Customizing Your Motorcycle E-Book

Chris Daniels

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Building a custom motorcycle has never been more popular, with even the major manufacturers keen to capitalize on the growing trend. A custom motorbike is the product of an owner using their own skills to produce an individual machine, and with the right tools and approach it is well within most people's means to take a standard machine, new or second-hand, and make it their personal statement. Providing clear and practical advice, this new book, Customizing Your Motorcycle - Shed-Built to Show Bike introduces the reader to the techniques and processes needed to customize any motorcycle. Eschewing the practice of using expensive off-the-shelf parts, it shows how the shrewd use of salvaged and alternative sources is not only economic but also results in a satisfyingly unique custom machine. Projects demonstrate how to make custom parts, while examples of how different custom bikes were built by the author show how they are designed and put together. The book covers: An introduction to the main styles on which today's custom scene was founded; Choosing a suitable bike and how to make decisions when buying second-hand; Workshop setup and tools; Components of a bike and custom parts; Basic improvements and the essential maintenance to make a safe and usable bike; Modifying frames and building seats, tanks and other components; Welding, cleaning and preparation for painting. Richly illustrated with 409 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

Customizing Your Motorcycle

SHED-BUILT TO SHOW BIKE

Chris Daniels

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2018 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2018

© Chris Daniels 2018

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 370 7

Frontispiece: A Honda NX650 big thumper leaving my shed in style; weight saved by dumping the rubbish turns it into a serious twisty lane and town bike. And it looks good.

contents

1welcome to our world

2choosing your ride

3workshop and tools

4tidying up the basics

5controls

6suspension, mudguards, footpegs and levers, and chain

7tanks and seats

8working with metal

9frame

10painting

11exhausts

12wiring and electrics

afterword

glossary

index

1

welcome to our world

A WONDERFUL WORLD

In a world of safety concerns and risk assessments, it is not easy to celebrate the individual. Sure, individualism can be expressed by dressing differently, becoming an explorer or just dropping out, but these methods can all impinge too much on daily life. As an alternative, many people buy mass-produced items they believe will make a statement of how they stand out from the crowd. Eventually, though, there comes a time when the ownership of off-the-shelf technology and cheap rubbish, manufactured by tiny hands in far-off countries, starts to become meaningless and trivial. This is a shame, as the world has much to offer in terms of enjoyment and enrichment, not all of which is to be found on a thumb-operated screen, but the real question is, how do you know where it is, and then, more importantly, how can you participate?

While there are no simple answers to these questions, for those with a desire to leave the sheep behind, who are blessed with gumption, and possess fair motor skills and opposable thumbs, a decent solution exists: take a standard motorcycle, throw away the garbage and build a custom bike!

Who could fail to be impressed by the coolness of a well-turned-out bike? Who would not appreciate the freedom of the open road (or field) on a machine that has been transformed, by someone using their imagination and hand skills, into an assertion of life? Hopefully within the following pages, a basic understanding of working on these lovely machines will be engendered, whilst the concepts of how to tailor them using readily available tools, equipment and ideas will be set out in an understandable and practical way. Most forms of transportation – cars, trains, and so on – are designed to move people about in maximum safety and with minimum fuss. What bikers are after is excitement, style and fun. Unfortunately, as the manufacture of bikes has become a massive business, the machines over the years have been (over) developed into catering for the lowest common denominator, designed to be mass produced.

Shed-built Harley bobber, with a bold distinctive colour scheme created using spray cans, with stick-on vinyl Triumph logo. The air-filter cover was customized by drilling random holes and polished using a wheel in a drill press, with fine mesh secured on the inside with silicone rubber.

The epitome of shed creativity? This lovely machine was built using a scooter as the basis and classic-car bodywork, to create a unique and practical custom for very little cost. Imagination and experimentation are two of the best tools in the customizer’s arsenal.

UNIVERSAL CUSTOM

Classic shed customizing at its best: simple and sweet, Ben’s old Triumph would not look out of place in a 1950s biker flick, outside a Paris wine bar in the 1960s or rolling into the car park of a modern design studio. All unnecessary stuff was binned and the old worn-out seat was replaced using an old leather jacket.

Definitely not shed-built, this shop-manufactured custom is a standard bike with lots of lovely bits stuck on. It requires no more input from its new owner than looking through a glossy catalogue and getting a cheque book out; the amount it costs would buy about fifteen second-hand classic runners.

Pepe’s Moto Guzzi has a wealth of shed custom details: the brass and copper fitments, electrics box made from an old motor housing and rustic seat all give it a singular charm. Some might prefer more minimalism and tidiness in the routing of the cables and wires, but most are happy for them to be an integral part of the whole scheme.

