This is an archived version of the Road Star Clinic. The Road Star Clinic can now be found at www.roadstarclinic.com. Please join us there!

Road Star Forum
Welcome, Guest
Please Login or Register.    Lost Password?
Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers
Go to bottom Post Reply Favoured: 0
TOPIC: Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers
#271108
Gram (Admin)
Been there, wrecked that.
Admin
Posts: 4797
graphgraph
User Online Now Click here to see the profile of this user
Location: Corona, CA
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
I see a lot of common front ends on BMS bikes. I would like to know what they are, and if they use standard Road Star parts or use american parts (wheel, brake, rotor etc...)?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#271109
Gram (Admin)
Been there, wrecked that.
Admin
Posts: 4797
graphgraph
User Online Now Click here to see the profile of this user
Location: Corona, CA
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
For folks who live too far away to use BMS for rake/frame modifications, does BMS offer consulting on frame raise and rake? So that we can use BMS recommended parts for the rest of the build?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#271112
Gram (Admin)
Been there, wrecked that.
Admin
Posts: 4797
graphgraph
User Online Now Click here to see the profile of this user
Location: Corona, CA
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
Sorry Bruce, really didn't want to take this over so have been saving all these questions.

BMS sells aftermarket gauge kits (Dakota). I am thinking about using a Dakota 7000 series gauge for my next project, in conjunction with your ver3 gas tank mod. Does BMS publish or sell wiring instructions for using Dakota gauges?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#271114
Gram (Admin)
Been there, wrecked that.
Admin
Posts: 4797
graphgraph
User Online Now Click here to see the profile of this user
Location: Corona, CA
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
With the fat tire kits for Road Stars, are they considered complete for bolt on? And do we get to select the rim we want to use from RC components?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#271119
Gram (Admin)
Been there, wrecked that.
Admin
Posts: 4797
graphgraph
User Online Now Click here to see the profile of this user
Location: Corona, CA
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
I am assuming the fat tire kits are for normal Road Stars. Is it possible to get a similar kit for a dehorned Road Star?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#272943
fireman922 (User)
Schrodinger's Cat - Wanted Dead & Alive
Platinum Boarder
Posts: 5845
graphgraph
User Offline Click here to see the profile of this user
Gender: Male paul_7710 Location: Rockport, Indiana
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
When using the Road Star platform to build a custom, is there anything inherent weaknesses that you really need to check, strengthen, be extra aware of?
 
Logged Logged  
 

Ask me about my attention deficit disorder or my pie or my cat. A dog. I have a bike. Do you like TV? I saw a rock. Hi.
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#273944
XXX Custom Cycles (User)
Expert Boarder
Posts: 477
graphgraph
User Offline Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
Anymore questions????
 
Logged Logged  
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#273965
fireman922 (User)
Schrodinger's Cat - Wanted Dead & Alive
Platinum Boarder
Posts: 5845
graphgraph
User Offline Click here to see the profile of this user
Gender: Male paul_7710 Location: Rockport, Indiana
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
Is BMS coming out with any more cool stuff that we can bolt on our Roadys?
 
Logged Logged  
 
Last Edit: 2010/04/15 17:45 By fireman922.
 

Ask me about my attention deficit disorder or my pie or my cat. A dog. I have a bike. Do you like TV? I saw a rock. Hi.
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#277905
USAFretired (User)
Moderator
Posts: 2070
graphgraph
User Offline Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 10 Months ago  
I noticed that some of your engines/transfer cases, such as the one on 250SS has been painted black.

Do you have recommendations on prep of the items for paint and what type of paint to use?

Have you seen any problems with paint peel or chipping later on after use of the bike?
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
#288284
BrowardMotorsports (User)
htttp://www.BMSCHOPPERS.com
Fresh Boarder
Posts: 5
graphgraph
User Offline Click here to see the profile of this user
Broward Motorsports Location: Ft. Lauderdale Florida
Re:Clinic Interview: Sam Nehme and BMS Choppers 7 Years, 8 Months ago  
Hello everyone, I see everyone has lots of questions and wanted to answer some of them.

Question By: N0THD
Being a force in the industry, at what point does a bike become "custom" instead of "metric" I hate that term. How many parts do I have to make in my garage to qualify as "custom"? I admire your bikes, V-Twin seems to love them, too. And I wish you all the best and good fortune, though I'm sure you make your own.

Answer: We still consider our Nehmesis to be both a custom and a Metric. When we built the bike for the 2006 ESPN bike build off, it was labeled as a "Metric" throughout the show. I think these bikes will always be Metrics and you should be proud of that, after all, it runs great and Metrics are very reliable bikes. That is exactly why we chose metric bikes to customize because of their reliability, quality built parts and engines.

Question By: Mr_Shamrock
Regarding Air Ride Suspensions...
Do you recommend them for people who actually ride their bikes frequently and for long distances?
Are there any dangers of handling issues if they are not set up properly?

Answer: Yes I would definitely recommend them for everyday riders. There are some custom bikes we have that have a lot of miles on them. We actually just replaced an air cylinder on one of our custom bikes that lasted for about five years! They are very reliable systems and the cylinders they are building now are completely re-buildable so you don't have to buy a brand new kit!

Question By: Mr_Shamrock
This goes along with some other questions that have already been asked...As a "general" rule of thumb the more custom a bike is the more uncomfortable it becomes. What do you recommend (as far as rake, stretch, rear tire width, suspension, etc) to your customers that put a lot of miles on a bike?

Answer: It is true. The more you rake out a bike the harder it is to turn. The turning radius becomes shorter, your handlebar / tank clearance becomes shorter, and the front end gets to feeling heavier. Rear tire width has a big play in ride-ability as well, the wider back tire you have the more you are going to have to lean the bike over. Also with a larger rear tire you are also losing your power coming from the engine.

