Chopper!!!

This last Saturday, I drove out to Sacramento from Fairfax and back over the course of five hours. Upon returning, I had a crashed up 2000 Honda Shadow A.C.E. (VT750CD2). $600 with a bill of sale for the ‘Junk’ titled vehicle plus a spare set of pipes in superbe condition, a set of saddle bags, and a few parts not seen in the photos.

The damage to the bike was primarily to the fork tubes and the front half of the frame. A few other things are off around the bike such as the switches are smashed on the right hand and the handlebars are slightly bent. The radiator was missing. Otherwise, it’s in great shape.

Why did I want this bike? Simple. I wanted to make a cheap chopper. In the theme of the Dirtbag Challenge, I want to make a ghetto ass chopper. A real chopper. A cheap bike that’s been made personal with a hacksaw and a welding machine. This bike was perfect for the project. It’s cheap. It has a chain drive so I can gear it properly. It’s a Honda. It’s not so big as to overheat around town.

Hopefully, I can keep the cost of the whole project under $2500, have complete for the actual Dirtbag Challenge, and have something that looks really snazzy. A little out of the parameters of the contest but I’ll be getting something I want.

So far, I’ve ordered: Fork tubes ($299), Leather solo saddle ($140), used radiator ($170) and about $125 for some 4130 to chop the frame. We’ll see how far that get’s me.

You’ll see more posts on this as time goes by.