American chopper

[Bormac]

As for other talented builders not getting recognition, the same can be said for Musical artists. I've heard bands at clubs that are ten times better than the $hit they play on the radios. It all boils down to who you know and who you blow.

I agree on the music front. I remember seeing 'WOLF MOTHER' back when they were supporting other bands at a local RSL club at Southport,QLD. Nobody had heard of them nor wanted to let them play on commercial radio. Now look at them!

Thats exactly why I will always love, support and listen to only Triple J

[Y'ernat Al]

i dont know much about bike builders but i like the britt with all the tats he makes some nice old but new build,s real basic leaver shifts lots of mat black white wall,s i just cant remeber his name?
He was on a couple of build offs

Paul

Russell Mitchell from Exile Cycles. I saw him last year wine tasting in Santa Inez, CA, of all places, with a HOTTY companion! It was an out of the way winery so he probably lives in there.

[treehugger]

thats him its not that he is british i just like his basic design
the mufflers rapped ,black white and red are the colours i would chose if i were building a bike .

Paul

[PBR Allstar]

I get where you're coming from PBR, couldn't agree more. I always thought their bikes were hideous.

Here in Brooklyn lived a builder who I haven't seen mentioned yet, Indian Larry. His style of bike might not be totally my taste, but if you've ever seen one of his machines in the flesh (as I have) it truly is a work of art. I mean, masterfully crafted and just pure class. One of the bikes I saw had it's entire frame made out of chain, that I could not believe.

To me the whole chopper thing is a bit played out at this point. But, I do have a super soft spot for real choppers. Bikes that are built in the tradition of those made in the 60s and 70s. Maybe a bit of flash, but mostly made to scoot. OCC is pretty much the anti thesis to what I'm into when it comes to motorcycles.

I acctually meant to mention Keno in my list. I didn't mention Indian Larry since he's moved on to bigger and better things hopefully. His Ed Roth tribute bike is beautiful, things I really liked about his build style was the fact that he didn't hide things on the bike, you saw the wires, the cables, the fuel and oil lines, but every piece had subtle details, all the way down to hand carved silver pushrod tube collars that he always had made buy a silversmith/jewlery maker in Japan who's name is slipping my mind. I also liked the stance on most of his bikes, down four and back four with stock rake, makes for a very ridable bike with classic drag bike looks of the sixties and seventies.


while we're talking about bike building, Here's a bike I built a few years ago for a build off here in northern Ca called the "dirtbag challenge" simple rules, no harleys, build it in a month or less, don't spend over 1000 for everything. mine was based off an 81 honda cm400e, frame is dropped 4" and stretched 4.5". The bike cost me 651 to build including registration and the cost of the bike.

[MelvinsArmy]

PBR, that bike is sweet, nice work! I love seeing non-HD choppers. There's a Triumph chopper that lives down the road from me that's pretty sweet. Haven't seen it around lately though.

[Charlie don't surf]

I have a few close friends that have a few choppers and bobbers, of course all non-harley one CB-1000 bobber that is really fresh- but you know how us tattooed people are

[shodog]

Here's a bike I built ]

I like how you used a Model A tail lamp on the rear. Were you going for a rat rod type look?

[justinspeed79]

Dude, that's awesome! I used to have a 83 CM400E BITD! What a great little bike that was, and ran damn good for a little 400 twin. I eventually blew it up trying to ride it like a Ducatti. lol... Went to the junkyard and got a CM400(S, IIRC) motor for it that had the kick start. I can't tell you how many times I wrecked and rebuilt that bike. Still have the scars to prove it. lol... Lucky for me we had an awesome bike junkyard a few towns over, and the guy would sell just about any bike he had back there for $100. Good times, good memories....

I see you have straight pipes, did you re-jet or anything for them? I remember I tried to run open headers on mine once, and it ran terrible without that cross-over center section.

I acctually meant to mention Keno in my list. I didn't mention Indian Larry since he's moved on to bigger and better things hopefully. His Ed Roth tribute bike is beautiful, things I really liked about his build style was the fact that he didn't hide things on the bike, you saw the wires, the cables, the fuel and oil lines, but every piece had subtle details, all the way down to hand carved silver pushrod tube collars that he always had made buy a silversmith/jewlery maker in Japan who's name is slipping my mind. I also liked the stance on most of his bikes, down four and back four with stock rake, makes for a very ridable bike with classic drag bike looks of the sixties and seventies.


while we're talking about bike building, Here's a bike I built a few years ago for a build off here in northern Ca called the "dirtbag challenge" simple rules, no harleys, build it in a month or less, don't spend over 1000 for everything. mine was based off an 81 honda cm400e, frame is dropped 4" and stretched 4.5". The bike cost me 651 to build including registration and the cost of the bike.

[PBR Allstar]

Here's a bike I built ]

I like how you used a Model A tail lamp on the rear. Were you going for a rat rod type look?

I don't really know what look I was going for, I think geometry wise it started with drag bike in mind, and I've always loved paughco mustang tanks, so I got a 50 dollar tiawan repop. the model a tail light kind of matched the Unity police spot lamp I used as a headlight (it worked really good as a headlamp provided you only wanted to see an 8 foot circle on the ground.


Justin, as for the jetting, those vaccum slide kehin carbs that are on the CM's don't have multiple e-clip slots for the needle, so I went into the trusty RC10 junk box and got some old 4-40 washers and started stacking them up under the needle clip (I think I wound up at 3 per carb). It wasn't so much the open pipes, but the lack of airfilters, the stacks by the way are chrome double wall exhaust tips I got from a buddy of mine that works at a muffler shop, I think they were off a stock acura that someone put fart cans on.


I really wish I still had the bike, but someone offered me over three times what I had in it and I needed money at the time.