My New Bike: Envy

Been too long since I last posted. I have since changed from bobbers to sport bikes. But it was more out of necessity than choice. For a while, I rode a Ninja 650, but it didn’t last long as it was failing.

3 weeks ago, I just picked up my new bike. A Yamaha MT/FZ – 09. I call her Envy.

Shes a beast. Just like my R1 Chaos, Envy tries to kill me every chance I don’t pay attention. Shes a thrill to ride and I still haven’t gotten the hang of her yet.

Well, here are some pictures to keep you (if there is still anyone out there) entertained.

p.s. I will be posting as many guides as I can on DIY stuff for Envy. Some will be in the old school picture format… and some will be in video format.

Just Came Home

With a cage and a tail bag stolen from my friend.

By Vy

Basic toolkit

This is just a simple tip to share with you the things I carry on Pestilence all the time. I am gathering up more but for now this is what I have.

The thing about me is that I don’t really ride far. This is because of my work. However, in my travels to work and back, life throws me a few curveballs too. Ever since I have had her, I have been forming Pestilence to fit the way I want to ride and fit the way I do things. This includes corner carving and long haul roads as well. (I don’t exactly work nearby).

Many things have come and gone from my bike and many things I have are also for security reasons. I have a few torx screws holding down my carb to ensure that it doesn’t get stolen. This I hide somewhere on my bike away from my general tool kit.

Anyway, here is the list of things on my bike right now:

1.       Foldable scissors

2.       A small roll of duct tape. Small but enough to secure a human being.

3.       Plastic bags (several different sizes.)

4.       Ziploc sandwich bags

5.       Nylon rope (for towing or tying up the asshole who tried to steal your bike

6.       Bungee cords

7.       Screwdriver with multiple attachments (2 different phillips head, 1 flat head, one allen key head and a size 13 box )

8.       A bent box wrench (modified for torqueing)

9.       Custom Security Torx wrench.

10.   Large L wrench attachment

11.   Size 19 longbox (for the sparkplugs)

12.   Spare sparkplug

13.   Pliers (these actually came from my old BMW)

14.   Electrical tape

15.   Cable Ties

By Vy

Differences between the dragstar 650 and virago 535

1.       Carb

a.       Dragstar 28mm

b.      Virago 32mm

2.       Front wheel

a.       Virago Max wheel size 90 to 100

b.      Dragstar max wheel size 110 to 120

3.       Front spoke

a.       Virago 4mm thickness

b.      Dragstar 5mm thickness

4.       Rear final drive

a.       Virago no extra mounts on rear swingarm

b.      Dragstar has extra mounts on the rear swingarm

5.       Ignition system

a.       Dragstar has a tps enabled cdi that adjusts timing of the ignition

b.      Virago doesn’t

 Hi all, just ignore this, im just making a list of differences the Virago 535 has from a Dragstar

feel free to comment with things you may know that i haven't listed and i will add it in...

Just dont put things like "it looks better" and such... coz we already know that.... hehehe

By Vy

Pestilence is back

About 3 weeks ago, I had received my bike back after alot of arguing and pestering.

By paying cash, I had expected my bike to be completed long before my wrist healed. Unfortunately, the guy took forever to get my bike done and never took priority in repairing it.

In the end, he did a pretty crappy job out of it. I had loose  riser threads, a loose footpeg thread and now several other little things.

Also, my footpegs did not have stirrups like my old ones. Upon asking the mechanic, he said he couldn’t find them, so I decided to take my old ones back and restored them.

I’m glad that I got my bike back, but it seems there are so much issues with it right now…

I also realise that he used a dot3 brake oil and instead of a dot4 brake oil and that the issue with my front disk brakes has become worse from the crash.

 

Anyway, here are some pictures just to update on how Pestilence looks like now.

my custom weld in gas cap. its for sale btw. for now only available in malaysia

Pestilence ready to be ridden home... but there are so much issues after

completed stirrups

i welded the plates up.

installed on the bike

By Vy

The Crash

So it has been a long time since my last post. This was generally due to a new job I had gotten. Seeing that now I had to work a normal day job and dress “appropriately”, my job didn’t give me much time to blog privately nor on this page. Even so, the only riding I got was to and from work. So, during that time, I decided to do my 17 inch rear wheel conversion.  It took quite some time but it was done well. I even used a superbike tyre for better grip.

So one day I decided that I have had enough riding starvation and wanted to test out the new tyres to carve corners. As the bike lanes in Malaysia are riddled with nice but dangerous turns, I decided to do it there (also because I live right there). Since I was riding to and from work with the narrow  “barely 1 car wide” lanes everyday, I was familiar with it by then.

The best part is, the advice I tell everyone as a rider in Malaysia for so long is “never use the bike lanes” I didn’t listen to my own advice. As I was preparing to go for my solo ride, i was planning what to bring with me. I knew I was going to speed so obviously my helmet would be in full face mode. I wore thick jeans and my safety boots (which I swear by because I have crashed hard and hurt my feet quite badly before. As  was about to wear my leather jacket, I looked out at the hot sun, shrugged and put it back down thinking of the heat. As such I thought it would suck if I were seen wearing my gloves without a jacket. So I didn’t. then, thinking to myself, if I crashed and my phone was in my pocket, I would break and I can’t call for help; so I placed that in my phone pouch on the handles.

