The bike is almost exactly what I am going for from the handle bars to the wiring. I even like the paint job.

On the other hand, the welding looks pretty crappy (at least in the pictures), and I’m not too sure about some of the makeshift parts he’s using. Then again, that’s what making a bobber is about—using what you have to get the best performance possible.

Check out the process & pictures on the Honda Shadow Forum

Top 10 posts from 2008

1. The New Blueprint CSS Architect is Now Easier Than Ever
2. CSS Tricks: Give IE 6 first-child Psuedo Class Support
3. Behold the Shadow Bobber
4. Sticky Menu Installation Fix for WordPress 2.6
5. How Much Does a 10 Page Website Cost?
6. Social Media and Religious Intolerance
7. A Brief Comparison of Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress
8. More pics from the Go Daddy Christmas party
9. Get Rid of Laziness Once and For All
10. 11 Things I Learned About Buying a Suit

The plan

I have noticed that there is a real need for information on metric bobbers (and choppers), thus I have made it my goal to detail my process as best I can so that others can duplicate it. My main goal is to keep it as simple as possible. I want to use the stuff I already have whenever possible. I hope to get into performance modification at some point but for now it is mostly cosmetic. Here’s a little diagram I made using the Samurai as my inspiration:

This is what needs to be done and what has been done already:

1. Remove the rear fender (done)
2. Move the front fender to the back
3. Remove all fiberglass (done)
4. Remove the back seat (done)
5. Replace the front seat (in progress)
6. Lower the whole bike
7. Ditch the windshield (done)
8. Replace the handlebars
9. Get a smaller gas tank with a lower profile

Removed fiberglass

Removing the fiberglass was pretty easy. It probably took me a day or two and was mostly a matter of unbolting stuff. While I was at it I removed both seats. This also meant removing most of the rear fender.

Seat experiment

Because my goal was to use what I had, I thought I would try and reuse all of the parts from the seat to make a new one. The result is not pictured here although it did turn out pretty decent. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite to my liking so I will probably replace it with something custom. This will probably be my one splurge on the bike.

Here was how I did it:

1. Remove the seat
2. Unstaple the leather from the plastic
3. Remove the foam carefully (it’s glued)
4. Create a cardboard template that fits inside the existing plastic
5. Cut the plastic to shape with a jigsaw
6. Trim the foam down to size
7. Size the old leather and cut out a template
8. Sew the template together just like it came
9. Glue the foam to the plastic
10. Staple the leather back over the seat/foam

This took me a long time. I didn’t do that great at sewing either. If you are going to attempt this you need to figure out what the right tools are. I can tell you for sure that a utility knife is NOT the right tool.

In the end I think you’d be better off buying a nice custom seat and hardware.

Chopped back seat

Today I chopped off the whole back seat from right behind where the front seat used to end. It was as simple as taking a grinder to the tubing. Probably took me 20 minutes to mark and cut both sides. Once I get a welder (and learn how to weld) I will close up the holes. I’ll try and get pictures of this up soon.

Next steps

The next steps will be to get a seat, weld the brackets and weld on the rear fender. While I am at it I might try and organize some of the cables and do some general cleanup.

Do you want to stay up-to-date on this project? Subscribe to the blog to get the latest updates in your feed reader of choice.

This list of 128 questions should help to create a little spark to get you started. It covers life in general, marriage, work, parenting, money, spirituality, personal issues, and health. Try and ask why when you are going through the questions. You can take it up a notch by forming your conclusions into goals for the upcoming year.

General

1. What goals did I have in 2008?
2. What goals did I meet?
3. Did I have any successes for which I did not set goals?
4. Which goals didn’t I meet in 2008?
5. What goals failed in 2008? What mistakes did I make?
6. What "life hacks" (clever solutions to life problems) have I implemented?
7. How have I invested in "life-learning"?
8. Am I happy with my life?
9. In general, what work did I do this year?
10. What did my work mean?
11. For whom did I do that work?
12. What results did I expect/receive?
13. By what standard of Truth did I make my decisions?
14. How did my thoughts and values measure up to eternal Truths?
15. What is my mission for the next year?

Marriage

1. Does my spouse love me? Have I shown love?
2. Does my spouse respect me? Have I shown respect?
3. Have I been helpful around the house? Have I done my chores consistently?
4. Have I been faithful to my spouse emotionally and physically/sexually?
5. What can I do to improve my marriage?
6. What could my spouse do to improve our marriage?
7. Have I been a friend to my spouse?
8. Do I encourage my spouse regularly?
9. Do I criticize my spouse?
10. Do I nag my spouse?
11. Do I respect our differences?
12. Have we had regular date nights?
13. Have we taken any time away—just the two of us?
14. Have we taken any classes, attended retreats, or read books to help our relationship?
15. Did I ever mention the "D" word in my home? (Divorce–that word is off limits!)

Work

1. Was I a good employee/employer in 2008?
2. Did I show up to work on time?
3. Did I take excessive amounts of sick time or unscheduled time off?
4. Was I productive on a daily basis? Did I slack off?
5. Was I agreeable? Was I friendly? Did people enjoy being around me?
6. Did I contribute to the overall wellbeing and productivity of my team or company?
7. Was I supportive to my boss and coworkers?
8. Did I perform my job with excellence?
9. Did I research new technologies and solutions related to my line of work?
10. Did I overuse company resources for personal matters i.e. phone, printer, staples etc.
11. Did I spend excessive amounts of time at work doing personal things i.e. talking on the phone, emailing, checking Facebook etc.
12. Were my clothes appropriate for my position and environment?

Parenting

1. Have I been patient with my children?
2. Have I told my children that I love them?
3. Have I eaten meals with them?
4. Have I attended my children’s activities?
5. Have I changed diapers and burped my baby?
6. Have I taken the night shift?
7. Am I consistent in discipline? Am I on the same page with my spouse?
8. Do I explain everything to my kids? (hint: you shouldn’t)
9. Do my children obey me? Do they obey my spouse? Do they obey others?
10. Are they well behaved and polite?
11. Have I been too hard on my children verbally or physically?
12. Do I expect too much of them?
13. Have I read to them?
14. Do I kiss them and hug them?
15. Do I play with them and talk to them? Do we play and talk for more than 30 minutes a day?
16. Do my kids know they are a priority?
17. Do I give them my whole attention?
18. Have I kept up to date with their pediatrician appointment and vaccinations?
19. Are their meals healthy and balanced?
20. Do they brush their teeth daily?
21. Have I taught them in the way they should go? (Biblical training)
22. Have I encouraged and led their spiritual growth?

Money

1. Have I set up a budget?
2. How has my spending been? Have I stayed within budget?
3. Have I used coupons, promo codes, and looked for deals?
4. Have I made any impulse purchases?
5. How is my credit score? Has it gone up or down this year?
6. How much debt do I have? Has that amount gone up or down this year?
7. Have I paid all my bills on time? Have I been late?
8. Have I reviewed my insurance policies?
9. What am I spending on the following:
   • Taxes
   • Tithe
   • Housing (including maintenance, mortgage and utilities)
   • Food
   • Spending and entertainment (eating out, movies, recreation)
   • Clothing
   • Miscellaneous
   • School/Child care
   • Automotive (including insurance, gas, registration, and repairs)
   • Insurance (including medical, dental, and life)
   • Medical/Dental (prescriptions, doctor visits, and dental work)
   • Investments
   • Debt
   • Savings
10. Have I evaluated my budget and cut out unnecessary expenses?
11. Have I communicated openly with my spouse about my purchases?
12. Am I hiding or hoarding money? Am I purposely overspending?
13. How has God provided in 2008?
14. Have I met any of my financial goals? e.g. Pay off car, house, student loans
15. Was I tight-fisted with my money? Did I allow some fun with money?
16. Did I trust God with my money or was I self-reliant?

Spirituality

1. Did I pray regularly? (this can mean structured time or just talking)
2. Did I attend church at least once a week? Did I attend church more?
3. Did I read my Bible regularly?
4. Did I tithe consistently?
5. Did I fast? For what did I fast?
6. Did I accomplish tasks out of my own strength or Gods?
7. Did I live as if I loved God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength?
8. Did I bring anyone to Christ? Did I tell anyone about Jesus?
9. How have I made "His kingdom come?"
10. Have I helped the poor, widowed, and broken?
11. Have I grown more intimate with God?
12. What new characteristics have I learned about God?
13. What has God done in my life over the past year?
14. Where is God inviting me to participate with him this year? In other words, what is God doing around me now?
15. Did I engage in worship on a regular basis?
16. Have I been a good representative of Jesus at home, work, church, and in public?

Personal

1. Have I been humble? Was I arrogant? Was I prideful?
2. Have I taken personal time for myself?
3. Have I read any books lately? If so, which ones?
4. Did I continue learning, taking classes, or increasing my knowledge in any way?
5. Am I satisfied with myself? What makes you feel the most and least satisfied about yourself?
6. Have I been envious, covetous, or have I been trying to "keep up with the Joneses?"
7. Have I been self-centered?
8. Have I been overly-anxious/worried? About what have you been anxious? Is there anything you can do to change the situation?
9. Do I watch too much TV, play on the internet too much, and play too many games or talk/text on the phone excessively?
10. Have I looked at pornography or provocative images?
11. Are my friendships healthy?
12. Have I cultivated relationships with others?
13. Have I pursued any new hobbies/interests?
14. Have I ditched bad habits or secured good ones?
15. Have I done any of my "bucket list" items? (Things I want to do before I die)
16. Have I taken any risks? Did they fail or succeed?
17. Have I been involved in any type of verbal or physical altercation?
18. Have I gossiped?
19. Have I lied?
20. Have I stolen?
21. Have I cheated?
22. How is my driving? Do I break the speed limit?

Health

1. What and how have I been eating?
2. Am I overweight? Am I underweight?
3. Have I exercised regularly?
4. Have I stayed "kept up?" Do I look nice?
5. How has my hygiene been?
6. Have I been brushing my teeth regularly?
7. Have I had my checkups with the doctor and dentist this year?
8. How have I slept? Do I have any sleeping problems like Insomnia?
9. Have I quit/started smoking, drinking, or drugs?
10. Have I become addicted to food or anything else?

Credit for the first few questions goes to Darren Rowse. I adapted them from his post 69 Questions to Ask to Review Your Blog. Thanks for the inspiration Darren.

I went to work as usual. I walked to lunch with my coworkers. I went to the chiropractor. I got a massage, did some stretches and got my back adjusted. I even went to the bathroom several times.

My pants felt a little “bunchy” in the back. I didn’t think to check if everything was okay.

Well a pair of boxers just fell out of my pant leg. I was instantly confused. I checked to make sure my boxers were still on (they were). I am not sure how I managed to pack an extra pair of boxers in my pants today but it’s good to know I was prepared.

First let me say that I am a huge Ubuntu fan. My main home computer uses it and the wife likes it just fine. She can get around better on Ubuntu than Windows and it is easier for me to customize to her liking.¹

Being the good geek that I am I naturally tend to optimize my computer. I haven’t taken a stab at recompiling my kernel yet but I am sure I will at some point. I have tried a lot of different programs in search of the smallest footprint and best features. I have gone so far as changing window managers, file managers, and more.

So here is that command I mentioned:

sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop

What does it do? It installs Xubuntu. In case you are not familiar with Xubuntu, it is Ubuntu plain and simple. The only difference is that it uses different programs that work better on older systems. The main difference being that it uses XFCE instead of Gnome.

Bonus performance tips

The next step in boosting your performance is to use applications that do not have a huge footprint. In my case I have started using Kazehakase as my web browser², Psi for IM, AbiWord for word processing.

¹ Tip: if you want to run Ubuntu at home the wife must like how it looks and responds.

² I had a brief stint with Swiftfox but I didn’t see any major improvements.

Finally the wife arrives home from shopping, happy as a clam–until she sees your face. Of course she can instantly calm the child down in a matter of moments. I don’t know about but you, but that makes me feel like a schmuck. After all that, you would think your darling wife would be compassionate and loving. Unfortunately, one of the nasty side effects of a colicy baby, is a colicy relationship.

If you have found yourself arguing with your spouse about your tiny spawn of Satan making a little squeak after one of these episodes you know what I mean. It’s hard to keep your cool after an hour of ear piercing, wake-the-dead, blood curdling baby-screaming. Even for a child who isn’t regularly collicy it can be absolutely unnerving.

It comes with the territory I guess.

The temperature would gradually change as I passed by the beautiful Lake Powell, around the magnificent North Rim of the Grand Canyon, through the cold and snowy mountains of Flagstaff on Route 66 to the hot-and-sunny, cactus-filled paradise in a valley. Palm trees popped up around the highway (we didn’t have palm trees in my little town). It was always exciting and new.

In 2001, I moved to Phoenix. A little bit older and with the pleasant experience of college-life in Dallas, Texas, I was now well adapted to city life. In fact, I preferred it to the small town in which I grew up. However, Phoenix did not have the same charm I remembered.

In reality Phoenix is a smoggy, dusty grid of highways that seem to connect nothing to nothing. It is mostly inconsequential save that it is the capitol of this fine State. There is nothing interesting to do and nothing interesting to see.

As a teenager, I never noticed the graffiti on the dirty old buildings, highway signs, and construction equipment. I didn’t see the endless miles of cookie cutter homes with prominent garages that eat people every evening. I never noticed the victimized Hispanic population fighting for their rights. I never noticed the purposeless urban rat-racers, the teardrop tattooed angry gangsters, or the plastic faced, snobby little gold-diggers nestled near their mountains.

All I saw was a tropical desert paradise.

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The name sums it up

Dec 4, 2008 by Dustin Bostonproduct

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