Basically, a motorcycle is an engine slung on a metal frame between two wheels and it is this simplicity that allows it to be light, nimble and easy to work on. Well, that was true when they first came out and it carried on for many years, allowing creative people to take the basic layout and expand on it. The manufacturers, seeing that there was a definite market for the ‘individual’ bike, set to with a vengeance to create mass-produced custom bikes; they have flooded the world with creations that range from the sublime to the ridiculous, capturing an audience that totally ignores the irony of purchasing a factory custom.

Consider the differences between the bikes of days gone by and the new wave of factory output; while this may appear to be an exercise in cynicism (or critical examination if you will), it is quite important to appreciate constructional evolution when choosing a bike to customize. The most appreciable difference is space, older bikes tend to have a lot more room around the engine, be skinnier and look lighter.

Newer bikes have been computer-designed to fill out all the spaces with cleverly located components, shiny gewgaws and acres of plastic; the result is often a stolid, boring and complicated machine devoid of character. Other obstacles on newer bikes are electronic and fuel systems, which can be a pain to organize. This is especially the case when going minimal, as many of them need computer control, or to be set up via a computer-controlled system.

It makes sense to use as your basis a bike that can actually be worked on at home, so the first piece of advice is this: do not buy some overly convoluted, electronically controlled spaceship of a bike, but keep it simple and go classic.

DO IT YOURSELF

This book is not intended to be an instruction manual on exactly how to customize a particular bike; that is up to you. Instead, it will demonstrate and explain techniques that should help when working with bikes, engines and tools in general.

The basis for anyone working on mechanical objects must be grounded in the simple tasks of an average workshop; these used to be garnered at school or by finding out as a youngster on pushbikes and old wreckers. Unfortunately, the time of the ubiquitous garden shed full of the tools needed to keep the family vehicles and appliances running has gone; the drive to always buy newer and shinier stuff means that people don’t look after things as they used to. A sweeping generalization, very vernacular and full of holes, but there’s a truism in there somewhere – trust me.

The book will feature a couple of project bikes shown as examples, as well as pictures of interesting bits of bike and of bikes themselves, all of which will be included with a strong bias towards what I personally like or admire. The two are not always the same – it is easy to like a bike, without being impressed by certain elements of it; on the other hand, clever engineering or details may exist on a bike that, to my senses, is a complete dog’s dinner.

This brings up another point that is quite important to me but, from what I’ve seen, not everybody: aesthetic style. Now this is getting subjective, it’s obvious we can’t all like the same thing, and while that is almost the raison d’etre for customizing, it is quite difficult to say nice things about something that has as much attraction as a mangled gate.

What I will attempt is to describe why I like particular bikes, or how something mechanical quickens the heart, so when the inevitable matter of criticism occurs, be aware that it is not personal. In fact, not being keen on something means it won’t be something I’ll copy, thus preserving its individuality.

The details are not the details. They are the design. CHARLES EAMES

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Hopefully, you already have some idea about the type of bike you would like to be riding. There is no way you can be helped to choose without knowing what you find cool about bikes, where you live and how you plan to spend time out on the road. As a start, it is handy to try and identify these aspects, amongst all the other factors that have made you decide that this is the life for you.

The range of what can be termed ‘custom bikes’ is huge, with new sub-groups or designations constantly popping up, probably as a result of people’s need to be part of an exclusive group, while still being able to explain how individual they are.

The original choppers were named thus simply because all the junk was ‘chopped’ to lighten the bike. This developed into a catchall title for almost any custom that made the bike different, with the difference sometimes going way over the top.

The most iconic of the choppers is Captain America, built for the film Easy Rider; recognizable by everyone, it is a beautiful bike of the era, only suited to the long, straight roads of America.

Once upon a time, many years ago, large numbers of very similar motorcycles were pushed off the new-fangled factory production lines, intended to be an economic and efficient means of transport for the common man. This led to generations of working-class lads, and a few lasses, owning and, more importantly, maintaining machines. Unfortunately, those machines were generally slow, uniform and cheap, so the next logical step for many owners was to start to modify them.

A 45 bobber cooling down after a blast round the dirt track; its modern spoked wheels sit well with the almost agricultural rawness of the design.

After World War II, as men returned from the war with a different attitude to life, the invention of the lawless and disgruntled teenager, coupled with having spare money and leisure time meant things would happen. Being human, this invariably led to activities designed to be dangerous, but fun, so racing cars and bikes it was. While the car world went off on its own, and hotrodding became the culture of customizing cars (ironically using the old vehicles and revelling in the retro styling), bikers were taking their machines and modifying them for racing on dirt tracks, or anywhere with enough room to get up speed and, if lucky, go around corners. Thus the Bobber was born – low slung, with all extraneous metalwork, pillion seats and heavy silencers removed, and mudguards cut down or ‘bobbed’. It was a style that eventually became synonymous with carefree youngsters, rebels and, in some instances, outlaws. This was captured in the film The Wild One, in which a squeaky-clean Marlon Brando customized his Triumph by sticking a gilt trophy on the headlight. His gang of ‘rebels’ fought the law and a grubby, drunken Lee Marvin, who rode a worn-in Harley bobber. For me, Marvin easily won the style stakes, and the level of cool he exuded was to colour my attitude towards biking for decades – and in a way still does. Brando’s style, in his creakily new leather jacket, was not for me.