Dressed in a thin shirt I was given by one of my company subsidiaries, I went off for my ride. Each lap was at least 15 to 20km and with barely any straights to rest, it was a challenge. I went 4 laps and on each corner I pushed the bike faster and faster scraping the pegs trying to find out how fast I can push it before I can’t anymore. By the 4^th lap, on the beginning of the last quarter, I had pushed the bike to turn at 90kmh. I know how most of you may think “bah big deal” but consider this, I was on a dragstar that was lowered by its previous owner at least 2 inches, the lane was so small 2 bikes of my size could not ride next to each other comfortably, and it was a 90 degree turn. Knowing that the front disks were warped (wasn’t because of me), I took that chance anyway.

Before I leaned into the turn where the crash took place, here are the things that happened.

1.      I was dehydrated

2.      I was overconfident

3.      My favourite song was playing in my headset

4.      My front brakes didn’t work well

So, me being thirsty and tired, I was focused on getting to the pit stop up front for a break. Being overconfident, I did not expect  the turn to be that sharp and thought that I had space to lean still. As my favourite song played, I knew that if I sang along, I would lose some concentration but did it anyway..

Once I took the turn, I knew it had gone wide, I throttled it to try to keep it leaned in but realised that I had reached its limit. My bike was scraping on the frame. It must had lifted the rear tyre slightly as I tapped on the rear brakes because the rear gave way. Still throttling, I tried to correct my trajectory with the front brakes but because the disks were crooked, I couldn’t apply the proper amount of pressure to steer.

The condition of the bike lane didn’t help as well as the government had tarred the place over so many times that it made the side of the already narrow lane into a sort of ditch. As I rolled into the grass, I blinked and felt impact. I had hit the railing. As I opened my eyes, I was doing airtime that would make a skater blush.

When I came to my senses, I was facing face down in the grass with my full face on. Before getting up, I checked to see if anything was broken. At the time my right thumb hurt so I had assumed that it was a bad bruise; experience taught me to keep it close and not to move it. After assessing the damage to my body, I found I was quite badly scraped up and sprained my leg.

I walked around to find my phone and started calling my friend (and always the guy who rescues me) EelMan and my wife. While waiting for EelMan and my wife, some random Chinese dude on a KR150 pulled up and helped me out. There was also a random malay guy who asked me if there was anything he can do for me. The strange thing about the Chinese man on theKR150 now that I think about it is very similar to a friend I know called Zachary. I swear they are very similar but it couldn’t be Zachary because he cant speak Chinese.

Anyway, away to the hospital, and I was found to have:

1.      Broken scaphoid bone

2.      Bruised ribs

3.      Badly sprained left ankle

4.      A hole in my shin

5.      A small cut under my right arm (seems like hard impact)

6.      A cut from the right of my stomach spiralling all the way to my back on the right.

I have been in a fiberglass cast for 4 months and am finally free but only have under 50% movement to my wrist.

I would say although it was painful and scary for many people around me, I was glad I did it. It was the ride of my life. And I can proudly say “who says choppers cant turn?” the things I did take back from this accident was that I should source for new shocks, a good helmet is worth the money, wear safety gear and DON’T RIDE ON THE BIKE LANE!

By Vy

Matador Drag Bars

Been awhile since I have updated much about my bike… if you have seen the pictures, you will notice that I am using a beach baumer handlebar (one of 2 of the handles given to me). Now, seeing how accessories are expensive here in Malaysia, I had to think of something… was thinking of trading my ape hangers for something else but nothing I liked was around for trade. So I found a pair of risers from my regular shop and decided to try out the welders skills… he cut my apes and made a simple little cut and paste with a twist. We powdercoated it and tried it out…

What I feel so far:

-          I'm stretched forward so my spine absorbs bumps and holes much better. Now, some of you may not feel it, but I do because of my spinal issues. I had the theory that it helped because I used to ride a rigid with a bad spine. Seems I was right.

-          Able to take corners much better now. It is more stable when leaning in.

-          Stable on the straights.

-          I don't feel like flying off while riding fast. Feels great.

-          Only bad point: Sucks at U turns.

 Before

 After

 My Mechanic Removing The Handles

 Naked Bars

 The Powdercoat Guy Said He Has All Colors, As Long As Its Black

A Closeup of the Dragbars With A Twist

 Before

 After

By Vy

For Virago Users

hey guys, found this link... for those of you who ride viragoes:
http://viragotech.com/

btw, i'm looking for tips and advice on virago 535 modifications for engines i.e. rebores and things like that, if anyone has any tips, please leave a comment.

By Vy

Tanks for everything

I’ve been very busy living life as a normal dude lately I havent been updating the blog. So sorry for ignoring all the updates.

