had suspension, the Amen Savior being the best known but none of them looked good or worked well. People who don't like choppers always ask why you'd take a perfectly good bike and ruin it by using one of those frames, etc. Then, after they'd all come and gone H-D came out with their Softail which was far better than anything the chopper frame companies had made. The only thing wrong with it was the springs were underneath which meant they get stretched, not compresed, when you hit a bump in the road but even so, they were the best solution to the problem of not wanting a swingarm and shocks because you think they're ugly but wanting your kidneys to keep on functioning. A few years ago, H-D moved the shocks to the top like Vincent did back in the '50s so they compress rather than stretch. Much better. I love choppers but I must ask why a person would want to take a frame that H-D went to a lot of trouble to make look like a ridid but still have some suspension, and make it rigid. Is a Softail really that ugly that you'd cut it off and replace it with a hard tail?
If you want that true chopper look there’s no replacement for the rigid frame. Less material, smaller tubing, no shocks in the way or tight spaces to try to get a wrench into. It’s just clean and simple and it weighs about 1/3 of the weight of the swing arm. When I removed it I couldn’t believe how heavy it was! Much of those pieces are solid not tubes. The weights were wild.
@@greasesgarage There's no doubt in the world that a rigid looks great but I just baulk at the idea of having no suspension. Call me a sissy if you like but If I had a Softail (which I don't) and I wanted to remove some weight, I'd make something similar but out of tubing with the shock(s) on top. In any case, for someone wanting to do what you did, great video as always and I look forward to the next one even if it doesn't apply to me.
@davidrayner9832 I appreciate that 🙏🏼 I’ll never tell somebody that their bike isn’t cool just because it’s not a rigid, lots of cool swingarm bikes out there for sure 🤘🏼 one day I might be in the same situation and unable to ride this one
Yeah I remember years ago you really couldn't get parts I mean there was jammer.. this was in the late 70s and early 80s....out there So you just made do with what you had and what you could find kind of like you did with putting that shovelhead hardtail on your Evo
Neither is as ideal as TIG but i know people have done it with both. I tend to prefer stick over MiG for penetration but I’ve never tried stick welding a frame so it’s tough to say
Not being an a$$ but I broke back twice and am all screwed up from car accidents bike accidents and there is no way I’d ride anything but a rigid. Most ppl that roll their eyes at hard tails never have been on one
I've got a 97 Dyna is that a possibility for a chopper.. I don't know whether to sell it it's just a spare bike I have.. to gather a bunch of parts or somehow to utilize the whole thing to make into a hardtail...
I've got a younger pal who's got a bad back. He's nixed the notion of welding on a rigid tail section to his early 1980s Shovelhead. He just wants to sit lower in his bike. I suggested to him to convert his stock frame into a drop-seat type frame, ala Duo Glide. He's good with that idea. He'll still have rear suspension and sit lower in the machine. I like the clean lines of a rigid frame, but guys like my pal (and yours truly) simply can't ride a bike without rear suspension. America's roads aren't getting much better. Just a thought. Thanks, Grease's Garage. You covered that conversion very well. Ride safe.
Totally understand, that’s a great idea too. The best of both worlds! Thanks for checking out the video even though it’s not something you’re looking to do personally 🙏🏼
@@greasesgarage ✡✝🙏
From learning to work on classic aircraft, the way to join the two pieces together is to insert a smaller tube inside of the outside tube, drilling two holes beforehand and champering the edges where the tubing meets.
Use rosett welds in the holes, then weld where the tubing meets up.
You can grind down the welds smoothly, and after prime and painting, you'll never be able to tell where the welds are, and because of the rosett welded interior tubing it's extremely strong.
This also leaves the interior hallow, so if you want to get fancy, it's possible to run wiring through the bottom interior of the frame.
Not that I would consider doing that.
I'm way too lazy, hahaha
Just wanted to put out another option. The way you are showing is 100% acceptable, and your videos are appreciated and informative.