Timeless in its beauty, this old Sunbeam exudes the essence of shed, showing that true style is for ever. Try not to follow fashion trends; just make it high quality and with panache.

A lesson in less is more: the ultimate tracker Harley XR is perfection in design and stance, with nothing that is unnecessary to its function.

Marmite on wheels? Chops are either loved or hated and, the more extreme they get, the wider the divide. Even for those who are not keen, there is something to be admired in some of the crazy detailing. This one has everything going on – shiny bling is not a new thing.

An enterprising bike racer with access to garage tools and welding gear could fairly easily make his machine suitable for straight-line speed, by lengthening the frame, chopping it and inserting tubes, to improve stability, and so on. Such modifications were then taken up by non-racers and this is how the ‘chopper’ was born. The ‘standard’ chopper evolved to have a Harley engine, forward control and extended forks – which necessitated stretching and raking the headstock – as well as a small tank and perhaps an interesting seat. They were basically altered drag bikes, light and nimble, but gradually became increasingly radical and lost all pretence at improving the handling. British engines were also used, and, when Japanese production started in earnest, these fell in nicely too, especially the lovely, dependable and fast Honda CB750. This was, and continues to be, one of the most popular form of customized bike and the most easily recognized by non-bikers worldwide.

Norley: a shed-built frame based on the Norton Featherbed with a Buell engine. It is a formidable beast, but building one is actually quite affordable. The frame is hand-built to order and the engine just drops in, to create a great-handling café racer for substantially less cost than a new mid-range bike.

‘Chopping’, a term that really describes the sloughing of superfluous parts and weight from a bike, can cover a wide range of styles. However, the general idea is that, when a bike has been visibly altered from the standard, it has been ‘chopped’. Such a loose defi-nition allows those who do not want to reinvent the wheel every time someone puts a different seat on a bike or drops the bars of a scrambler, the easy get-out of giving the name ‘chop’ to anything that is not recognizable as a café racer, tracker, scrambler or racing bike. In this book, where ‘chop’ or ‘chopper’ is used as a noun, it can refer to just about any other modded bike that looks substantially different from standard.

Clean SR500, showing how minimal structural work and nice details can create a ridable and cool bike. The stepped silencer end, cute lights and chunky tyres on deep alloy rims look so right, while wide bars and a ribbed seat with sensibly placed pegs give a comfortable ride.

wide and high

The original bobbers had wide ‘cowhorn’ handlebars, carried through to flat-track racing. Motocross has a similar style, the leverage of the bar allowing a bucking and twitching front wheel to be held on course. It is simple physics, but it is useful to consider when choosing ‘bars, as they do contribute to the way in which the bike handles and rides.

BACK IN ALBION

Meanwhile, over the Atlantic things were literally going in a different direction. Due to the miserable climate, lack of large dry areas big enough to race on and no stretches of ‘highway’ good or long enough to even consider owning a chopper, the Brits had to take to the winding, coarsely surfaced roads of the British Isles. No warm beaches, cool bars or secluded cabins to congregate in meant the Britbikers met up in local greasy spoons to drink warming tea, scoff sausage butties and organize blasts around the locale. For this a different style of machine was needed; one that could handle the coarse, cratered and twisting tarmac of the UK; the Café-Racer was born. Based upon road-racing bikes of the day, engines were tweaked, suspension and brakes upgraded, and the riding position altered with short ‘clip-on’ ‘bars and rear-set controls; it was about speed, handling and looking cool.

Another branch of motorsport that provided inspiration for customized bikes was off-road – scrambling (now motocross), trials and enduro. This resulted in a thin nimble bike with a sit-up-and-beg riding position and high-level exhausts. Street scramblers were ideal for town and country, but less well suited to fast and long road work.

While it is possible to identify the sources of inspiration in the wide range of custom styles that the world is now blessed with – whether factory-produced or hand-made – often there is a melding or convergence of different styles. Although the best bikes tend not to hammer themselves into a niche, less imaginative owners, and those wishing to be part of a clique, usually adopt a definite name for their particular style. In this book, the aim is not to be too precious about this; get the ideas or details into an end product that is clearly yours, and then call it what you will. One important point is that customizing used to be about improving the bike whilst maintaining good aesthetics; it still is in many areas (obviously excluding the radical world of show bikes).

