|
|
 |
Bike #2: the Dream |  |
 Home Page |
About the Shadow Shack |
the Stocker |
the Dream |
VLX-Max |
Wife's Bike |
The Rebels |
Friends' Bikes |
Evolution of a Rebuild |
Something Different |
Misc Pics |
Future Project |
Another Pastime |
My Other Hobby |
Whats New Page |
Contact Page |
Links |
the Dudeman Files |
|
"the Dream" 1995 VLX Deluxe This bike is the culmination of several years worth of research toward my vision of a VLX chopper. When I first started out, it was nothing more than just a dream as there wasn't much stateside aftermarket support for the bike at the time. In other words, it was "Mission: Impossible!" Click here to learn more about mods to this bike Now feel free to admire My Dream...
|
|
|
|
|
| Pre-chopped This is how the bike looked when I acquired it in October of 1999. 1423 original miles, de-baffled stock pipes, and some nice accessories including "Live to Ride/Ride to Live" gold eagle air cleaner w/ matching mirrors and front brake master cylinder cover, and a set of blue dot rear turn signal red lenses that are wired to light up with the brake light. When I traded a 1500 Vulcan straight up title for title towards this bike, the dealership thought I was nuts. When I told them of my plans for a chopper conversion, they thought I was stoned and nuts! |
 |
 |
Transition And there it is, right before the dealership's eyes: the transformation of a VLX chopper! Master mechanic Mike Klein is seen here taking a breather from the project, working on an MX bike. Seems the dealership was wrong in their assumption... |
| One nutsy stoned VLX chopper later... This was my first ride on the chopper. A friend rode the Stocker alongside me for the maiden voyage. And that smilin' happy character in the middle needed a plastic surgeon to remove that silly grin from his face! On a side note, the first ride was made sans speedo cable and front brake line, as they were still on order. Okay, so maybe the dealership was partially right about the "I was nuts" part... |
 |
 |
Chics REALLY dig the chopper! A rare shot of my wife with the Dream, she didn't care much for the stiffer ride from the lowered rear suspension. |
| A Profile with Style! Check out the new tail light, a Tech Glide from Highway Hawk. Everyone here called it the "Batman Light", as it looks like Batman's cape. Velcro neo-prene fork seal guards were added for protection from bugs and stones, the last thing I need is a dinged tube or a leaky seal! By the way, the front end is a Seeger Cycle chopper kit, first one sold in the USA for a Shadow VLX. As such, Kurt went out of his way to make sure this thing would work. |
 |
 |
3/4 rear view Illustrates the rear end, red lense/blue dot directionals and the new tail light. |
| Forward Controls, Grips, and Mirrors Now I can really lean back and stretch out for a relaxing ride. Matching rear pegs were also added on, along with chrome grips and Maltese Cross mirrors. |
 |
 |
Seeger & Shack Kurt Seeger (of Seeger Cycle Accessories) popped into town and we got together to shoot the breeze and a few pics of the bikes. A real cool & down to earth kind of guy. |
| Starboard Side A good shot of the left side...it seems a lot of folks don't snap this side of the bike but I think it makes for an interesting pic, if nothing else because of that. Passenger backrest added. |
 |
 |
Submission Photo ...see below. |
(Motorcycle Cruiser, April 2002 issue)  Future plans include relaced wheels w/twisted spokes and rims to accomodate a 21" front tire and at least a 180 (possibly 190)/55x17" rear tire, eventual stretching of the sissy bar along with license plate relocation to said taller bar, and a truly wild paint job to round it out. I'm sure I'll think of something else along the way too. |
|
