Saturday, August 13, 2011

No. 09

IMG_6315 no 9 IIno 9 II
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I Just did the finishing touches to this bike today. I started building the bike in May with a rough idea in my head as to how I wanted the lines of the rear cowl along with the tank to coincide. The rear aluminum cowl area went through many changes untill I was satisified with it. I kept on completing it and then going back and changing it again. What you see now is the result of a very last minute change to it right before I took it apart to powder the frame. The frame is made up of 4130 chromoloy for slight weight savings and stiffness. When deciding to build another bike I was having a real hard time deciding what power plant to use. I like pans and knuckles but those are not quite readily available. The sportster platform seemed like a logical choice for this bike because of its simplicity and compact design. I've always wanted to build a triumph but it seemed to me that harleys answer "the sportster" to the triumph just fit the bill better. It stared out as an 883 but i rebuilt the motor up to a 1200 with an s&s e carb. The aluminum peices along with the stainless parts underwent alot of sanding and polishing to acheive the look. I love science fiction movies, and movies influence my artistc endeavors in every way. This bike was inspired in part from the speeder bikes in return of the jedi as well as aircraft designed by Howard Hughes. I would be a complete liar if I were to say that Shinya Kimura had nothing to do with the inspiration as well. My first bike was an Evo sportster so they will always have a place in my heart. I got it when I first got married to my wife Emily at age 24 and I named it number nine because it has so much signifigance in my life. It just so happens that it was nine years ago this summer that i got that first sportster. I will post more and better pice later.

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