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2000 VN800 Bobber Start to Finish

18K views 32 replies 4 participants last post by  NEvulcan 
#1 ·
I picked up a 2000 VN800 about 2 weeks ago. I've started the bobber conversion. Doesn't looks like a lot has changed but another 2-3 weeks and it should have most of the changes done except paint.
So far i've installed new forward controls and lowered the bike 3 inches with the Scootworks kit.
 

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#2 ·
Looks good!

1. Where'd you order the kits in the last pic from?
2. Where'd you get the forward controls?
3. What handlebars are you gonna go with?

I've got an 05 VN800B, and am looking to do the Blue Collar Bobbers conversion, but wanna get rid of the floorboards and go with forward controls.

Thanks,

-John
 
#3 ·
The parts are from all over but here where they cam from:
- Seat - Lowbrow Customs
- Seat Mount Kit - TC Brothers
- Forward Controls - eBay - POLISH BILLET ALUMINUM FORWARD CONTROLS KAWASAKI VULCAN 800 VN800 1995-2006 | eBay
- Lowering Link - Scootworks
- Side License plate mount w/Tail light - eBay
- Single Throttle cable housing w/ tube - Revzilla

As for handlebars I'm sticking with the current setup for now. I have a set of 12" bars from a Harley i'm thinking of swapping to later. I think thicker one inch bars will look better with the fat front tire and forks. I'll have to get risers, new controls, grips, and drill out the riser mount holes to accept 1/2 inch bolts.

I looked into the Blue Collar Bobber kit. In the end i opted for a custom kit. I didn't like how the BCB kit seat height. I want my seat springs mounted at frame height for a better side profile. I'll have to relocate a couple electrical items but that shouldn't be to bad. I'll post some pictures when i get into that part of the build. Dont get me wrong the BCB kit is a great but just not for me. Plus I have a welder so i can fabricate what I need.

On the electrical side I'm relocating all switches from the handlebars. I already relocated the starter button. I wont have turn signals so i removed the indicator light for my new starter button. See attached pic.
 

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#5 ·
I'm lucky here. Street legal is a working Headlight & taillight (visible from 500 ft), one functioning brake, and a working horn.

Turn signals not required, got to remember the old school left and right hand signals... I've debated removing the front brake (yes i know it provides most of the stopping power) and making this a jockey shift but i think i'll leave that for later. Can't get to far ahead of myself.
 
#7 ·
So i was doing to fall cleaning in my garage and came across a some 1" Harley apes (14") and 1" risers off something, not sure who's bike they came off. I have a general rule if you leave parts in my garage over a week they become mine :)

So here's what i'm thinking. Standard mounting bolts for Harley risers are 1/2". I don't recall exactly what the 800's are but i'm sure they are smaller. I'm thinking about reaming out the existing bolt holes to mount the Harley risers and bars but i have a couple questions. Harley typically has rubber bushing in the triple tree to help reduce vibration.

Has anyone went to Harley risers and bars on a Vulcan 800/900?

Did you mount them using any rubber/polymer washer/bushing to help with the vibrations or just direct mount to the tree?

Hows the vibration through the bars?

Thanks.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
So i'm curious. I went into get the title taken care of here if good old Nebraska. Since the bike is from Iowa it requires an inspection before they can issue a Nebraska title. They went over the bike and tell me they can't do the inspection due to no Emission Label. I was a little confused since we don't have emission laws in Nebraska but i rolled with it. When I asked how do i fix this so it can be title? I was basically told that's you problem. After a little back and forth with some real world logic she said you might have to call the Manufacturer and have them send you a new one. With that I said ok, i'll follow up on that. First thing I did was call my local bike dealer, they never heard of such a thing before. I called Kawasaki and they said they couldn't re-issue an emission sticker since it has to have the VIN# on it. I finally got Kawasaki to send me a certified letter head with the VIN#, model of the bike, and all the emission label info on it. I called the state DOT and after some back and forth again they agreed to take the letter since it has the VIN# on it. Really makes me wonder what they do about a custom bike built from scratch... Rant over... now i can finally start cutting and welding FINALLY...

Grips came in this weekend and here a snapshot of the 16" bars.
 

