So, I went and bought a very cool motorcycle, an XT550. It's a big dual sport, lots of power and torque, can hit 100 mph (uh... so I've heard....

) and is, in general, a really fun machine.
The only problem is, it was only manufactured for 2 years, and parts are impossible to find.
SO... when I broke a couple of spokes on the rear wheel, I found out I'd have to order them from Japan, pay up front, and they may not even be able to get them. Call me crazy, but I'm not going to just give someone $150 to TRY and get a part.
Yeah, they are $150 for a spoke set.
SO.... I'm making them.
I'm using steel rods, 3/16" diameter. To match the old spokes, I'm turning them down to 1/8" for the last 3 inches or so of the spoke. The end is then threaded to match the nipple.
The only thing this leaves is the bend in the other end, and the mushroom shaped head.
What I've tried is heating the rod, bending the 90*, and cutting the end down to about 3/16" longer than the finished length. I then put it in a little jig I made, heated up the end, and spent a whole heckuva long time trying to forge that mushroom shape by hand.
Can anyone think of a better way to do this? It's inaccurate, takes a long time, and takes a ton of gas. I'm using MAPP/O2. I considered brazing a piece on to the end, but was concerned about strength. I also considered threading the end and making a threaded nut, but have concerns about it working loose.
Sorry no pics to better explain things. Everything is buried due to winter and getting ready for the new shop.