This has been a strange yet comfortable project. Several months ago we installed a Screamin' Eagle cam, the H-D race header system and a new ignition, and modified the carb. We added chrome rocker boxes to enhance the appearance. In the meantime, Paul Davis from Charlotte H-D, Anson from the Deep South and a couple of other contributors have been sending me various info about Buells. I've read each word intently and culled the information that I felt was crucial to my project.

It's a testament to Buell that many of the modifications or upgrades we planned never came to fruition because of back-ordered parts. It indicates that the factory is selling faster than it can build the stuff. The unfortunate aspect of some of these mods is that time is running out for the run to Sturgis 2001, so we stood back and said, "What the hell do we do now?"

More and more custom manufacturers are building a handful of parts for Buells, including Joker Machine. We decided to stick with a silver and black scheme, so we picked up a set of Joker pegs, front master cylinder cover and the pulley cover, and we plan to install their small triangular turn signals before we hit the road. The rest we did by the seat of our pants.

The race header system is a nice unit, all stainless steel. Unfortunately the stainless yellows immediately once heat is put to it. You can always polish it off, but it will yellow again once the sparks start flying, so we took it off. There's one other crucial aspect of this system that was making me toss and turn at night. Although the unit is secured to the engine in several spots, there's a recall notice out due to breakage. Reports have it that the front of the muffle breaks off and pivots toward the pavement. If it comes in contact with the abrasive surface at the right angle and moment, it could launch the rider into space. Unfortunately, the fix is back ordered, so we disassembled the unit and studied it for ways we could prevent this catastrophe from occurring on the road to the Badlands. The most apparent weak link was the weight of the muffler and a terrible clinking noise coming from within.

I drilled out the pop rivets at one end of the muffler and tore it apart. I discovered a dense fiberglass cylinder with a baffle tube down the center. The baffle tube is not attached, which made it rattle. We removed the baffle and the fiberglass matting. Then we took the muffler to the brothers Famighetti to have the rivets replaced with an air-assisted gun and stainless rivets. We needed the gun for the power to pull the rivets into place. Hopefully, with less weight, and the potential of reduced vibration, the header system will remain in place.

For appearance we took the entire system to Applied Finishes in Vernon, Calif., and asked them to Jet Hot coat it in silver. They showed us that there are two ways to go. They could polish the system then coat it, or coat straight. The polished looks much more finished. The process is good to 1,000 degrees, they guarantee it and it's done in two days. Neat stuff, so off it went.

We also took the license plate bracket to the Famighettis for a trim job. They reshaped the thick plastic bracket to remove the license plate area and trimmed away the area that once housed the turn signals, leaving just enough room for the new signals, when and if we ever run them.

Next was chrome. I hate chrome, but we felt a couple of items on the bike needed the shiny stuff so we tore the controls off, the headlight bracket and the kickstand. Of course the chromer took three weeks for our little box of brackets and fasteners then returned it to us in terrible condition. Many of the fasteners were not polished--a waist of time. Some of the brackets were polished on the wrong side, and some had bearing surfaces chromed, which meant hours of grinding and sanding to make them fit again.

That left the front end. One of the reasons we used chrome was that the foot controls are made of a cast alloy and have large casting seams on them that needed to be removed. It was either remove them or replace the controls with expensive billet jobs or H-D upgrades, which are not good for guys with big feet. The same casting situation applies to the triple trees. They are cast aluminum and rough, so we decided to pull the front end apart and have the trees polished. We went to Long Beach Chrome for this maneuver. Again, they were done to perfection in a couple of days. I had the assistance of a spare bottom tree, which allowed the existing tree to remain in place.

Another area of concern was the front fender brace, a thin piece of brushed aluminum. I had seen a billet replacement but had no idea how to find the company. I took the flat piece off and polished it at home and that made a big difference. Since I hadn't snorted enough polishing dust by this point, I removed the front motor mount, added some clearance and polished it once the front end was back in place. That's it, and it flies.

In the next couple days we'll post completed shots of the Buell, sparkling and ready for the run to the Badlands. This weekend I may take it on another 300-mile jaunt into the hills to test for durability and leaks.

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