It’s been a frantic couple of days. As detailed in more detail (d’uh) in the Shadowfax Restoration page, today the frame, complete with all the ancillaries that we could bolt to it, was taken to Sydney to Kent’s workshop so that he can fit the fibreglass. This requires lining the bits up on the frame and then custom making all the bracketry involved, long and time-consuming and requiring great accuracy. I was as nervous as a kitten as my brother and I loaded the chassis on my trailer, tied it down and headed north.
When we got to Sydney we were greeted like it was a media event. Kent and all the guys that work with him came out of the factory, several of them with cameras and started taking photos. Kent then brought out the bodywork and fitted it onto the frame. I don’t know who was more excited, me who has waited so long for this day, or Kent who hasn’t even SEEN this bike for 16 years!
I left the bike and trailer there and returned home with the original molds in case it is ever necessary to make more and Kent will now do the thing that he does best, the creative stuff.
I think you’ll agree that the styling is very “current” and it is amazing to consider that the concept was conceived OVER 30 years ago in Kent’s preliminary sketches that he was doing while he was still in high school in the early 70’s. I hope to be able to scan some of his early designs and publish them. He anticipated modern sports bike styling by more than 30 years with his early work. Quite and amazing person.
So, it is starting to move at quite a pace. The glint in Kent’s eyes today tell me that he is not going to be satisfied until he has remade this bike into the very best recreation of his original concept that it is possible to make.
dunc says
this thing will be great to see finished
Phil Hall says
Getting close, mate.
dunc says
are you going with all the advertising stickers that was on the original as well
had to laugh used to work for koppers chemical doing there treated products
Phil Hall says
Yes, we are going to try and duplicate the original stickers if we can. Even though Robbos has long since gone out of business, Koppers still exists as does IPEC (though it has been absorbed into the Toll empire) we are, in fact, preparing a sponsorship proposal to IPEC to see if they’d like to throw some coin our way as a nostalgia thing.