Japanese Bobbers

Even more inspiration.

2009-07-20T18:38:00.009+02:00

This is from Gravel Crew. In my opinion, probably makers of the finest bikes around.
Here are some pics on how they make it:

Replace the upper part of the frame, manufacture a bent new part and weld, paint and Hey Presto - something really really nice. Quite a few more details to get a looker though.

Some other bikes picked up from someplace below, I forgot where. Flickr something but whom ever owns them, please give me a call and I´ll refer to your site.

Finishing off with Gravel Crew again.

Bike inspiration

2009-07-14T09:38:00.002+02:00

Just inspirational pics today.

That Falcon Bullet again.

2009-07-10T17:16:00.004+02:00

Some of you guys have seen the pics of the Falcon Bullet.
And since leaving you here with just statistrics seemed a bit to cruel, just as the weekend starts.
This bike is one of the finest I´ve ever seen. Chrome, black and brass looks so good together.
Enjoy these pictures and don´t forget to go to their homepage for more details and HUGE pictures.

Enjoy the weekend.

Statistics rules

2009-07-10T08:48:00.005+02:00

Guys, since I started this blog, I´ve had so much joy checking the statistics.
I started with Google analytic in early February, and this is the figures so far.

11,904 people visited this site

18,943Visits

11,904Absolute Unique Visitors

45,474Pageviews
With 62% new visits, many of you check in here regularly. That is fantastic.

18,943 visits came from 104 countries/territories

The Top Ten looks like this:

1.	United States	8,261
2.	Canada	1,240
3.	United Kingdom	1,135
4.	Australia	918
5.	Germany	701
6.	Indonesia	695
7.	Sweden	605
8.	France	583
9.	Netherlands	535
10.	Italy	429

The coolest is the "odd" countries/territories like New Caledonia, Palestine, Reunion, Puerto Rico, Iraq, Norfolk Island, Moldova, Albania and Papua New Guinea.

Top 10 refering sites:

1.	images.google.com	1,467
2.	caferacersreturn.blogspot.com	1,442
3.	bikerblogs.blogspot.com	800
4.	bubblevisor.blogspot.com	730
5.	motorcyclepictureoftheday.blogspot.com	700
6.	blogger.com	621
7.	wrenchmonkees.blogspot.com	588
8.	dotheton.com	437
9.	acecaferacers.com	350
10.	images.google.co.id . 341

Since Wrenchmonkees added me 18 June, that is remarkably good to be no:7.
Thank you all that refers to my blog.

But most importantly thank you all for visiting me.

JF Sebastian/ aka Baanan

((And to the Swedish visitors. I am ranked 729 at Bloggtoppen.)
( There goes any chance of ever having a BDT T-shirt I guess, Damn)).

Vintage racing and dirt track

2009-07-08T12:46:00.003+02:00

I must give you a really cool blog.
Thevintagent.blogspot.com is jam packed with cool bikes and vintage pics of TT, dirt track racing and other cool stuff.
Here are a few pics that I "borrowed". Check it out!

Wanted tracker seat

2009-07-08T09:03:00.006+02:00

If you have a used street tracker seat and wants to sell it to me, please let me know. Drop me an email or leave a comment.

Street trackers

2009-07-01T23:10:00.006+02:00

I felt I just can´t leave you here to read about scooters.
If you want to build a nice one, go to Omars.
There you will find anything apart from the XS650 itself.

First you need a seat,
and a new set of rims,
a new tank,

and a side mounted tail light and a few more things later
And you might end up with something like this.
Them Belladonna trackers are pretty right you know. These bikes rules.

And now over to something completely different!

2009-07-01T21:31:00.006+02:00

The Japanese guys are the kings of modifications, that much we all know.
But leaving the bikes aside and checking out the scooter scene gave me goose bumps.
Check out these babies and don´t you tell me that they don´t kick butt.

This would be the before picture:
And some after: Not all are Honda, there is a Suzuki as well.

So no new SR, W or XS today. Happy riding guys.

Helmet and safety

2009-06-25T23:55:00.005+02:00

I´m going to buy a new helmet soon and have done some research (surprise).
First I thought of a really stiff fiberglass/kevlar helmet like Arai or AGV would do, but after reading THIS article from motorcyclistonline, I have come to another conclusion. Softer (read polycarbonate) gives less impact and less G:s to your brain. Less G:s is the difference between a few weeks at the hospital or being an organ donor!
So why are there so few good looking helmets out there?
Most look like graffiti from a wall somewhere and that is just plain misplaced on a bobber.
The black jet is a classic and will always work fine.
But look at these vintage helmets and you will also wish that that design will reappear again soon.
I´m a huge fan of flake paint on helmets.
Any ideas on which helmet to buy?
Links are welcome in the comment field below.

2009-06-23T13:57:00.003+02:00

Guys, as you know, I love readers contributions.
This was waiting in my inbox:

"Hi:

I built a little cafe racer/bobber from a Yamaha RD400--a 2 stroke. I've attached some photos of the result. There is still a little to be done, but it is nearly finished. My website is:

www.motofiaccone.com

To see all the bikes I've built, kindly have a look at:

http://www.motofiaccone.com/moto

I hope you like the bikes enough to cover them in your blog!"

