WHAT IS A
CUSTOM BIKE
A custom
bike is a motorcycle that differs from serial production models through smaller
or major changes or modifications. These can range from simple aesthetic
changes to home made frames, modified fuel tanks, swingarm modifications (for
example for wider rear wheels) or special paintwork to make a bike
one-of-a-kind. There are
many different kinds of custom bikes. Some of the most common are (Swedish)
choppers, cruisers, bobbers, café racers, streetfighters, rat bikes and theme
bikes, board trackers and dirt trackers, etc., etc., etc.
Streetfighter
A
streetfighter is usually a fully faired series model motorcycle with a powerful
engine that has been almost entirely stripped of its fairing. Streetfighters
are also referred to as “naked bikes” and have an unmistakeably aggressive look
and sound.
Café Racers
Café racers
are everyday serial production models that have been turned into sport/racing
bikes. This type of customised bike dates back to the 1960s. Back in the 60s
bikers used to meet up in bigger cities like London (here: in front of the
legendary Ace Café) and not only terrorised the streets during their races
(so-called street races), but also laid the groundwork for today’s endurance
events.
Rat Bikes
The history
of the rat bike is as old as the motorcycle itself. The term rat was first used
in connection with motorcycles in the USA. American migrant workers and farm
workers usually had to travel long distances. They were always broke and were
happy to get their hands on an old Harley, no matter how many times it had
already been pieced together with old parts. They would pack up all their
worldly possessions and move from farm to farm on their rats. The basic rule
for this bikes today is that they are purely meant for riding. They are
generally always at the absolute limit for wear and tear; cleaning and
maintenance are not performed on these bikes. They are usually matte black and
with more or less rusty parts to add colour. Repairs generally come in the form
of provisional arrangements, modifications or some other, usually borderline
insane, solution. Some rat bikes have “grown” over many decades. Newer models
get some extra help. In addition to the barely modified and relatively
unspectacular EVERDAY RAT BIKES, there are also stripped down NAKED RAT BIKES,
DECORATED RAT BIKES with all types of refuse serving as ornaments,
military-style SURVIVAL rat bikes, and extremely modified (and often very
expensive) HARDCORE RAT BIKES.
Choppers
Choppers
originated in California around 1948. The term is used for motorcycles that
have been stripped of everything the owner found to be superfluous, such as the
pillion seat, fenders and/or other accessories. It is derived from the word
“chop”. Choppers fall into several sub-categories: soft choppers, Swedish
coppers, factory custom choppers, custom choppers, hardcore choppers (extreme
modifications).
Swedish Chopper
When people
talk about Swedish choppers, they are talking about specific,
radically-puristic modified bikes. Swedish choppers are purposefully built
without any attached parts such as headlights, speedometers and front wheel
brakes. Wire lines and shaft lines are hidden (usually inside the handlebars)
so that they remain invisible to the eye. This then emphasises the appearance
of the parts of the motorcycle that can’t be stripped off without making it
impossible to ride the bike.
Soft Choppers
Soft
chopper is a term that refers to choppers that primarily came from Japan during
the 1980s. The bike builders tried to use typical attached parts found on
choppers (classic parts such as: raised handlebars, forward mounted foot-pegs,
chrome parts and sissy bars) on standard everyday motorcycles to make the bikes
more interesting for consumers and to make them look more like the American
bikes.
Cruisers
Cruisers is
a term that has been used since the 1990s to describe motorcycles that trace
their design back to US serial production models from Harley-Davidson, Indian
and Henderson. Some of the most notable traits of these bikes are a longer
wheelbase, wide tyres, large volume engines and/or wide handlebars.
Bobbers
The term
bobber refers to the small bob on the lower end of the front wheel fender on
old Indian and Harley-Davidson models. In addition to engine tuning, one of the
first modifications made by Harley enthusiasts in the 1940s and 1950s to make
bikes lighter and faster was to mount the original front wheel fender backwards
over the rear wheel. The original rear wheel fender was removed and no fender
was used for the front wheel. This gave the bikes a bob at the rear, which is
why they are called bobbers. The term “bob-job” is commonly used to refer to
the process of turning a motorcycle into a bobber.
Board Track Racers
Board track
racing was a popular type of motorcycle racing in the USA in the early and late
1920s. The races were often held on oval tracks with surfaces made of wooden
boards called motodromes. The racing bikes were cheap, but they required a lot
of upkeep.
Theme Bikes
A theme
bike is a custom bike that - as an artistic rendering - is oriented around a
certain/special theme. An example of a theme bike is a fire brigade bike
decorated with chequered plate and aesthetically modelled on a fire engine.
Theme bikes are often built to order for large companies or celebrities like
film stars, athletes and musicians, since they can quickly become very costly.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento