The Chopper Compendium

It's been a while since I last posted. I'm building a diesel-electric hybrid motorbike. I'm currently fabricating the frame. I am using a Honda Rebel 250 rear swingarm and a small segment of the Rebel frame where the swingarm pivots. I have aligned and tack-welded the backbone and steering tube in place.

Next to fabricate are the two downtubes (grey vertical pieces in the picture link below) and the two bottom rails (also grey in the picture). My question is this: What is the best way to fabricate these - one piece or two? Perhaps it comes down to how accurately can one bend tube. I will be taking my tube pieces to someone who can bend it (what kind of place/business will usually do bending?). Can they make the two bends in the bottom rails - i.e. the 90 degree bend between the downtubes and the bottom rails and the 45 degree bend at the rear of the bottom rails - accurate enough to do each rail in one piece of tube? Or would it be best to make a joint somewhere along the bottom rail to allow some adjustment for getting both rails exactly the same lenghts/positions?


http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... 030002.jpg

Does my question make sense? I hope I am clear what I am asking!

Thanks for any thoughts!!!

Oops - just re-read my post. I should have used the term "Bottom Rail" in the subject line rather than engine base.....

Any good bike fab shop should be able to make these tubes in one piece. Just take them your mock-up tubes and maybe a few dimensional sketches of what you need. Those are really easy bends to make so the cost should not be to bad.

I typed out a long answer while Gary gave you what you needed in a few sentences...

Wear shoes when working around steel.