Me - I love it.
JF

Sometimes inspiration is just gone

2009-06-23T11:43:00.003+02:00

Well, that´s why there has been so few updates as of lately.
I got fed up with looking at the same old SR, XS and W650 bikes.
Few seems to dare to get some more odd bikes modified and do it well.
Believe me, there are loads of odd bikes out there, some people got it, and most don´t.
Now I mean in getting the lines, get it looking clean, or bad ass, or in some way appealing.
I´m sure all have fun and that is ALWAYS the most important thing.
I love bikes where the builder/owner has more ideas, is more creative, does more with less than people that just buys bolt on stuff that might or might not fit well together.

The good pepole at Wrenchmonkees dare to be different.
There are BMW´s, Kawasaki Z1000´s, Hondas, Moto Guzzis and of course the mandatory Yamahas.
Check them out, lovely almost monocrome detailed pictures.

Tired of all Sr400s and XS650s

2009-05-16T00:16:00.005+02:00

Well, I have been browsing through so many websites now, all featuring the Sr400, XS650 or W650. So I will just show you a lot of Triumphs, Nortons or BSA´s. Hope you like them.
These bikes found at the Jockey Journal.

Oh, here are a few more:
I´ll finish off with a true beauty:
If you want this one, you´d better get a list and cross all the people you have hurt or been nasty to. Karma is important. That might get you the dough to buy it.
Falcon Motorcycles made this incredible beauty.
Now go out and ride your bikes and check in again after the weekend.
Happy riding.

Look closely

2009-05-08T14:42:00.007+02:00

Looking over the links I had, I found some gold again.
Motorrock in Japan makes some nice bikes, mostly SR400s and W650s.
They have some really nice parts as well.

Another cool company is Berry Bads Motorcycle.
Check out first the SR400 and then the W650.
These are without any question the most popular Japanese bikes to modify.

Well, still waiting for my shims, so no work done on my bike.

So get out and drive your bike this weekend, and if you can´t be good, be careful.
Remember, all other drivers are blind idiots and you are invisible.

Beautiful engines part 2

2009-05-04T23:54:00.006+02:00

Well, while waiting for my valve shims, I spent some time browsing for good pictures of beautiful engines.
This one is so incredibly nice. Look at the really slim exhaust pipes.
Ariel Square Four:
Next up is something most of you guys recognize.

BSA
BWM - fat and just cool.

Matchless
Vincent Black Shadow

Oh, and the Triumph.
If you want to see more, go to Arts hobby projects.
Many restored classics.
That´s it for now.

Beautiful engines

2009-04-30T08:47:00.007+02:00

Since my own engine is in dire need of new valve shims, not just carb adjustment, I felt the need to publish some of the most beautiful engines I´ve found.
Shims are expensive. About $20 each for NOS stuff. The budget ones are about$ 3 and will be ordered today.

Some of the nicest engines I´ve found so far is the J.A.P.
J. A. Prestwich made a wide range of engines including a V twin 1,100 cc. This engine was regularly fitted to Formula 3 cars for use at hillclimbs or in Formula 2. Some manufacturers, notably Cooper, produced long chassis versions of their cars specifically to accommodate these larger engines.
You can have the same engine as a Brough Superior.

You can buy NEW engines, CNC machined for optimal performance from Cameron Racing Engines.
Look at these beauties and move back a bit.
Drooling is bad for your keyboard.

Admit that this engine would be a crown jewel on a J.A.P Bobber!
More engines to come later. Triumph, Harley, Yamaha and many more.

Carbs on the table

2009-04-27T20:45:00.005+02:00

Well, my bike ran in short bursts and the died.
Today I pulled the carbs and gave them a check.
Both floats were leaking so I soldered, tested them in water and then tomorrow I´ll put them back on the bike again. I also discovered that I had connected a vent hose wrong.
Hopefully I´ll start the bike tomorrow.

I followed my own advice and checked the links from JOINTS.
Check out Motoshop Tonouchi.
These bikes are theirs:

Fingers crossed for tomorrow. I´d be VERY happy if the bike started with no problems. Then I could refocus on painting the tank again, fabricating the bracket that would raise the rear end of the tank about 3 cm to get it level with the frame, mount some loose end and do the virgin run.

Japanese custom show

2009-04-22T14:00:00.007+02:00

For all of us who can´t be in Japan and are curious about which companies show off their bikes at these show, I urge you to check out the builders at Joints Custom Motorcyle show. Just to give you a hint, you will find Gravel Crew, Flakes MC, Red Hot Company and many more.
Loads of links = hours of fun.

Don´t know if they were there, but LAMP Motorcycles makes some kick ass bikes as well.
Mostly Harleys but fine nonetheless. Really cool sign the have:

If you want to read Japanese, use babelfish or something.
Better than the Japanese cryptic signs, even if it´s far from perfect.

