Motorcycle customs/choppers and TV shows

[Argh]

Anybody else like to watch the Discovery Channel with their custom motorcycle building shows?

I have to admit, I love the Discovery Channel and their bike-building shows. I watch wayyy too often, in fact. And I cant help but watch and think “hey, that doesnt look so hard…I could do that” cause they make it look soo easy. Its a short clip of someone welding a frame or pounding a piece of sheet metal, then cut to commercial, and then they come back and its all done…

Someday, I just know it, I’m gonna get the idea that I can weld a whole lot better than I actually can and do something really stupid.

 

[Cactus]

Those choppers are works of art, poetry on wheels! I would never ride one, but I do admire their craftmanship.

 

[awalt]

Having ridden a Harley for years and being somewhat knowledgeable about bikes and their mechanics, 95% of these bikes that you see wouldn’t reliably take you more than a 10 mile ride - in fact quite a lot of them are not practically ridable. Whether it’s due to comfort (handle bar position, seat type/position, control location), or legality (lights, brakes, some may not even have rear brakes!), or reliability (big muscle engines that the rest of the drive train can’t keep up with, or a system designed for show where weak links will cause failures (piston, valvle, etc.), these bikes are not built for anything other than to look at.

If you want a great example, keep an eye out for the Discovery Channel special on custom bike building with Jesse James, famed custom bike builder. It originally aired about 2 years ago and repeats from time to time. He builds this awesome looking bike, starts to ride it to a bike show, and it has a serious break-down about 200 miles into the ride

 

[Almeria]

Thank you, awalt! So many people are into the chopper scene, and don’t really understand that those bikes are not fit for usage. They are lovely works of art, but are just disasters on the road.

You can also count the handlebars as being a legal issue. I believe that most states have laws about not having the controls above your shoulders (that’s what I learned years ago in my MSF course). Besides, why on earth would anyone who knows anything about physics even want to be on one of those things? You’re just sacrificing so much! Give me a standard bike anyday!

 

[Argh]

I really cant imagine a 100+ cubic inch motor. I was ecstatic with my Honda XR50 (before I dumped it). Guess how big that engine was?

I cant imagine riding a rigid frame on the highway…but I know people do it and say they like it. My friend “chopped” his old Buell and basically put everything but the gas tank and fenders into a new frame (you can buy frames for “donor” bikes). Looked great, actually ran wonderfully…until he put 40:1 gas into it by accident…

 

[Argh]

Oh yeah, anyone have any experience with Kawasaki Ninja 250’s? I’ve been looking for a cheap used bike to get me short distances.