Question By: CoachDan
QUESTION: When we modify our bikes frames, such as raking the neck, when do we cross the line from metric to custom. Thinking along the lines of having to re-title and insurance.

Answer: Along the lines of re-titling and insurance issues, you do not need to re-title the bike. As long as it still has the stock stamped vin numbers on it, it can be titled as the original bike. Our Nehmesis bike still has the stock VIN number stamp plate underneath the tank so it could be still titled as a roadstar.

Question By: Mr_Sharock
I am just full of questions...
In regards to true dual exhaust...
Do you see any negative aspects to the sharp bend in the rear cylinder's head pipe?

Answer: Not too many negatives, however when you get a tight bend like that, you are causing restriction in the exhaust, which can be a good thing for back pressure purposes but can be a bad thing for heat purposes. You are creating a heat spot in a radical bend like that which will cause blue-ing etc.

Question By: Gram
When I visited BMS, All the custom bikes I saw had Air Ride suspensions in them. But I am having a hard time justifying the expense for my new project. Have you ever evaluated any other lowering options? Like Baron's replacement relay arm, or any of the extended dog bones? Just wondering if I need to get an air ride into the budget because it solves some other problem.

Answer: We have thought about the lowering dog bones, etc. But they do not achieve the look we are going for. We want our bikes to bottom out on the rear fender when we pull up to a show or a bike event and raise back up when it's time to ride. This setup also makes for a comfortable ride when navigating the streets or on the highway. They are a little on the pricey side but well worth it. We have systems that we have seen last over 5 years! And the air cylinders that they are making now are totally re-buildable and stronger! It also drops everyone's jaws when you drop the back end to the ground!

Question By: Smittnator
I love the Nehmesis front fork (would it be called a fork since it is one piece?) and how it is set up with the shock absorbers. Truly interesting. Also the way the Sinstar uses what looks to me like solid forks and a pivot system with shock absorbers on top. This man has incredible talent.

Answer: We haven't really named it as of yet. But if you want to get technical I guess we could call it the front suspension arm. The arm pivots left and right at the neck of the frame. Leaving the handlebars to feel like you are turning them up and down rather than left to right. The front suspension is hooked into 2 air cylinders that were originally designed for a Honda VTX. Extensive design work and testing went into the single-sided front “fork,” which the main spar is more than three feet long and machined from aluminum billet. It is a very heavy piece and was plumbed with internal brake lines and hidden brake caliper. The single sided front wheel was a 1 off custom made design as well.


Question By: Gram
I am assuming that the Roadliner and Stratoliner are the same bike. If that is wrong please correct me. Can the 'liner stock FI module handle pipe and air kit changes and maintain proper mixes? A few guys here have done that with their FI Road Stars and it seems to work out well (their pipes have the sensor bungs). So on a liner, is their an advantage to an aftermarket FI module?

Answer: The Roadliner and Stratoliner are the same bikes, just fitted with different accessories. The roadliner is the regular model and the Stratoliner is like a "Silverado" package, with rigid leather wrapped custom shaped saddle bags, windshield, and passenger backrest. The stock FI module A.K.A. the ECU can handle the aftermarket parts but you won't see any performance gains without a module to change the MAP settings inside the ECU. What the Power Commander does is allow you to tune the map settings inside the OEM ECU to compensate Air/Fuel ratio mixtures. You can add a big air kit, custom pipes, etc. but without an aftermarket FI module, you will not see any power gains. And as far as performance gains, let me just say you will definitely be surprised! We put one on our custom Roadliner that we did here.

Question By: Gram
With the fat tire kits for Road Stars, are they considered complete for bolt on? And do we get to select the rim we want to use from RC components?

Answer: They are not really bolt on kits in a sense. They are not all boxed up ready to be shipped out because custom means we have a billion different combinations that the customer has available to them. We work with our customers to see what they want to do, stick with a stock rear rim, modify a stock rear rim, go with an aftermarket wheel, chroming, etc. We let the customer custom build what they want. Whether they want to do custom Sprotor (sprocket with integrated brake rotor) setup or wider wheels. Our customers have complete control over what they would like down to the minor details. We do a lot of work with RC and PM wheels but can custom fit anything you would like to use. It's also nice because we have mock up swing arms and wheels here that we use to make sure that all your custom parts fit and work properly before they are shipped back to you.

Question By: Gram
Is BMS coming out with any more cool stuff that we can bolt on our Roady’s?

Question By: USAFRETIRED
I noticed that some of your engines/transfer cases, such as the one on 250SS has been painted black.
Do you have recommendations on prep of the items for paint and what type of paint to use?
Have you seen any problems with paint peel or chipping later on after use of the bike?

Answer: The best way to prep would be to sandblast the engine parts to get them ready for paint. There are a lot of paint shops that can do this for you as well. We have been seeing some problems with chipping and peeling on the exhaust on some of our bikes that have black powder coated pipes. The powder coat handles up to 900 degrees and that is what some of the pipes are running at without power commanders/ fuel modules etc. However we have a painter that is using Ceramic coatings on the pipes which is rated up to 1,200 degrees which seems to hold up better. As far as engine paint, the motors do not see these kind of temperatures so regular powder coating works just as well.

Thanks everyone for your questions, and keep the shiny side up!
 
Logged Logged  
 
  The administrator has disabled public write access.
Go to top Post Reply
Powered by FireBoardget the latest posts directly to your desktop
...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... ...................................................................... -->
New Forum Posts


The Road Star Clinic is a collaborative community of riders who archive and publish user contributed technical data about Yamaha Road Star motorcycles.

Copyright 2003-2007 Road Star Clinic and its respective authors.
<-- -->