Bobber build, heres the latest pics

Hi All, i see its been 3 months since my last posting! funnily enough that would explain the bags under my eyes, hair down to my ass and the sudden mood swings when i hear people talk of holidays.

Anyway, iam sure you didnt stop by at the Blog to hear me rant on about how busy things have been, as if its some excuse for not posting earlier, iam here now and thats all that matters.....right?

Even though work has consumed me lately ive quietly been making some progress on the bike, today it sort of all finally came together, well this stage anyway, iam stoked with the out come so far, its very satisfying to see the vision begining to take shape.

A couple of personal things i would like to share with you just quickly regarding the project, this being my first ground up build as apposed to previous restorations, there is such a huge difference between the two, for me anyway, being a humble Signwriter.

As we know but not in all cases, restoration, be it, re ferbing your great grandmothers mothers bed pan, a historical building or vintage machinery, they all have the same key ingrediant and that is, its an existing thing, you can see and touch it, analise and document what needs to be done to put it back to its formore glory and the satisfaction it brings if your that way inclined.

Building something from scratch with not a nut in sight (except me), no existing part or plans to measure but just a vision of what your wanting to build, i think its a challenge far greater than the restorations ive done, but its something iam thouroughly enjoying. The research time done so far would be huge, each and every component has to be thought of, possible fitting problems / options pertaining to it, style, cost, colour then sourcing the item or can it be fabbed here. Its all good stuff, interesting and above all, its another form of art thats limited only by whats between your ears,....oh and your back pocket

Being lucky enough to have numerous passions, actually i dont think its luck at all, its just the way we are, but my biggest love is design & creating, ive often mentioned in conversation that should one day i wake up and my passion for creating had been taken from me in the middle of the night, i would walk across the road, jump in the ocean and swim till i couldnt any longer then sink to the bottom!

A little drastic i know, but thats what it means to me and building this bike would be without a doubt the most enthrawling design project to date!, when you see the few following photos iam sure that will be hard to understand, just bare in mind that all the little nuts and bolts, filling and hammering are helping to build the big picture. I could go into this alot further, trust me, and i hope this hasnt bored you so much that you want to go jump in the ocean. Just want to share a brief internal part of this journey.

Here she is to date, followed by some progress pics

Picked up the Triple trees and forks from a bloke in Tasmania, came off a 2002 Harley, bought them sight unseen and my initial concern that the fork tubes could be damaged was soon put at ease when the courier dropped them off, here you can see the original forks and the transformation into what i wanted.

Because the bike  is having no front fender or brake, all these ugly tabs had to go

          

Ready for post over to NZ, an old mate shaved them clean, make new dust caps and add some decorative scollop detailing that iam still yet to see on a shaved fork set up, magic job done by 80 year old engineering Master Bob Hindmarsh

The front end has come up a treat

There was a heap of work in the top tree, various holes plug welded, mounting tabs chopped etc, 

Picked up a sweet 4 speed kicker, perfect match for the Knuck.

Rims and hubs back from powder coater, 16"x3"rear Star hub with a 21"x2"front running a beautiful little spool hub made by Wargasse Engineering in the States, was a shame to paint it

Laced up and ready for tread, the rear was easy but the front!! bugger me!! councilor session after that one i tell ya

Thought i would also add the mock up or concept visuals ive been working on, the initial set up was massive, very time consuming but well worth it as i can do colour combinations and see how various components look fairly quickly. What you see here is not the final look or colour, iam a Libran and i ponder over decisions for a long time, and just between you and me, i will be dragging this project out for as long as i can :0).......... God Bless Motorcycles in the House.

Heres a screen shot of my design computer showing the layout

Tastee wall art range

For those of you who couldnt decide on the night which piece you wanted, heres our current range collection. Mix and match to suit your groove.

Tastee markets last night 11th may, wow!

Wow, what an awesome night at the Miami marketta, thank you all for the support last night and the positive vibe! Tastee wall art is all about visual stimulation in a not so serious way.
The t-shirt range is almost complete and will be on the market soon plus i am currently on the hunt for appropriate stools or chairs that would suit the Tastee imagery which i reckon would look funky.
Stay posted for up coming markets or contact is anytime for sales enquiries.

Ellaspede: Industrial designers, bike builders and developers, check these fellas out !

How often do we get to see new bike design concepts on our streets? iam talkin, proper concepts!In my eyes Ellaspede is a company dedicated to traditional style, mashing it with  a modern urban groove, producing bikes and accessories for the Motorcycling enthusiast who appreciates true art.
Do yourself a favour and have a look thru their Site. check out the Ellaspede 001 mad as rear end or drool over some fine bike styling accessories, perhaps some Clobber as well?..........Awesome!

 http://www.ellaspede.com/

Tastee Wall Art: getting ready

Its been a hectic weekend devoted to Tastee, Nat and i did some massive hours putting together more stock in preparation for the Miami Marketta Gold Coast in under two weeks,
Its only run once a month and is something else! most certainly not your typical market, held in an industrial area operated by a designer collective that has built a thriving art space and is heavily focused on supporting local artists. The monthly evening is alive with live bands , DJ's, yummo food and its always packed with smiling punters absorbing the vibe.
A couple of new wall hanging options were created over the weekend that i will post later in the week when they are finished....... ever thought of playing naughts and crosses on your wall?
stay tuned :0)

The Pocket Bike: 2011

This fun little 50cc crotch rocket was introduced to the Stable in 2011 purely for promotional purposes to mimmick my work van, how i did this was by applying a digital print wrap exactly the same as the van. Heres a bunch of pics showing the wrapping process which was no easy task by any means, fun all the same and well worth the long day molding the vinyl around and into its tight curves.

Wings Over Wanaka Airshow 2002

Dad got invited to display his Ryan at the 2002 Wanaka Airshow, he asked if i would like to come along as passenger/ refueling boy which i accepted before he finished his sentence.

An approx 1000k journey broken into two days consisting of numerous fuel stops due to the Ryans short range tank, multiple cups of Tea at humble airfields, great company with our formation buddy Shane Papps in his Ryan STM and the sense of becoming at one with the Ryan and its harmonious klack of the Kinner radial engine.

Heres a handfull of pics from an unforgetable event.

Departing Ardmore Airfield, followed by one of the Airshows big bangers, a P-40

Crossing Cook Straight

Display time

International Photographers were over from their parts of the world capturing the Airshow that would have to be one of the best in the World due to the stunning location and low level displays from rare machines. Heres an early morning photo shoot, i was passenger in the Ryan STM which allowed me to grab this interesting pic of air to air photography.

I managed to snap the pic above of them while they took the below pic of us.

Those in the know will appreciate this shot and understand why i dont need to say anymore!