What is it with this 'Bobber' craze?

[hayduke.klr07]

i have seen some pretty cool rides around here due to the cult of what is known as the Sturgis Rally. The part i don't quite understand is why would a person go out of there way to make a moto more dangerous.

Example: Not having a cover on the secondary drive belt of your V Twin something 'er other. I see pant legs within nanometers of being sucked into a 2 1/2" belt spinning at a ridiculous rate all the time. Or even same bike with the dude wearing shorts with that belt nanometers from his leg.

Confuses the begeezus out of me.

[eliotsajerkface]

Originally Posted by Thanantos

(FYI, Here begins a rant that has nothing to do with the person I am quoting)

Who didn't?

ADD a Ferrari like Magnum P.I.

AND a Kick ass big, Chevy truck like the Fall Guy

AND a badass helicopter like Airwolf

AND a sweet motorcycle like in Tron

AND a kick ass, big boobed girlfriend that would tell our moms to, "fuck off!" as we rode off into the distance...

THEN...some of us grew up and decided we really liked RIDING motorcycles and instead of taking cheap motorcycles from CL and turning them into unrideable piles of crap. To add to his tragedy, about 90% of the trailer park residents that start one of these projects, completely destroying the motorcycle in the process, decided they no longer have the knowledge, skills or ambition to finish it....kind of like the rest of their lives.

The proof is in the showing. At every, tiny little show around here I see 1 or 2 builds that range from 1/4 ass to 1/2 ass, and in response I see multiple CL posts a month of redneck fools looking to sell their train wrecked catastrophe.

SO, if you have a nice bobber build, I'd love nothing more than to take a look. I will appreciate the art you have created, and thank you for contribution to not only the arts in general, but our sport in particular.

HOWEVER, for the 99% of the rest of the "bobber builders" out there...fuck you, fuck you, fuck you...for completely destroying what was once a perfectly good motorcycle.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

If I'm ever in Michigan I'll be sure to have you take a look at my bike. I haven't been able to sleep at night knowing I don't have your approval yet to ride my bike.

I bet you're a ton of fun to be around.

[Flyinace1]

Originally Posted by eliotsajerkface

If I'm ever in Michigan I'll be sure to have you take a look at my bike. I haven't been able to sleep at night knowing I don't have your approval yet to ride my bike.

I bet you're a ton of fun to be around.

You should post a picture so that you can get a preliminary opinion

[crankshaft]

Originally Posted by eliotsajerkface

If I'm ever in Michigan I'll be sure to have you take a look at my bike. I haven't been able to sleep at night knowing I don't have your approval yet to ride my bike.

I bet you're a ton of fun to be around.

You obviously care or you wouldn't have responded

[Ceri JC]

Originally Posted by Trespasser

One factoid is that he ended up with the bikes after the movie. (They had built four, two of which were crashed in the movie). Well, they were stolen from him. How he got them back involved a fully auto Thompson sub, an execution, and a year of weekends and nights in jail while working for my dad. I think I'm gonna have to write it out. I wonder if he's still alive...

New thread please, you've got me subscribed to it already!

[Tuna Helper]

Originally Posted by Thanantos

Camaroes?

Hell, I don't know.

Cameri?

[waveydavey]

Originally Posted by hayduke.klr07

make a moto more dangerous.

huh

Interesting choice of words. I guess you figure that them darn murder cycles start out dangerous. It must take a brave man to tame them.

[twinjet]

Originally Posted by Aah5

Educate me, what is it about a Bobber that makes it so attractive?

I can understand Cafe Racers & Street Trackers, the stripping unnecessary items and modifying to improve performance and handling is Ok by me, I see lots of good looking ones on the road.

The act of cutting up of a bike and removing rear suspension, chopping fenders off, replacing the seat with a board, fitting fat oversize tires and generally stuffing up the ergonomics and handling just leaves me shaking my head.

Nothing in the slightest attractive with these, dare I call, 'bikes'.

Back in the "day" a bobber was the equivelant of today's cafe racer or street tracker. Like todays styling exercises they started out as a street bike modified for racing.

And a lot of people like that "performance" look. Of course carried to the extreme, all of these bobbers, cafe, and trackers lose sight of their original panache.