Don’t know much about this retro looking custom sport bike, but I think it’s worth publishing in my Blog. On this one, bare steel and aluminum is the real deal. It was built by a shop called Krazy Horse Custom Cycles in England, a country whose custom motorcycle scene is a little bit too tame. Ed Martin from Jammer/Custom Chrome agrees with me and gave its Builder a special Jammer Trophy (pictures Horst Rosler)
Different. I like it.
Wild. But must be heavy for a sportsbike. even with all these holes. But pretty neat. Steel is clearcoated?
Wow, ya just got-a love that 4LS drum.
In the best tradition of Daniele Fontana.
-nicker-
Gotta forgive an aging memory.
In the spirit of “Old is New,” le-me say this about that.
Once-upon-s-time 4LS was the pinnacle of “brakedome”……. 🙂
To be clear, that technology doesn’t compete with modern disks. That isn’t the point.
Those of us who love and appreciate Fontanna’s designs do so much like NASCAR loves push-rod V8s.
Sure, it’s easier to get a more performance out of new DOHC technology than it is out of a classic 350. But that’s the point. There is a challenge to working the physics of a push-rod motor that can spin 9K-10K down the back stretch at Darlington.
The point is, if it was easy everyone would be doing it……. and they ain’t….. 🙂
4LS are not for the uninitiated.
Phil Vincent had a “hitch” in-his “git-along” from a 4LS lock-up at speed.
Fontanna units look Way Cool on a good classic scooter.
But Sorta like kick-staring……. “it’ll bite ya” if you don’t pay attention.
(knowing about that crucial worm-up squeeze helps)
So, like all Cool Stuff, it’s not for everyone. Cutt-n the check is only half the battle.
Let’s face it, if it were easy everyone would be doing it……. but then it wouldn’t be cool.
Bring back that old cool stuff………. 🙂
-nicker-
I’m kinda liking this thing… looks fun, as it should be.
This is another great example of how a Buell/Sportster motor can be used to create an awsome bike. Bare steel can be taken care of with little issues. Clearcoat takes away the cool factor when using the bare steel look.
Great Bike guy’s.
Steve Carr
Lightning Rod Motorcycles
This was an S&S 50th Anniversary bike, and finished 5th in the SB-Series class, and 20th overall.
“On this one, bare steal is the real deal.”
Not quite. The frame, swingarm, tank and seat hump are all aluminum.
Having had the opportunity to see the bike in real life I can confirm the quality of the workmanship is some of the best I’ve ever seen – no paint and filler to cover the welds/hammer work.
Funny how photographs can puff up the most appalling workmanship.
The UK visitors (and the UK press) at the S+S 50th were horrified by the rubbish exhibited by their countrymen, the Ace-Café botch was bad enough but this took the biscuit.
Look beyond the holes and the (debatable) manufacturing prowess, and look at the conception ; show us a close-up of the swing-arm design and spindle fixings, it’s from the lower strata of a 6th-form metal-work class.
The front brake ? You’d never get to find out whether it worked, look at the diameter at which the torque-arms go onto the fork bottoms – one touch of the lever and the (horribly executed) little angle brackets, made from hardware-store marshmallow, bent in a vice, will rip out the puny screws that hold them onto the fork bottoms.
This kind of a bike is what gives the custom industry a bad name, and yet you all blather on and talk it up.
It’s junk, guys, and if you had the proper mixture of engineering skills combined with a simple understanding of Newton’s Laws (and an understanding of why Marzocchi mudguard and brake-arm lugs were at the top of the slider) you would denounce it as such.
Biggest regret : that the weather at La Crosse in June stopped ‘bikes like these having to accomplish 50 miles ON THE ROAD !
Congrats to Paul for building a real nice bike for S&S 50th. Paul is a nice guy and was a great embasador for the English. To see this bike in person and with its raw metalwork is a tesiment to Paul’s fabrication skills.
I don’t think there was any doubt that some motorcycles would not have made the ride at S&S 50th but then again there were many that would have. We all stepped up to the plate while many others didn’t. Some ran out of time and some things got overlooked I’m sure but the bike got built.
Anyone else can step up to the plate and show their bike to Cyril for us to enjoy. Until then it’s just bench racing.
‘England … a country whose custom motorcycle scene is a little bit too tame…’
Ooooh, now thass fightin’ talk there, boy!!
i must admit i thought that comment was a little harsh
Newton-dude.
You must have better eyes….
RE:
“….The front brake ? look at the diameter at which the torque-arms go onto the fork bottoms – one touch of the lever and the (horribly executed) little angle brackets, made from hardware-store marshmallow, bent in a vice, will rip out the puny screws that hold them onto the fork bottoms.
Sorry, but i don’t even see one any torque-arms in this picture (eyes must be getting old)….???
Looks to me like there may be a solid billet aluminum backing-plate-stop with a cosmetic radius milled into it….. (may be). But like i say you could have better eyes….???
RE:
“….It’s junk, guys, and if you had the proper mixture of engineering skills combined with a simple understanding…”
Well, i must be a complete engineering idiot caues i certainly don’t understand how a
“diameter” would “go onto” anything. I guess that “new-Engineering” is something like the “new Math”….. stuff us old guys don’t get.
RE:
“….This kind of a bike is what gives the custom industry a bad name, and yet you all blather on and talk it up….”
Junk ya say?
Could be there’s more than one source of “blather” here……….. ya think…..??? 🙂
-nicker-
Nicker,
Please excuse me, I forgot the étiquette of the Motorcycle Blogger – never comment on anything you actually know something about.
My mistake for being one of the judges at the S+S 50th, having examined the bike close up, talked to the UK press present.
And for building/racing bikes for 20 years.
And for having raced with this kind of brake, complete with AM4 shoes, RM2 tips.
Please excuse my being so opinionated.
As regards the relevance of fixing point radii, suggest you read the label : “engage brain before operating mouth”.
However did you manage before there were blogs like these to pump up your self-esteem ?
Newton,
You said nothing about inspecting/judging the bike personally.
The rest of us who only have access only to the picture offered.
And based on those pictures that scooter looks just fine.
You simply got an answer to (what in context) came across as a rather harsh opinion.
Sorry, if you know it to be junk and expect us to buy that that opinion, identifying your position as an expert would have been helpful.
Absent that. based on what i see in the pic and as a fan of the Brit Rocker era, that scooter looks great to me. Probably light years better than the junk i built as a kid of that era…. 🙂
Excuse me for sticking up for the builder……. burned out old Rockers tend to stick together.
-nicker-
Nicker,
Again, you prove my poiny very well on your own.
Sir, you just proved once again, you are an ass
Please find something you actually know about to comment on other than things you wish you knew about.
Don’t you have an earlybird special you need to hurry and get to?
Simple…
I think i hear your mother calling you.
-nicker-