Looking back at the levels of prettiness, care and colour schemes of the original chopper, usually ridden by a cool outlaw figure, I’d offer that these bikes were the only form of creativity that was acceptable to the disenfranchised class of that era. Maybe that was part of my reason for building them: I couldn’t afford new bikes, so tended to make my own out of whatever was available. As with many social pursuits you had to (slightly) fit in with people or they wouldn’t even talk to you, let alone ride, so you’d tend to follow the norm. Now the customized bike is an accepted part of culture, admired and embraced across age and class. Many enjoy this vicariously by buying an off-the-shelf ‘custom’; for those who like authenticity, and the chance to get practical, the only real way is to be the builder and rider of your own personal machine.

TODAY

Fashions come round again, and there is now a resurgence in what could loosely be termed new bobbers, the ‘Brat bike’. Basic machines are stripped of standard components, have chunky tyres and skinny seats added, and are wheeled out as the new wave of customs. Opinion may be divided on these being classed as proper customs, but it’s each to his own and as I’m only really here to offer advice, I’ll try to keep the criticisms as objective as possible.

Another 500 Yam shows an interesting take on the big single. This is how it is done, with no compromise – late nights in the shed fabricating the trick fairing and bodywork, and other details such as the headlight in a piston, snouty exhausts and lovely seatwork.

When manufacturers create a custom, the result is often a far cry from the cut-down ridable machine most riders desire. Here is a prime example of how not to do it: massive, ugly and with so much detail contributing nothing!

My personal advice to the budding shed builder is aimed toward making a ridable bike, one that can be used for what they’re meant to do, having fun, looking cool, while staying safe. Just as great artists start by making recognizable works before stretching the boundaries, learn how to build a bike that works first, then if the urge demands, play around and create far-out customs.

2

choosing your ride

THE BIKE

What bike should you use as a base for customizing? While it is obviously a very personal choice, there are a number of factors that will point you in the right direction. Of course, this advice will be redundant if you are already in possession of your very own dream machine.

Hopefully, you will have at least a rough idea of the style that you want to aim for; this, coupled with what you will be doing on it and where it will be done, will be the main factors when scouring the ads. Try to work out what you want from your bike and what customizing will do to it. Pictures of bikes and frames can be found online and printed off, and then used to sketch shapes and layout. For the tech savvie, it is possible to use photo-editing, drawing and design software to mock up a concept of the perfect bike, but it is important to keep it within the realm of what is achievable with your level of skills and funds.

Working on a first bike that is to be used daily, it makes sense to keep away from extremes, to make life easy. For example, a sit-up style is the easiest to cope with in town and off the beaten track. It also helps to choose a bike that will be lightweight, cheap and easy to work on. That first bike may be just the starting point; once you have made something decent from it, you will probably get the itch to do better next time, putting the first one up for sale in order to fund the next project.

The above is all very handy for a bike owner, but what bike should the budding shed builder choose? Unless it is all about the tech spec, go for simplicity and aesthetics – within reason. If you want to head off regularly to the coast at the weekend, or take that long-awaited European trip, there is no point buying a sweet little 125. Air-cooled engines are the easiest to work with, and it is always a benefit to have an engine that looks good. Some very lovely designed bikes are spoilt by using a pug-ugly lump, which would be best covered by a bonnet. You might want to avoid later fuel-injected models, unless you are not put off by the electronic control side (carbs can be good for you!).

This barn find – a little stroker – could be exactly what the fledgling shed builder needs to begin. There is a dream bike somewhere for everyone in grub form, waiting to be discovered and worked on.

A shop-bought economy bike, bristling with potential for the initiate, is halfway there. The experience of cleaning it up and carrying out some mild customizing will be a solid stepping stone to more challenging projects.

For a first bike, a single is the most sensible consideration. There are some cute little customs using small engines of about 125cc, but, to be honest, unless you are limited to this size by licence, your money might be better spent on a pushbike and some steroids. A small-displacement bike can be made to go fast but, as it will have no grunt, everything becomes a bit too frenetic; it is difficult for a grown-up to look cool when thrashing the guts out of a little pumped-up moped. Get some practice on one by all means, but think how much more fun a bit more oomph could provide. Something with a bit of poke, such as a 250, should really be the bottom limit. The common choice will be a four-stroke, although there are plenty of older two-stroke machines around as well.

A pair of mid-range Honda fours in a sorry state would be an ideal purchase – all the necessary parts are there, enough probably to make one good bike and with some left over to trade, sell or keep on the shelf. The distinctive Comstar wheels are getting rarer, while undented classic tanks are money in the bank.