But while living life as a normal guy is goin on, it doesn’t mean I havent been doing any research on bikes or anything. The days the shop is open on Sundays, I try to make it (to my friends shop) working there doing whatever I can from dismantling bikes to grinding stuff. I havent had much time at all to weld the scrap metal I steal from my friends. In fact, its been at least  3 weeks since I touched the welder. Oh how I miss it…

Recently bought a book called “Art  Of The Chopper”. I call it the bible. Has a lot of interesting things and views from famous bike builders in US. I try to read as much as I can every day. Stole some designs of rockers and also views on what the biking scene is really about. I would say, a lot of them have many opposing ideas of how bike builders are like.  What I did realize about them is that NONE of them call themselves “one percenters” and things like that.  And that humble way is what I really respect.

Anyway, recently, I was sketching frames that I wanted to build for my next bike. I fell in love with a stretched high frame with a curved backbone. So I had decided to stick to that. Also, I had been in contact with several people about rim sizes and many other interesting things.

Just last week as I was having issues sleeping, I got around watching the biker buildoff which I had downloaded. Randomly clicking it, I didn’t realize that that single random episode I clicked on had changed the choice if tanks that I wanted. It was a battle between Kevin Alsop from BigBear and Ivy Trosclair of Metry Custom Cycles. Before I had watched that, I had chosen a stretched teardrop tank for my bike. But that soon changed. I was watching Kevin build a tank out of medium steel. Apparently, thicker than normal sheet metal and he had refused to hammer it or use an english wheel as he said it would thin out the sheet metal thus causing integrity issues. “the man had a point” I thought to myself. Seeing how (once again) I will be using a rigid frame (if it aint rigid, it aint a chopper), all the rattling from the engine and the road will kill some parts (look at my battery terminal… snapped off).  Kevin then continued to make a kite tank (slightly similar to a coffin tank, but with more curves to it.). Now, it is famously known as the “Athena tank”. Instantly falling in love with it, I did more research on it but couldn’t find much info. Thus I downloaded as many pictures as I could find and stared at them for at least an hour. Once the way it look got burnt into my mind, I drew out templates on anything I could find… in this case, name cards I didn’t want. I kept it till I went home from work (because the damn company doesn’t provide us with scissors) and started snipping.

Today, I had recreated one (because I get attached to my prototypes), filled the gap in the front of the tank (I was having an issue where by the time I matched it all together, I needed to make a plate to patch up the hole), cut it all down to design it again so the front plate can be made as one properly made piece. After 3 hours, I had done it! But, on the way back, I thought of improvements that could be done.

I will be making a life sized replica soon and will upload a picture of it soon.

p.s. sorry if there are even less pictures now, one of those days I threw a fit and my phone broke into 4 pieces.

By Vy

Bzzzttt bzzttt

Well, ever since the Bad Wolf came out, BDC had been closed down to make way for my new home. its been some time now and we have happily moved in and are slowly settling down.

BUT, by no means does this mean that BDC will no longer be making bikes. In reality, far from it.

I have barely been riding the Bad Wolf and already im getting all sorts of ideas.. before I can even begin chopping the Bad Wolf again, we are in the process of planning and saving up for a new yet to be named bike. This time, it will be bigger and badder then ever. And in more ways then one.

The capacity will be much larger and the frame too. However, the design will be a true chopper. No fancy stuff like flamer kits and undercarriage lights. It will only have all the essentials the bike will need like headlamps, tail lamps, horn and indicator.

Anyway, lately I had taken a part time job at a friends place to learn basic welding techniques and wiring as well. Although he is using a MIG, still I am sure i can learn a thing or two.

Last weekend, the LadyBoss had agreed to get an ARC welder so I can do my own welding. before this, we were looking around and wondering what welder to buy and if I should even bother getting one.

We ended up deciding on an ARC welder because then I wouldn't have to buy the inert gas (which isnt easy to find). We were down to 2 types of ARC welders, the AC and Inverter types.
Here is what I found out:

Inverter Type (DC)
Pros:
- easy to move around if you have to move all over the place
- very light

Cons:
- very expensive
- heats up very quickly
- not good for long term welding (like for big projects)

AC Arc Welder (oil cooled)
Pros:
- oil cooled for long usage
- able to use AC and DC rods
- quite cheap

Cons:
- Heavy as hell and not easy to move around
- Your're screwed if it leaks.

After talking to Eelman, Joe and afew other friends, I had decided to go for the AC ARC welder. just bought it but I haven't had the time to test it out yet. I was too busy making a skateboard for it so I can move it around. Plus, I bought a longer cable so I can get to tight spots easier.




By Vy

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet, so the poem goes.

I am going to keep this one short.

As mentioned in my previous post, I don't find that No+MAD fits my bike anymore as it was conceived while it was created by the original so I wanna dunk it where it belongs.

The term Blaidd Drwg from Blaidd Drwg Customs means Bad Wolf in Welsh.

As such, I had decided to name my bike Bad Wolf. Why? Because as the first bike ever churned from BDC, its only fair to name it that. Plus, to the haters and morons that challenged me, We are the Big Bad Wolf that has blown your house down.

Meet my Bad Wolf:

By Vy