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Building your own motorcycle exhaust is a project that takes some specialized tools, like a pipe bender, steel bender or welder and if you want chrome, you have to do the plating yourself, or take your pipes to a metal shop where they will plate your pipes for a fee. We will look at how to build the basic exhaust, but how you paint it is up to you.

Instructions

1

Measure your bike from the head pipe connection on the engine down to the foot pegs and then to the rear. Now sketch out a basic shape for your exhaust, using these measurements as a guide.

2

Build a full size template for your exhaust system on poster board, cardboard or plywood. Use a heavy marker, and be very precise with your measurements. Have a friend hold the template steady, and match it up several times. Be sure it works on both sides, if you are building exhaust on both sides, since each side of the bike is different.

3

Figure out how many welds you will need to make, if any, then purchase the tubes for your exhaust. Buy them to the full length of the system, which you should have measured using a flexible tape measure, or tailors measure. Measure the outside edge of each side for the most accurate measurement and take the larger one and add a foot or so.

4

Mark the location of each bend with a magic marker at the start of the bend. Allow for an extra half foot at the head pipe section so you can fit the tube in the bender.

5

Heat and bend the pipe at each mark. Make your bends fast but be accurate and do not over bend the pipe. You dont want to have to bend the pipe backwards again.

6

Finish your bending, then attach the muffler. It should slide right on to your pipes.

7

Attach the hardware for the exhaust to your bike. This might have to be custom made as well. Then be sure the exhaust fits all the attachments, including the head pipes and rear braces.

8

Attach your new exhaust and pat yourself on the back. You made your own motorcycle exhaust.

You never have to separately register a motorcycle frame in the United States. If you are going into the custom motorcycle frame business you should stamp each frame with a serial number of your own devising and ship the frames with a "Manufacturers Certificate of Origin" stating that number and when and where you built it. Any frame you build will, by definition, be part of a "special construction" motorcycle. All homemade choppers and kit bikes registered in the United States are considered to be "special constructions." Technically, any registered motorcycle with mismatched serial numbers on the frame and the engine is a special construction. The process of registering a special construction generally follows a few steps.

Instructions

1

Register a motorcycle with a headlight with a high and low beam, a horn, a left side mirror, fenders and front and rear directional signals. Register a motorcycle that the laws of your state or province consider to be legally "road worthy."

2

Present a Manufacturers Statement of Origin, or MSO, for your frame, engine and transmission to the Department of Motor Vehicles for the state or province in which you live. Present receipts for and proof that you have paid the local sales tax or you will be charged sales tax for the component parts.

3

Present your custom construction motorcycle to the motor vehicles department or the state police, depending on where you live, for a road worthiness inspection.

4

Insure your motorcycle with a recognized motorcycle insurance carrier in your state or province in order to complete your registration.

Brand new Harley Davidson motorcycles often come with a basic toolkit for minor roadside repairs. Used bikes may not include tools, and you may wish to build a small toolkit to keep on your bike. With hundreds of tools on the market, it is not easy to decide which ones you will need. The following suggestions may help you determine the most essential tools, and those that will only add unnecessary weight.

Basic Tool Kit

A basic tool kit, when purchased from a reputable company, will offer all the basics you need for roadside maintenance. Cruztools offers the Roadtech H3 Tool Kit for about $100. Beza offers the Windzone Tool Set for around $60. Harley Davidson has the Snap-On Tool Kit for around $200. Each kit is specifically designed for Harley Davidson bikes and includes wrenches, pliers, sockets, hex keys, torx keys and screwdrivers.

Spark Plugs

Malfunctioning spark plugs is one of the more common reasons for roadside maintenance. Have a spare set with you as a part of your tool kit. A spark plug gap feeler gauge is a helpful tool. Make sure you have the appropriate sized ratchet and socket to removing and reinstalling spark plugs.

Helpful Extras

A kit is not complete without a few basic necessities. Add a flashlight, tire gauge, tape, lube and cable ties if they are not already included in the kit you purchase. Carry a cell phone with you when riding your Harley for the times you need more than your tool kit to get back on the road.

The clutch on a motorcycle is what the rider uses to change gears as he rides. Clutches can burn out, which basically means that they wear out and no longer work the way that they should. The clutch works by causing friction between two metal plates that have grooves. When these grooves get worn down, it causes the clutch not to work as well.

Defective Clutch

If the motorcycle clutch is defective in any way, it will not work properly. A defective clutch will cause the motorcycle to either simply stop working or to burn out due to improper wear. If this is the case, you will generally notice it within the first ride or first few rides.

Regular Wear and Tear

A rider can do everything properly with motorcycle and clutch maintenance, but most things wear out or wear down eventually, and so too will the motorcycle clutch. Ensuring your clutch is adjusted correctly and lubricated is important, but the clutch will still wear out, depending on the use of the motorcycle. The general time frame to check or change the clutch is about 50,000 miles.

