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Message started by JLight on 05/03/13 at 07:56:14

Title: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by JLight on 05/03/13 at 07:56:14

Anybody going to order the new Voodoo Vintage weld-on hard tail?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by ToesNose on 05/03/13 at 12:47:14

Love the looks, but I'm not a kid anymore and have back issues so not a chance here :P

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by EJID on 05/03/13 at 14:20:18

I think I will consider it when I am able to add a second bike to the stable, and this one becomes more of a toy to tinker with ;D as long as it's my daily ride/joy I think I will keep it more functional for all around riding.

(Don't think the wife is interested in me adding another bike for quite a while either :()

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by JLight on 05/03/13 at 19:42:17

Understandable. My wife rides an '02 Savage and I have a sport bike and an iron head sportster. I'm chopping an '87 Savage right now and the hard tail would be perfect but it costs more than I paid for the bike. I'm not sure if I'll order one or not.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by thumperclone on 05/03/13 at 23:13:07

5E587D737C60140 wrote:

struts 8-)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by JLight on 05/04/13 at 18:15:54

Struts don't look much better than shocks. I want a hard tail but I may wait and do it to the sporty.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 12/28/13 at 04:20:18

Im working on one.
Anybody else....

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 12/28/13 at 08:39:17

That picture says thousands of words... time to start saving for the conversion. Can't stand how my bike looks with the stock frame and visible shocks.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 12/30/13 at 05:15:46

yes i gave it a hard thought before pulling the trigger. Cuz, for me it was by far the most expensive individual 'upgrade', and im doing a complete engine rebuild and all the performance upgrades.

But i had to do it, and its not just that im against soft tail bikes, but the lines are just all wrong.

Also, this will pull the bike back 4 inches, so that should take care of me having to fab some forward control extensions...
2 birds with a few bills....
Though, Voodoo does have a builders kit that will save you about C note.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by mpescatori on 01/14/14 at 05:41:50

If I may be of help...

Here's an interesting example of "softailing a hardtail"...

http://p1.bikepics.com/2006/11/20/bikepics-728568-full.jpg

This is a 1956 BMW R25 single. Notice the rigid frame and how shocks were "added".

It required a slight modification to the Savage frame, and looks very nice (if it's done properly).

I will consider it myself. 8-)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by old_rider on 01/14/14 at 05:49:54

0E082D232C30440 wrote:

Struts don't look much better than shocks. I want a hard tail but I may wait and do it to the sporty.

If you want a hard tail, and were going to cut your frame to add one.... why not just take off the shock, cut the tabs off and weld struts into place? It would look cleaner and you wouldn't have to spend five catrillion dollars for an add-on frame. (ok so the catrillion was a bit sarcastic, no offense intended, just sayin some folks have a set income)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 01/14/14 at 09:45:36

ya 200 and catrillion is a bit off, but anyway this was the main point of my previous post, the lines are just all wrong.

if you are just replacing the shocks for struts, your swing arm is still way short making the bike look like its had its ass crushed in...
This bike is built for women and short men, so you are either still driving with your knees in your face or you spent nearly as much money on new forward controls than you would have on the hard tail.

doing a proper hard tail solves both problems.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Rix on 01/15/14 at 08:26:09

The thought of a hardtail makes my kidneys hurt.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 01/15/14 at 11:06:38

342F3E7E70460 wrote:

The thought of a hardtail makes my kidneys hurt.

Why? Run the rear tire at 25-30 psi and it is fine. But it will still handle better at 35-40 psi. Rigid frames handle better, you can feel when you are pushing the machine beyond is design limits. Shocks and swingarms (not to mention those god awful hydraulic forks) mask handling issues. A rigid frame doesn't give you any side to side chassis oscillation, or in layman's terms, corner wobble, that you get with a swingarm. There is zero inherent play, a set of shocks gives you four points of movement, that compound on each other when the bushings start to wear a bit (because most riders are too lazy/uneducated to lube the pivot points).

I'll take a rigid frame with a springer any day of the week, and twice on the weekends, over a hydraulic fork equipped squishy frame. And I'll take a pickup truck with an I-beam/leaf spring front end over an IFS for the same reason, fewer points of movement that wear and need attention to maintain proper geometry and road feel.

I'm so disgusted with the swingarm frame, hydraulic forks, electronic ignition and electric only start on the Savage that I'm just about ready to load it into the burn pile and wash my hands of it. Yes, my 98 looks 1000x better than a stock version. Yes, it works a lot better than a stock version. It is still a pile of modern poor design thinly disguised as a motorcycle. >:(

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Rix on 01/15/14 at 12:03:20

I'm really not into pushing the bike (or my skills/lack of skills), I'm just commuting/cruising.
Tacoma roads and a hardtail would be brutal.
If I was being a bit sporty with it, I could understand for sure.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by SimeonC on 01/15/14 at 21:51:38

Yeah I will be ordering it in about two weeks... I really like the way that its built compared to other hard tails that I have found for the Savage...