FYI: on classic tube and fabric aircraft after finishing all the welds, you drill a hole in the highest point of the frame and pour full of boiled linseed oil then drain it, and reweld the holes for prevention of corrosion inside the tubing.
I read in some motorcycle book somewhere about using tubing instead of a solid slug to join the 2 tubes.
I remember him saying that the tube slug has some flex while the solid slug won't flex & could cause a crack
at the end of the slug.
There is a video ,That show you how take measurements from the stock frame to the new hardtail section . Called , welding a Harley hardtail , By Chopper Time , How to line up frame With out a frame jig
This could be helpful !
I was thinking of doin the hardtail on my softail frame. Before I made the big changes on the frame I just tig- welded some two inch strips where the swingarm sisors in the frame. After 1 month of a rigid I just cut those strips again. My back thanked me.❤
Making the swingarm rigid tends to ride and handle a little worse than a full rigid frame because the geometry is different. The swingarm is positioned where it is to allow it to flex up and down so removing that flex doesn’t always mimic the experience of a rigid frame. Same goes for the sporty when people add rigid struts.
But in the end it’s your bike and if you like the suspension you should keep it
That's why I like it it works it doesn't have to be fancy I'm not someone that's fancy..
I like how you did the voice over of the pre-taped and annotated frame images.
Thank you! It’s much trickier for me to do it that way but I think it makes for a better video vs holding the camera and talking into the back of it. I appreciate you noticing 🙏🏼
Well thought out video that sticks to the KISS principle. I think even my kids would be able to tackle this job now
👍👍
Happy trails, Cowpoke
Thanks Cowpoke! I appreciate the kind words 🙏🏼
Great vid! Chopper Time has a great video showing all your steps for the same shovel style hardtail kit.
Not many vids how to do it but yours and his will help a lot
That’s what it’s all about, hopefully this helps some people get their bikes into the frames they want
Watching this as I get ready to remove the shock mounting bolt on my 99 fatboy that snapped off (guess I have to learn to weld today!) Worth the consideration, but I want to make at least one long trip before maybe actually hardtailing it. I think my back will thank me lol
Just put a lowering kit on your shocks it's cheaper than doctor bills and will save your back and a ridge you feel every little defect in the crappy roads that are everywhere in our country. I'm 66 been riding since I was 15 dropped my softtail 1-1/2 inches looks great rides nice because i also adjusted the shock springs . I have rods in my lower back and a plate in my neck so got to go with comfort and looks.
Good job of explaining all that, have a blessed week my friend
Thank you brother 🙏🏼
krispychoppers changed the game they have an EVO Kit now
Yes there’s a plug for that kit in the video
yeh pretty excited about that!
Thanx Grease, informative as always- Lefty (Under the Blood M/M) God bless Bro.
God bless you brotha 🙏🏼
@@greasesgarage He already has, I got Jesus and I don't deserve Him.- Lefty
Amen 🙏🏼 we are truly blessed
Don’t forget, you should always rosette weld your joints
Agreed. I wish I had a mockup frame to show this procedure but I’m not able to demonstrate the slug portion with the frame already completed
В родную раму FXST вместо амортизаторов установить жёсткие распорки и ничего варить не надо
what about throttle addiciton’s kit?
Its not for the evo big twin
Hey grease, just tuned in for an episode of the lowlife chopper podcast and heard you weren’t there anymore, what happened?
Hey brotha, thanks for reaching out. I stepped away from the podcast a little over a year ago, right around the same time I started on UA-cam.
I felt like I had done all I could do for the community via the podcast platform in those 5 years I was hosting and wanted to branch into video content like this.
I knew I couldn’t do both at the same time so I had to choose one.
