Knuckle Sissy bar

I have so much time sat in the car on the way to meetings that I get to think a lot. No rather than worry about the world or other things I tend to think about bike parts these days. sad maybe - but its good to keep the brain busy. 

I've been struggling to find the balance on the knuckle in my head. I like making bits, but this bike is nowhere near the level of fabrication that I put into the 345. I have always intended to make the sissy bar, handlebar set-up and the controls.

I like to have a bit of unity or a style running through the bike, but I've been struggling to find something that would suit for the knuck. Its not going to be a 70's chopper, or have the detailed moulding and sculpting of a show bike, so some of my early ideas were shit-canned. I've been wanting to do twisted barstock for a while (like blacksmith ones with tight twists and long twists and different directions) but I decided this week that I just need something simple sleek and solid looking.

I threw one of the long tyre levers I bought for the 345 as a mockup to see about scale - and it worked really well - even though I didn't want to admit it - the chunkier Ibeam section even complimented the VL springer on there (which will soon be replaced by a skinny one).

So without further ado I chopped the ends off 2 levers, welded and blended the join and set about making up the sissy bar.

Plenty of heat, and a former to work from. 

I've previously used bits of wood, but this time I welded some round stock and a bolt onto the bench to become my jig. In no time there was a pretty cool looking sissy bar on the bike.

I also started making the tail light - well a backing plate for the Mopar light I scored somewhere down the line; which I think will look great in the sissy bar.