/r/bikebuilders
Motorcycle building/modification of all types.
Related subreddits: (if you want one added, send a modmail!)
Related Websites:
/r/bikebuilders
17,889 Subscribers
My sportster!
18:12 UTC
My motorcycle had a new clutch cable but when I’m in gear 1 and I’m full pressing the clutch, it still moves.
Just as the title says. I just got my motorcycle a new clutch cable but when the clutch is in gear 1 and I’m fully pressing the clutch, it still moves. It was not like this on my previous clutch.
02:19 UTC
Are there any forward controls capable of holding long floorboards that don't require a unique attachment to a bike?
Looking for easy-er to attach to a motorcycle forward controls that don't have a bike specific attachment. Something that would be easier to add to a custom symmetrical left/right bike.
Example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9WXLMKM
But I'd like something that would hold long floorboards. Does anything come to your mind? Maybe one that also features a heel shifter?
Do you know if anything can be assembled from different parts that are available somewhere? Or sold as a set?
I kind of like Indian long floorboards.
16:35 UTC
My rare but interesting looking soviet scooter Тула Тулица 200 (1982)!
Hi dudes!
Let me present you something kinda weird shaped but also a bit cute looking classic soviet scooter i completely restored all by myself!
The story goes like this:
Back in 2019, one weekend i decided to go for a walk, and for some reason i redirected my route and went through a less explored part of my city.
Just after around 10 minutes of walking there, i ended up walking through a garage complex (something pretty specific for eastern europe to have designated areas of the city with just car garages/storage units)
I kept on walking through there and i noticed a few kids peeking through the rusty gates of an abandoned storage unit, and when they noticed me, they ran away.
OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!
My curious ahh went there to see tf they saw there.. and there it is. the moment i found it.
I couldn't properly see it, because the gates were locked and the visibility was limited by only what i could see through the gap between them.
I was like, damn!! this looks pretty interesting.... but who is the owner???
I started asking around, but nobody knew who owned that storage unit.
I called the local land office (i have no mf idea how to translate its name from romanian to english but lets call it like this), and they also had no clue who was the owner.
I was burning to find out who this scooter belonged to, so i started a whole ahh investigation.
From putting up fake "for sale" signs on that storage unit, to make greedy storage unit re-sellers (yes we have something like this lmao) to do all the searching work for me, to [REDACTED] auto registration office workers to run the numberplate through the database (its a big nono to do this in my country), but they could not find it, the scooter could've been registered when the auto registration offices didn't even have computers, and it was registered manually... on paper. (during early 1990's basically no state institutions had computers).
I felt like i have to give up.
And one day, a little boy met me on the street when i was just minding my own business, not even thinking about that scooter at the moment, and he was like:
I heard you are interested about that scooter, do you remember? me with my friends were looking at it through the gates of that storage unit! It actually belongs to an old man i know! he lives in this apartment building! *pointing at it* he is friends with my grandfather!
I was ****ING SHOCKED
All that searching, digging, [REDACTED], tricking, calling... TO THEN FIND OUT HE LIVES LIKE 50 METERS AWAY FROM THAT STORAGE UNIT!!!!!!!!!
All my plans for that day were cancelled.
I went straight to that dude's home, knocked on his door, and when the door opened, he looked exactly as i was thinking he looks like XD
Skinny, tall, white hair, grumpy face, a lil bit of a double chin and a walking stick.
I told him about the whole story and i could tell his grumpiness started to fade away, he looked enthusiastic and talkative, he started to tell me the whole story how he bought it, how he used it, and why he abandoned it. (he had a major car accident many years ago, that's why he coundn't drive it anymore)
He also told me that the scooter sat there untouched for.. get this:
!!!!!!!!!!!! 20 YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!! (pics attached)
Long story short, he planned to sell the whole storage unit, including all of the contents of it to a scrap yard in a couple of weeks, so i was super lucky i found him just in time!
I was super relieved about it, so i went straight to business:
How much?
He said [REDACTED] euro, and it's yours.
DEAL !
I bought it exactly that day.
4 years passed
You see what i did with it.
Full restoration, no f'ing around, top quality, as i love to do it ;)
I also have the whole restoration process on my YouTube channel, if you're interested, i will paste the link in comments.
Thanks for reading my lil story!
P.S I'm actually planning to sell it, to fund my next restoration projects! (yes, i already bought like 4 vintage motorcycles lmao), so if you're interested, hit me up!
21:59 UTC
2 step on turbo dr200
🔥 🔥 🔥
19:46 UTC
Connecting rod kits for diy project engine.
So, I would like to replace my connecting rod from the stock crankshaft, preferably with one that lasts more than 3,000 km and can handle around 8,500 RPM.
It's not too problematic to make a bigger hole in the webs, increasing the diameter from 16 mm to 22 or 24 mm for a larger pin. However, the small hole in the connecting rod should be 14 mm to fit a 10 mm pin for the stock cylinder and Minarelli hybrid kits.
So, it should be like this: length 85 mm, small hole 14 mm, large hole 22-24 mm.
Or... a bushing to accommodate the 16 mm typical hole from the connecting rods I find, reducing it to 14 mm. I couldn't find any.
(its a 2 stroke, for 80cc and 70cc cylinders)
17:24 UTC
Frame painting: to bare metal or not?
I’ve stripped my dr650 to the frame, ready to be welded. Once I’ve finished welding I’m going to spray the frame down. The previous paint is in, near perfect condition, apart from a couple chipped areas, and the soon to be exposed areas from the welding. I’ve been reading what’s available and there seems to be two train on thoughts. Either, strip down to bare metal and work from there or, sand down the imperfections with the previous paint still on, add primer and paint from there. Which one is it 😉
TIA.
09:29 UTC
How do I custom my bike display?
Hey guys I’m learning bike tuning and display custom to start a side hustle however I have no background in engineering. I was thinking I could ask ai to do any coding if necessary. For starters, I want to make a custom startup animation on adobe after effects and install it on a Yamaha R15m 2024. Could anyone please provide guidance?
14:00 UTC
Can anyone identify this Triumph plug
21:28 UTC
Question: Titling an "art bike"?
I think that we've all seen them, those gorgeous photos of custom "art builds" - at least those that aren't CAD or AI generated, that is.
Most Departments of Motor Vehicles require a vehicle inspection for "composite builds" before they can generate a title and VIN. Many of these "art builds" lack items required by inspectors - mirrors, turn signals, fenders, speedometers/odometers as examples.
Has anyone in this sub ever attempted to acquire a title and VIN for builds such as these, that were lacking what the DMV requires as necessary equipment? What was your experience? Or, is your take on all of this that bikes such as these are built for the sake of the art, and they are never intended to be titled or registered?
16:07 UTC
1972 Ducati RT 450 Project
00:25 UTC
Maintenance amateur. What set of wrenches do I need?
Hello.
I'm a complete maintenance newbie. I own a last-gen motorcycle (japanese). And I want to start performing basic maintenace tasks myself (such as changing oil, removing fairings, removing a lever to lube its joint, etc).
As far as I read (correct me if I'm wrong, that's why I'm posting), I need:
- 1/4 Torque Wrench + set of sockets (to work on 2-25Nm).
- 3/8 Torque Wrench + another set of sockets again to fit it (to work on 20-100Nm).
- Another 1/4 Ratchet (used to loosen).
- Another 3/8 Ratchet (used to loosen).
That's 4 wrenches in total and 2 same sets of sockets. Is that even right?
Thank you.
21:06 UTC
I got my dream project bike (my first bike ever), 1981 Honda GL500
16:54 UTC
Anyone interested come check out my build. 1978 gs550
r
23:16 UTC
Anyone know where I can buy +6 push/pull cables?
