Lately, One of the questions we have been asked most often is this: Is a kit bike the way to build a custom bike and avoid the new EPA laws that are restricting a guy from building a special construction bike? We also frequently have been asked: How easy is it to build in a home garage without special tools? There are a few kits out there that go together easy without the need for tools that would be bought and used only once. As for the EPA laws, most of the new kits come with all the smog cans and EPA approved parts like the exhaust, carbs, and manufacturer's paperwork to go with it.
There are a lot of kits out there to choose from; you just need to pick the style of bike you like to ride, then pick the shop. Andy Meadors, Director of Marketing at Big Bear Choppers, called to invite us out for a few drinks and a ride up the mountain to see the shop where the guys were starting to build a Merc rigid chopper for a customer. We told Andy to shoot some photos of the build so we could show readers how easy it was to build one of their kit bikes. We asked him to use only the tools that the average guy would have in his garage for the assembly.
Also included in every unassembled order is their step-by-step building DVD. The five-hour DVD is the instruction manual on how to properly assemble a BBC bike. If a customer still has questions about the project, one has the option to phone BBC and talk to a tech.