One that was at the show, was the guy behind one of my favorite sites, Sparetime.
He already published the pics so got check them out.
Here come a preview:

I´m off to my bike now. Fingers crossed and battery charged.

EDIT: Just got my bike running for a few sec using the old cap-of-gas-in-the-cylinder-ploy.
First a big delayed huff.
More gas, more huff and a puff.
More gas, Ignition and ran fine for 2 sec, and then silence.
Did the same again, same result.
Hooked up the tank, cap of gas in, ran again but then the famous silence again.
Now I just need to figure out if the carbs are ok. Had them apart in November and they were clean. Did not adjust the float height, did not even know how to check it. It was the first day I had the bike.
THE BIKE RAAAAAAAN
Sadly, it sounded a bit like a lawn mower.........

JF

2009-04-20T10:50:00.005+02:00

People that knows more than me said that I need to check valve clearance.
So much easier than changing piston rings as I feared.
Work will start tomorrow.

In the mean time, enjoy this W650 bike.

Almost done

2009-04-18T18:22:00.005+02:00

Well, my bike is almost done.
Need to mount the license plate and light, indicators and finish the seat.
Oh, and get it running.
Will buy a compression tester tomorrow. All electrical seems to work fine.
Here is the state as it is now.As you see, I painted the frame as well.
POR-15 seems to work just fine. Looks a lot better when it´s shiny and no surface rust is visible.
Next winter I will probably remove the engine and do it all properly and powder coat it.
The side covers will have to do until I have time to fabricate new ones. They look like sh*t, but they do the job. New head light and mount will also be there when I get the time/money for it.
If I don´t buy a XS650 or an old Iron Sportster. They seem to go for the right kind of money now. Recession rules (NOT).
If it would run now, without any major overhaul be a mechanic, it will all be done for less than $500. Not to bad huh?

Favourite for sale

2009-04-16T11:40:00.011+02:00

Guys, the bike that sits on top of this page is for sale.
Here are some more shots and facts:

Compact chopper. FLAKE paint. Frame processing. 16in wheel. One off muffler.
FULL CUSTOM.

Go to the Gravel Crew page and watch it for yourself.
One of the fines bikes I´ve seen. The muffler is awesome.

As for my bike, it is getting assembled now. All is there apart from the seat and indicators.
As I this is a budget build, the ugly stock indicators will have to do for the moment and would be good for test and inspection from the Swedish DMV. After that I will buy some small indicators.
Pic will be taken tomorrow.
My daughters have had chicken pocks (the second has it now) so progress on the bike is slow.
Single parenting has its draw backs.
Ah damn you chicken pocks, God damn you all to hell. (thank you Charlton Heston)

If anyone in Stockholm could help me get the damn bike running, a bottle of Single Malt is yours. Send me an e-mail if you can help me.

New paintjob

2009-04-05T21:11:00.006+02:00

Well, the red/white paint looked like a textile from IKEA, so it had to go.
The new is really really cool.
Here is a pic if a detail from the tank. I still need to wet sand it with 1200 paper and then clear coat plus another wet sand + polishing.
What do you think?
And from the side:

I still need to buy some indicators and fab something to fasten my license plate to, and sadly, get it running.
Here it is, no tank, no side covers, no seat. New speedo and tacho will be added later.
And yes, I do have a Texas offset smoker and a grill on my deck.
BBQ rules.
I still don´t know if I should paint the mufflers black or have them in shiny chrome, what do you think?

Painting

2009-03-31T23:20:00.006+02:00

Well, I´m in the middle of painting my gas tank. Just laid the base coat. It will be white/red.
I found some awesome pictures from a Japanese company called Factory R54.
Check their paint job and fantastic bikes.
This one inspired me a lot:Another pic that I love since I saw it the first time is this one.
So-Cal set some speed records on the salt flats with this (or it´s predecessor).
I really like the simplicity of the red/white curve. Sometimes seen reversed that is red front white back.
I guess a variety of this theme can be seen on this sweet bike:
Just a quick update today. Please continue to mail me pictures of your projects.

First reader contribution

2009-03-27T02:55:00.004+01:00

Jack from Finland is the first reader out.
He says "My main ride is an Indian Big Chief 1925 with hopped up mix an' match motor from 39-46."
I think it looks awesome and would love to see it in person.
So, get your bike out in the soft spring light and take some pictures, or get some from your garage, kitchen floor och back yard.

As for my bike, I seem to have a spark plug wire as I don´t get any spark on the right hand side, but get 4.5Ohm on the coil itself.
Will have to wait until next week as I am going to wreck a kitchen wall this weekend.

If you are looking for bikerblogs, check bikerblogs.blogspot.com. Nothing but links to just bikerblogs.
Happy wrenching and have a great weekend.

Fiddling

2009-03-23T21:42:00.005+01:00

Sorry guys for being out of the blog for a while.
My bike is in mocked up state and I tried to start it this weekend just before the snow came back. I HATE late winter, and I love early spring.
Sadly, no spark at all. I will buy some new spark plugs tomorrow and try again.
If it starts properly, I will tighten all bolts, nuts and lube it up.
I am sooooooo keen on getting it on the road for a spin.
The first ever.