I’ve been calling everywhere and all the shops around me basically say they only have standard length, but I need +6 and have no clue on where to start on looking for them. 2009 Honda shadow spirit vt750c2
22:48 UTC
BMW K100 Cafe Racer Build
I’m looking to get a BMW K100 and turn it into a cafe racer but not having the essential mechanic experience is keeping me away from it along with budget. Wish I had some friends with such knowledge who could help me build my dream bike. I’ve been searching for places that let you build your own bike with necessary tools and knowledge that you need yourself but haven’t found any so far in Toronto region. Please let me know if anyone knows such place or people who can help me. Im definitely ready to get my hands dirty for this work.
02:12 UTC
Finally getting somewhere
Starting to get more progress done on this bike, its been a centerpiece for the last month or so. All it needs now is mainly a frame for the seat to support it, brackets to attach the drum brakes, and wiring then it should be ready for its first test run!
06:34 UTC
Need help with bottom bracket selection
What kind of bottom bracket can I install here? It's a 35mm ID and 85mm wide
05:18 UTC
How do you go about establishing a selling price?
Work in progress... I've calculated the cost of all individual parts, labor hours, added a markup to cover my overhead. But how do you guys figure out the market value of a custom build if there isn't really anything in the market to compare to?
02:58 UTC
XS1100 Build Part 3: New Exhaust & Fabrication!
Slowly getting there
13:20 UTC
Chain Tensioners on Trike.
I'm converting an old 125CG clone into a trike. The goal is to have a low speed (less than 40kph) trike to get coolers and chairs to a local beach. I'm using a solid rear axle about 100cm from the crank. Would this style chain tensioner be enough if i hard mount the axel bearings, or should I fabricate a way to move the axles to increase tension.
07:15 UTC
I'm searching for a reliable torque wrench for motorcycle maintenance - which brands are worth the investment in 2025?
Hey all, I've finally decided to start doing my own motorcycle maintenance after paying way too much at the shop, and I know a good torque wrench is essential to avoid over-tightening bolts (learned that lesson the hard way on my previous bike).
19:48 UTC
1982 GS550L refuses to fire on cylinders 2&3
So, as the title says, I can not, for the life of me, get the bike to run on cylinders 2&3. I thought it was an issue with the carburetors I got (Murrays Carbs) but after chasing many things, I'm much less sure.
Note: If you're not aware, the initial carburetors were broken in multiple un-reparable places, and were 1 carburetor to each cylinder, now with the Murrays carbs, its 1 carb per 2 cylinders, 1&2, and 3&4, hence why I'm less sure that its a fueling or carburetor issue. In regards to fuel, I have confirmed that they are both filling up with fuel in the bowls, and that the floats are at the correct height, but since its cylinders 2&3 not firing and they share a coil, I'm just starting to get even more confused.
So far, I have tested the spark plugs to ensure they spark. The spark plug caps all have the same resistance, I have ensured I am getting spark through the spark plug wires with a timing light, attaching it to each wire. I ran a compression test and came out with, (As you're sitting on the bike) C1-130PSI, C2-130PSI, C3-120PSI, C4-140PSI. I have now swapped the coils, the plugs, the plug wires (they were attached to the new coils) new plug caps, and the ECU. On the rare chance I do get the bike to idle, I use a temp gun to check the header temperatures, and I usually see C1-190, C2-80, C3-75, C4-210, somewhere around that range and difference in temperatures. The plugs for cylinders 2&3 are wet, and its gas. I'm definitely feeling like I'm hitting a wall because I'm not sure where to go from here. Please shoot out any ideas you might have, I'll at least give them a shot.
20:09 UTC
Signatures NEEDED for Motorcycles in Florida!!!
Here is a link to the petition. DMV treats us like we are criminals for trying to title motorcycles or any other vintage vehicle for that matter. Please sign and pass the song to others that you know! To make change, you have to take action, and I'm taking it...
15:34 UTC
Ninja 250r
I took the decision to change it to a streetfighter. Any suggestions for the headlight? And maybe handlebar
13:12 UTC
Can someone find the page with full photos of this bike posted ?
Can someone find the page with full photos of this bike posted ?
21:46 UTC