Interesting development

[guest7]

I know a bloke who is only 20, but he already owns a V8 5.6L Mercedes and a Honda CBR600RRRRRRRRRRRRR. He also has the hots for a (new) Thruxton Bonnie and he wants to build a chop. He's a mechanic by trade and his fabrication skills are quite high so I'm sure he can do it.

What's interesting is the way that he has come into custom building via sportsbiking and watching all those TV chop-shop shows. A bloke I drink with said that another lad of a similar age wandered into his bike repair shop and he too wanted to know about the best contacts for building a chop.

Over a beer or two us oldies agreed that it doesn't really matter how these youngsters arrive at building specials, it's just great that they are doing it.

I guess that biking has changed a lot over the last few years, but it's reassuring to know that there are still young fresh optimistic nutters wading in with hacksaws and welders and not just settling for what the manufacturers want to give them.

GC

[Steffan]

or taking a useful and servicable bike with decent handling and completely buggering it up in some misguided notion of "look at me" fashion

Steffan

[Richard]

That would be me then !

[guest7]

or taking a useful and servicable bike with decent handling and completely buggering it up in some misguided notion of "look at me" fashion

We're talking about Harleys here... it's a job and a half to make 'em handle worse than the factory managed. And my goodness, when was a Harley last made that was "useful and servicable"?

GC

[guest24]

The last time a Harley was seen to be useful was when it was pulling a plough in a field...

[Steve Lake]

From the above I think we can safely assume no-one will be rushing out to grab a cheap buell then?

[guest24]

Depends what kind of bull as it could be used for artificial insemination.    Oh, sorry, you said Buell

[guest7]

Actually I do like the early Buells, I'd have one given half the chance.

I'd also like a panhead-engined rigid-framed bobber  

GC

[guest27]

I'd also like a panhead-engined rigid-framed bobber  

GC

Does Mrs Onepot know?   

R

[guest7]

Does Mrs Onepot know?   

There won't be a pillion pad so there's no need for her to know 
GC

[guest27]

Ahhh poor Mrs Onepot, GC does not want her sitting on his pan head bobber...

Had to break it slowely to Jen that the Triton would go together with a single seat (if it ever does)

Had to promise to build her a 'Tiger trail alike' - so that will never happen then.

R

[Andy M]

This'll be in the rants section if I get going! 

I don't think we should have a go at Harley per say, their motors are good and I bet a few of us would ooh and ah over something that looked like a Vincent but used one? I test rode a Sportster and liked it and the XR1200 flat tracker thingy looked like a step in the right direction. My problem is with the marketing. Harley, McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, I don't know what it is but their overwhelming "buy our ****" thing sticks. The right dealer could sell me a Harley same as the right price has me drinking coffee in the other places, but I'm yet to meet one that dared break the corporate line. The Triumph dealer in York seems to get this, they see a 6 year old Bonneville outfit with knobblies and don't reach for the "look like Steve McQueen" catalogue of rubbish, they get the spares CD out!

Buell I didn't like. The technology was interesting but ultimately pointless. Moving weight is a small tweek, if you want speed you need more power or less weight, not a shock absorber doubling as the sump guard or brake fluid stored in the tyres. I think in a few years Buells will be rare sights on UK roads as frame to engine oil seals and other assorted bits give hassle. The majority of owners almost rent the things from the dealers, so if you do fancy one I'd wait three years until they hit MOT time and prices crash.

Chops I'm with Steffan on, if you want to do art buy a paintbrush and leave bikes alone. Chopping a Thruxton I can live with though, there are enough out there. The guys who make 3 mile range teardrop tanks for the chops can be the same ones who'll knock me up a 500 miler, so there is a positive too.

For every thousand 20 year olds who do the rice rocket/Performance bikes then OCC/Streetfighter lifestyle thing we might get two or three who see the light. Same goes for all the ones with 9 month old, 602 mile Touratech adverts who want to be Ewan McGregors really really special friend, some will eventually get into the riding. If any 20 year old tells me he want to chop a Thruxton, I say go for it but maybe try a bit of riding too.

Andy

[guest7]

Sorry, my first post may have been confusing, I mentioned the Thruxton to illustrate the fact that his tastes are a little broader than the usual young sportsbiker. He wants own a standard Thruxton Bonnie AND build a V-twin chop.

GC