I figured I'd take the time to share a hobby of mine that some may find interesting. In anything I do, I enjoy seeing drastic transformation, it doesnt matter what the medium is. Whether its done with my bare hands or creative thinking, I relish in the opportunity to flip things upside down.
And so it begins:
I was given this dirty old motorcycle with no key, it wasnt running, pieces missing, but luckily it had a title, which made the process easier down the road. I really didnt have a plan for it, I was literally just taking it of someones hands because they were moving out of state. It sat in this state for 10 years before it was mine, and another 2 after I acquired it.
Boredom:
I dont know what it was but I mustve been bored as hell or something to try to get this old pile of shit running. After changing the oil and hot wiring it to fire it without the key, I finally got old crusty to spit and sputter. The smoke was terrible.
After I realized I had a runner, I decided to start stripping it down, little by little, because I still had no plan and didnt want to tear into it too far.
Oops:
I mustve gotten even more bored so I decided to eliminate the whole rear end of the bike. If I was going to piss with this thing, I was going to make it head turner, as appealing to the eye as a 1980 Honda cm400 could ever be. This thing need stretched and hardtailed, you know, because at this time in my life, my back didnt have as many years on it.
Steel time:
At this point, I needed to order the DOM tubing and get cutting, bending and tacking. I kept the entire rear end straight with a piece of string and a trusty eyeball. Of course I had a few extra stickers laying around, so why not tag this ugly scooter while im playing around, eh?
Paint and assembly:
Finally all was done with the welding and paint, so I took on the idea of unlacing the spoke wheels because if I was in this deep, I needed 2 tone wheels, black hubs and rims with red spokes. Now came the daunting task of relacing....not fun, but as you can see here, I somehow managed to make the wheels into a perfect circle again. It was looking so much better than what it actually was and it was rideable at this point, but I still wasnt happy.
Something had to be done:
I decided to scrap the god awful, reworked trailer fender and the hideous stock gas tank. I scored a used tank from a Sportster and a random front fender from who knows where. The tank needed completely reworked to fit over the odd sized frame but in the middle of the winter, in a heated garage, with reggae and countless cases of Corona with lime, time was not a factor. Matter of fact, life couldve only been better in a beach chair. That random front fender fit the shape of the rear tire like a glove. This was what i was looking for, this would turn heads for sure.
Raw or no?:
The look of the bare steel wouldve looked good with a clearcoat, however, even this may have been too shiny and flashy for me. Im not one thats into the bling. If something is going to catch your eye from me, its going to be the originality, or craftsmanship, not flashiness, I dont believe in it. This is how I am as a person, I dont sugarcoat shit, I dont blow smoke, I try to say less and DO more. So it was a simple choice, o.d. green for the win.
.......and off into the sunset I went.
This was a few years ago, the bike has been gone for 4 to make way for other projects, but at this point life seems to keep happening and the time goes by too quickly. One of these days I'll get back at it, I have plenty of projects to choose from, maybe when I do Ill post a daily blog of the progress of a bike, t-bucket roadster, lead sled or an old truck. If you seem to find yourself in a spot where you arent doing the things that you once enjoyed, stop and take a look around. It could be that the things that occupy your time now ARE the things that make you happy and you no longer need that escape. If thats the case, roll with it. Those old hobbies arent going anywhere!
I hope you all enjoyed this,
Thanks for following!