Ok guys on to the next project! Thinking of increasing the rake on my ride. Right now it has a springer front end. Other than cutting the neck and re-welding....What, if any, are my other options?

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first bike i had was a 70,s sporty, the person had raked it by cutting the down tubes and bending the back bone, then inserting some solid stock in the down rubes to join them, welded them up and instant rake, always wondered why the bike went down the road cockeyed.

 

If you are going to do this, try to find someone with a frame jig, that has done it before.keeping it square is harder than it looks,(ask me how I know)best to find a frame shop that can do it right. whatever you do, don't use the raked trees, you will die.

 

ACHALLE,
The "blue-wrench" option is permenant! Or in words appros to the season, You can not un-butcher a frame.
May i suggest that you explore the option of a custom frame. [They] are to be had in a large array of choises; from: stock with 10deg. rake, stock with 10 deg. rake and stretch, rigid wild and upand at prices that won't take food from the hound-dog's mouth. Try Fog Hollow, last time i checked they had a good selection at reasonable coin.
If you cut'er neck and after a time, don't like it, your options are about the same anyway. And if you do like it then you've the frame-work (so to speak) for the next project and thereby stay looped into the perpetual Ride, Dream, Build continuum.
Skip, A&P, Caretaker of the last production Shovelhead

P.S. (to hotrod351) We saw a guy do just that in about 1979 and the Harley Spirits were so pissed-off they jammed his *** (with bike attached) under 18 wheels. His grieving relations blamed alcohol, but we knew better.

 

Thanks guys. I have considered the custom frame option. Really undecided on which path to pursue at this point. I may just keep this one as it is and pursue a ground up build. At least this way I'll have one to ride and one to play with!

 

BTW...any idea on the estimated cost of modifying the frame?

 

If you're not looking for any radical change, you might want to check out an adjustable rake triple tree (wideglide), which came stock on some olderDuo Glides for when you attach a sidecar. J&P Cycles carries these triple treesin their vintage catalog(part # 231-015) for about $500.

I had a '71 swingarm (with an older generator shovel motor)that had a2" over stock fork with thissetup, whichgave a fairly decent rake. Cutting and welding frames can get somewhattricky (and dicey)unless you, or can find someone who, really know what you're/they're doing, and have the rightequipment to do it with. Not to say that you can't or don't. If you do and have, all the power to ya!

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I don't think the triple trees would work with the springer front end. If I'm not mistaken, I would have to replace the springer with something else....correct?

 

There are a number of factors involved in raking the front end.
If you rake the neck more than a couple degrees your stock springer will not be long enough and the frame will set on the ground.
If you get forks long enough for ground clearance(WG?) you will be increasing the trail, making the front end flop to 1 side or the other and steer very heavy at slow speeds.
A combination of raked neck, longer forks and raked triple trees can restore a reasonalble trail and make for a rideable bike similar to stock. Extended springer with extended rockers will do the same thing (Sugar Bear builds some extreme springers with this feature)
At any rate, do your homework, work out your geometry and find a great welder with a frame table and you'll do OK. Do it half *** and you will probably regret it, even fatally!

PS Trail is the distance from the center of the tire patch to the point directly in line with the centerline of the neck where it hits the surface of the road(floor). 4-6" is considered normal.