Sometimes it takes more than a catalog to get the look you want for your bike - sometimes you gotta build the part yourself. As with most true fabricators, a lot of custom work goes into making bikes in a style that is not only functional but also beautiful, i.e. more organic than machined.
We joined Johnny Chop in his luxurious and palatial garage to witness his handmade metalworking skill firsthand. He needed to build a sissy bar/fender strut for one of his customer's bikes and was willing to let us slow him down so we could get tips from a real builder. Hopefully, we can inspire you to do this kind of thing on your own in your garage.
Johnny's idea for the sissy...
Johnny's idea for the sissy bar was for it to wrap around the taillight; in this case, a sparto-style taillight/license plate holder.
Starting with the fender mounted...
Starting with the fender mounted to the bike and aligned with the tire, he used the taillight gasket to trace the mounting holes onto the surface of the fender.
Then he removed the wheel...
Then he removed the wheel from the frame so he could drill into the fender.
Using a metal punch, Johnny...
Using a metal punch, Johnny tapped a starting point for the drill into the fender and drilled the three mounting holes for the taillight.
fter placing the taillight...
fter placing the taillight mounting bolts through the taillight and fender, he welded the appropriate-sized nuts to the bottom of the fender and fastened it down.