A Lifetimes Passion.

Not posted in this forum before, but I thought I would add to the list of members hobbies.

My hobby is more of a lifetime passion and a lifestyle rather than a hobby. I build and ride custom motorbikes.

This is my Yamaha FJ1200 hardtail chop. The engine came out of a Competition Drag Bike. It is actually bored out to 1380cc and there has been masses of go faster work done to it. I built this one about 14 years ago. There is no rear suspension, hence "Hardtail". The forks came off a trials bike. I made the frame, battery/electrics box, seat, exhausts and all the brackets myself. One of my first custom paint jobs. The wheels and brakes came off another Yamaha FJ1200. I wanted it low so built the frame so that the seat height is 19" off the ground. She sounds like a formula 1 car on steroids. Will do an 8.2 second quarter mile. Very basic, there is nothing on the bike that is not needed to either make it go or stop.



Lot of sports bike riders have had a hell of a shock when I come past them on the inside or when I wheelie past them on the straight.

Hell of a lot of sentimental value for me as I built the bike in my mates workshop. He gave me the engine as a thankyou for all the work I had done to set up and run the team for him. He sadly died suddenly shortly after the bike was finished.

Chopper.

 

This is my Ultima El Bruto powered chop. The most expensive bike I have ever owned.

The engine is a 113ci (1850cc) Ultima V Twin high compression mirror polished race engine, 6 speed transmission. 3.5" open belt primary drive. 10" wide CNC machined billet alloy rear wheel with matching 5" wide front wheel. PM brakes. Ultima 10" over stock length forks. Fournales air assisted softail suspension. Loads of other high spec parts used, the list is quite extensive.





Gets a lot of attention and won shows, been featured in a few bike mags as well.

Chopper.

 

Couple more pictures of the chop.







Chopper

 

This is my newest baby. I didn't build this bike, I treated myself to a brand new Harley Davidson FXDB Street Bob and paid someone to make a few alterations. Collected her on Thursday 22nd April.

The standard bike is badly restricted by the USA construction and use regulations. The Harley Dealer I bought her from are very stuck up and have a serious attitude problem to guys like me that pay cash money for thier bikes, know what they want and how to do it. They also do not like people buying after market parts from anyone except authorised Harley dealers. The price they quoted me for the extras was ridiculous. Very nearly came to blows with the sales guy about his attitude.

I collected the bikeand rode half a mile to my mates custom shop and left it with him to do the alterations. He beat the dealers quote by £1170 for the extras.

I had Big Radius Ground Pounder chrome exhausts, forward controls, Forcewinder air induction kit, Stage 1 tune, Power Commander 5, 1 1/4" Chubby Apehangers 16" rise, braided hoses, black number plate with my club name across the bottom.

Done 180 miles since Thursday. Not a lot but I have to go to two funerals this week, so I will have done about 1000 miles before the end of the week and then she goes in for her first service.

Now that she can breath properly, she pulls like a steam train, handles very well too. Very pleased with her.





I said earlier in this thread that my bikes are a lifestyle choice. To complete the picture, I am an officer member of a 1% back patch club. There is a hell of a lot more to being a 1% member than just riding a bike. A lot of guys would liketo join but very few are ready or willing to give the commitment required. It is a very demanding lifestyle. I have to follow more rules, protocols and etiquette than most people do. It is 24/7, one mistake and you are out.

Chopper.

 

Your bikes are works of art Chopper.

There is one bit that confuses me. Bear in mind I don't know very much about bikes. In the third from last pic, the close up of the V twin, the cooling fins don't look deep enough for the engine to be purely air cooled, but there is no visible radiator for liquid cooling. How does that work?

 

Thanks Clueless

The engine is air cooled. The biggest problem with that particular engine is that it is very high compression and generates a hell of a lot of power. It is not designed to sit still. She needs as much air movement as possible to keep her within ideal operating temperatures.

The oil pump runs off the crank on the other side of the engine. I fitted the high performance version as it pumps the oil round at a much higher rate than the standard one.

If you look at the other photos of the chop, look at the forward frame down tubes and you will see two cylindrical finned coolers. Having the extra cooling means I can add extra oil. That also helps cooling.

The engine is designed and built for drag racing, short runs over a quarter mile. There are decompression buttons on both cylinders to help when starting. If these are not used it will burn out the starter motor.

Chopper.

 

I see it now

I also noticed the exhaust pipes appear to straight through with no silencers (unless they are low profile ones inside the pipes). I bet she makes an awesome noise when you open the throttle.

 

Actually the pipes have tuned headers, (The first part of the exhaust leaving the head). Lot of custom bike builders do not pay attentionto the proper length of pipes on the big V Twin engines. Both pipes need to be of equal length to balance the back pressure.

On tick over she rumbles with a very deep tone. Opening the throttle she barks like a scrap yard dog. When I fire her up in the workshop she rattles the windows. As I reverse out of the workshop she blows anything loose off the ground, even gravel.

It is not an offensive noise although it is loud and does carry. No one in the village complains about it, but I do make the effort to keep it down at night, switch off as soon as I am in the gate.

Got stopped one night after giving her a fistful of throttle on the way home. Copper honestly thought that there was something wrong when he saw the blue flames coming out the exhaust. He told me he rode a Kawasaki ER500 and had just passed his bike test!!! Didn't give me a ticket just "Advised me" to slow down as he had trouble catching up with me!Bless him.

Chopper.

 

I do some custom paintwork, but the job on the chop was done by a company up north. I will never use them again.

I do all my own frame building, MIG, TIG, ARC and gas welding, lathe work, milling, electrical, tube work, panel beating and mirror polishing. Just wish I had been to college as it has taken years to learn how to do it the hard way.

I worked for a while at Aston Martin at Bloxham near Banbury, building the DB7 and the XK220 Jaguar. Learnt a lot from the guys that worked at the other factory at Newport Pagnell.

Worked for a custom bike shop for a few years and learnt a hell of a lot from the guy that owned the company. He was the guy that gave me the engine for the Yamaha FJ1200 chop. That engine came out of his first drag bike. Sadly he died very suddenly and things were just not the same without him. A great loss to the bike world, over 1200 bikes arrived for the funeral. I still miss him.

Glad you like the bikes mate.

Chopper.

 

Love the bikes, Chopper.....the gas tanks are incredible too.

Thank you for showing us....and as Marley said,......safe riding this summer.

 

Very nice chopper, very nice indeed. Thats one satisfying hobby you have there.

 

Chopper

I was given this 1953 bike in immaculate condition in 1965
(by a senior work manager, who had offered to sell it to my mate, who refused the cheap offer Prefering to buy a second hand C15 for £200 from a dealer, He was that angry he gave me the bike, for free, we were both 18 )

His C15 Gave up after six months, I rode my huge bike for a couple of years trouble free
Unfortuantley when I went away to sea in 67 my brother sold it for £40

Why am I posting, well it always intrigued me and I have never found the answer
The piston was not flat but, was like a large nipple shape, and the cylinder head had a spring release valve operated by a lever that opened a cylinder head valve (so you would have lost all compression ? )

What was that all about ? NEVER USED IT

Just interested after 45year to let me die in peace now I am 64 :-)

Cracking bikes you have got mate

Regards Jack McHammocklashing

 

What make was it Jack? My brother buys old bikes and usually collects them as a box of bits and pieces. His hobby is to re-build and restore them to their former glory. Even bikes as far back as the belt driven one's.