Harley Quinn Project Bike

08/07/07

I’m toe-tagging and bagging parts pretty much every night this week, not too exciting for pictures. It’s damn hot out so I may not get much done, but we’re on track to get the frame fixed this weekend. Currently we’re in the early design stage, I’ll try to put together sketches this week, but for now this crappy photoshop is a general idea. I’m trying to better tweak the paint to match Harley and stick with the lines of the bike. There is no exhaust on this drawing, but I still want to do double barrel short shots, they’ll either come off on the right or go underneath the bike, depending on what engine I put in. I do want to change the bars, but I’m starting to think that instead of straight drags, a set of low profile pullbacks with a riser with the speedo, tach and idiot lights built in. I’m also thinking about cutting the rear fender about 6 inches shorter, but still with the flared end.

08/05/07

Went out today to check out a 1986 Honda Rebel 250. It will be my project for until next spring and I’ll either sell it or it will become Dana’s bike. The previous owner ran it into a guardrail so the frame downtube is bent and the cylinder head is cracked.

Then Joe came over at around 5 and we stripped the bike down to bare frame. The engine is sitting on the side to be repaired and I’m considering finding a bigger engine to put in, maybe a 2 cylinder 450 or a single cylinder 650, but to be honest I inexplicably like the tiny 250cc engine. Hell, in most countries 250cc’s is the max you can legally own. Beyond that it doesn’t really need more power, especially if it’s being ridden by a 120lb chick, but 650cc’s is hardly earth shattering.

Point of interest on this bike: After tearing the thing completely apart, down to the bare frame, no sight of an oil filter! I ordered a service manual and that should be here in a few days, but WTF is that about?

Fuzzy picture, it was taken with a camera phone, but here is the rebel’s frame compared to Joe’s Suzuki C50

I recently purchased a 1986 Honda CMX250 Rebel with a bent frame and cracked cylinder head with the intent of making it a cool Harley Quinn themed bike for my fiance (or more likely myself, as she distracts easily). Originally this was going to be a solo effort, but her dad and my friend Joe thought this was really cool and wanted in.