Some weeks ago this photo appeared in my news feed. The bike is the Shadowfax Kawasaki just before it went off on its ill-fated trip to Bathurst in 1981. I know this because Kent’s trailer is in the picture but mainly because the bike wore the #70 for that outing, its last as a race bike.
What is really interesting about the picture is the fact that it was posted by a person on FB who I don’t even know and, when I asked him how he came by the photo he simply said that he had found it on the internet somewhere. Given that I probably own about 99% of the Shadowfax photos extant, to see one, from an unknown source, that I have never seen before, was pretty amazing.
Which segues nicely into the topic of this morning’s dissertation, that being home-made bikes. Now there is a plentiful supply of sites where one can admire (or not) the efforts of individuals who have taken a bike and made it their own. Their motto, “Built, not Bought” is very appropriate as their efforts are to be applauded.
However, just lately, the motto seems to have become more a mantra of elitism than it was ever intended to be. Of course we would all like to build a bike (or a car) that is unique and suits our own personalities and preferences. But the fact is that this is simply not possible. For any number of reasons, the vast majority of us has to be content with “Bought, not Built.” And, with rules and regulations governing what you CAN and and can’t do your vehicle becoming more and more stringent, this situation is bound to get worse.
Having been involved in the building of a bike (or, more properly, the RE-building of a bike,) I can tell you that the amount of time, expertise, specialised tools and equipment and parts that are required to DO a build are beyond the reach of most of us. When we started the Shadowfax build I was still in a wheelchair so my input into the project was vastly less than what I would have like it to have been. Fortunately, a horde of friends came out of the woodwork and made sure that OUR project came to fruition.
With that preface in mind, then, can I direct you to the work of a Dennis Franz (I don’t think it is the TV star, though I could be wrong). Dennis is most truly a Build not Buy man because he has created a number of bikes for himself and he is to be admired for doing so.
Here is a V-Twin motorcycle that he has created.
Now what is so impressive about this build is that he has not only designed and built all the CYCLE parts but he has also designed and built the engine and gearbox. Truly amazing.
But what brought him to my attention is a later build than the twin, a V8 engined motorcycle.
Again, all Dennis’s own work (though, in this case, it does use a BMW gearbox), this next little jewel is a whole step above. The engine is tiny, 392cc (50cc per cylinder, approx) and it is housed in a period-correct frame and running gear. And it SOUNDS fabulous…
So, there, built not bought, so impressive.
News in overnight that Ducati HAS signed Marc Marquez on a two year deal to partner Bagnaia, a real surprise to me. The internet is awash with the usual know-nothing haters who are predicting doom to the project while blindly ignoring the progress that Marc has made on a last year’s Ducati in just 7 meetings, AND after nearly having his spirit broken by the heap of trash that Honda has had him riding for the last too many years. Underrate him at your peril, I believe his best is yet to come.