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 01/15/14 at 22:45:20

706B7A3A34020 wrote:

Spokane to Tijuana in under 36 hours on a rigid Panhead. Spokane to Sturgis SD on a rigid 1938 Chief in under a day.

Favorite crash to date? Wrecked in the ditch out by the Ohop Valley Grange at 100 plus on a rigid when the in bar solid throttle wire broke...

Know Tacoma quite well... born in Puyallup, raised in Graham, worked in Fife 3 different jobs. Went to Bellarmine.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Rix on 01/16/14 at 07:50:17

That all sounds painful.
lol

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by S-P on 01/16/14 at 08:19:59

Spokane to Tijuana in under 36 hours on a rigid Panhead. Spokane to Sturgis SD on a rigid 1938 Chief in under a day.

Favorite crash to date? Wrecked in the ditch out by the Ohop Valley Grange at 100 plus on a rigid when the in bar solid throttle wire broke...

Dang... yer lucky they weren't parting YOU out after that.... :o

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/16/14 at 09:12:30

im working on a build at the moment.

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af132/Finney138/photo-29_zps9d3d36d4.jpg (http://s1001.photobucket.com/user/Finney138/media/photo-29_zps9d3d36d4.jpg.html)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 01/16/14 at 09:45:11

Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 01/16/14 at 09:48:09

40475645565D4352465F330 wrote:

Spokane to Tijuana in under 36 hours on a rigid Panhead. Spokane to Sturgis SD on a rigid 1938 Chief in under a day. Came back in trucks...

Favorite crash to date? Wrecked in the ditch out by the Ohop Valley Grange at 100 plus on a rigid when the in bar solid throttle wire broke... Muddy soft landing, clutch lever through my chin right behind my lower jaw. Small scar.

Dang... yer lucky they weren't parting YOU out after that.... :o
I'm 41 and have used a cane off and on since I was 29. Can't drive more than an hour without my legs shutting down these days.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by S-P on 01/16/14 at 10:04:29

4F5C180 wrote:

Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

Yeah, nice! I'd like to know where the tank came from too!

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/16/14 at 12:36:44

7566220 wrote:

Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

yea its an old harley rapido tank. aermacchi from italy i think

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Badass94Cad on 01/16/14 at 15:44:46

It looks like you don't have to pull the engine to weld up that back half. Is that correct?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by gizzo on 01/16/14 at 16:21:10

That tank looks sweet 8-)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/16/14 at 17:32:02

092A2F2A3838727F082A2F4B0 wrote:

It looks like you don't have to pull the engine to weld up that back half. Is that correct?

pulling it is your best bet . easier to flip it around and weld where you need to. really easy to pull the motor when your at that point anyway. when you order the hard tail he will send you detailed instructions.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Badass94Cad on 01/16/14 at 18:40:09

Sweet, thanks for the info!

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by mpescatori on 01/16/14 at 22:51:54

6C4344444F531B19122A0 wrote:

[quote author=7566220 link=1367592974/15#20 date=1389894311]Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/17/14 at 05:51:38

4A57425444465348554E270 wrote:

[quote author=6C4344444F531B19122A0 link=1367592974/15#23 date=1389904604][quote author=7566220 link=1367592974/15#20 date=1389894311]Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Demin on 01/17/14 at 06:16:31

I want todo a hardtail on mine.I'm working on an XS650 with a Voodoo Vintage hardtail.Quality is excellent on it.Will do a Savage...soon.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by mpescatori on 01/17/14 at 06:34:16

7E5156565D41090B00380 wrote:

[quote author=4A57425444465348554E270 link=1367592974/15#28 date=1389941514][quote author=6C4344444F531B19122A0 link=1367592974/15#23 date=1389904604][quote author=7566220 link=1367592974/15#20 date=1389894311]Nice. Gas tank off an old 2 smoke AMF import?

yea its an old harley rapido tank. aermacchi from italy i think[/quote]

Exactly. On the vintage bike stock market, that tank itself is worth more than the rest of the (modern, hacked) bike.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PRIcxtCZGk4/TQFXjfgS84I/AAAAAAAABbw/DQBNm6Ko7Yo/s1600/rapido125.jpg

http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classic_bikes/harley-davidson-classic-motorcycles.php

Sorry, it's just the hard truth.

