The Bop Gun (Trek Antelope 800)

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Chronologged below is the build and process of turning my Trek Antelope 800 into the custom built Bop gun. Along the way I learned a lot and made plenty of mistakes my hope is to share what I did and how I did it so that others can learn from my mistakes as well as tell the story of the bike.
 

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So the journey began when I was shopping the internet and saw the "2 stroke bicycle motor kit for the first time. After seeing this I knew i had to build one. I ordered the kit right then and there. With out even having a bike yet I spent all night doing research and buying the mods to build what I had in mind. The bike was originally going to be a hodgepodge mix of colors and mods paying homage to the Honda civics and rice burner culture. As I built a list of what to buy I got a better and better idea of part that were available and colors they came in mid way through finding what to order i changed my mind to make the color scheme green and purple. After seeing more and more parts I wanted but with limited color options I quickly decided a touch of gold would really spice it up. Then I started looking for a bike.
 
after two weeks of searching and ordering parts peice by piece. I told a coworker what I was planning on building and I told him I was hoping to find an old bike something decent but from around the early 90's or so. I told him I'd pay a good $50 for a rusty battered bike since I would be stripping painting and replacing 90% of the parts. Thats when he said. "Yeah I've got one of those!" I told him to send me some pictures and if it looks good to bring it in. Thats how I ended up with a Trek Antelope 800.
 

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So I had a bike and parts were starting to arrive notably the GT90 conversion kit i buaght from gasbike. Like a kid on Christmas morning I wasted no time painting and preparing the new crank case and cylinder. I decided to go with a flat primer only on the crank case to really draw your eyes to the mode that i spent time on. And I used a engine enamel paint to make the cylinder bright red like the hot rods of the old days. I left the high compression head in the white the shiny machined aluminum sparkling like a crown atop the motor.
 

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So with the motor mods in one piece. I turned my attention to the bike and disassembled it as far as I was able to and began sanding and stripping away as much paint as I could on the first day. My first plan was to leave the bike raw in the white but after seeing rust build up within minutes of sanding I knew that wouldn't be an option. Luckily I had tones of primer left over from my old mustang. I made a makeshift spray room and got to work after spending a whole three day weekend preparing and painting i had a solid battleship grey frame and my imagination was running wild. After going through my list of parts and researching sizes I ordered all the parts I would need and I waited.20200501_172940.jpg
 

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once the platform was ready and the parts were on their way it was like Christmas day every time a new part would arrive and piece by piece the bike started coming together.
 

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Once I had the bike in rideable condition I couldn't help myself and with no breaks or a way to shift gears I took it for a spin. My ultra light build was fantastic and it barely felt like it was under me but it glidded along like a brand new machine. For all intensive purposes it was. But after my ride I new what I needed brakes and a way to shift gears. So I got to work and made up a plan of action. I decided to refurbish the old parts. I started with the shifter and put it back on the bike. After looking it over I decided to replace the cables and sheaths since I had the new parts. Once I got the chain drive squared away I turned my attention to the brakes and boy were the dirty. I took my time with the brakes cleaning them and brushing away the years of oxidation. Once they were clean and shiney I scrubbed them with soap and water and let them dry then I started painting them with a metallic enamel paint that I do not recommend anyone use it was very poor quality and the color was very dark and it did not hold on very well at all. Like I said I'm here to share my mistakes as well.
 

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So after the breaks I decided the original kick stand was a very well made part and decided to give it the same treatment. After removing a mountain of dirt and other grime I made a discovery reminding me of the age of this bike. Proudly stamped on the kick stand was a west Germany signifying its country of origin. The fact that this bike has parts from west Germany and was made before the Berlin wall fell was really cool to me.
 

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This is the purple paint I used i would strongly recommend never using this product to anyone looking to paint metal parts. I've always used Rust-oleum in the past and had great results and I would definitely use their product in the future over this one i purchased at a pepboys store.
 

