Post by okflyboy on Dec 20, 2008 15:00:15 GMT -5
When I first saw the Sportcycle -
- I had thoughts of changing the design
to make it it to look and function like the Tri-rod.
www.trirodmotorcycles.com/
While I have decided to keep the sportcycle structure the same as
designed by Mr. Musser, I do not want to give up completely on my idea
of keeping a bike / hot rod theme. Also, there is one other concern
screaming at me, budget. I've come to the realization that I cannot
afford a nice bike, not even close.
To that end, I believe a Ratrod / Ratbike cross is in order.
[History Lesson]
Of course, the Ratrod started life as a way for the, shall we say,
less well-off, carnuts to flex some automotive muscle.Basically, they
dumped all their money, meager amount though it may be, into the
drivetrain, then built a very minimalist machine around it. Flat black
paint and steel rims were the preferred choice although many just let
their machines take the weather as they may, rust and all.
(Now, many will argue and i tend to agree, that the modern Ratrod
style has become laughable, as enthusiasts with, shall we say, way too
much frakin' money now spend their way into a "Rat Rod" (and I use the
term loosely). I'm sorry, but when you're spending $7K on a "patina"
paint job just so that your $60K car -looks- rusty, then your car is
NOT a Rat Rod!!)
Simply put, Ratbikes are the Biker's answer to Rat Rods.
[/History Lesson]
Basically, I want to take the best parts of both the Sportcycle and
the Rat style.
1st, the Donor Bike:
Since I cannot afford a newer Superbike, I'm going to have to make do
with something older, probably much older. What I'm finding locally in
my price range (<$1K) are all late 70s early 80s bikes. There's a
decent selection of high-cc "Needs Work" and "No Title" nightmares for
me to choose from. From there it'll be a simple matter of getting it
to run (I'm fairly mechanically inclined and, while I don't have a lot
of motorcycle experience, I have a fair amount of automotive
experience so I don't foresee much problem there), then Ratbiking it
out. Lots of sanding and flat black primer seems to be the majority of
the work there, maybe even a camouflage paint job, who knows?
2nd, the Sportcycle:
So the basic Sportcycle structure will not change. Build-up will
proceed as laid out in the plans, the only exception being that the
body mounts will be unnecessary. Once basic construction is finished
the Ratrodding begins, more flat black or cammo paint. Oklahoma law
will require me to add fenders over the front wheels and keep the
single Motorcycle headlight (although it says nothing about installing
auxiliary driving lights, so I'll probably be going with a 3 light
system for added visibility). I may use the sheet metal cutouts as
sold by Sport Vehicles and add a simple sheet metal nose to deflect
rocks and such. The rims will be something simple, like steel Rallies
(flat black, of course) with moon caps or maybe even some wirespoke
wheels if I should hapen to get a bike with a wirespoke rear wheel.
I'm slightly concerned with the vehicle sitting so low to the ground
that the ability of other drivers to see me at night may be impaired.
The only major departure away from the Rat style I intend to make will
be to that end in the addition of Tireflies (those blinking LEDs that
ricers put on their tire's valvestems)
In the end, I want it to look similar to ToyotaTodd's Sportcycle, but with a few body panels:
- I had thoughts of changing the design
to make it it to look and function like the Tri-rod.
www.trirodmotorcycles.com/
While I have decided to keep the sportcycle structure the same as
designed by Mr. Musser, I do not want to give up completely on my idea
of keeping a bike / hot rod theme. Also, there is one other concern
screaming at me, budget. I've come to the realization that I cannot
afford a nice bike, not even close.
To that end, I believe a Ratrod / Ratbike cross is in order.
[History Lesson]
Of course, the Ratrod started life as a way for the, shall we say,
less well-off, carnuts to flex some automotive muscle.Basically, they
dumped all their money, meager amount though it may be, into the
drivetrain, then built a very minimalist machine around it. Flat black
paint and steel rims were the preferred choice although many just let
their machines take the weather as they may, rust and all.
(Now, many will argue and i tend to agree, that the modern Ratrod
style has become laughable, as enthusiasts with, shall we say, way too
much frakin' money now spend their way into a "Rat Rod" (and I use the
term loosely). I'm sorry, but when you're spending $7K on a "patina"
paint job just so that your $60K car -looks- rusty, then your car is
NOT a Rat Rod!!)
Simply put, Ratbikes are the Biker's answer to Rat Rods.
[/History Lesson]
Basically, I want to take the best parts of both the Sportcycle and
the Rat style.
1st, the Donor Bike:
Since I cannot afford a newer Superbike, I'm going to have to make do
with something older, probably much older. What I'm finding locally in
my price range (<$1K) are all late 70s early 80s bikes. There's a
decent selection of high-cc "Needs Work" and "No Title" nightmares for
me to choose from. From there it'll be a simple matter of getting it
to run (I'm fairly mechanically inclined and, while I don't have a lot
of motorcycle experience, I have a fair amount of automotive
experience so I don't foresee much problem there), then Ratbiking it
out. Lots of sanding and flat black primer seems to be the majority of
the work there, maybe even a camouflage paint job, who knows?
2nd, the Sportcycle:
So the basic Sportcycle structure will not change. Build-up will
proceed as laid out in the plans, the only exception being that the
body mounts will be unnecessary. Once basic construction is finished
the Ratrodding begins, more flat black or cammo paint. Oklahoma law
will require me to add fenders over the front wheels and keep the
single Motorcycle headlight (although it says nothing about installing
auxiliary driving lights, so I'll probably be going with a 3 light
system for added visibility). I may use the sheet metal cutouts as
sold by Sport Vehicles and add a simple sheet metal nose to deflect
rocks and such. The rims will be something simple, like steel Rallies
(flat black, of course) with moon caps or maybe even some wirespoke
wheels if I should hapen to get a bike with a wirespoke rear wheel.
I'm slightly concerned with the vehicle sitting so low to the ground
that the ability of other drivers to see me at night may be impaired.
The only major departure away from the Rat style I intend to make will
be to that end in the addition of Tireflies (those blinking LEDs that
ricers put on their tire's valvestems)
In the end, I want it to look similar to ToyotaTodd's Sportcycle, but with a few body panels:
