Triumph Chopper Project

Once you've created a theme for a custom bike, it's important to stick with that design element until the bike is finished. Well, there were a lot of stock components on our Triumph Chopper project that we would have liked to have kept, but they just didn't match the rest of the bike.

To remedy the situation, we once again let Mike Maldonado and Steve Meissenburg, of Heavy Cycle Customs, loose on the project to lend their customizing skills and create a set of foot controls and handlebars for the chopper. Follow along as we dodged sparks and snapped a few photos of the master builders at work.

We started out by assessing...        read full caption We started out by assessing the situation. The original cast bracket is functional, but very ugly, and has to go, but we wanted to retain the actual pegs and controls, so...	...Maldonado used a cut-off...        read full caption ...Maldonado used a cut-off saw to remove the mount from the foot control bracket.	The belt sander made quick...        read full caption The belt sander made quick work of the rough edges on the foot control.
To get the controls back on...        read full caption To get the controls back on the chopper, Maldonado had to shape some 1-1/4-inch DOM tubing with 1/8-inch wall to get it to fit to the round shape of the downtubes.	The metal tubing was notched...        read full caption The metal tubing was notched to fit the downtubes. You can tell it was done properly because there is almost no gap between the two pieces of metal. Then the foot control bracket was shaped to fit inside the tubing, close enough to make a good weld later.	Meissenburg used a flap sanding...        read full caption Meissenburg used a flap sanding disc to remove the primer from the frame where the control was going to be welded.
First, Maldonado tacked the...        read full caption First, Maldonado tacked the pieces together with a MIG welder, then started the final TIG-welding.	Before finishing up the right...        read full caption Before finishing up the right control, Maldo and Meissenburg measured to match the left control exactly to the right. Remember to measure twice so you only have to weld once.	In order to keep the control's...        read full caption In order to keep the control's internal springs from warping during the final welding, the controls were disassembled.
If you've been following the...        read full caption If you've been following the entire Project Triumph Chopper build, you'll recall that the frame is modular, so the engine can be removed. Well, the Heavy Cycle crew unbolted the downtubes so Maldo would have better positioning and make a better weld	As you can see, the welds...        read full caption As you can see, the welds turned out great; the mount is far cooler than the original. They also retained the original foot pegs and controls!	The custom bars were next...        read full caption The custom bars were next on the buildsheet. Maldonado started out by designing the risers -- 6 inches straight up from the top of the triple-tree. The tubing was cut and notched to fit the curvature of the bars that would rest inside of them.
Once cut, the risers were...        read full caption Once cut, the risers were de-burred and fit to the tubing as close as possible.	Then, a 1/2-inch 13-plug (13...        read full caption Then, a 1/2-inch 13-plug (13 threads per inch) was welded into the bottom of the risers...	...and bolted to the top triple-tree...        read full caption ...and bolted to the top triple-tree to fit the bars.
Maldo and Meissenburg decided...        read full caption Maldo and Meissenburg decided to go with a Maldonado V shape for the bars. Here, you can see how they created a temporary jig with a heavy block of solid steel and a very strong magnet on either end of the bars and tacked the two bars together, so they would retain they're shape.	The bars were tack-welded...        read full caption The bars were tack-welded to the risers. To prevent warping during welding, the risers were bolted into a spare set of top triple-trees and a machinist's block was placed between the risers. This way the risers wouldn't end up in the wrong shape: too warped to bolt to the actual triple-tree.	The completed bars. You can...        read full caption The completed bars. You can tell Maldo is pretty happy with them. Check back with us to see what direction Heavy Cycle Customs will take the Project Triumph Chopper next!