The Ducati Desmo single (named for the type of valve-actuating mechanism) is rare and expensive – and gorgeous. It is a perfect prospect for a simple clean custom, although it can be a bit temperamental to own. A good grasp of mechanics is required to keep this bike and similar beauties on the road.

WHICH MODEL?

There is a staggering range of bike models around, so it is not really possible to discuss them all here; the following is a guide to the main engine types, covering the bikes in each configuration that suit a particular type for the lover of classic wheels. It is all very subjective – after all, everybody has a favourite bike that they really do not like. Obviously, the ones that are not mentioned can be a possible option, but their omission could be due to a reputation, an ugliness that cannot be rectified, or because they are just too embarrassing even to consider.

One Pot

Honda singles range from 125 up to 600. They are pretty tough machines and tend to go on for ever. The Yamahas are the same, the most popular being the SR and XT models. Most of these will provide a practical base bike to start with. (There are other oriental marques that have put out some nice bikes worth considering, but this guide will be kept concise and biased for the time being.) The long-stroke lump used in the Yamaha XT/TT/SR500 is probably the loveliest engine to use and, with a simple frame containing the oil, a doddle to tweak simply or to go the whole tuning hog. It is not very long-legged or top-end fast, but great for trackers, scramblers, supermoto or brat. The design is based on the old BSA singles, which, with some engine work, can turn a clean pair of heels around the corners, so a café racer is also an option. Parts are widely available and they are easy to work on and tune up.

XL/XR Hondas are all of the above but somehow do not look quite as sweet. In addition, a few have twin pipes, which adds to the complexity of customizing. However, they are Hondas, so they will repay your effort.

Built to take the worst, this XT500 had been stashed outside a garage for many years. Pulled from a snowdrift, sprayed with WD and fuelled, it started up successfully; cash changed hands and another addition to the stable had been procured.

There are various single Brit bikes – AJS, Norton, Velocette – but flavour of the month are currently the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 or 500 singles, built in India and widely used for custom bikes. The results can look very nice, but old prejudices tend to die hard, and for many of my generation the concept (not the result) will always be treated with disparagement.

Twin Power

Before the rise in concerns over emissions and climate change, there were some cracking air-cooled two-stroke bikes. These can create lovely raw bikes, which may scare those used to the placid singles and twins of the same period. Yamaha were the leaders in this, with their reed-valve two-stroke engines powering some serious bikes; for a road-sensible bike, go for the DT250/360/400. Enduro and scramblers used pokier engines and these are also good fun; keep an eye out for Husqvarna, Honda, Maico, Bultaco, Suzuki strokers as a good starting point for something different.

Twins come in a variety of configurations, including verticals, as in Triumphs and other Brit bikes, all the usual Jap players and some rare breeds. V-twins come from Harleys, Moto Guzzi, Ducati and now quite a few Japanese manufacturers. The flat twins are dominated by BMW, although Dnieper and some East European models can also be considered.

Triumph twins of the first period – Bonneville, T120 and so on – are very popular. It is easy to get parts for them and to work on them, and they have been custom sleds since the year dot, widely used as the base motors for café racers and chops. They also have an impressive flat-track and off-road heritage, and have become some of the most recognizable bikes in the world. Relatively small and light, they will slot into many other frames and also feature a pretty-looking lump.

The Norton Commando has possibly one of the best-looking engines and can work in a wide range of styles, from flat-tracker to full-on chop (although some might consider it a sacrilege to waste such an exquisite motor in this way). They are also pre-unit – the gearbox is separate from the engine, as on Harleys that are not Sportsters – making them trickier to drop into alternative frames.

Tough as nails, this XS650 was bought online in Florida and ridden by me 3,000 miles back to west Canada. Knowing the bike, I was able to sort out the inevitable mishaps (breakdowns, if you must) using carried tools and ingenuity. Building and riding shed-built bikes is always an enjoyable and satisfying adventure, and you do meet the nicest people.

The Japanese ‘Bonnie’, the XS650, is widely used in trackers and street chops. Good-looking, readily tunable with easily available parts and very reliable, this is probably the best mid-range beast around. Kawasaki also have a new version of the upright twin out, which is being used by many trendy bike-builders.

The new Bonneville, lauded as the epitome of the retro trend in bikes, comes in many guises. Sadly, Triumph’s version is a bland, tubby little bike without any of the slender beauty of the original Bonnies, or the performance of modern bikes, but the company’s marketing has been spectacular, so it is very popular and selling well. Second-hand versions are now coming on to the market and, as the model is used for nearly all the new hip customs, there is plenty of aftermarket stuff available to turn it into a dream machine – hopefully without involving a brown slab of a seat, coddled pipes and petite indicators.

There are many other British and Japanese vertical twins from the early days up to now, most of which are solid and dependable, although without the options for tuning and rebuilding enjoyed by those described above. Some are rare, so it is vital to check that this rarity is not down to the bike having been a useless dog (Norton Jubilee and Honda Dream, to name but two), and remember that parts can be pricy or hard to find.

