Congrats to Kanticoy's Gretta! Our April 2010 Bike of the Month!
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=10530.0
----------------------------------------
Well DTT family, as strange as it seems posting bits and pieces up here about myself and my exploits with my build, I have to say, it is an honor to even be considered. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Gretta is DTT's bike. She's born and wished into being because of this place, and without the minds that contributed to her creation on this site, she would have never become anything even close to what she is today. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Gretta started life as the same pile of dreams and rust that we all know so well. She was a dusty lump in a local garage just wishing for her hayday to come again so that she could feel the wind in her hair. Little did she know the transformation that she had in store when she rolled onto my trailer in the pouring down rain.
In 30 minutes, I had her running. She suffered from a chronic case of cruddy carburetors and fried coils. She bit hard in the beginning, shocking my leg with frayed plug wires and rusty bolts.
Over the next several months, she was torn down to a pile of 1970's styling. Rust dust was everywhere, there was burnt oil on the shop floor, and stripped out honda phillips head screws riddling the workplace where she came to be either buried or revived.
I was always inspired by the sleek board track racers and slender lightweight bikes of decades past. I was enamored by Burt Monro and his indian. I wanted something different. There was always something not right about her swinger and the back half of the frame, so I cut it. From there, a completely new rear subsection was fabricated with seat rails and mounts. I had to one-off the swing arm, because I love teh old school styling of tubular swingers. Since I had decided to mono shock her though (dare to be different), it had to be done right, so I mimicked the styling and strength of 70's flat tracker swing arms with plenty of bracing and reinforced mounts everywhere.
The tank was thought over for countless hours until I came across the perfect shaped Ducati single tank for a steal of a price. It was meant to be. The seat was hand fabricated to match the tank, and was also built around the 1950's Buick tail light.
Every bolt was turned. The cylinders bored and honed and new rings installed. Every part was cleaned and painted. Every bearing replaced. It was a labor of love. Every day that I saw her evolve into something more incredible in my eyes, it was pure motivation to keep working harder and longer. You guys know that feeling. The moment when life gets breathed into the sculpture that you have toiled over. It really does come alive.
With the help of you guys, colors were discussed and decided on, along with every other styling cue we could debate.
The wheels were laced by me by hand with Buchanan's stainless spokes and Excel alloy rims.
Gretta taught me so much about what it is to create something that helps to define you. It really showed me how how a vision and a sense of artistic merit combine to really turn everything we do into an individual creation. Mimicry is almost impossible when you listen to your machine. It is an extension of your mind and soul.
Right now, I have a spare motor that I am rebuilding the bottom end of. I am replacing every bearing and seal, with powdercoated cases and torqued to spec everything. I am only doing this so that I can call her a complete rebuild. I want to have faith in her reliability. But for now she is riding in the wind and bringing a smile to my face everytime I twist her throttle!!
Thanks, sincerely, with every bit of gratitude that I can muster to the DTT crew. Thank you for sweating and thinking and getting dirty with me for these many months. It's been a wild ride!
Before:
After:
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=10530.0
----------------------------------------
Well DTT family, as strange as it seems posting bits and pieces up here about myself and my exploits with my build, I have to say, it is an honor to even be considered. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Gretta is DTT's bike. She's born and wished into being because of this place, and without the minds that contributed to her creation on this site, she would have never become anything even close to what she is today. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Gretta started life as the same pile of dreams and rust that we all know so well. She was a dusty lump in a local garage just wishing for her hayday to come again so that she could feel the wind in her hair. Little did she know the transformation that she had in store when she rolled onto my trailer in the pouring down rain.
In 30 minutes, I had her running. She suffered from a chronic case of cruddy carburetors and fried coils. She bit hard in the beginning, shocking my leg with frayed plug wires and rusty bolts.
Over the next several months, she was torn down to a pile of 1970's styling. Rust dust was everywhere, there was burnt oil on the shop floor, and stripped out honda phillips head screws riddling the workplace where she came to be either buried or revived.
I was always inspired by the sleek board track racers and slender lightweight bikes of decades past. I was enamored by Burt Monro and his indian. I wanted something different. There was always something not right about her swinger and the back half of the frame, so I cut it. From there, a completely new rear subsection was fabricated with seat rails and mounts. I had to one-off the swing arm, because I love teh old school styling of tubular swingers. Since I had decided to mono shock her though (dare to be different), it had to be done right, so I mimicked the styling and strength of 70's flat tracker swing arms with plenty of bracing and reinforced mounts everywhere.
The tank was thought over for countless hours until I came across the perfect shaped Ducati single tank for a steal of a price. It was meant to be. The seat was hand fabricated to match the tank, and was also built around the 1950's Buick tail light.
Every bolt was turned. The cylinders bored and honed and new rings installed. Every part was cleaned and painted. Every bearing replaced. It was a labor of love. Every day that I saw her evolve into something more incredible in my eyes, it was pure motivation to keep working harder and longer. You guys know that feeling. The moment when life gets breathed into the sculpture that you have toiled over. It really does come alive.
With the help of you guys, colors were discussed and decided on, along with every other styling cue we could debate.
The wheels were laced by me by hand with Buchanan's stainless spokes and Excel alloy rims.
Gretta taught me so much about what it is to create something that helps to define you. It really showed me how how a vision and a sense of artistic merit combine to really turn everything we do into an individual creation. Mimicry is almost impossible when you listen to your machine. It is an extension of your mind and soul.
Right now, I have a spare motor that I am rebuilding the bottom end of. I am replacing every bearing and seal, with powdercoated cases and torqued to spec everything. I am only doing this so that I can call her a complete rebuild. I want to have faith in her reliability. But for now she is riding in the wind and bringing a smile to my face everytime I twist her throttle!!
Thanks, sincerely, with every bit of gratitude that I can muster to the DTT crew. Thank you for sweating and thinking and getting dirty with me for these many months. It's been a wild ride!
Before:
After:
