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With a new look and big plans!

The next thing on the list now is either the Seat getting upholstered or the Speedometer, I have the speedometer (1.9 inches diameter), so maybe I can do them both at the same time? I'm really debating tooling out a leather seat?

Day 240 "Just riding" 9 Aug 2009

This week I didn't do anything on the Bobber, I just enjoyed riding it. Here's a few shots of it by the Gulf of Mexico.

Day 207 "Street Legal!" 6 July 2009

So today I went to the tax office and licensed and registered the bobber, we also insured it so it is street legal! Because its 30 years old I got the antique plate too. Also I put the mirror on, look close and you'll see it. Now I just need to Sync my carbs and I'm good to go!

Day 192 "Mirrors, Fears, and Reflections?" 22 June 2009

Here I am reflecting on what I'm going to do next. I need to fab out some sort of a license plate bracket as well as a taillight mount and I think that the two will be incorporated into one another. I also need something for a mirror idea?

I want to mount my mirror under the handle bars on the left side so it was off to the drawing boards! As you can see for my drawing board I use crayons! It was the first thing I saw that I could write with. The orange drawing was what I started with, then the pen drawing in the back ground followed, after that I went down town and looked through a few catalogs and ordered a mirror.

After ordering the mirror I did a quick sketch of what it was going to look like and to be honest I was not a fan so when it comes in I'll probably return it unless it surprises me. So I went on line and found one that I hope will look and work better. Now we wait.. Below is the pic of the one I ordered however they didn't have any pics of left side mirrors.

Plain, clean, simple, and that's all I'm going for.


Well this is what I ended up going with, I had to drill the mount out to get it at a angle away from the handle bars y I think it turned out O.K and it was only $8 at a local motorcycle shop. I found it by turning the catalog upside sown when I got to the mirror section so I could see what it would look like. It threaded right into the mount without a adapter too.

Here's another view

The Story of "Shops Chops."

As result of my employment in the U.S Air Force I've been deployed to the sandier regions of this world. Upon my arrival in 2008, I met and worked with a group of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Shortly after I began work, I received the nickname "Shop," all my life my nickname had been "Bish," but never "Shop." Of coarse if you haven't already figured it out, my last name is Bishop. At first I wasn't quite sure what to think of the new nickname but it grew on me, mainly because the previous name of "Bish," often sounded like the Webster's dictionary definition of a female dog. The name "Shop" stuck and that's what my friends from the desert still call me today. So long story short my current Chops and my future Chops will be known as "Shops Chops."

When I decided to do this XS1100 Bobber on 16 Dec 2008, I hoped that if I documented everything, it might make it easier for others making their own Bobber or Chopper projects. I hope that you find this Blog helpful. I've added links and as many part numbers and locations as I could find. I've also added a email form for any questions, comments, or pics of your project. I promise I will reply personally to all messages. Feel free to browse the pages, the posts are constantly updated, with the exception of deployments back to the sandy land, in that case it will pick up after my arrival home.

Thank You for visiting "Shops Chops" and I hope you enjoy it!

Your Friend,

Shop