Tail Hack

[Duck-Stew]

My vote is anything that doesn't generate heat.  The heat will burn the crap out of the paint lengthening the finishing time.

[Düb Lüv]

+1 on angle grinder w/cut off wheel. if you take it slow and lightly grind, it won't mess up the paint. did it on mine.

[Javamoose]

I used a pipe cutter, I have a good one that I use on SS tube all the time.  Was super easy and only took a few minutes, no sparks, no heat, no mess. 

[RAT900]

Hey any pictures or links to a pipe cutter that would be right for the task?

[lazylightnin717]

I just went to my local hardware store and picked one up. It was small and took a bit to get through but it did a good job. Just take off your beer tray to get an idea of any clearance issues. Let me see if I can find it.

[Javamoose]

Hey any pictures or links to a pipe cutter that would be right for the task?

If you have a Home Depot near you, this is the one I used.  Remember, light turns on the knob, make a few full rotations, then turn the knob more, more rotations, rinse and repeat.  Takes maybe 2-3 minutes per side. 

[RAT900]

Yes a mile or 5 down the road.

Thank you so much!!

On my way over there tonight with print out of tool

Competition Werkes unit came today via BBT, looks nice

I can schedule surgery for tomorrow  

[Javamoose]

Yes a mile or 5 down the road.

Thank you so much!!

On my way over there tonight with print out of tool

Competition Werkes unit came today via BBT, looks nice

I can schedule surgery for tomorrow  

No problem, make SURE to do the side with the seat lock FIRST.  That will determine how short you can cut, since you can only get the tool so close...

[RAT900]

good point...... the gusset for the lock will dictate the cut

[ducpainter]

good point...... the gusset for the lock will dictate the cut

It's closer with a hacksaw or sawzall. 

[Düb Lüv]

here's an idea i thought up for my tail chop on my 95 m900. you all will probably appreciate more than the other site did.
 

here's my sneaky pete seat latch.

parts:
auto hard brake line
nut
bike brake inner cable
odyssey cable knarp
some type of clamp
m6 allen bolt

[nicrosato]

I've been reading about tail chops for years on this forum. My '01 was bo9ught used with the tail already chopped. I've been looking at my '97 for a while and that whole piece under the beer tray start5ed looking like a gator's tail. I removed the beer tray and discovered that the turn signals and license plate bracket are all one piece.


Suggestions? I have no problem taking a saw to the frame tubes. I really have no issue with the turn signals, but the whole license plate bracket  hangs down about 15" below the license plate lamp.

[RAT900]

It's closer with a hacksaw or sawzall.  

OK so I went with a pipe cutter and made the cut at 6 inches in from the frame ends as opposed to the 6 1/2 inches in the Comp Werkes instructions. The clearance for the seat lock gusset forced that measurement due to my using the pipe cutter

I used the smallest pipe cutter I could get and it came out nicely. The cuts were dead clean and I can always rejoin the cut end-piece to the frame with a pair of cylindrical metal slugs or sleeves inside the tubes and either set screws or a weld bead

The pipe cutter rollers did crush the paint on the edges of the cut but that probably had more to do with me not bothering to tape the surgery area first and also by going gorilla on turning the pressure up on the tool

The Comp Werkes frame end caps were worthless, even after reaming the inside bore of the cuts....kept popping out

so I went to the local hardware and found some 7/8th inch diameter black plastic/rubber  "furniture feet" caps that were just plain cups that fit perfectly over the new frame ends,

looks super clean and natural not rednecked and bubba'd  and the caps cover the paint chippings at the edge

yeah I know the post is worthless without pic's...so I will post the tool I used, the caps and bike as finished in a day or so need to charge the camera

[RAT900]

I've been reading about tail chops for years on this forum. My '01 was bo9ught used with the tail already chopped. I've been looking at my '97 for a while and that whole piece under the beer tray start5ed looking like a gator's tail. I removed the beer tray and discovered that the turn signals and license plate bracket are all one piece.


Suggestions? I have no problem taking a saw to the frame tubes. I really have no issue with the turn signals, but the whole license plate bracket  hangs down about 15" below the license plate lamp.

You need to pop the seat so we could see how the tail light is mounted...earlier Monsters had welded gussets on the frame that held the tail light...later Monsters had the tail light secured to the plastic beer tray

I would think your 97 has the frame-mounted tail light.....I have a new unused Pro-Italia billet aluminum tail chop end-piece for the early type frames

might work on yours...same unit worked fine on my old 96 M900

[nicrosato]

Sending PM