Driver Error

If a rider "rides" the clutch, she will wear it out faster than normal. Riding the clutch means that the rider keeps the clutch pushed in a little on a constant basis, which will weaken the clutch, the springs and other parts on the clutch. The clutch on a motorcycle is on the handlebars of the bike as opposed to a car, which has the clutch next to the brake pedal on the floor. A motorcycle rider who keeps his fingers pushing on the clutch lever is riding the clutch.

Steep or Rough Terrain

If the primary area that the motorcycle is used in is hilly or rough and causes a lot of starting and stopping, it will cause the clutch to burn out faster. Shifting up and down, depending on ascending or descending landscape, makes the clutch work harder and more often.

The shock absorber springs on a motorcycle have nothing to do with lowering the seat height, which is what riders are usually trying to accomplish by lowering the rear end. Some motorcycle shock absorbers have visible springs encasing the damper tubes, and some have only damper tubes. Whatever the brand, model or year of your motorcycle, it came with shock absorbers that are exactly the length your bikes manufacturer recommends. And, regardless of the bike, shock absorbers sold as "under standard length" in 1/2-inch increments are readily available. Just install a set of shock absorbers that are 1 inch under standard length.

Instructions

1

Raise the motorcycle to be fully upright and level by either placing the front wheel of the bike in a motorcycle chock, clamping the front wheel in a motorcycle vise on a motorcycle lift, or slightly raising the bike on a motorcycle jack.

2

Remove the lower then the upper shock absorber mounting bolts on the right-side shock, using a standard or metric hex socket, Torx socket or Allen socket and a socket wrench. The socket you will use depends on the manufacturer, model and year of your motorcycle.

3

Remove the right-side shock absorber. Unfasten the same four bolts on the left side of the motorcycle and remove the left shock absorber.

4

Clean the bolts, nuts and washers you remove with a rag and light oil. Apply a few drops of thread locker to the old bolts.

5

Replace the old shock absorbers with new, shorter shock absorbers on both sides of the motorcycle using the old bolts, washers and nuts.

6

Remove the bike from the chock, motorcycle vise or motorcycle jack.

7

Sit in the saddle. Bounce up and down. Ensure the shocks work properly.

All Harley-Davidson motorcycle shock absorbers fall into one of three categories: Standard, non-adjustable exterior shocks; adjustable exterior shocks and Softail shocks. The stiffness of adjustable shocks may be fine tuned with either a spanner wrench or compressed air. Softail shocks usually are adjusted with a spanner wrench. Non-adjustable shock absorbers must be replaced before you can adjust them. You must elevate the rear wheel to replace your shock absorbers or to adjust the shock absorbers on a Softail.

Instructions

1

Inspect the rear of your motorcycle carefully to look for the shock absorbers. Shock absorbers connect the upper frame of the motorcycle to the swing arm through a hole in the rear fender.

2

Identify whether your shocks are sheathed with springs or are simply interlocked tubes. If you do not see springs, look for an air fitting on the top front of your shock absorber. If you see an air fitting and air line, you have air shocks. If your shock is sheathed in a spring, look for hourglass notches on the bottom of the shock absorber. If you see notches, you have identified your spring adjuster cam and your shocks are mechanically adjustable. If you have adjustable shocks, identify the brand. If you see neither notches or an air valve, your shocks are not adjustable and must be replaced before you can adjust them.

3

Contact the manufacturer of your adjustable shock absorber or the website to determine the specifications for the stiffness of the ride you expect to achieve.

4

Adjust the stiffness of your ride according the manufacturers specifications. Adjust air shocks by elevating your Harley on a motorcycle jack until your rear tire hangs as low as it will go. Locate the air suspension air valve on the left side of your bike. You may need to remove your left saddlebag by immobilizing the nut inside your fender with a box wrench and loosening the bolt inside your saddlebag with a socket wrench Raise or lower the air pressure in your air suspension using an air compressor and air gauge. Never adjust air shocks to less than 10 or more than 35 pounds of pressure.

5

Adjust the rear suspension stiffness of mechanically adjustable shocks using a spanner wrench. Insert the tongs of the spanner wrench into the notches on the spring adjuster cam. Turn the cam counterclockwise to achieve a stiffer ride. Always adjust right and left shocks identically

6

Push down on the rear of your motorcycle If you do not see shock absorbers. If it depresses and bounces back up you own a Softail.

7

Adjust the shocks on the Softail. Remove the right side saddlebag. On some motorcycles, you may also have to remove the exhaust mufflers or muffler using a box wrench or socket.

8

Elevate your Softail on a motorcycle jack until the rear tire hangs as low as it will go. Find the two rear shock absorbers where they join the Softail swing arm. You may need a flashlight. Identify the shock adjuster plate.

9

Loosen the adjuster plate lock nut counterclockwise with a box wrench. Turn the adjuster plate clockwise for a softer ride and counterclockwise for a harder ride. Re-tighten the lock nut.