I’m happy I stepped away to do this channel because the response has been great and a lot of people have finished their builds via these videos which is what my main goal was from the start 🙏🏼
@@greasesgarage I wondered immediately. I knew something was off as soon as the intro was rolling. Still a cool show it’s just different without you
@@connorchops710I appreciate that man, it’s always nice to hear that your presence makes a difference to a show or project 🙏🏼
Back in the days of yore, there were several companies making frames that kind-of looked rigid but had suspension, the Amen Savior being the best known but none of them looked good or worked well. People who don't like choppers always ask why you'd take a perfectly good bike and ruin it by using one of those frames, etc. Then, after they'd all come and gone H-D came out with their Softail which was far better than anything the chopper frame companies had made. The only thing wrong with it was the springs were underneath which meant they get stretched, not compresed, when you hit a bump in the road but even so, they were the best solution to the problem of not wanting a swingarm and shocks because you think they're ugly but wanting your kidneys to keep on functioning. A few years ago, H-D moved the shocks to the top like Vincent did back in the '50s so they compress rather than stretch. Much better. I love choppers but I must ask why a person would want to take a frame that H-D went to a lot of trouble to make look like a ridid but still have some suspension, and make it rigid. Is a Softail really that ugly that you'd cut it off and replace it with a hard tail?
If you want that true chopper look there’s no replacement for the rigid frame. Less material, smaller tubing, no shocks in the way or tight spaces to try to get a wrench into.
It’s just clean and simple and it weighs about 1/3 of the weight of the swing arm. When I removed it I couldn’t believe how heavy it was! Much of those pieces are solid not tubes. The weights were wild.
@@greasesgarage There's no doubt in the world that a rigid looks great but I just baulk at the idea of having no suspension. Call me a sissy if you like but If I had a Softail (which I don't) and I wanted to remove some weight, I'd make something similar but out of tubing with the shock(s) on top. In any case, for someone wanting to do what you did, great video as always and I look forward to the next one even if it doesn't apply to me.
@davidrayner9832 I appreciate that 🙏🏼 I’ll never tell somebody that their bike isn’t cool just because it’s not a rigid, lots of cool swingarm bikes out there for sure 🤘🏼 one day I might be in the same situation and unable to ride this one
Will this work on early evo dyna frames? I have an 86.
No, unfortunately the dyna frame is totally different both front and rear
What about twin cams anyone maki g hardtails for thembeen looking for along time found nothing.
Not to my knowledge, evo is as new as you can go while still allowing for easy hardtailing. You could get a paughco frame for a twin cam tho
Yeah I remember years ago you really couldn't get parts I mean there was jammer.. this was in the late 70s and early 80s....out there
So you just made do with what you had and what you could find kind of like you did with putting that shovelhead hardtail on your Evo
That’s what it’s all about 🤘🏼💪🏼
Hi
I have mig and ark welders. Is ark welding ok as I'm new to mig and get better penetration from stick?
Thanks.
Neither is as ideal as TIG but i know people have done it with both. I tend to prefer stick over MiG for penetration but I’ve never tried stick welding a frame so it’s tough to say
Not being an a$$ but I broke back twice and am all screwed up from car accidents bike accidents and there is no way I’d ride anything but a rigid. Most ppl that roll their eyes at hard tails never have been on one
I agree 100% most people who say that are just repeating what they’ve heard
I've got a 97 Dyna is that a possibility for a chopper..
I don't know whether to sell it it's just a spare bike I have.. to gather a bunch of parts or somehow to utilize the whole thing to make into a hardtail...
Unfortunately the dyna frame is not like this one and is not a good candidate for a chopper
@@greasesgarage yeah I was just wondering.. I guess I'll just sell the bike
Or just enjoy it as is, it’s still a great bike. Just tough to make it into a chopper
@@greasesgarage well I've got a shovelhead that I've been videoing on my channel. I'm not very good at it and they also have a 98 Softail...
I dont understand the reasoning. Lets make a bike handle worse and more uncomfortable to ride, and more prone to rattle apart.
Sir, this is a chopper channel