Obviously, the V-twin of choice for customizing has for some time been the Harley. The earlier ones are good-looking, easy to work on and have the largest range of optional extras – though most of these are in the shiny, heavy and crass league. Some of the early rolling gear is quite usable and early frames are useful, but the ugly kit they come with nowadays and the unreasonable increase in weight are a real turn-off. Unit construction Sportsters are the best bet. The simple (some say crude) design makes life so much easier and they can be used for every type of custom, whereas the big twins (as they are known) are more or less limited to use as chops or bobbers.

This Ironhead Sportster from the 1970s – named, like all Harleys, after the type of cylinder head – is still cool and a reasonable price. These bikes were made for customizing, and will never go down in value.

Jacques’ nice mash-up of a BMW motor in a Dnieper frame and chair, with leading link forks that are sidecar favourites, small wheels, good disc brakes and little else needed. Solid and chunky, it is a practical workhorse for not a lot of money.

The old-school sports Honda was cutting edge when it came out and a bike to be reckoned with, all faired up and with big brakes.

Other V-twins include Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Moto Morini and nowadays lots of Japanese; there are also the rare old bikes such as Vincent, Jap and old Indians. All can be turned into custom bikes if necessary, but they come with their own, very specific demands: complicated engineering for the Italians to look good, a lot of imagination for the Japs, and a considerable amount of money for the classics.

Flat twins have been around for a long time and the air-cooled BMWs are simple, handsome and reliable bikes that can be lovely-looking when done right, or horrid in the wrong hands. There are many of them about and they go on for ever. There is a strong loyalty to this particular brand and most owners of standard bikes feel that it is sacrilege to tamper with them. In fact, some consider that using anything without BMW stamped on it to be a capital offence.

A late-model Beemer can be a good basis for a bike but it can become complicated; as in most modern bikes, the design is so integrated and clever that it almost demands a degree in electronics and engineering to change the simplest thing. Like many media-savvy companies tapping the lucrative market for customizing, the BMW factory has given new bikes away to workshops for makeovers, with interesting results (see later).

There is another flat twin, a copy of the early Beemers, that has not developed many good reviews in Britain, but is used extensively in Eastern Europe as a go-anywhere beast. They used to be cheap and, if maintained (very) regularly, would be a good little ride, but poor-quality components and engineering make them an eccentric choice. I owned a customized one once and it was the most unreliable bike I have ever had, so my opinion may be slightly biased.

Nowadays, streetfighters are the tool of choice for the fast gang. As this beast shows, with its minimal frame and limited comfort, it is all about the speed.

An ideal candidate for some custom work, a Military Beezer (BSA) on its last legs at an auction. Buying a bike in this condition forces the builder to pull out all the stops and, apart from the engine and frame, which do need some work, the rest is down to personal choice.

Multi-Cylindered Bikes

Multi-cylindered bikes – commonly Japanese, apart from a couple of Italian marques – are a major part of the custom scene. The first BSA/Triumph triple, which was used in the Hurricane, was one of the loveliest ‘custom’ bikes ever to come out of a factory and Triumph have produced some blistering triples and fours over the recent years. These tend to be larger in capacity, with increasing levels of complexity, which has evolved as technology has progressed and regulations have changed. The earlier air-cooled fours, especially the CB Hondas, make very good customs and can be easily transformed from mundane to masterly, with good-looking engines and simple components.

The breaker’s yard, where the customizer could acquire in just one enjoyable afternoon enough project essentials for a couple of years of shed building. Buying engines, frames and other main parts separately, rather than a complete bike, can be economical and productive; everything will need cleaning, revamping and painting anyway.

BUYING THE BIKE

Obviously there are exceptions to be had everywhere, so it is best to narrow down the field if this book is not going to end up as thick and heavy as a typical chrome-filled custom parts catalogue. The project bikes covered in the book are a single (TT500 Yamaha), a V-twin (1200 Sportster) and a flat twin (BMW R100RT). These were worked on while the book was being conceived and custom changes to these bikes will be used to lead into other areas..

Norton is a classic marque and, while the older models are interesting, the Commandos are beautiful, ridable bikes that lend themselves to customizing and tweaking with ease. As with larger-capacity bikes of this era, they are slim, elegant and uncluttered, and require very little specialist skill to be turned into a usable custom.

Purchasing a used bike is always a risky business and in this situation it can be even worse. However, if you do want to make significant changes to your purchase, you may think it more pragmatic to buy that pig’s ear, which you can then turn into a silk purse, rather than forking out loads for someone else’s creation, only to spend time and money changing everything.