As for the stock side covers, they will just have to go asap.
I might do something like this:Could be a bit over the top, but look far better than stock anyway.

Wish I had the dough to get this done. This bike is out of this world.

I´m not sure how it drives, but parked, it´s second to none.

And since no-one mailed me about their own bikes, no bike but my favs will appear here.
If you want that to change, get on with it and send me some pics.
Later...

Finding ideas

2009-03-09T22:29:00.003+01:00

There are quite a few guys like me out here. People that use ctrl+d and ctrl+s a lot.
Many of you have been to my page at Flickr.com to get inspiration.
Some of you have maybe seen the other groups that I belong to.
Japan choppers is one with hours of great pictures, mostly choppers and bobbers.
If you are more into café racers, look at here or here at Ace Café London.
Here is Ringadingdoos collection of bikes.
Home made choppers and bobbers here

I can not stress enough the fantastic source of ideas that you can find in various forums.
The Chopper Underground has a lot of XS650 builds, Dotheton have a great section if you need/want to make your own seat or get ideas for your Café tank and The GS Resources is absolutely fantastic if you have a Suzuki GS/GSX. Here you have a world of knowledge, loads of ideas if you want to modify your bikes either as a bobber, café or want to just get wherever you are going a lot faster.

Interactivity

2009-03-07T22:34:00.005+01:00

Guys, I have been showing some great bikes here from the best of the best manufacturers. I have pointed out some tricks so you can get your bike low in the back and how to lower the stock forks, some neat details like drilled rear brake drums, cool vintage tail light and my own attempts to make my sorry ass stock bike into a neat budget bobber.
I thought I´d give you guys a chance to show off your bikes here.
Send me a link, some pics or link directly via comments on this post.
If I like the bikes, I´ll post the here asap.
And also, if YOU have any links that I have missed out on, give me a hint.
Action please.

If your budget is more in the line of loose change, if you are sick and tired of polishing idiots like me and choose a different path to walk, Ratbikes might be the way to go.
There is, of course, a place here for those as well. Some are pretty cool, others just plain ugly but I´m sure all are attitude and loads of fun. Often, a kick ass bike gets more attention than the billet HD for $50 000. Kill Billet is a place for you then, or Rat Bike Zone.
Some bikes posted there are seriously hot.
Look at this one. When I posted stuff for long and low bikes, I had now idea that this was possible.A Rover V8 can not only be put in a Locost Super7 or a Hot Rod, but obviously also on a bike.

There are other paths as well. This is a Swedish 1999 Royal Enfield.
My bike will come in from the cold tomorrow and I will try to make a temporary gas tank and try to start her up before she gets into the kitchen. Just want to hear her roar. I´ll just stick the mufflers on so I don´t scare the neighbors.
And guys, don´t forget to send in your stuff.

To all you other bloggers that link to me, thank you all so much.
I will spend a day soon to link back to you.

Yamaha XS - one of the most modified japs ever

2009-03-03T11:45:00.015+01:00

The Yamaha XS model is beautiful as is, but there are sooooo many different mods done to it and also a fairly big aftermarket as well. The 650 is the crown of all models, even though the 400 and 500 are great. Of course, our favorite fabricators in Japan has done loads of highly modded bikes. Bratstyle has some nasty bikes with suicide shifters. Look at this one and enjoy. But go to their homepage if you havn´t been there yet.

Internet rules when it comes to launching your projects or showing off. Look here at Bay City design at the making of a metric chopper. This would give you some ideas for your project regardless of your bike model. The making of a hardtail is always interesting.

You can also buy weld-on hardtails at some shops. Google that or check this one.
TC Bro Choppers make one and ships worldwide.

There are some dedicated XS650 forums as well. 650rider is one of them. Look closely as the tips and tricks are many and covers just about every problem that can occur.

Look at these fine samples of XS bikes.

Heiwa has done this fantastic bike below. Big engine, but it looks nimble anyway.
Now when you are done here, go to Heiwa and prepare to want one you too. I for one, am certian that my next bike will be an XS, unless I can afford a W650 from Kawasaki of course.

My bike is out in the cold as I have my kids this week. The kitchen is to crowded with a bike and two daughters that wants to help me out. But spring is here soon I hope, and the bike SHALL run on 01april.

Problem solved

2009-02-26T18:21:00.012+01:00

The illusive rear fender mounting is finally solved. I bought some aluminium yesterday to fabricate my own brackets and odd bits and pieces. I am going to screw the bracket directly to the cross bar on the frame so nothing is visible from anywhere. Since I don´t have a welder, this is what I did.
First I drew a sketch on a piece of paper, traced it to the aluminium and then sawed it out. Filed and polished it and this it what I came up with.From the side:

And mocked up. I will use A4 Stainless steel Allen bolts for this. All bolts that will be replaced will be A4 as I don´t like rust and the store where I buy it is extremely good, not cheap but they have ALL sizes.
My starter cover got polished as I wrote previously. The previous owner sprayed it with some silver metallic paint that wasn´t so good anymore. Some surface rust had come up as you see here:
Not a pretty sight. This is much better. Elbow grease and a drilling machine with two different wheels and compound.

I can´t leave you with just this. If you wondered where I got the idea for the rear fender bracket from, I must say Flake. I think mine came out better...

Dirt tracker

2009-02-25T18:24:00.006+01:00

Well, checking the "inter web" gives us inspiration in all forms.
Checking for kick ass bikes even more so.
Now this is a first for me, a Harley that I actually like a lot, kicks ass and makes me wanna call the bank (oh, you don´t lend out money for bikes anymore!!???).
It´s a Harley XR750 replica.
Look at the details and the fantastic rims!!!
I wonder where Deus Ex Machina got their inspiration from...

You can order one of these yourself. Will set you back about $27000.

Here are the specs:
1200 Buell XB motor 105 hp
19″ PM racing wheels
Custom Oil in frame , single shock chrome moly racing chassis
PM brakes front and rear
PM controls
Aluminum fuel tank
Custom paint and graphics signed by Jay himself
Supertrapp exhaust
Flanders bars
Custom “9″ imprinted seat
Aluminum pegs
Penske shock
Headlight and tailight
a street legal race bike!

Options Available:
Wire Spoke Racing Wheels
Color Choice of “Harley Orange” or
Blue / White “Supertrapp” race colors or
Burgundy/White “Bartells race colors
Nickel or Chrome or Painted frame

Buy it here

That seat pan would be great on my bike, might just buy one.

Just minor work on my bike. Got rid of the ugly part with the reflexes that was on the fork, and also flipped the brackets that holds the head light. Got the light a bit lower which looks better.
Since my budget is a laugh, I need to be smart rather than a shopaholic. But that seat pan is to difficult to make myself.

Until later.

That f**king low look

2009-02-23T17:03:00.006+01:00

Lowering the forks is the other way to get the bike low.
How do you go about it?
You either buy shorter forks or if you want to play around yourself, you lower them internally.
As always, use your head and good tools. I do NOT want to be responsible for any accidents.
You are responsible for your life, your hacks and your ride.

Nuff said about that, here is Justins way of doing it. From what I´m told, a very good way of doing it actually. All explained with pictures and enough words that even I got the message. Thanks mate.
If you want to get some ideas, ask some questions or just hang out, go to The Chopper Underground. Great forum and lots of people with enough experience to teach you whatever you want to know. Register and use the search function.

See the bikes in previous post for inspiration.

I just polished the starter cover. It was painted silver and was deteriorating and looked generally crappy. Pics will come.

Serious hacking

2009-02-21T15:58:00.008+01:00

Guys (and the few gals that might have popped in here), there is no doubt that having a hardtail is cool. It might not be the best ride comfort, but when it comes to coolness, nothing beats it.
So how do you get the bike lined up, all angles right and the looks as well?
Follow this link and you will end up at Back Street Choppers. They have some good pics and tricks on how you go about it. Also while doing it you must extend the swing arm to get the proportions right. Here you do need to remember my devise: Measure twice - cut once.
Just remember that some bikes looks like shit if you get the proportions wrong.

This bike is about 10cm (4") to short, also it uses the swing arm as a rigid and that stresses the bearings to much.
Could work for Asian midgets (sorry, little people), but it looks just plain wrong on normal seized Westerners. It´s a Suzuki GS450. I´m sure it´s a fun bike and that it has a proud owner.

This bike has the proportions right. It´s an Yamaha XS650. My guess stretched about 15cm from original. I´m talking moderate stretch here, not OCC stretch.
If you don´t want to go rigid, save your back/ass, an still have a stretched bike, extending or swapping your swing arm is the route.

Look at Matsumaru Store, they have done just that, really beautiful bikes.
This bike is lowered 10cm in front and swing arm extended 5cm.

10cm lowered in front, rear 5cm longer as the one above.

This bike is 9,5 cm lowered in front, swing arm 3 cm longer.

For the back yard mechanic, more hands-on tricks. Rust is the enemy on old bikes. Have you tried electrolysis? Ken has some practical ideas if you have a rusty tank.
Some people swear by citric acid, but I have not tried any of these tricks as the only rust on my bike was easy to remove, or in the case of engine bolts, they were exchanged for A4 stainless steel Allen bolts. That improves the look a lot and is practical too.

Keep chopping (or Bobbing rather).

Going through the links

2009-02-20T12:57:00.009+01:00

Work on my bike is at a halt for the moment.
The bike is out in the cold and has to wait for a while as I need to figure out the seat and rear fender mount issue. Things are leaning towards a street tracker seat pan as I could raise it slightly to keep the original airbox that stick up about 1 cm above the frame. I plan to hinge the seat pan so I could easy access the air filter. Then I could bolt the rear fender to the seat pan as well.
You will be updated later.

A while ago I found another Japanese manufacturer of custom bikes.
An Bu is the name and you can find 5 pages of their bikes at their slightly crappy website.

