Custom Bike Builders

[YB in IN]

So I was home this weekend at my parent's house where they have cable, and watched way too much motorcycle programing on the Discovery Channel. It was the Biker Buildoff shows for the most part sprinkled with some Motorcycle Manias. So my question to you dear readers, is which of these builders do you like the best and why? I'll start. Jesse James. Of most of the builders out there it seems like he actually makes most of his parts rather than just bolting on a bunch of stuff that he bought out of a custom chrome catalog. It's like watching an artisan when he gets going on the power hammer. And the finished products are pretty darn cool.

[JetDoc]

You gotta give Arlen Ness credit... How many other multi-millionaires still sand and paint their own bikes? Of course, when the camera's not on, I'll bet he doesn't either...

Other than that, doesn't it seem that all those "custom" bikes are starting to look the same. Sure, they're all different colors, but if you line them up all in a row, it looks like they all come from the same production line. Same big V-twin engine, same ridiculously long front forks, same little bitty seat, loud pipes and fat back tire. When you get right down to it, except for minor details, they're all just overpriced Harley-Davidson clones.

I want to see something different! I want to see an inline 4 cylinder engine and shaft drive... I want to see aerodynamic fairings and big comfortable seats. Bikes that you can ride 1000 miles in a day... Hey, How about a BMW K1200? :clap

[RickD]

Billy Lane is the Chopper's Inc. dude with dreads. He
creates everything by hand and eye (no measuring).
Guess who I voted for.

[MarkF]

Originally posted by YB in IN
I'll start. Jesse James. Of most of the builders out there it seems like he actually makes most of his parts rather than just bolting on a bunch of stuff that he bought out of a custom chrome catalog. It's like watching an artisan when he gets going on the power hammer. And the finished products are pretty darn cool.

Me, too! I hate the OCC unwrap it, send it out for paint then assemble it approach. They make nothing!

Jesse actually made his own fenders and tanks from flat stock. Now that's custom.

MarkF

[R75_7]

I picked Jesse James because He builds everything by hand(I think) and makes it go fast. Fashion and function at it's best. But I also like Indian Larry because his bikes are truly old school. And Larry's bikes don't really look like everybody elses(all long and swoopy).

[JetDoc]

Originally posted by MarkF
Jesse actually made his own fenders and tanks from flat stock. Now that's custom.

MarkF

Only on television. A good part of Jesse's business is manufacturing parts (including frames and fenders) for other bike builders. In fact, I think I remember seeing Paul Jr from OCC use a Jesse James fender for one of his "custom" bikes.

Small world, ain't it!

[lorazepam]

There is another reason I don't have cable. A dysfunctional family that builds catalog bikes, and gets away with making big bucks on them. If you film it, they will watch, and buy the hats and tshirts.

[chasman]

Guys, Gals, Guys, Gals....

It's got to be INDIAN LARRY!!! One of the few remaining CHOPPER builders out there. No custom bikes for IL, just pure choppers. If I ever have one, I'll have one by the master.


Riding Like the Wind...

CHASMAN
Black '02 K12RS
Indian Larry Chopper (in my dreams)

[BradfordBenn]

Indian Larry is the man. He rides and builds and thinks about the stuff. He does stuff not cause it is cool but cause it is the right thing to do. Talk about old school, he really cuts and chops the pieces not just buy stuff.

My favorite is still the indented gas tank.

The bigger question is why is it that Garth has time when the Midwest crew doesn't have anything planned to watch TV... well you get the drift.

Garth next ride you are buying the first round.:p

[Cliffy777]

I thought the show with the family making choppers was interesting until I watched it more than once. Talk about a formula - not only are the bikes cookie cutter, the show is as well. There is a time crunch...oldest son isn't happy and changes the design in spite of the time crunch....dad says "I told you there would be a time crunch"...Hell, anyone who has ever watched the show knows there will be a time crunch. Then we show loud bikes ridden by folks with no protective gear blast up and down the street. Yawn.
Did watch Jesse make stuff with the big hammer thingy.

"Same big V-twin engine, same ridiculously long front forks, same little bitty seat, loud pipes and fat back tire. When you get right down to it, except for minor details, they're all just overpriced Harley-Davidson clones."

The magazine Road Bike features at least one metric chopper every month. Some of them are cool - some are just jap bikes trying to be harleys.

[R75_7]

That's kinda funny. Because in the beginning I thought BMW's knda looked like Harleys and Indians. Then BMW switched to the UJM(Japanese)looking format. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I am no motorcycle historian. I think all the motorcycles look very similar; two wheels, saddle, handlebars, etc. I guess it's just what you do with that same ol' format and how you do it that makes it interesting. At least to me.

[JetDoc]

Form follows function. If you want to get back to basics, we could say that all motorcycles are just bicycles with motors. After all, they all have two wheels, a seat and handlebars...