Try to visualize the extent to which you want to customize – is it going to be a full-blown effort with new frame and all rolling gear, or a cosmetic shunt, using mostly what is already there, with just a few mods? If it is just a makeover, then the donor bike will need to be pretty much up together and running well – preferably roadworthy – and all legal. Usually, when you have done your research and then made the effort to go and see a bike, the result will be that you buy it – unless there is a serious problem that puts you off. If you want that bike, recognize that everything can be fixed, and sometimes it is good to be impulsive and go with your heart, but do not forget: caveat emptor…

The Buying Process

When making buying decisions, you need not worry unduly about those items that wear out, such as chains, brakes and cables, as these are probably going to be on your to-do list immediately anyway. Unless you are absolutely certain, never ride around on a bike without being sure of the components that ensure safety and reliability. Hopefully, pointing out any worn items to the seller will get you a reduction in the price. Generally, vendors, whether private or trade, will already have allowed for concessions when setting their asking price, so do not be afraid to tyre-kick and haggle. If you are uncertain, take along a friend who knows about these things and can support you, but always try to leave a deal without feeling done, and without feeling that you have harassed the vendor too much. They (and you) can always pull out at the last minute, but if you want it, buy it; unless it is bent or a massive mechanical wreck, it can always be fixed.

If you fancy going the whole hog and building from the ground up, consider buying all the components separately, as this could save a lot of money and allow the project to come together as and when parts can be afforded or found. This approach could require a lot of legwork hunting for obscure parts if the bike is a rare one, so you need to weigh the purchase of a complete bike carefully against the cost, in terms of money and time, of acquiring all the bits piecemeal.

Purchased from a police auction, this stolen and recovered Sportster engine has had a mild going-over to make it a bit more special than standard. The push-rod tubes have been turned on a small lathe, while the case bolts have been set into counterbores. The contrasting polish and paint makes it clean and tidy.

If you find something you like the look of, phone and get as much information as possible. Do not worry if the seller tells you that are other buyers interested; that is standard dealing bluff. Do some research: check forums for the bike for ideas on prices, issues and availability of parts; they are also good for discussing what can work, who sells it and how to fit it. If you intend to ride the bike when you go to view it, make sure the insurance is valid and that the bike is road-legal. Most vendors insist on holding the cash if the bike is being test ridden; take a photo of the vendor before you hand cash over, as it would be embarrassing to discover that they have let you ride off on a nicked bike and then done a runner themselves – it has happened!

When buying a bike, or big components for a bike, second-hand, always ask why they are being sold and make sure you are happy with the answer in terms of honesty. Stupidity should also be allowed for.

When viewing a bike to buy, ask the vendor to start it and you watch the routine; old bikes often have foibles that need to be indulged. When you are discussing a potential visit, ask them not to start the bike before you arrive, as cold starting might be harder than warm starting. Get the bike running, let it warm up, then turn it off for a couple of minutes and start again. It is possible to prep a dodgy bike to start and run for a couple of minutes in order to offload it and make it a new owner’s problem.

budget

Before you start, do a bit of research on the cost of the main components: engine, frame, forks and wheels. The best way is to check out how much they are being sold for on the online auction sites; this gives a good idea as to their availability and condition, and allows a rough budget to be drawn up. It is possible also to check on how much they are actually being sold for, by checking the completed listings for items. The final agreed prices may differ significantly from the prices being asked. The completed listings will also show which items are selling and which are sticking, providing you with a good bargaining position for those that are hard to get rid of.

The Legal Bits

Paperwork is an essential part of the task of buying a bike that is new to you. The safest way can be to purchase from an established dealer or a friend so you know that everything is above board, but there are checks you can do to ensure that all is in order. The engine and frame numbers (VIN) should match up and should also be the same in the registration documents. If they do not, you should be suspicious and back off; such discrepancies will not stop the work on the bike, but they can cause all sorts of problems when dealing with the law, or if an accident occurs. If you are really keen on a bike, check all the documents first, before you look at it in any detail. Glib explanations for dodgy paperwork can sound more plausible the more you want a bike, so you must be sensible. The best-case scenario is that the bike is made up of any old rubbish and may die any minute, the worst is that it is stolen and, if you are stopped by the law, it will be impounded, with no chance of compensation.

Checking Things Over

If it is legit and you still want it, everything then needs to be checked. If it is being bought as a project, go through the stuff below in the components, but if you mean to ride it straight away, make sure everything works, it goes okay and that it stops. This is a minefield for the inexperienced so, if you are unsure about what to look for, and the pressure of being observed pulling someone’s bike to pieces is likely to be a distraction, take a friend who knows. Old bikes rattle, have oil in unexpected places and can seem, if you are used to modern bikes, to be low on power, with scarily inefficient brakes and weird idiosyncrasies in starting or riding.