If white wall tires are the thing that you believe would pop your bike. Beck makes them and
Coker Tires is the place to go to either to check them out or to order.
Using white wall almost demands red rims. Look at this Triumph Bobber and you must admit it looks fantastic. That engine looks so incredibly good as well, but I´d rather have a Yamaha XS650 for reliability.

Otherwise it seems like when you put looks before anything else, the choice is
Firestone Deluxe Classic Blackwell Tire. One of the coolest tires of all times.
I´d love a set of these, but they might be hard to get in Sweden. I have not been successful in finding a retailer here. Any tips are welcome.

Some people are a bit reluctant to the grip area when cornering but the pattern is awesome.
Brat Style uses this tire a lot.
The tires can make or brake the bike. Choose wisely either according to style or budget. No I am NOT sponsored by Coker antique and classic tires, but I´d love for that to happen. Nudge nudge, wink wink.
Don´t forget the poll in the upper right corner of this blog.

It has been two weeks since I added Google Analytics to this blog, and the numbers are surprising.
I´ve had 770 visits from 45countries. People from 43 states in the U.S represents about 50%, Canada, Sweden, U.K and Australia has about 30%.
30% of all visits are not new but returning visitors and you spend at least 10 minutes on my blog. Thank you all.
If you feel that I have missed something, please comment and I will add it if I feel it is valid.
Have a great weekend.

Measure twice - cut once.

2009-02-16T23:00:00.006+01:00

Old school - hate those words, love the bikes
Yeah, sounds to much like Paul Sr from OCC. Don´t like the bikes, don´t like the show.
This bike however, is very nice and obviously not from OCC.
Don´t know anything about it, just that I love the fork, head light mount and I believe it´s quite noisy.

This Street Tracker is from Deus ex machina, again, one of the best bike builders around. To bad it´s so damn far from Stockholm. A 24h flight is not around the corner precisely. Check the link on the right. All info about the bike there.
Nostalgia rules as far as bikes go.

This next bike is also from Deus. Lovely hardtail.
When you are done here, go check them out. Well worth the time.

If you are into street or flat trackers, Sideburn is the place to go. Link on the right as well.
Order the magazine if you like that a lot, but the blog is great as well.

As far as my bike goes, I have mounted the rear fender, put the stock rear shocks on and noticed that either they are:

extremely soft
worn out
sags but work

Either way, when I jump a bit on the bike I almost hit the fender with the rear wheel. So for now I will keep the shocks and try them out when the snow is gone. Snow sucks by the way.
The tail light will be on tomorrow and I will trim the front fender now a rear fender as well. Pics will come.
I did however hit a snag with my seat. I forgot to mount the lid/top of the airbox when I tried out the seat and now I discovered that the seat hits the plastic. Damn damn damn.
I need to make another seat that can cover the really high lid and I will cut out some from the seat pan so I don´t get the elevated seat look but a tight and smooth one.
You live and you learn. I should listen to myself. Measure twice, cut one.

Café racer - the details

2009-02-13T12:42:00.008+01:00

As I´ve said before, the devil is in the details.
And it is the details that distinguishes a nice bike from a beautiful one.
This Café racer is just beautiful. The finish is impeccable, the details well thought through and the pics ain´t bad either. It´s a Suzuki GS750, not the most common racer around. Well done.
I probably got the pics at GS Resources, link to be found on the right.
Battery is in the seat cowl.

Next is another Suzuki GS but a 550 instead. Also a very neat bike. Nice details but the pods are a bit off set, otherwise perfect.

The drilled holes again, I really have to do this some day. It looks so cool.
Even though I love some high dollar bikes, what really gets me going is to keep costs down and people having taste and ingenuity in oodles instead of big wallets.

I will leave you with an amazing shot.
That is with a hardtail as well. Never complain about a sore butt after seeing this picture.

K&N Magna Extra Wide Bar

2009-02-10T20:59:00.006+01:00

I was off at Raceway yesterday and bought a new WIIIIDE bar since the old one sucked.
The new one is, and here I am a bit confused, 32" wide, 4 1/2" rise and 6 3/4 pullback, it is a super bike bar but the measurements fit some of the flat track bars as well!!!

The bike got a totally different look and I sit so much better. I have to relocate my seat since I ended up much further back. I think I´ll make a new longer one tomorrow. I have another old road sign that just waits to be transformed.

This is what the bike ended up like with the new bar on it and the old on top so you can see the difference.

I need to get another throttle cable and a new front brake hose as well.
The throttle cable comes out from the tank now instead of between the forks.
The brake hose is just shy of 5 cm to short.
I´m thinking of getting some classic Triumph controls instead of the standard Suzuki ones.
That would look so much better. I also think I might relocate the master brake cylinder to some other place to get cleaner bars.

I also bought a bullet light that will be both rear and brake light.
It´s a Zodiac Bullet light, mostly for Harleys but I chose it before the Ford (STOP) light.

I can´t just leave you here with my bike.
Here is one of my all time favorites. It´s Kawasaki W650 from the Aussie guys at Deus Ex Machina.
Just look at it and enjoy. THAT is why they are on my links list. And look at the low bar as well.