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#10 ·
Well its been a bit since I was long online. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and has been safe decorating for Christmas. Finally has in town more than 2 days and able to put some work in on the bike. Spent most of the time stripping her down. Pulled the seat, tank, rear fender, headlight, old bars off. Drilled the top triple tree clamp so it will take 1/2" bolts for the new risers and bars. Cut down the rear portion of the battery box plastic so the new fender can be mounted without interference. Cut out the seat brace between the frame tubes and removed the front turn signals and upper for covers. Once I had that done my buddy and I kicked around ideas with my buddy about supporting the original battery box, where to relocate the battery to, mounting design for the seat hinge, and design/mounting of the plate to cover the electrical now hidden in the original battery box. Came up with a solid plan but the only thing i'm not sure about is the battery. We both agrees relocating it was best and easier to do than splicing alot of electrical wires. Question is has anyone relocated their battery to the right side (while sitting on the bike) cover??? Its pretty tight in there so I'm sure it will have to be a lithium battery. I have to make sure I have 200+ CCA's to match the stock battery.

If anyone has done this what brand of batter?? Whats the CCA's? How did it fit in the right side cover??

Please ignore the riser mounting bolts in the pics, they're not the right ones. My buddy wanted to see how the bars would look on the bike...
 

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#14 ·
Quick update today. Buddy got his welder setup. We got the new cross brace in place and welded the studs on for the springs. Picked up 2 inch grade 8 flange bolts for the handbar risers to those are fully mounted now.

The prep work included moving the starter solenoid, ECU box, and extra wire harness slack into the right side cover (the one with the lock on it). This freed up enough space in the battery box for the stock battery, fuse box and minimal wiring. I flipped the battery 180 degrees in the box so the posts are facing the front of the bike. The new seat pan was going to be close to making contact with the terminals if they faced the rear, flipping the battery gives about over an inch of clearance now. Since the terminals are forward i did have to drill holes in the front of the battery box to get the cables to the terminals. Suprisingly i Only had to run a new positive cable from the battery to the starter solenoid and extend a single 22G ground wire. For the front hinge mount we welded the hinge to the tongue of the gas tank, right above where the bottom tank bolt goes.

Next steps:
Secure the ECU box and solenoid in the side cover
Finish seat pan mounts to cover battery and wiring
Mount the new tail light with license plate bracket
Install new black Clutch and front brake hand controls
New Dunlap white wall tires
Mount rear fender
Send the fender, tank, and pan to paint.
 

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#15 ·
While i'm sitting here at work I decided to mock up a paint job. I'd like some opinions or other ideas even. I want to keep is simple, black and white. I'm not sure which one I want to be the primary color at this point so take a look and see what you think.
 

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#16 ·
Funny, I was contemplating this the other day myself... still haven't picked a paint color!

I would go white over black, just to be different. (I would think more people would have white as the accent color)

Current colors considered for my bike: Vaquero Pearl White over Blue Jean Metallic (Ford), with a tan seat.

-John
 
#19 ·
No new pictures yet sorry everyone.

I dropped off the wheels and white walls to get mounted. Should have those back in a day or two. I got the new (used) drag exhaust in the mail Saturday. I'll be stopping at the parts shop today for exhaust gaskets. Once the tires are done I'll get those back on the bike with the new exhaust and snap a couple pictures. Hopefully it ain't zero degrees out so i can get a couple good pics in front of the garage.

I also lined out my electrical wiring for the electric start button, front brake switch, and headlight hi/lo. That will be the next task after mounting wheels, exhaust, and rear fender. Still kicking around ideas about paint. If anyone has some thought post a sketch (Black and White colors only).

Hope everyone had a good new year...
 
#20 ·
Time for another update for the crew.

Spend most of last weekend going through the wiring hardness and diagram. For those just now reading. I removed the turn signals (front and back), turn signal switch, turn signal indicator light, horn, and engine kill switch. I relocated the electric start button and headlight hi/lo toggle. Most of that was pretty straight forward and successful on the first shot. When i rewired the rear taillight I ran into an two issues. One was a blown fuse that had me dumbfounded till i checked it. The other was that i had wired the new taillight backward. It was full power (like when you hit the brakes) all the time. Not sure if I read the diagram wrong or just reversed the wires but a quick change there and she was lighting up as expected. At this point the bike is mechanically functional (AKA safe for the road). Last two big ticket items before paint are the rear fender and the pan under the seat to cover the battery. I have a couple links bellow for videos. Enjoy and be safe everyone!

