Boneshaker Part 2: Great British Budget Bobber Build-Off.
May.13, 2010 in
Triumph Bobbers
Boneshaker Choppers’ Final Build: pour yourself a drink, you’ll be here for some time while the painted bike is reassembled, wired and gets ready to roll … and indeed rides off into a liquid sunset at the end. Team Boneshaker: Benny (black hat), Rob (green hat), Scot (quiff), Punch (Red hat) and Ian (black jacket). Bike’s new owner, Spindle, provided the lunch and refreshments (flesh coloured hat), while Vikki provided the Riverdance floorshow. This was an American-V production, shot by the idiot who didn’t realise he was wider than the aluminium bike at the back.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Sadly not, Benny. He’s looking for advice on what to do and how to do it: good luck with him, I’m not sure English is his frst language.
I sincerely hope that he’s just young and genuinely want to learn, but his attitude sucks and I’ve run out of patience with him.
He’s one ill-conceived vitriolic posting away from being blocked, but then you can always contact him direct if you want: if he produces something worthwhile I’ll gladly eat these words. Biking needs youth and attitude, but this?
May 13th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Two things: all I’ve done is advise caution before taking a hacksaw to something with half an idea of what you want to achieve, and second, think very carefully before accusing someone of being full of shit.
With your attitude and inability to interpret simple English, I suggest you stick to Lego. I’m not offering building advice, just repeating objective basic principles: I’m showing what other have built and giving them full credit for that.
If you’re too stupid to see that, then I’m sorry.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
If you come on here offering advice to people who want to build bikes (like myself) at some point someone is going to wonder if you can actually back it up, and to what standard.
You are the one telling everyone to ignore people who don’t build there own bikes! If your bikes pre date Youtube by 20 years it’s fair to say you don’t build!
You contradicted yourself.
I think it was a fair question.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
@evoboy1999
hello evoboy, which one is your bike? the tidy black Buell?
May 13th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Apologies due to “guernicabrandnew”, who was the builder of the Triumph referred to in the last answer to Evoboy99: I mistakenly thought it was Evoboy99’s build, but on further investigation it was a video he’d added to his favourites.
I was hoping that he would have posted one of his own bikes to show his own engineering prowess, having casually dismissed the borrowed advice that has been the mantra of engineers and builders for generations: by all means ignore it, many have to their cost.
May 13th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I don’t understand what’s not clear about that, and it doesn’t need to come from someone who is still building: it’s just common sense.
No, I don’t have any of my builds on-line: they pre-date YouTube by 20 years.
I’d sooner spend what little free time I’ve got on the road than sweating in a workshop. I use what mechanical abilities I’ve got to keep my bikes running, rather than cut them up, so they’re off the road, and even use a shop if I haven’t got the time or tools.
It works for me.
May 13th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Yeah, like that makes perfect sense. Listen to the bar room bullshitters who’ll swear they squeezed a 121-inch big twin into a 5TA chassis: you too could have a pile of scrap on the floor, an unfinished project for the classified ads, or a death trap that will kill you or the poor sod you sell it to.
Maybe if you’d done your Triumph properly, or taken advice, it’d run right when cold. I don’t build any more: I’m not good enough. I ride, modify, maintain and then ride some more.
May 13th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
AmericanVUK,
“Measure twice, cut once. Spend a bit of time sitting back and looking at it. Mock things up before committing to major decisions. Take advice from people who have finished their own builds: ignore those who haven’t.”
I take it from this statement that we should all ignore your advice and assume that you haven’t built anything to a standard good enough for anyone to see.
It would be great if you had. I then wouldn’t think you were full of shit!
May 13th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Great work.
A guest appearance by Uncle Fester as well!
May 13th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
that was my ass… sorry
May 13th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
fuel economy, right, thanks for the quick answer.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Presume you mean fuel economy. They are lighter, and the 883s perform a lot better than when dragging a Harley swing-arm frame around, but there are no figures that I know of relating to fuel economy. They should drink less: it’d depend on what gearing you fitted and how you rode it.
May 13th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Course they are – all custom bikes are. If you’re suggesting they’re all the same though, you’d be wrong: they have a common frame and motor, but the details beyond that change with each bike.
If your problem, however, is that they’re professionally built, so what? Just as long as they are built, are safe, and realise the owner’s desires.
May 13th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
AmericanVUK, I was wondering, since the bike loses weight, it´s fair to think it would increase its autonomy, right? I´m thinking of building my Sportster “frankenstein” using a flyrite frame, and a small 2.25 to 2.4 gallon tank, do you have any data telling how much autonomy we are able to gain? I´m just worried about enviroment issues
, by the way, at 07:13 a guy show his bare ass to the camera, that was nasty.
May 13th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Sorry thats not clear. I meant the guy giving the advice from American Vee. Any of your builds online?
May 13th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
there made too order … so silly
May 13th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Great job.Well done Mates. Cheers.
May 13th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Thanks for your advice. I have soo much time on my hands, i took the descision to spend it learning to build a chopper. I’m sure there are some good books with step by step info.
will look into it.
May 13th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Measure twice, cut once. Spend a bit of time sitting back and looking at it. Mock things up before committing to major decisions. Take advice from people who have finished their own builds: ignore those who haven’t.
The major components sort out the mechanics, but the wiring, plumbing and controls make it work. They’ll take the longest time, and make the cleanest bike look scruffy if not thought through.
And don’t rush it … but don’t procrastinate either or it’ll never be built
May 13th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
I’m seriously thinking of learning how to build a chopper. I’m sure learning to build the first will take TIME !!!
Is it easier from there on out? What advice would you give for a first time build?
May 13th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
In may respects, anything can be a bobber: in its broadest sense it’s only cutting away excess weight – bobbing – usually from the metal bodywork, and an 883 makes a great basis: anything to make an XLH883 lighter improves its power to weight ratio, and therefore its performance. Be cautious with anything structural: work out what you specifically and take advice.
May 13th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
hey man nice bike i have a question probably a stupid one, i dont know ,but can a sportster harley 883 be customised into a bobber or is it the same thing just with different fenders ? cheers
May 13th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
dry build took a day, final build took a day … although as with the wonderful world of TV, there was a chunk of preparation off-camera. All the measuring and marking-up of the frame was done in advance, paint (obviously), but the wiring was built from scratch when the final build was going on around it. How long in total? You’d best ask Benny at Boneshaker Choppers that question.
May 13th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Looks great, sounds great, but wtf took you so long? lol How long did it actually take to build?
May 14th, 2010 at 12:04 am
It’s never to late to pick up a guitar and make some noise! As long as it makes you happy that is all that matters. I say pick one up and give it a try! you never know. I’ll say this about my experience with music.. It has brought me through some really hard times. The hardest times.. It’s like riding motorcycles in that way. It totally takes your mind away from the daily grind while you’re doing it. Ride on brother!