Fiddling

2009-02-08T23:10:00.008+01:00

Well, the gears must pop in on my bike, so I had to adjust that after the bike had been dismantled.
After fiddling with the clutch adjuster, they popped in fine when I moved the rear wheel a little.
In comes my daughter (age 6) and pushes some buttons randomly.
The bike tries to start!
She pushed just the right buttons and in the right order.
Luckily there was no gas in the carbs, so nothing happened apart from the engine turning.

It wouldn´t have been so bad if the bike hadn´t been in the kitchen...

Nuff said, here is a bike that I really love.
Low, fat, Triumph Thruxton from Gasmonkeysgarage. Just lovely .
Belongs to a guy from Greenday.

Thanks Ringadingdoo for the comments.

Visitors

2009-02-08T00:23:00.009+01:00

Over the last 3 days, I´ve had visitors from 17 countries and from the US alone, people from 30 states have visited this blog. Very surprising and very fun as well.

Today, the topic is manuals, you know the last resort (or first if you are smart) we turn to if we have any question of what the hell we just did and how to do it correctly.
The people that follow the law will buy them from Amazon, the local bike shop or someplace else.
Other people I´ve heard about just download them from some place were the law is either lacking the will or the resources.
One place they visit is THIS PAGE.
Here you can find a manual for just any brand you might have at home.

If you need to look at parts to order, THIS page is fantastic. Pics from partsfiche, were you can see exactly how things were mounted before you tore it apart and misplaced the bolts and washers.

The devil is in the details, as you might know.
Here are a few neat details I like, what about you?
Look at the holes in the rear hub, looks damn cool. Beautiful bike all together.

I love the paint job on this bike.

Guys, if you like this blog, please comment.

First mock-up of the bike

2009-02-07T01:34:00.004+01:00

I have primed the side covers today, and will paint them black tomorrow.
Will probably not use them later. If I rejet the carbs and get some pod filters, I will remount the electrical stuff under the seat and have that area open. The battery will be covered by some metal or a tin can.
The lower part of the bike shall either be black or shiny (crome or polished aluminium).
The struts are just for measurement. I need 25-27 cm shocks for the rear, eye to eye.
Does any of you have a spare pair for sale?

It sits sooo looow now.
Tomorrow I will buy some brackets for the rear fender. Would love to make a hugger but how the hell do I mount the front of the fender close to the battery?

Will buy some dirt track bars to replace the ones I have now.

Making the solo seat

2009-02-06T11:00:00.009+01:00

Here are the pics as promised.
The material used was:
1 old road sign
1 piece of high density foam mat - dad used it in the garden
Spray glue
Naugahyde - had an old piece at home
electric saw and drill
bolts, washers and nuts
electrical tape for the edges.

First I made the pattern on thin baking paper, I folded the paper in half to get it symmetrical.
I then transferred it to the road sign and cut it out with a saw, filed the edges and taped them with electrical tape. I also drilled the holes about 8 cm apart (3") and mounted screws, washers and bolts and super-glued them.

The pattern and foam before I cut out the shape.

Here you can see the cut in the sign and that I took 2 pieces of foam to cover the seat pan.
I cut it with a surgical knife. The foam is about 2cm (3/4") thick.

I then spray glued the foam and sign, let it wait for 1/2h and pressed them together, and added the second layer of foam, same process.
Then I made the rough form with the knife, finished with the drilling machine with some sand paper on it to make it smoooth.
Sprayed glue again on the foam and the naugahyde, let it set for another 30 min and the pressed the upper side to the foam, then the edges.

I then trimmed the naugahyde and spray glued the hyde and the sign again for final touch.

And from behind so one can see that it´s made from a sign, otherwise I would have glued another piece of naugahyde there for a super finish.

I hurried to mount the thing on the bike and I think it turned out just fine.
The bracket is just temporary as I couldn´t find any at the bike shop that fit to the tank mount. I don´t have a welder so I had to go another way around it.
Any comments?

Taillight

2009-02-06T01:55:00.004+01:00

Well, for those of you who like me love the Bratstyle taillight, I have finally found a place to buy them. Here is a pic of what I mean.
Here is a close-up of the light. It includes brackets for the license plate. It´s called Black beauty vintage light, and you can buy it here.$129.99 or 119.99 if you buy it on ebay.
If anyone has found similar taillights for less $$$ please comment on this.

Progress on my bike is coming along. I made a seat yesterday and it turned out really good.
Pics will come later. Made it from an old road sign as a seat pan.

New find

2009-02-03T21:14:00.004+01:00

Well, just bought some stuff for my bike today. Oil-filter and a bracket for the seat I´m making.

I found another maker of cool bikes in Japan.

Matsumaru is the name to remember. Loads of cool bikes here, all Bratstyle.

And another one.

Not a very creative day, but I need to think of how the hell I´m going to get that seat fastened without welding.

2009-02-01T11:48:00.008+01:00

As promised, I have added some progress pictures from my polishing activities. I have two stages left, white polishing paste and then wax. It´s a bit tricky to do with the parts still on the bike, but this is done more to stop winter boredom than to have the bike in its finished state.
This year it´s more to make it the way I want it, and next winter it will be tore down to the bones and the frame will be powder coated and all will be polished to perfection. Or it will be rough just with some shiny parts. Not decided yet.

