Transcript
This bike started off as a bet with Club Brother Grub we were in Belgium on a Run talking about how many trophies his bike’d won when suddenly, stupidly and for no apparent reason, my mouth said “well, you best make the most of it, ‘cause next year I’m gonna wipe the floor with you!” I actually hoped he hadn’t heard, but when he said “game on, Jimmy boy” I realised I was going to have to build something pretty mad.
words: Jim Ord photos: NIK model: Kat Dee
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BACK STREET HEROES DECEMBER 2015
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n the boa t to decide back I was tr y in g w a n en g in hat to use as e as I on ly had a CX650 lu mp on (actua lly, under) in a sh it state two or th the benc h. A fter re fort hcom e days noth in g e lse was in g so I d ecided to boug ht a use it. I 33 get some 0 ty re a nd then I had to wheels. I sta rted ‘p round a n d h sea rch in Tasha (w ifey) sta on in g g the ‘Ne rted t for a pa of 17x12” ir ri went dow ms. At first I n the rou te of ca r wheels w eld but they’r ed together, e they’re th no good as e w ron g sizes for bike ty res. T he quotes fo r bike on es I got were
f**kin g u nb £400 for elievable - from a ba re ri m wa it for it, £5200 to, for a sin g le bil let wou ld’ve a lloy one. T hat be a set of w en 10 la rge for heels! I w o pay that even if I u ldn’t was a m il liona ir e on prin ciple! W he n I g news, I w ot th is good as close to g iv in g up th there a nd e project then After abo . ut of watchin three days g out, Tash me freak de address th cided to e me being problem of a cock. “Wh complete y don’t yo just get R ob to weld u two three -sp together? okers ” sh Once I’d fi e said. nis punching hed my in the fac self e fo being a p r rick, I went to Colcheste r Breakers, bought two Hond a Blackbird rear whee ls for £20 each and Brother R ob weld them did indeed together for me - £40 for a huge w heel and they cam ew discs, cush ith -d and sproc rive kets. Brilliant! The project was on. I h ad h im
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make the front wheel the same (two Triumph TT600 rears) and passed them on to Paul to work out the spacing for the forks. I’d been talking with Paul, my next door neighbour, for a long time and found out that he’d just brought a milling machine and lathe and was looking for something to do with them. Result! The amazing power of the internet supplied me with a slab of ally, 4”x2”x3’ long, for £85. Paul cut it in half and within a short time I had a pair of 500mm yokes. The forks were another experiment - I wanted every single piece of the bike to be handmade or modified. Brother Tony is a scaffolder and informed me that scaffold tubes weren’t only made of steel and supplied me with a length of offcut ally tube which he had hanging around. Once they were lathed smooth, Paul made the ends, necessary arms and pivots, and a set of mountain bike shock absorbers with 1000lb springs from China (£12 delivered) finished them off. I fitted the tyres on the rims, Paul finished the
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spacers and axles and, after a bit of messing around, I had a fat bastard front end. I put the engine on a block in the middle of the floor and put the wheels and forks in position only to remember (schoolboy error) that the CX lump is shaftdrive - there was no way I could clear the 330 tyre with the shaft and,
just li ke I wa nted . R ay from the C a fat Harl lub sold me ey ta n k fo much ch eapness, r wh ich I modifie d to g ive it its w indow an mud g ua rd d it, a lon g w it h s (specia lly made by A l the fi ma n), th breg lass ‘g ua rd e wheels a nd both lig hts (t h e from a 4 rea r converted .5” streetf ig hter front by Ta passed o sh), was then seeing as n how I’d ju to Joh n a Bespoke t Patch st had fiv weeks of F X to be e to hydrodipped w the whee tal aggravation ge it h the sk tting ls, u lls you see. changing tyres and forks, Im th did a ll th pact Coatin gs happenin e plan just wasn’t e g. in deepes powder coatin g As before t sh I explored (c possibilit a me back iny black all the ies before on time a fau lt less) rea could turn nd ,a the engin lising I the en g in nd I pa inted degrees a e through e nd conve w 90 ti rt it to ch drive. I p n of two-p it h a spray ain op Clacton C ack black from Motorcyc ped down to Man a r Pa nels le le & Pa int. and Shau s with the output y’s T he one n found m shaft th in g I d that fitte id have huge trou e a sproc d over it k b e t with the spline pa the gea r- le w it h was sa ttern for chan £9. Touch me re T he w h o a lise unti ge; I didn’t ! le lot wen of the ca t fra me ba l I got the in the r ck Strin g at a nd off we went back I’ d turned that, where th w it h in th Raw Steel Chopp to see gea r shaft e motor, the ers who e week m w a s no w ha rdta il a d e me a fra me w it at the h 3.5” g ro qua lity und clea ra nc e DECEMBER 2015 BACK STREET HEROES