Like putting a Civil War sofa in a 1990'2 living room, if you understand...[/quote]

haha the truth isnt very hard. it cost me a few bucks. definately not worth more than the bike itself tho. and if i had a civil war sofa id still sit on it drink beer eat chips and fart in the cushion.[/quote]

I wouldn't be surprised.

Back in Gulf War 2, a platoon of USMC found a "looks like a Hummer, let's blow it up!" and blew up a Lamborghini Cheetah for the bang of it.

One of 300 ever built.

http://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/colorbox/public/import/articlesv2/images/_de/7475/Lamborghini_Cheetah_05pop.jpg?itok=355P_fg7

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/03/udayhusseinlm002.jpghttp://https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROuT8UhizBx__kG6vREMSd1irnJmNnV95WcDjc1-7fCM2CDxbWhttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/RySQUG2oveI/AAAAAAAAZTc/XwEEFYZMoXo/s400/Csp_LM002_9.jpg

http://www.carscoops.com/2007/10/war-crimes-soldiers-destroy-rare.html

http://jalopnik.com/245336/blowing-up-udays-rambo-lambo

And the world should hand their safety over to these guys ? No thanks... :P

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/17/14 at 08:19:41

Getting kinda off topic here haha.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by mpescatori on 01/19/14 at 09:57:57

Yes, I plead guilty of barking up somebodyelse's tree.

I must admit I felt kinda egged into it... :P

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/19/14 at 19:56:23

776E77160 wrote:

Im working on one.
Anybody else....

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/19/14 at 19:59:42

776E77160 wrote:

Im working on one.
Anybody else....

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/20/14 at 14:54:07

00014454585843370 wrote:

[quote author=776E77160 link=1367592974/0#6 date=1388233218]Im working on one.
Anybody else....

I got an 02 and ive cut my frame,tacked up the hardtail(straight as humanly possible)and theres no way the sprockets can align without hitting the axle plate.Im hoping you might have some ideas cause i just chopped a perfectly good $2400 bike in half and now im not going to be riding this coming season,and im about to break somethig![/quote]

did you do the chain conversion? did you make spacers to centre your back wheel? you could also use spacers on your front sprocket to adjust it side to side. throw up a picture of your situation

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/20/14 at 15:14:36

the front sprocketwould have to go towards the right side of the motor and the rear sprocket is touching the left side axleplate.theres just no more room to play with.this is the first time ive done a frame but im pretty sure its straight.im wondering if theres been a slight change with the more recent year models.i know most people are doing this with older/cheaper savages what year is yours,and have you got the motor and wheel in yet

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/20/14 at 17:06:16

mine is a 97. i have the motor and wheel in but i have to make spacers to center my rear wheel. i just did a rough measurement and im getting around 1/2" spacer on the sprocket side and 2 1/16" on the brake side. you should post a picture because i dont see how the chain could hit the axle plate without hitting the frame tube first.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/20/14 at 18:03:03

sorry i actually meant the frame.ill try to take some pics tomorrow and send'em to you.i think i got a tail that was off a little.first thing i notice when i looked at it was that where frame was notched to weld to the backbone was too small.i forced it through and it caused it to tweek and the distance between the axleplates was 9" instead of the 9 1/4 it should be.i figure wasnt cut far enough,screw it ill just take a little off.then i try to put the hard tail on and the bottom rails dont line up i was an ass and thought that the frame just sprung open a bit(about 1/4 to wide) and id just bring them in a little.did that,tack everything up,go to put the motor in and the bottomrear motor mount holes for the through bolt are too close from me bringin the rails closer together to match the hardtail.now whatever i might have done wrong w/backbone and alignment theres just no way i caused any movement in those bottom rails past the crossbrace.sorry man,one hell of a long rant

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/20/14 at 18:24:31

i had to take the top cross support tube off to open the frame up to accept the backbone. my bottom rails were too close together too.(thought the frame sprung open as well) i had to cut an 1/8" off each side of the rear motor mounts on the frame. about a 1/4" total like you said. but the motor fits great now. i understand your frustration all too well

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 01/21/14 at 10:35:40

Even when converting a swingarm Harley to a rigid... you do all the initial fit up, and often the outside final welding, with the engine/trans installed... Keeps the frame rails aligned properly.

Cut your tack welds (please tell me it is not already final welded), install the powerplant in the engine cradle, adjust the conversion section to fit your specific chassis. There is no such thing as a matched pair of Savage/S40 frames, each one is slightly different. Even jig built, there are differences in production tolerances.

Front ends are the same way. When I did my drum front wheel conversion I ended up using 5/8" i.d. fender washers to make wheel spacers. And there is a different amount on each side to center the rim and draw the fork legs in tight.