The before. Cleaned but no polishing.

And after. A decent improvement but by no means finished. The pic was taken outside where there is -3C and some ice was on the covers.

Now I have made a paper shape of the seat. Will be similar to this.

I have found an old road sign of aluminium that will serve as base for the seat pan. I just need to figure out if I should buy the fastening stuff or make it. Rubber bushings seems better than springs since I will have the shocks for a while. I might even just bolt it to the frame to get it lower still. Springs are better if I go for struts of hard tail in the future. The seat above is from Boat Rap in Japan. They make some really neat bikes and awesome parts you can order as well.

Until later my friends.

Even I strike gold

2009-01-30T01:05:00.004+01:00

Well, having a few links in store to view from time to time is pretty nice.
This one I´ve either forget about or it has been updated.
Load and loads of great BRATSTYLE bobbers.
Already had a lot of the pics on my own place at Flickr or on my hard drive but quite a few new and best of all, several pics of the bikes.
Nice pipes, nice seat cowl from Bratstyle if I´m not wrong (you can buy it yourself from their homepage.

Now THAT is a narrow bike. Very neat paint job on the tank.

So check it out for yourself, but make sure you have plenty of time because you will be there for a long log time.

As for my own bike, the side covers on the engine is shining like crazy now. Polishing is dirty but the result is fantastic. The surface is so smooth that it feels like nothing is going to stick to it, apart from the wax that I will apply later. Pics will come.

Polishing guides

2009-01-27T11:05:00.005+01:00

Well, as you might have read in previous posts, it´s polishing time now while I await some parts and having the tank prepped for paint.
If you are in to polishing parts of your bike, these guides might be very useful.
The one that requires the most elbow grease is this one.
The methods used here makes you able to get cast aluminium to shine like crome.
The before picture, intake manifold for a Supra.
And after of course. Damn that is so much work but the result speaks for itself.

The other link is also very useful but here it´s more use of polishing machines and very good guide to what kind of buffer wheels and compounds to be used on different materials and stages of polishing.

Just a warning, once you start polishing stuff, it´s addictive and you might have to polish everything as unpolished parts look extremely dull.
Once it´s done, you will find that dirt doesn´t stick as easy to the polished parts and as long as you wax it every now and then, you will have a very nice finish to it.

2009-01-25T21:50:00.003+01:00

My ISP sucks so here it comes after a slight delay.

Work on my bike slowly but surely comes along pretty nicely.
Polishing all aluminium and stainless steel parts will take some time.
One hell of a dirty work and quite time consuming as well.

Not that I aim for a too shiny bike, but selected parts will sparkle like the stars.
Some bikes shine more than others.

Not that it isn´t nice, just not my thing. Imagine washing it after a few days of driving...

Well, back to my bike for another polishing hour or so.

Project bike comin along

2009-01-18T20:12:00.000+01:00

Well, I´ve come small step on the way of bobbing my GS450.
Here is the latest picture.

I´ve done the front brakes, the carbs are cleaned and nice, all electrics work accept the horn, rims painted, exhaust removed to be painted flat black with heat resistant pait, bike lowered with temporary strut awaiting lower rear chocks, tank primed awaiting red/white color and seat half way done. I have a seat cowl from an old Yamaha gas tank that will probably be mounted as well.

There are quite a few bikes that have inspired me. Here are a few:
For once a Harley that I like.

An incredible nice Honda CB 750 D'cafe.
Yoshimura motor, ARD magneto, Kimtab magnesium wheels, A&H brakes, GP fork, Webber carburetors, more super rare parts.
Very special SKRATCH Paint. From Garagecompany. Check under custom bikes.
There is another sister bike to this one, also fantastic but with less spectacular paint.

This one is soooo clean but also dangerous as it doesn´t have any front brake. Look at the clean bar, no cables or anything that disturbs the slick look.
Not sure who made it. Could be Gravel Crew or Heiwa.

New bike blog

2009-01-17T04:37:00.000+01:00

Well, I just read a blog comment about a folder I made at flickr, praising my taste in semi vintage Japanese bikes, so I figured "why the hell can´t I do my own blog about these bikes."

I just started to build my first bike. It´s a 1981 Suzuki GS450 that will be bobbed/caffeinated or at least done my way. I do regret selling my 1975 Honda CB500, but what the hell. I can always buy a new one later on if I continue to miss it. The Suz fitted my wallet perfectly right now.

I will post project pictures here, as well as link or pics of bikes/people that have inspired me.

First off is my bike as it looked when I bought it. Not a pretty sight even if it was in a decent state for a 27 year oldbike.

It does look a bit different now as I have done a few thing on it. More pics later.

For inspiration I do visit a few blogs.
The one that inspired me to start this blog is The Return of the Cafe Racers.
I´d love to get that road as my background pic as well.

Well, there are my danish neighbors the Wrenchmonkeys that build beautiful bikes, surely inflensed by Bratstyle.