And so the frame sat in my backyard for the next 11 months as starting it any sooner would not have been considered proper procrastination. You see, I want this thing running for the the 2003 Nats (9/9-9/12). At the egging on of Tweedle, I pulled the frame into the garage on August 12th and Big D, Tweedle, and I all discussed the plan for the new ride. I have pics of it in "as delivered" condition, but I'll have to get them developed and scanned. On August 14th, I took the air tools to the frame and hacked it up into the pre-determined number of pieces. Below is an account of our progress... Enjoy.

By the way, I did mention we're dealing with minibikes, right?

In the beginning, there was crap...
This is how life started for this mini. Sure am purty, ain't it?

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August 16, 2003: And, yes, smart guy, I WAS working on the bike, too! I'm just not in any pics 'cause I was takin' them!

Tweedle in his garage prepping parts CLICK HERE to see the sparks fly!

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August 19, 2003:

Holy moly! It's starting to look like a bike! Notice the motor plate is on, as well as the head tube (complete with bearings). At this point, the frame's been stretched a good 6+ inches, the head tube raised about 4-5 inches, and the rake of the head tube is increased. Since this machine needs to be transported behind a *cough* BMW *cough*, it's overall wheelbase has to be kept relatively compact so it'll fit on a small tire trailer. Future member, Vitek, is rumored to be itching to make a stretched chopper soon, so stay tuned for more zaniness. Keep Clickin!

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August 23, 2003:

Up until now, I've been using Big D's rear brake assembly for mock-up purposes. Mine finally came in the mail and here it is, complete with internal spacers. External spacers are visible in another shot after it was assembled. CLICK HERE to see the sparks fly!

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August 27, 2003: This was a good day for the project, but because we were so busy working, we didn't snap off many pics! Big D has some he'll send me. Once he does, we'll get some more pics up.... CLICK HERE!

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August 30, 2003: Just the day prior, Tweedle had taken the project on a brief test ride. It was brief 'cause it threw the chain! D'oh! The sprockets weren't aligned too well causing the jump. He took some measurements with a dial indicator and promptly started hitting things with a hammer until they weren't as bad as they were. I made it over to his house.....er, I mean his shop....on the 30th to pick up the hog and bring it back to my place. Tweedle insisted I take it for a spin....... CLICK!

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September 2 & 3, 2003: Now in my garage, it was time to get the chain in shape. We have two issues.....that we know of. The sprocket alignment isn't 100% true and we needed to use two master links in the chain and they were right next to one another...not a good idea for reliability. I broke the chain and separated the master links so that only one of them would ever be under tension at any time. I also took up all the allowable slack in our motor mounting holes to help the sprocket alignment. It all worked! I later took it for a test ride and it performed quite well. Still needs brakes, though! CLICK Dammit!

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September 4, 2003:

Not too much happened tonight. Gave a couple coats of satin black. Decided against the clearcoat 'cause I don't want the paint to be glossy. I just want it to have a slight sheen. It actually came out pretty decent, but all the flaws in the welding and paint prep are now more evident. The color is definitely in sync with the old school "rat rod" theme I'm after.

Got some good news from Shiner D last night. There was a ton of rust in the carb and tank. He cleaned everything out and rebuilt the carb and he reported last night that it's running like a champ! I'll pick it up tomorrow and bolt it in. Also, I drilled a new mounting hole for the brake cable to get more leverage. Hopefully, that'll actually help me get this thing stopped from time to time!

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September 5, 2003:

Tonight I picked up the motor from Shiner D. We even did a "dyno pull" involving a hood spring, some nylon straps, and an inner tube. It's best not to ask. Just a few more clicks!

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September 6, 2003:

Got the mini over to Tweedle's house and mounted up the maltese cross and "Skully". One more time!

UPDATE FROM Sept. 7, 2003: Tweedle made it safely to Kanasa! Big D and VD were convoying with him and last I heard they were all drinking beer and having a good ol' time! Can't wait to get there and go cruisin'.....

So, technically, the first Wilco Choppers project, dubbed Skully, is now complete although I still plan on adding some ape hangers at some point! The chain is still getting thrown from time to time, largely due to an out-of-round rear sprocket, but it's not excessive. After we get it home from Kansas, I'll see what I can do to fix it. The next project will likely be to get VD's chopper started. This one will be more radical, I'm sure!

So stay tuned for more minibike madness! Oh, and soon the page will be transferred to multiple, smaller pages, but only when time allows. I'm a busy boy, dammit!

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September 11, 2003: R.I.P. all of our fallen friends, relatives, and heros. Never forget....

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