The product of a bored farm mechanic, this quad was seen in passing and, after a quick haggle, bought cheap. Throwing away the weird stuff resulted in a perfectly usable frame, engine and some rolling parts, creating the perfect base for a project.

Damaged splines on the gear lever had been bodged on, then a weld added, which failed somewhere out in the wilds, losing the gear lever. It needed a lot of work to get back on the road.

For a big purchase, ask to meet the seller at a garage. For a small cost (which you might be able to recoup in negotiating a lowered price), have it checked over by a mechanic. Never buy a bike unseen, as this can lead to much disappointment or stress.

clean hands

When rooting through old bikes with a view to buying one, carry a small bottle of hand cleaner and some paper roll for a quick clean-up. At home, it is a good idea to keep a big tub of industrial hand-cleaning gel. Alternatively, a mixture of cooking oil and sugar can be used to clean garage hands.

The Engine

Try not to buy a partial engine, as the missing parts are invariably the costliest bits, and can ramp up the cost of the rebuild. Conversely, a complete engine is always going to be an unknown factor, so give it a good look over for signs of abuse. Check the spark plugs for excess carbon build-up or whiteout. Compression can be checked with a tester to see if it is within stated guidelines (or ask a garage or a mate what it should be). If the sprocket is excessively worn or there are worn splines on gear-change shafts, it can indicate a thrashed and poorly maintained bike. Look for gasket goo on joints and chewed-up fasteners, which could be the result of a rough rebuild. Take the oil filter and/or the drain plug out and look for any unwanted chunks of metal that have come off the internals. Put a gear lever on and turn the sprocket to check if all the gears can be engaged. If the splines are worn down (but not an issue), use a mole grip attached to the shaft to select the gears.

An engine from a bike that has been written off can be a good buy, as the reason for selling is not usually mechanical failure. On the other hand, it may have a scuffed or broken casing.

Never buy an engine that has numbers (VIN) that are not on the place where they should be. Each factory uses a specific style and letterform and there may also be indent hatching to prevent them being removed and replaced. Check that this is the correct one.

The Frame

Standard frames are fairly cluttered with brackets and mounts, but, apart from accident damage, not a lot goes wrong with them and they are often quite cheap to buy.

Frames come with a VIN that should be matched to the legal documents of the bike (and hopefully the engine), so check for this and ask to see the registration papers. These should come as part of the deal, unless it is a custom-made frame, for which you will want a bill of sale and serial number. You will need this to make life easier when doing the paperwork to get it road-legal. Check the condition of the motor mounts; take a collection of bolts to slide through these and then eye them up. Look for kinks in the tubes and check all is true and square. Even the smallest deviation can affect handling and, at high speed, turn a bike into a death trap. Do not forget to make sure that it is the correct frame for the engine, or, if an alternative, that the engine will fit in and there is clearance for the exhaust and carbs. Is the swing arm coming with it and, if so, has it got the spindle? These are not cheap and they can be prone to corrosion with seized bearings locked on them.

Every discovery will need to be given the once-over. On this lovely old enduro, the tops of the stanchions were rusty, so new ones would be needed. There was no spark plug, so water may have got inside and seized the engine, necessitating a comprehensive (and expensive) rebuild. All other parts looked to be in good condition, considering its age and location.

A modern Ducati given the classic racer treatment at Redmax Speed Shop. The bike needed very little tweaking, but was enhanced by some lovely bodywork, a stylish paint job and Peashooter silencers.

Forks have one real purpose and that is to provide even and progressive suspension, so they must move up and down smoothly without catching. Take each leg and press the tube into the slider; they should be equal in resistance. Do not worry about oil on the legs from leaking seals; look for scoring where they go into the slider. Check the condition of the chrome around the seals and the exposed part in the yokes for pitting. In the past, it was common practice to wire-brush this out and fill with resin before polishing back to the surface – it might be an extreme remedy but, if the parts are rare, it may be necessary.

Are the yokes (or triple tree) included? Is the steering-head spindle in good condition? Check the condition of the thread. If this is the type for the frame but the yokes are to be changed, can the spindle be removed? It will be expensive to get one machined up.

Wheels

Cast-alloy wheels will tend to fracture in a shunt, so give them a good inspection for rim integrity and the condition of the valve hole. Use a bolt to check that all the threads in the hub are sound and look at the bearings for a good fit in the hub. If they are not in, check that the seat is not oval with a vernier.

Wire-spoked wheels should be checked for loose or bent spokes, and the state of the nipples looked at for excess corrosion that will prevent reuse or adjustment. Check the hub as above.

If a spindle is seized in the hub or brake plate, spray liberally with WD40 and leave to soak, then warm up the surrounding metal and drive out with a soft-headed mallet or a block of wood and a hammer.