How to ruin a perfectly good stock frame

[mlc216]

Got a little work done on a sissy bar tonight:

[Erki]

wowsers thats tall. I was thinking though with that long springer front end, the back needed something to balance it out.

[DrunkenChekhov]

Couple questions. Why do bobber people love having a itty bitty tank? I think it just looks so out of place. Also, why the springer if you're gonna commute on it?


I'm not hatin, I can appreciate a well done bobber, and yours is looking good :thumbsup:

[mlc216]

Well this is actually a chopper. Bobbers and choppers are two very different things...

A "bobber" refers to a bike that has basically just had the fat trimmed. Still retains a stock tank usually and just has things cut down slimmer and removed anything that's not needed. This is the style bike that guys started building when they came home from WWII and had piles of fully decked out harley's sitting around. Here's an example of a triumph bobber:

Just kind of stripped down, but nothing ridiculous...

Then came the wild 60's and 70's... my build represents an early 70's build. Some of you guys are probably old enough to know how good the drugs were back then haha. Anyways it was common practice to put an extended front end on a stock rake frame to get that leaned back stance. Then aftermarket companies started making longer springers and stretched hardtail frames, etc.

Early 70's chopper:


I feel different... if I put a stock tank on this frame it would be way out of place. And the springer I picked up at a swap meet for cheap last year and I've been wanting to use it. It gives me the perfect stance (in my opinion) on this frame.

Oh an I'll probably build another sissy bar or two... probably shorter. But I had an 8 foot piece of square stock so I figured I might as well see how it looks!

[pete]

Got a little work done on a sissy bar tonight:

I'm glad you didn't say "got work done on a little sissy bar tonight"

I know I said a big sissy... but man that's huge! And no need to boast

[mlc216]

haha yeah it's pretty huge... I kinda figured I'd go big on the first one... May run this one for the trip to barber and then go to a shorter one for the daily ride so it doesn't vibrate in half haha

[Bandit]

Oh my it's so big

[pete]

haha yeah it's pretty huge... I kinda figured I'd go big on the first one... May run this one for the trip to barber and then go to a shorter one for the daily ride so it doesn't vibrate in half haha

Hahahaha with that on there you may be mistaken for...



Hahaha

Just kiddin', should give it a bit of wow factor for Barbers!

Oh my it's so big

That's what she said... hahahaahahaha

[mlc216]

http://www.youtube.com/embed/jjy_7haflaM

[pete]

http://www.youtube.com/embed/jjy_7haflaM

Hahahahahahaha love it!

[Leigh]

mlc, that sissy is brilliant.
I love the little tank too.
The only other thing you could use is a coffin tank.

I completely understand where you are going with this.
Keep it up.
Grow a scraggy beard and rip the sleeves off your denim jacket.
(Like you haven't done that already)

A nice set of pull-backs in line with the springer would really suit.

[oohsam]

Hey MLC, can you tell me, do sissy bars serve some sort of functional purpose, or are they purely asthetic?
I never worked out why they are on choppers..

Awesome work btw. Love the build.

[Leigh]

Hey MLC, can you tell me, do sissy bars serve some sort of functional purpose, or are they purely asthetic?
I never worked out why they are on choppers..

Awesome work btw. Love the build.

Cos they are so damned cool.
That's all.

[pete]

Cos they are so damned cool.
That's all.

What would Peter Fonda have done without it??? Nowhere to hand his helmet otherwise...

Don't worry MLC, you gotta have one on there, wouldn't look right without it!

Oh and oohsam... some people actually have pillions lean up against them...

[oohsam]

Ahhhh its a backrest! I was born in the 80s so I am kinda missing alot of the historical type references! ! Thanks for the clarification