To me, there have always been three common categories of motorcycle, based on engine design:

- The American motorcycle is a big V-twin Indian or Harley-Davidson.
- The ultimate UJM will always be the Honda CB-750 with its sideways inline 4-cyl.
- The Classic British bike was a vertical twin, such as the Triumph 650 Bonneville or Norton Commando.

BMW was always unique with its boxer engine and shaft drive. You can't look at it and mistake it for anything else.
(except maybe a Ural, and they stole the design from BMW)

[YB in IN]

Originally posted by BradfordBenn
Indian Larry is the man. He rides and builds and thinks about the stuff. He does stuff not cause it is cool but cause it is the right thing to do. Talk about old school, he really cuts and chops the pieces not just buy stuff.

My favorite is still the indented gas tank.

The bigger question is why is it that Garth has time when the Midwest crew doesn't have anything planned to watch TV... well you get the drift.

Garth next ride you are buying the first round.:p

Yeah yeah yeah. I was home for a reunion of a youth theater thing I used to do back in the day. More importantly however, I made a deal on a barn fresh Triumph Bonneville :clap Pictures will be coming next month when I go back home to pick it up.

[R75_7]

What year is the Bonnie?

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by YB in IN
Yeah yeah yeah. I was home for a reunion of a youth theater thing I used to do back in the day. More importantly however, I made a deal on a barn fresh Triumph Bonneville :clap Pictures will be coming next month when I go back home to pick it up.

You wanna bring it up to our next Midwest get together? We don't care what you ride, it is if you ride.

[YB in IN]

Originally posted by R75/7
What year is the Bonnie?

It is a 68 I think. I don't remember off the top of my head. It's a T120 650 though I do remember that. It is a bike that I looked at about three years ago in a guys barn, and I just cold-called him and went to his shop. I offered him what I wanted to pay and he accepted it.

[knary]

Billy Lane, the guy with the dreadlocks, is, by far, the cutest of the group. So he gets my vote. I'm a sucker for a cute face and a tight butt. :p

I like any of the guys that fabricate something with their own hands (including Lane). Some of the builders do little more than put together a series of pieces that zillion dollar tools and vendors made for them. Where's the art or craft in that? I want to see the sweat and thought in a piece, not the priceless paint job and machined wheels.

[username]

im pleased to say that i dont have cable and i dont have a clue who any of those people are.

my life is good.

[oldcarkook]

A buddy of mine lives across the street from Jesse James in Long Beach. James' shop that is...his REAL shop, not the TV shop which is not his real shop.

My friend has sent me some pretty interesting photos of stuff that Jesse has built. I voted for Arlen Ness because he's old school and so am I. Almost all of those guys are talented; cookie cutters or not, the stuff they put out is all pretty interesting.

My goal is to be physically exactly like Paul Sr., the father on OCC. I want his pipes and his attitude. Whether it's for TV or not I don't really care. I just like his seriousness and imposing presence and hjow it matches his mouth. Whether you have tv or not, have cable, like it, don't like it, I find all of those shows pretty entertaining and the fact is that I can't build any of that in my garage, so I admire anyone that can build it in theirs irrespective of how they got there. The OCC pop's made millions in only a few months after struggling a lifetime as a hothead street fightin' bike builder without notoriety. James has had a cult following for a while and he's the quiet serious type too.

But as far as cutting edge, Arlen Ness was doing this stuff long before James and Paul Jr. were even born.

[JetDoc]

I just watched the "biker build-off" show where all the builders came together to work on one bike... If you get a chance to see it, check out Arlan Ness wearing a gold Rolex watch while he sands and paints the gas tank!

[R75_7]

I saw it, twice. I didn't notice the Rolex. Arlen is the king. He did inovate. But Jesse's new talent is nice too.

[Ironhorsecowboy]

I did notice the watch, but with his money he could afford a little overspray on one.
The cool bike that won was an LA guy named Matt Hotch who built a bike with no kickstand. The air or hydralic system he used lowered the bike to sit on the frame.:idea
And he sold the bike for $200,000.00 Unreal--He didn't say who bought it but he said the paint job was $25,000.00 alone and 50 coats of paint and clearcoat:wow

[volkmare]

Awww you guys..
I prefer the custome K-bike i built back in 90
mark

ps look left

[kbasa]

bigger picture bigger picture bigger picture bigger picture

:bliss

[volkmare]

ok

try my web site at http://www.vollkommen.com/martin.htm

mark

[kbasa]

Yummy.

You still have it?

[volkmare]

nope. I wish i did.

I built it for a "money is no object" type in Las Vegas.

I'm happy with my 85 k100 turbo with a Pichler (PK1) fairing and two of the Bonneville motors.

I've been turning heads with it here in Great Falls sense i restored it this spring. even a doctor at work wanted to buy it from me.

mark

[Cliffy777]

So, where are the pics of your current turbo baby???

