Anybody that's ever turned a wrench knows that eventually, their knuckles are gonna bleed from a nick, cut or scrape - but it's worth it because they probably leanred something in the process. The guys working in a shop everyday, end up with a wealth of knowledge and perspective that can help us. So, instead of asking builders 20 questions about themselves, we've decided to give them an opportunity to speak their minds about the industry they love and the trials they face on a daily basis, with a few tips from the shop for us regular guys.
The Fine Line Between Art and Motorcycle MadnessIs it art or is it a motorcycle? This question runs through my head all the time as I walk the gauntlet of extreme customs at the latest motorcycle shows. Many of these bikes are incredibly inspiring in craftsmanship; so much so, at times I want to leave the show, head back to the workshop, and work on my own stuff. I love custom-built motor vehicles. Special on the list are ones that have proven to last the test of time in design and engineering. Like any art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we probably each have our favorites that we could nominate for the hall of fame. The common denominator of many of these, yours or mine, would probably include an aspect of timeless design accompanied by mechanical innovation or excellence that will prove itself in its given life. If you've got those two things, it's almost guaranteed to be a classic.
So, back to the bike show. I look at all these marvels and it reminds me of an old roommate I had that would forget he had told you his latest joke, and he'd tell it to you again... and sometimes again and again. I call it old-timers disease and perhaps have the non-joke variation of it myself. Sometimes they were good jokes. Sometimes, hearing them a second time would still make me chuckle. But more often than not, the joke would not leave me with the same level of humor as with the first telling... it would even get a bit annoying at times. The roommate had to go. He went the way of many of these show bikes. How many of the bikes on last years show-bike circuit do you remember distinctly? How many bikes are listed in the local bike trader with a line that reads something like, "$50,000 invested, sacrifice at $21,500"? Many dollars pointlessly invested in building next years cycle trader.
What a site to see show winners built with sometimes questionably innovative and often completely unplanned engineering accomplishments. I won't go so far as to say purposeless. After all, these bastardizations are often what make the show. Sort of like circus freaks in a way - sometimes I almost feel scared or even nauseous.
For example, the single-sided swingarm trend. Should we all convert our choppers to a one-sided suspension mechanism so that we have the ability to accomplish pit-stop-style tire changes? It seems that even the sport racing world with its high dollar developments has yet to see an advantage of time savings surpassing the weight savings and rigidity toward traction factors. So what does that leave us with? A showpoint scoring gimmick to go into the garages full of trendy novelties. The design of the hubless rim is supposed to be an exercise in lowering unsprung weight and an improvement of translated suspension force focused toward traction. If you cut 5 pounds of hub and spoke, but add 20 in mechanical gear that is clocked improperly to your tire contact point, all that is left is a magical spectacle to wow the crowds. Look, it floats with no strings attached.