I just came inside from an afternoon in the garage. My hands are sore, I’ve got a crick in my upper back, and my arches are flatter than pancakes. But I don’t feel any of it. Because the XL250 is finally coming together. Two weeks ago, I felt a …
RIDEWELL Rebuild Project
After owning my own custom vintage bike for a year, and doing a few small maintenance projects, I decided I wanted to try my hand at my own custom build.
So, in Feburary 2017, I bought a 1982 Honda XL250R, and started tearing it down. During the process, I kept a log of my thoughts, feelings and frustrations here.
The Hardest Thing About My First Motorcycle Project
During this rebuild project, I've done plenty of hard things. I slaved over the engine with brushes and chemicals to prep it for paint. I banged up my hands tapping out bearing races, struggling for each millimeter of movement. I've made …
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4 Reasons You Need a Motorcycle Project (According to Science!)
Why do people build custom motorcycles? There's at least one obvious answer: they do it so they can have a custom motorcycle. But if all you wanted was to own a custom motorcycle, there are easier ways to get one. Maybe even less expensive …
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Emergence: The Motorcycle, The Mechanic
It was a cumbersome job that required four hands, preferably more. J held the frame’s front end, while I gingerly eased the back into its snug fit against the engine. Paint scraped, I grimaced. Everything was smooth, jet black, and unyielding. …
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4 Garage Safety Lessons for Beginners (And a Bonus!)
On this blog, I love to embrace and support beginners. After all, nobody is born knowing everything about motorcycles. But it’s important to remember that what you don’t know can hurt you. I've long believed this about riding motorcycles, which …
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