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ia (£22 from Ind e m e a c rs leve cked up th oor). I ta f d f o e of re th en tu O to : ix d, Bodywosrfrkon from a m nd GPZ500 t mudguar e x h au st ipes a fibreglas arley-Davidson p n w o d b welded C X 50 0 modified Hoff seat by Viking rother Ro rned up B d en ar a on re , s k, s n ta one off fibreglas e Pau l tu Seats, one-, modified stainless them up, wh il , d a lloy. ox ar a b d gu m s d on o ic u m 3H es ends fr l as electr box. e re ar th b Engine:E1D9, 8turned 90 it a few tim cu t ry bis steel batte had it ou I’m still e aine v ad ch I’ CX650 m e d ad an h omem otos; f loom, degrees, h rsion, homemade s: One-ofea ce the ph e it and the Electriccu h dlight, ht sin d ri om drive conve es, one-off alloy st to g on ‘how learnin modified ont light as tail lig exhaust pip ade oil cooler fr the questi rs?’ is ed to ifi r em e od 5 m w 2 om s 1 y an rne YZF tips, h -dipping b , Yamaha round co t Paint: Hesydpro conversion odified 6” nail as does it go ful’ - it’s the mos FX e ok m d r, B an w to h a ch e g at r P ad e radia in v m k e d * e ‘f* I’v r, han Owner choke levege ffee table Polishing: tring at Raw ornate co good though, eh? gear-chan “S : il s To ta k off hard Thanks oppers (07814 built. Loo rame: Oneers,
SPEC:
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teel Chopp
Steel Ch
Fabrication
be, Moto by Raw S e extended bearing fra me tu 540528); 71899); Colchester 7 eh ind the ge w it h a ll et tank omemad b h ill 9 b 0 n 9 e e 7 657); d ad (0 id em 1206 864 r d-chan front h cups, hom Breakers (0tings (01206 ds. Neve n g a han ti ro a d it ts n s n a s e oa ou s c m ne a ge Impact C Patch Bespoke FX y. : Avon iated lin k 886880); 10939); Paul the the assoc worked eventua ll om to put Front En7d tyre, homemade d e /1 ll 0 is a ad /3 w it m 0 d , e 3 (07766 1 anley’s Motorcycles d 3 it an h n in m k my infi usin g 7” wheel, ade s in x1 a .5 d w 1 e engineer; M 1 I id ); Shrinktec e c I de b e cau s rd rks, handmvisibly5 421528 ); Al the a it fo 5 d 2 ” n n 1 o x2 ta (0 4 r s le n o kes, in 14900 a n oil co a ller radiator tha l) but, 500mm yo parate handlebars (01452 7 Man (07802 oo m Mudguard Buzz for the original a much s se it looks quite c th is mounted seb throttle/Harley u t, 472766); e & Johnny for with thum verted levers (a nd beca nefit of h indsig h nw ise u ols/in tr e y n b n 7 engine; DavI couldn’t find or co a e /1 0 m th w it h of the von 330/3 7” e A d n : o le d b n all the bits y new; Grub for ly E m b k u a Bac ade 11.5x1 was prob ve made as I’ve b accessible em afford to bu “bet” & the much om h , tyre I’ ed Honda c/ re no ifi a od re m the originalsh to build again (& decisions e to l, th e is whee life ‘cos y ou h a v sh-drive/d es, h cu g X d u needed pu top brother); Rob, ir C b ro a ck th Bla brake lin r feed. eries on e ed ll lt id a fi g ra for being a k, Chris, Pauly & b il il , o o ke bra ma in om the h ruts & seat fr st it t e w h ad Marky Mar ker; & most thanks d ig a em re e hom ta ke it str floor beca me litt r e lt Mick; Knocul, talented wife fi il ce o bra e en my beautif My ga ra g riments and brok g in pe sa n rac x is e N d Tasha …” a e il d n fa l I fou it h a ti w n e u m s a g c in t e hou s er tha ht on! (I’v te oil fi lt ca r remo it - it fitted stra ig SOHCs 50 nk relocatio r CB550/7 nd kits fo ll for about £30 … e since fou just as w s that work that part .) a rnt was oked. ho h u m le I n o s s o le rl A nother to be ove cost from a a re not re from Ch in il fittin gs over he 5 metres o d Sta in less , but I got ten, a n d to my ch re £19-25 ea ided hose, delive er bra £65! Broth of black s for just y 1” a t d h ig 10 a door in et of str ly d me a s d inv isib Pau l g if te I cut, capped a n inverted h e ic h h T ‘ba rs w p yoke. on the to mounted
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