OK, can't resist the temptation any longer.
My "spare" TR1 was going to be a dogs bollox Cafe Racer - sixties style, but that would then give me 2 of the same, only with one better than the other ! :
I've been admiring the work you guys have been doing with all manner of Japanese stuff - totally in your own style - but never the less with a definite theme.
There's been some fantastic TR1 / XVs on the boil here and elsewhere [ Virago specific ], but I didn't think I had what it takes any longer to "break the mould" as we did in the 50's and 60's. So, it's take the 60's blinkers off [ been on a LONG time ] and have a look at the possibilities. Then came Doc's Gold beauty - not quite my cup of tea with the big front tyre, but a fantastic machine and beautifully executed.
So why's the BC posting on the Specials thread ?
Swag's new find and proposals have really whetted the appetite to attempt [ maybe fail ] to do something a bit different to MY usual fare.
His talk of BMW forks was along the same lines I'd been thinking, as I had just taken the modded K1100 forks [ K1200S wheel ] off the bench to put the TR1 frame on. As they passed each other - the forks just looked a natural !
However, if I want to build something that has some of MY thinking involved [ usually a bit off the wall ] - I was contemplating all manner of front ends. Then today I was working on the Scorpio Reverse trike and needed to photograph some of the unwanted spares to go on E-Bay [ Christmas is a coming ]. And there was the lightbulb moment .. a complete Telelever front end from an R1150S.
I was nowhere near the TR1 at the time and could only imagine what might be .... but imagine the lower Telelever [ wishbone ] mounts attached to a framework around the Yam lump picking up with either an Egli inspired frame [ like Loeke's ] or maybe a Trellis.
The Beemer front end is super light and completely does away with rake variation [ make that trail - sorry ] on acceleration / braking.
I'm arranging to borrow a complete front end from AC and will mock it up when the motor's on the bench. Maybe, maybe not, but it's a start.
I've also got a good idea for the matching BMW 5 spoke rear wheel [ 3 spoke shown here ]. The irony is that if my bike were a shaftie - the rear wheel conversion would be comparitively simple.
My "spare" TR1 was going to be a dogs bollox Cafe Racer - sixties style, but that would then give me 2 of the same, only with one better than the other ! :
I've been admiring the work you guys have been doing with all manner of Japanese stuff - totally in your own style - but never the less with a definite theme.
There's been some fantastic TR1 / XVs on the boil here and elsewhere [ Virago specific ], but I didn't think I had what it takes any longer to "break the mould" as we did in the 50's and 60's. So, it's take the 60's blinkers off [ been on a LONG time ] and have a look at the possibilities. Then came Doc's Gold beauty - not quite my cup of tea with the big front tyre, but a fantastic machine and beautifully executed.
So why's the BC posting on the Specials thread ?
Swag's new find and proposals have really whetted the appetite to attempt [ maybe fail ] to do something a bit different to MY usual fare.
His talk of BMW forks was along the same lines I'd been thinking, as I had just taken the modded K1100 forks [ K1200S wheel ] off the bench to put the TR1 frame on. As they passed each other - the forks just looked a natural !
However, if I want to build something that has some of MY thinking involved [ usually a bit off the wall ] - I was contemplating all manner of front ends. Then today I was working on the Scorpio Reverse trike and needed to photograph some of the unwanted spares to go on E-Bay [ Christmas is a coming ]. And there was the lightbulb moment .. a complete Telelever front end from an R1150S.
I was nowhere near the TR1 at the time and could only imagine what might be .... but imagine the lower Telelever [ wishbone ] mounts attached to a framework around the Yam lump picking up with either an Egli inspired frame [ like Loeke's ] or maybe a Trellis.
The Beemer front end is super light and completely does away with rake variation [ make that trail - sorry ] on acceleration / braking.
I'm arranging to borrow a complete front end from AC and will mock it up when the motor's on the bench. Maybe, maybe not, but it's a start.
I've also got a good idea for the matching BMW 5 spoke rear wheel [ 3 spoke shown here ]. The irony is that if my bike were a shaftie - the rear wheel conversion would be comparitively simple.