I was between motorcycles in 2008 and nursing my broken back from the motorcycle accident that claimed my beloved Buell. I was on state disability as I couldn't work with the broken back, and my monthly mortgage payment was depleting my savings fast. Since I was off work and had a lot of spare time on my hands, I was itching to get back onto two wheels, but I didn't have much money to do it with. A friend of mine had a clapped out V-star sitting in his side yard. He bought it new and racked up 54k miles on it before parking it. I bought it off him for a few hundred bucks.
The paint was badly oxidized, tires balding, clutch slipping, seat cracking, but fundamentally, it was a solid bike. I went to work stripping it down and cleaning it up. I sanded the tank and rear fender and applied a semi-gloss black coat of rattle can paint. I shelved the front fender. I relocated the license plate, bobbed the rear brackets and built a straight pipe exhaust system from steel tube stock. I cut down the seat and reshaped it and then had it professionally recovered.
I rode this bike for over a year. It was comfortable, easy riding, but a little light on power and a little bouncy on the freeway due to it's light weight design. It was a good bike and ultimately it sold me on the cruiser motorcycle.
The V-Star as I bought it. Tired and faded.
Removal of rear fender evokes bobber look. Stock exhaust is cumbersome.
All body work off, the V-Star makes a good platform for customization.
Nice softail look. Note the relocated license plate at this stage. I simply tack welded the bracket to the swing arm.
Body work back on with fresh coat of semi-gloss black engine enamel.
Front fender delete gives off cool chopper vibe. Just stay out of water puddles!
I was on pain-killers for my broken back the whole time I was building this. The name sounded cool, and the tank was hand painted with Q-tips. Note the cut-down seat foam awaiting upholstery.
Hand made set of straight pipes in the raw. I cut off the original manifold flanges and welded them on to the round pipe stock and bent to the desired shape in my buddy's garage.
Note the stacked slash-cut exhaust design. Dig the clean work on the seat too.
Finished pipes painted black with BBQ paint and wrapped in header wrap to keep the leg burn effect to a minimum. They sounded pretty good. Not too loud, not too ugly.
Glamour shot. Note the air cleaner and rear hub now blacked out.
I bought an ebay lowering kit and dropped the rear about 1 inch.
Approaching Virginia Street in Reno, Nevada for the annual "Street Vibrations" rally in 2008.