[volkmare]

Hmmm.

You know, i havent taken one.

Here's one when i was still tuning.

I'll have to take another.

It will be at the national next weekend also.

mark

[basketcase]

I love the powder coated mags.

Next, somebody mentioned Urals.

Seems I recall they not only stole the design, but the entire factory.

When the Russkies took that part of Germany during WWII, they literally packed up the entire BMW plant and hauled it to the Ural Mountain of Russia to set it back up.

So, does that make a present day Ural the equivalent of a 1937 BMW Airhead?

Anyway, I once rode a Ural sidecar rig in a small town Christmas parade. At one point, it dumped a puddle of oil that would shame any AMF era Harley, but kept running all the same. If I really had the hots for something that required mechanical aptitude, my vote would be for the Ural!

Back to the subject, I don't follow the custom bike market that much, but it seems to be growing. I'm seeing more and more of them on the road. No matter who built it, I'd vote for something with a Captain America look, right out of "Born to be Wild."

With apologies for the momentary hijack.

[volkmare]

OK. So you didn't like it.

well, here is the finished version. It may not be one of "todays" styles, but it will blow your side covers off in a streight line. Minimum boost is 6psi which equates to about 140hp. if i crank it up to 15psi, 200hp.
However, the street is NOT a race track.

so you know, here are the details.

Wheels;
white powder coated. rear is a 4" rim.

motor:
ported and polished head with 2mm oversize ss intake valves and 0.4" lift cams.
all moving parts micropolished and teflon impregnated.
Crank, rods and pistons ballanced to +/- 0.001g
all covers "gun Kote" black for heat dissipation.

Intake;
throttle bodies - stock
air log - welded aluminum with velocity stacks removed.
intercooler - air to air 80F drop at 8psi (measured)
turbo - IHI RHB-5 (Ishikawa Jima Harima - Heavy - Industries)

Exhaust;
Thick wall ss ballanced headder for strength and heat retention, with ports for EGT and O2 probes.
luftmeister with 2" tail baffle. the turbo does most of the muffeling.
pnumatic regulator on waste gate to make adjustable horse power.

more to follow.
stay tuned.........

[volkmare]

breaks;
stock calipers with EBS pads.
floating meonite roters.
most stoping is done with my index finger alone.
you can stand it on it's nose with 3 fingers, but i don't do it on purpose.

Fairing;
Pichler PK1
I have the raceback as well but it covers too much.
yellow-white deltron with blue pearl coat.
motorsport hand painted stripes.
Porcelin Motorsport BMW logo's

Instruments;
stock plus boost, EGT, exhaust O2, coolent temp, fuel pressure, oil pressure,

controls,
boost, and mixutre trim

Injection;
haltech open loop (Alpha/N). Laptop programmable.
Lucas disk injectors for increased dynamic range.

Suspention;
Front, progressive with antidive
rear, White power

K100RST - Rhinn Sport Turbo

[volkmare]

ok, it can't be that bad.
It took 2nd place as a modified K at the rally.

mark

[CustomSarge]

Congratulations on the 2nd place, yours is one of the two I considered my real competition. Mine was the blue K11 w/ floorboards on the end. Judging catagories & criteria disappoints me most of the time, but it's the system it is & there are good points +/- on any way it's done (sigh).
As to the thread: anyone who builds custom parts gains BIG points over the buy & bolt-on crowd. The stuff I build is Far from big show quality, but that's the point: I made it ALL. Two exceptions, I can't weld or sew upholstery.
A thumbnail of the 3: <<<)))

[volkmare]

Awww

anybody can weld. Just look at these air-heads at OCC.

Get a MIG welder. It is a wire feed with inert gas to reduce oxidation at high temperatures. You'll be supprised how easy it is.

mark

[BradfordBenn]

Originally posted by volkmare
look at these air-heads at OCC.
mark

Mark can you clarify if you are talking about the bikes or the people? :p

[CustomSarge]

I have a 235 Amp MIG rig, it's having a nextdoor who welds great VS me learning on a bike frame I'm to ride. I just don't seem to find time to learn until it's a critical build part I need now. Time to get off the FDA & make the doughnuts. <<<)))

[volkmare]

people, but you knew that.

[volkmare]

nice RT.

I remember it at the show. I was the one that moved the barrier so you could fit in.

mark

[LTOwner]

Shake them up in a bag, and dump them out, they're all the same. Just trying to make a buck on TV. They all use the time crunch/dysfunctional/weirdo format, and they all build bikes that can be ridden about a hundred miles before your arms are sore, hands tingling, and butt numb. Have never heard any mention of tensile strength with all the holes and cuts all of them do, "at the last minute" to their frames.

[volkmare]

How true.

just another reality show.

The sad thing is, they sell. Only God knows why.

mark

[LECFlagger]

holy ch**t, did this thread get hi-jacked!! :bliss