Making stuff again - LOL

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

I didn't feel like spending $50 or more on saddlebag supports for my motorcycle since they are almost never seen on the bike and all they need to do is keep the bag from moving around, so I made some. Also - I can't see the point of spending that much money on a couple of pieces of metal that do not cost very much to put together.

I made these from two pieces of 3/8" steel tube from Home Depot for $6 each.
I had black spray paint and gray primer already, so I used what I had in the shed.

I bent thin aluminum wire to the shape that looked about right, then marked the length on the new tubes where to make the bends and then cut them to length.

The ends were squeezed in a big bench vice and hammered flat.
To smooth them out a little, I shaped the ends with a bench grinder, then drilled the holes for the bolts.
They were bent to the correct angles with a bench vice and the bends were heated with a propane torch so it would bend smoothly and not break.

After they were the right size, and shape, they were fitted to make sure the bends were correct.

The supports were cleaned with denatured alcohol then hung up and sprayed with primer and 3 coats of gloss black paint.

Here they are:

[daewoomofo]

nice work Oz, yeah i agree those would have prolly costed you about $50 to get from anywhere.

[JohnnyC]

Those look nice! Good job. Nice bike in general

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

Thanks!

Here is a better pic of it:


The bike is for sale, actually. LOL
I posted it on craigslist.org and placed ads in local papers.

I want to sell it and get a bigger cruiser for a trip to the Grand Canyon this summer, with stops all along I64 and I70.

The bike I want is a Korean one made by Hyosung.
The GV650 is a sport cruiser with very nice lines:



It is 8ft long and very comfortable.
For taller or shorter riders, the foot pegs will slide forward or backward.

650cc water cooled, 90degree V twin, 72.1hp, 6 speed, belt drive, 485 pounds (220kg) with dual front disc brakes and a single large disc brake at the back.

I test rode it last week and it was VERY VERY nice. Smooth, very comfortable and had a LOT more power than I expected from it.

Just for the trip, so I have room to carry things I need, I will put on locking, hard side boxes and a locking rear trunk.
I did this as a very quick edit with Paint just to give an idea of what the bike will look like with all the accessories added:


I am getting the bike in ocean blue and not black as I think it looks better.

[Audacity Racing]

i could have slapped those on the mandrel bender for $120

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

i could have slapped those on the mandrel bender for $120

I've quite sure you could have. LOL

For my bank account's sake, I'm glad you didn't.

[chris2511]

Sweet job u did with the bike, that new bike looks awesome, hope u have fun with it

[Aneab]

Hyosung makes great bikes very well engineerd, but right now their position on continuing in the states is in question, i want to get a GT250 and hopefully i'll come across one sooner or later for sale, I hope you do get the GV650 though, they're beautiful bikes.

if you're coming down to arizona, you wouldn't be coming by Phoenix at all would ya? Danny and I would probably be able to meet you down here sometime if you came this far south, if not though thats fine.

~Kyle

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

If I end up going to Brawley, CA, then I'll be heading right through Phoenix so I can get on 10, then go south to 8 west like I did last time.
I'll have my cell phone with me, so as the time gets closer, I'll get back with you about meeting while I'm there.

17 south down the mountians from Flagstaff to Phoenix is going to be one hell of a ride on a bike!

[JohnnyC]

I hitchhiked through there. Flagstaff has a really nice brewery.