12 Tips And Parts You Need To Be Aware Of To Save Money During A

Custom Motorcycle Build

Demon’s Cycle will show you the challenges you face during a custom motorcycle build. While

finding great deals on custom Harley Davidson parts is not difficult, any DIY custom build

presents plenty of challenges.Here is a look at the 12 parts and tips you need

to be aware of before you begin any do it yourself custom Harley build.

Before You Place An Order

• Whether you are making some repairs or doing a complete DIY build you want to make sure that you get an idea of how the bike is going to look, the size, the type of parts and even the color scheme. These decisions have to be made early on to make sure that the rest of the project runs as smoothly as possible.

• Start with the frame and go from there.

Take Your Budget And Timetable And Double It

• You are going to build this bike in 2 months and for under $5,000. That’s great, now double the time and double your budget and you will really feel like you’ve accomplished something.

• Shipping, extra parts, needing help on a part of the build you aren’t comfortable with doing, things costing more than you originally thought they would, these are all going to happen to you and if you do not plan for them in your budget you are going to be shocked what the overall cost of your motorcycle was.

• Important Note: Check your ego at the door. If there is a task you do not feel comfortable doing or simply lack experience in then do not hesitate to call a professional. Making mistakes will cost you even more time and money.

Where To Buy• Obviously you want to keep things moving as quickly as possible but there

are advantages to being patient, including saving money. The local shop is going to help you get what you need faster, but do they have the best prices?

• Of course not, they don’t even have the best selection and remember you are building a Do It Yourself CUSTOM motorcycle so you want different, you want something unique and that’s not going to be found at the shop down the street.

• Shop online where you will not only get a far greater selection of the custom

Harley Davidson parts you need but you will also find much better deals. Online stores are constantly offering sales and discounts, especially if you are making them the main store to shop for a complete bike build.

The Frame• The absolute first part you should look at

when you are even thinking of building your own motorcycle for a do it yourself project is the frame. Mirrors, handlebars, gas tanks, fenders, none of it matters until you have the frame. The frame is the skeleton of the bike and without it nothing else matters.

• This decision will be the biggest one of the

entire job as it will determine everything else. It is what will set your motorcycle apart from others but you also want to make sure you do not eat up your budget with just this one item.

• Things to take into consideration when looking around: Price, Neck Style, Stress Bar, Frame Stretch, Tubing Size, Rake.

Measure A Million Times• You cannot measure enough when you are

building a custom motorcycle. Again, you cannot measure enough! Even if you are positive you have the right numbers, you place the order and get the item, make sure you measure again before you even try installing the part.

• This way if something is wrong you don’t damage the part at all and you can return it quicker. But do not skip measuring because you think you know the size you need.

• Also make sure that you check the measurements online before you place an order.

Keep A Scrap Book

• No this isn’t so that you can look back one day and remember all the fun memories you shared with the bike. During the DIY project you will notice that you may buy some of the custom parts from different companies, parts are going to fit a little differently after they are painted, something seems off, something seems different.

• Keep records of everything so that when you have to go back to check on something you aren’t completely lost.

Forks, Wheels And Rims; The Next Obstacle

• After you have purchased the custom frame you will then take a look at forks, wheels and rims. This is an important step because you are looking at design and size as well as for a great deal. If you buy anything before you purchase the frame, fork, wheels and rims you are making a mistake.

• This is the proper way to assemble a motorcycle and you do not want to skip steps.

• Determining the length of the fork will not be easy but there are some tricks you can do to get a more accurate idea of what you are looking for.

• Look online for a Custom Frame Calculator (they should be easy to find)

• Then you will need the length of the back bone, down tubes and the rake of the neck to determine the size of the fork you will need to order.

Should You Buy From One Location?

• This is where everyone has their own opinion. On one hand there are lots of deals to be found if you shop at multiple places, on the other hand if you find a place with fair prices, a good selection and most importantly good service why would you want to leave?

• It really comes down to what you prefer, if you can find a one stop shop there is nothing wrong with that but if you want variety so that you find the best deals then go for it. However, make sure that if you are buying from multiple stores that you keep track of where you got each item from to avoid confusion. (Hence the scrap book!)

Don’t Rush

• Rushing leads to mistakes. When you place an order make sure you are getting exactly what you need, the parts will work with what you have already and will be purchasing, the measurements are all good and as you are putting it together you do not rush!

• Rushing leads to mistakes, accidents and delays which costs money.

• Important Note: Measure twice, do not skip on measuring, do not assume you know what size you need. Measure, then measure again to make sure you do not order the wrong size. The biggest mistakes made on Do It Yourself Custom Bike Builds has to do with wrong measurements.

Now The Fun Part; Gas Tanks,

Handlebars, Fenders And More

This is where you get to go a little nuts with your ordering. The designs of the gas tanks, handlebars, mirrors, fenders and everything else can be as crazy as you want.

DO NOT RUSH!!!!• You can finally see the light at

the end of the tunnel. This is where you really want to hurry things up because the project has probably taken more time and cost you more money than you anticipated.

• But stay calm, stay patient, don’t rush. This is where a mistake can cost you even more time and money. You are in the home stretch and you do not want to mess things up now.

Painting• This is where one of the biggest mistakes

of a DIY custom motorcycle build occurs. Do Not, never ever ever send custom parts off to the painter without having first assembled the bike.

• Builders always take their purchase out of the box, look at it, send it off to the painter and then when they go to install it on their motorcycle it doesn’t fit or there is another problem and they cannot return it.

Before you send anything to the painter the entire bike needs to be assembled and then taken apart. This part is skipped because people do not want to go through the entire process, they are in a rush to get it done or they think it will all fit because they measured multiple times

• You have completed the DIY custom motorcycle build you have been working on for months. Hopefully there were minimal delays and you were able to stay around budget.

• Whether you built the Harley for yourself or you plan to sell it take pride in the work you did and remember each project is a learning experience that will help the next one go smoother.