friends higgins

[vanilla_gorilla]

this guy i know gave me his higgins to get roadworthy
didnt need much

-new tires
-put bars on it
-made and installed new seat and guts
-minor body work
-clearcoated
-repaired the rear hub
-hockey tape grips

rides like a dream

 

[FaceOFFbikes]

Nice job.. I like the grips..So did you clearcoat the whole bike and did you sand anything first? The reason I ask is I just purchaced 2 higgys from ebay that I want to do the same thing..

 

[chimichanga]

Nice and clean bike.

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

gave it a good bath and cleaned the built up grease and dirt off it
then just hit it with a tack rag to get the loose stuff off and it should be good to go

 

[FaceOFFbikes]

gave it a good bath and cleaned the built up grease and dirt off it
then just hit it with a tack rag to get the loose stuff off and it should be good to go

I want to get rid of most of the rust as possible.. but save the paint as much as I can

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

ah gotcha seems like that could prove tricky
there isnt that much rust on the frame of this bike,
its mostly really really dull beat up paint from the 50's-60's

 

[elvis51]

vanilla could you post more pics of those grips man! ive thought about doing that for grips for quite some time now and im glad to see im not the only one. and it seems like you might be onto something with those seats of yours!!!

Easy E

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

hey E i got some closer pics for you
these are from my lowrider, its the same technique i used on the higgins
i spun the tape into a rope and then wrapped it around to make the grips and then went over it a
cople times with the tape normally to finish
just like you would put a grip onto a hockey stick
i like to do it this way because its cheaper and i prefer the grip it gives you

thanks for the compliments, give the seat thing a try it was fun to be creative

 

[elvis51]

thanks for the pcs bro. they look good. im looking forward to doing that soon. where did you get the tape at?

Easy E

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

any sporting goods store should carry it
modells, sports authority, ice rinks..
comes in many colors and its only like 2 or 3 bucks for a big roll

 

[tlaing1]

make sure you get 1" tape though, the 2" doesnt twist to easy..... dicks, sports authority, modells, academy sports should have them check the hockey isle, thats the best stuff.

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

yea its not hard to find at all

 

[elvis51]

dang i was just at dicks sporting goods last night too and didnt even think about it. ill definately have to check it out. is there enough on the roll to do more than one set of bars?

Easy E

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

yea definitely, ive been using the same roll for all my bikes, theres a lot more tape on it than it looks.

 

[elvis51]

cool beans man. how are the grips on the comfort level though? thanks for all your help vanilla.

Easy E

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

i like it because it gives a really solid grip
what i mean it your hands stay on the bars with little effort
i guess you could add to the comfort by how many layers of tape you decide to add one once you are done making them
mine arent very soft, but they dont tear up your hands at all, i just like not having to worry about the grip flying off the bars
anytime man, lemmie know how it works for you

 

[elvis51]

definately will let you know when i get mine done. keep up the good work bro

Easy E

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

thanks, you too