CooperSmithingCo
New Member
My name is Joe and 'm an addict. Problems began when I realized nothing on earth could compete with the efficiency and versatility of a motorcycle. After my first experience, I was hooked, and now it has consumed my entire life and all my money.
I started in the industry during the chopper boom, and after making show bikes for a few years I started to drift toward a different style when I branched out on my own:
It's a natural progression when you get into motorcycles, you start to appreciate the function more and more. That was a bike built several years ago and still very much for the show circuit. I've kept trimming the fat on these things and right now I'm very much involved in turning 70's era dirtbikes into street machines. Here's a steel fuel tank I'm building for such a bike right now:
I suppose it will be a cafe racer type of a look, but I never much cared for labels. What it will be for sure is a 200lbs kick in the pants, and I see myself building a lot more like it.
I spend most of my time building fenders these days. We just had a video shoot wrapped up this week, shows the process of hammering one out:
<a href="http://vimeo.com/95832130">Cooper Smithing Co - Hand-made Motorcycle Fenders</a>
I love getting involved with people who share the same moto addiction - the people with a real passion for the machines. Mostly I gravitate toward vintage bikes, even WWII era and earlier. I have a vision about fitting a flathead engine into an ultralight frame. I'm aware of the contradiction in efficiency, but something about the simplicity of that setup is just calling to me. My favorite type of business is trade, so if anyone has one of those old girls hiding away (or an old MX bike for that matter) and is in the need for some metal work, I'm your guy!
I try to get on the internet and stay up-to-date as possible, but being a one-man operation it's hard to find the time. Just the same, it's good to bounce ideas around and dream out loud with people every now and then, so I hope to find some like-minded people on here.
Good to meet you!
Joe - www.coopersmithingco.com
