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Well if you have been following along with this thread you know that I have been adding good to Old #12. This weekend I spent two days working on my bike completing the installation of the the stuff I have gotten and wanted installed before Americade.

Two of the items that I added were a studded Mustang gas tank bib and a Cobra gas tank hold-on bracket.

Then I replaced the studded/fringed Mustang seat cover that was causing abrasions on my saddle bags with another non-studded Mustang seat cover. This was super tight fitting cover and I needed the heat of the day to soften the leather sufficiently so as I could stretch the leather over the stock seat. Sitting and jumping up and down helped to stretch the leather also. In the end it didn't look like a seat cover at all. It looks like the stock seat.

Another goodie I added was one that had me mentally preparing for it for weeks. It was the installation of the National Cycle chrome front fender tip. I really took my time with this one. One really important tip here is that you should not trust the template that they give you. Measure....measure.....measure. I used the chrome tip and my fender as my guide as to where the template should go.



After using the tip and my fender as a guide, only then did I feel I could tape the template to the fender. Once I got the template on the bike in the centered position, I then checked and double checked the exact location for the drill holes. As you look at the photos below you will note that the holes do not line up according to the template.

So now I know exactly where the drill holes should go and I used a hole punch to mark the exact locations and to keep the 1/8 inch starter drill bit from skating across the fender. Notice how far off the drill marks are compared to the template.

I also want to draw your attention to the fact that one measurement calls for 43 mm and the other 49 mm. I did not catch this. My son brought it to my attention when I showed him the template. I had been "thinking" 43 mm for both. This is what wised me up to the fact that I had better not trust the template for centering on the fender or for marking the drill holes.



Now comes the really anxious moment. First drill hole was a pilot hole using a 1/8 inch bit. Then I followed that up with a 3/16 bit.



That was certainly easier than I thought it would be. One issue I had was not using a higher RPM to drill the 3/16 hole. The drill bit did catch on the pilot hole and sucked the drill into the hole. Good thing for that block of wood. I backed the drill bit out and bumped up the RPM and then reamed out the holes to get the catch out of it. Second hole I was smarter.

The really hard part of this installation is the fact that the starter holes must be widened or elongated in order for the fender tip to actually sit down onto the fender firmly. So using a $1.99 set of miniture files I got from Harbor Freight I set about the filing necessary to elongate the holes. This is just a go slow repeat and repeat process until you get it right. It doesn't look pretty but who cares.



Once the fender tip fits it covers the holes and the end result is just what you would expect. Beautiful chrome!



And so with that Old #12 now has a new profile and reflects all that I hoped would enhance her beauty and reflect my personal taste.

Thank you all for the compliments. Coming from my forum brothers means a lot to me.

P.S. does anyone know where I can find raccoon tails?

eclecticdawn wrote:

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Now, if you were just joking about the tail...just disregard my post!