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As the paint was drying I turned my focus to the exhaust/expansion chamber. Starting with a poorly painted black pipe i started by wrapping it with the very light, gold heat tape more for esthetics then actual heat protection. Then having some idea that the the real thermal wrap was probably fiberglass I wrapped it around the pipe with my bare hands like an idiot... and heavily regretted it. For those of you who haven't worked with fiberglass or similar materials a great way to prevent the fibers from entering your skin is to coat yourself in baby powder and wear gloves and long sleeves. As for removing fiberglass use ducttape or other tapes with strong adhesive. Then take a cold shower to rinse the remaining fibers off and then hot water to open your pores and lots of dish soap. All and all the exhaust looks great.
 

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After getting things sorted and installed it was time for a photo and the bicycle was almost complete missing only the new skewers for the wheels. I of course couldn't resist getting a picture with the mods layed on the bike just to get an idea of what it would look like. This is when my phone played the song Bop Gun by George Clinton and ice cube and the name was official.
 

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Waiting on the conversion kit was mind numbing and I couldn't bear the waiting so i started the next project. I ordered a pull start mod for the engine so I wouldn't have to pedal start the motor and I decided it had to be painted so I got a little artsy with it and wanted to give it a retro look. I started by painting the face of the pull start red. Once the paint dried I did some pin stripe tape lines and sprayed it with metallic paint. Once that dried I taped the whole face and painted the body purple and installed it on the crank case.
 

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After months of waiting the conversion kit arrived and the "Fun" ensued. With no instructions and and to proud to look up a video because "how complicated could a 2 stroke motor be?" I was off to the races and started taking apart the fully functional working stock motor so I could put it in the performance crank case and cylinder. Many cuts scrapes and bruises and about twenty accumulative minutes of cussing out inanimate objects later the motor was complete. And I definitely caved and looked up a video on how to remove the crank properly. Then it was time to put everything on the bike and I would be done. P.S. I forgot to mention with the new kit there wasn't a proper mount for the clutch cable. So in true rat rod fashion i used what i had and just used an old ground lug and it worked like a charm.
 

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having done all the hard work, or so I thought. It was a new day and I just had to get the gas tank fuel lines and chain installed. Resizing the chain with non of the proper tools was a challenge but it was a mastelink chain so it wasn't too difficult. Once everything was together it was time to fuel her up and go for a ride, so I thought. After parking the bike in the driveway and pouring gas in the tank, as I was filling the tank I heard a sound. That sound as it turns out was gas pouring all over the driveway. My "new" gas tank had a split in it and was now covering the driveway and bike in gas and oil. But I was determined and after cleaning the spill and removing the leaking tank it was time to use what little fuel was in the line and get it started. At least give me this i thought to myself. I pulled once, twice, three times a lady, and on the fourth pull the engine fired and died and the cheap Chinese pull coard came off in my hand. Well isnt that just great...
 

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After some quick research and ordering a new gas tank. I decided I would use an apoxy to fix the damaged tank in the meantime and I've got to say this apoxy worked like magic. I'm not trusting the apoxy long term but so far so good. After removing the pull start and getting things properly sorted it was time for a test ride. And she worked! It was amazing taking the bike around the block and knowing that I built a working vehicle from the ground up by myself. After getting it running and seeing where I was at I knew there were some things to address. The exhaust was not well mounted so I fixed where I had mounted it and it held i also tuned the carb so I had the right mixture rushing in. I also retightened the chain as it had stretched. I aslo decided to add the muffler from the conversion kit just so I wouldn't get hassled by the cops because this bike is very loud.
 

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After one trip to the beach I decided to take a second and then disaster struck my carburetor blew a seal on one of the auxiliary ports. One trip home and I was able to drill and tap the hole and ad a screw with a gasket and it was good as new. Moral of the story any parts that need to be water or fuel tight should be checked for cracks and leaks with compressed air. I also had an issue with the muffler staying in place so I drilled the exhaust and added a set screw its not perfect but it doesn't have to be.
 

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Moving forward I'll be installing a new springer fork and a banana seat. I have some really cool plans for the gas tank as well but unfortunately bikeberry sent me the wrong tank and it seems like they are ignoring my requests for the part I ordered I'll be posting updates as the project continues.
 
Got my new fuel line and sissy bar today. I also got the cable crimps as well. I love the contrast of the bright green fuel line and bright purple fuel filter. The sissy bar looks too short still which is something I was afraid of but I have more than enough tools to correct this issue and a few ideas.
 

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