It is all trial and error, but pulling the engine as opposed to draping it in place with a welding blanket, was a mistake. It's just steel, you can fix it. Deep breathe, step back and have a nice cold beer, reset everything, and you'll nail it the next time.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by Finney138 on 01/21/14 at 11:18:23

only way to adjust the bottom rails would be heating with a torch and opening it up 1/4". cutting the 1/8" off each side of the rear motor mount on the frame is a good alternative if you dont have one.
but yes they will be all different, this was the simplest fix in my case (2 mins with a hacksaw)

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 01/21/14 at 20:20:17

did you get the builders kit or a 2 pieces built?

i got the 2 piece, and when i got my frame i could swear it was made wrong, and was ready to chop the down tube.
but then then got word that it was likely mushed during shipping and just needed to wedge a block 9 1/4" in between the axle plates which strangely lowered the back bone angle and lined everything up...

that said i stopped working on mine as my car fell apart and needed attention, so i cant give better advice than that, but i for one expect to need to fab spacers for chain alignment.

more than that ill be a bit disappointed

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/24/14 at 09:12:01

I got the 2 piece and mine was sitting at 9 1/4 between axle plates.It was either not coped enough or cut too long and I had to grind the coped end of the rails about 1/8 on each side for the backbone to fit nicely.I also took a little off the bottom of the backbone to get the planar alignment right.It still seems to me that the sprockets might be a little out of alignment even if I'm touching the rear sprocket to the frame rails but I have'nt tightened up motor & wheel all the way.I need to make some wheel spacers.For now I'm going to get some washers to stack together to get an idea what I'm looking at.My frame also had large axle slots.I figure they did that cause most people will go a with bigger wheel with a bigger axle.Unfortunetly I can't this year,not enough $ and time.I have to have this done by this season.Well,thats the issues I ran into.I bagged work today to try and get some real work done(work I prefer).I'll try to let you know of any more developments.Later

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by 76scoot on 01/24/14 at 09:17:00

Has anybody bought a rear fender from Ryca Motors?I ordered one and as cheap as it was I'm pretty sure its thin gauge steel.I want to be able put my little girls on it at the least.They love to ride.Anybody know how thick it is?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by ChrisTech on 01/25/14 at 14:48:31

I'm in the middle of my voodoo hardtailed build, and finding the same thing. To center the tire perfectly between the hartail rails will cause the chain to rub against the frame tube. Anybody done with theirs, and can give us an idea how to center the wheel. I can imagine its so posed to be offset to one side or the other. Thanks Chris

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 01/27/14 at 20:46:34

so the axle plates are cut too large for the axle as well??
darn. i didn't notice but i bet mine is the same because when i told david at voodoo the cam tensioner were cut too large at 19mm instead of the axel 17, he mentioned he didnt catch it...

what you guys going to do, shim? i think it shouldn't be left like that...

you guys might want to get in touch and let him know your troubles...
he may come up with something to help.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by axa on 01/27/14 at 20:56:30

heres a link to my progress, tried to show my measures along the way so we can compare.

i still need to zero in and grind the frame, then weld.
but its become way too cold and far to busy to work on this now

http://tinyurl.com/myLS666

hope it helps

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by HoustonBussa on 01/27/14 at 22:32:57

242560707C7C67130 wrote:

They don't recommend anyone riding the fender. It's really not that strong. I thought of a way to reinforce it, but I'm not fabricator. In the middle of putting mine together now.

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by voodoo on 03/14/14 at 12:55:29

Hi guys!

I've had all the above mentioned problems brought to our attention and we are investigating if any changes should be made. Here is a photo showing the stock LS650 rear wheel with a chain conversion. It shows the frame distance, center lines, and offset for the chain position. Let me know if we're missing something or if we need updated dimensions. Thank you all so much for supporting us and if we need to "nudge" something in an effort to make this a seamless installation, please let us know and we will jump right on it! :)

http://www.voodoovintage.com/images/frames_rollers/MK23/wheel_dims.png

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by blueknight on 03/16/14 at 17:33:47

I anticipate on taking delivery of my voodoo hardtail this week and fitting it up and welding it by the weekend. If and when I run into this issue would I benefit shifting the motor to the right no more than a 1/4 inch. Is there any negatives that could come out of shifting the motor?

Title: Re: Voodoo Vintage Hard Tail
Post by WD on 03/16/14 at 20:30:31

It is not like dealing with sliding a Big Twin HD tranny over...

You're talking either mount surgery to the frame, or grinding down and shimming the actual case halves. The front end of the engine, no worries, it has spacers you can play with. The rear of the case sections is going to be what gets you...

Get the frame welded up, and then play with the spacers for the front and rear sprockets. THAT is where you are going to find any wiggle room.