Early Work - https://youtu.be/mZ8O1a9a5Dc

Exhaust - https://youtu.be/no5ZWSLBv3s
 
#21 ·
Sorry for the delay on posting everyone. Baseball season is gearing up and that eats up a lot of my time this time of year.

I Just got the tank back earlier this week and I have to say is looks sick... Can't wait to get this project wrapped up in the next couple weeks.

Let me know what you think of the paint job.
 

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#22 ·
I can't remember if you posted pics of your fenders (or if you're even gonna run fenders), but the tank looks great!

I got quoted $1,200 to paint both fenders and my tank by a local shop, and that's if I bring them just the parts.

For those whose eyes are bleeding from googling how to remove the gas tank properly on the VN800, check out Blue Collar Bobbers (bluecollarbobbers.com) for their videos ... they have one where they walk you through it (great for the mechanically disinclined, such as myself).

I think I'm just gonna plasti-dip the d**n tins on my bike. Cost: < $100, plus a few bucks for supplies maybe.

-John
 
#23 ·
$1200 for everything isn't a bad price. Figure $600 for the tank, $300/fender depending on the paint and design.

Don't forget you can always get a nice paint job with some rattle cans if you take you time. There's some good videos on youtube as well.
 
#24 ·
Yeah, it's just that $1,200 isn't in the budget this year ... it's only a $2,000 bike, at best.

I will decide what to do when the weather gets better ... either plasti-dip or rattle can. Either way, I can hang some plastic up in my shed and do it there (no wind and next to no bugs). A little paint on the shed floor isn't an issue.

-John
 
#25 ·
Got her out on the road over the weekend. I have a couple things to iron out. Throttle was pulling make a right turn (need to adjust the cable) and my headlight is bouncing like a bobble head. I'm going to try removing the rubber and use a slight larger bolt to rigid mount it.

Over all it was a great feeling to have it back on the road. Now i need to get some show quality photos!
 

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#27 ·
No Kit here.

I wanted the seat spring studs even with the frame. None of the kits could do that. I cut the seat support out and welded in a piece of angle iron flush with the top of the frame. I cut the studs so the when I welded them in place they were straight up and down. Everything else is pieced together. The risers, top clamp, and bars are for a Harley. Had to drill out the triple tree to accommodate the larger riser bolts. Lowered the bike 2 inches in the rear. Swapped the kick stand out for a 1500 kick stand because is shorter and give the bike more lean when on the kick stand. Relocated the fuse box and starter solenoid to the right side cover so I could get the flat/flush look under the seat. Flipped the battery around to make a better fit. New forward controls and side taillight/plate combo. Only thing now that I think of it that was a 'Kit' was the mounting hardware for the seat. Had all the small parts needed to mount the seat.

If you run into anything during your project hit me up. I'll provide any information I can.
 
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#28 ·
Nice! I just ordered a float kit and a petcock for mine. Hopefully I can get it running this weekend. It's leaking fuel out of the vent box that is behind the right side cover under the seat and also out of the carb into the air filter. I got a fuel tank off of eBay for a 00' vn 800 and my fuel cap doesn't fit so I guess I'm after one of those too! Lol
 
#29 ·
Check you float and needle.

Mine did the same thing when i got it. Found junk in the bowl. Cleaned that out, checked needle for wear and cleaned the needle seat with cotton tips. Put it back together and its been good since then.

Also make sure your tank is clean. I used metal restore to dissolve any rust in the tank. Someone had used a tank sealer, which is a very bad idea on a used tank btw. The metal restore removed the rust and the sealer came loose as well. Was a pain to get it all out but I think i got 90% of it. I'll pull the tank next winter and run another couple gallons through it. Don't want that crap damaging the petcock or carb.

If you need a new gas cap I recommend replacing the stock one with an aftermarket if you have the $$$. Have someone weld in a new flush fit one. Functions a lot better and cleans up the look of the tank. I spend money elsewhere so I didn't do that on this project.
 
#31 ·
Front and rear tires are Shinko 777 White Wall 130/90B16 73H W/W.

These tires are rated for front and rear use.

The rear tire should be a 140/90/16 (stock size. However they don't make a white wall in that size. So I compromised and went with the 130/90 on the rear. The size change on the rear makes me Speedo show 75 but I'm actually going about 70 MPH. The slower I go the less impact the size change has. I opted to go down rather than up to the 150/90/16 to keep the bobber style. I chose Shinko tires on this project to keep within my project budget. Once these are ready to be replaced I'll look at what else is out there.
 
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