Is there a type of bike that is still custom but isn't either of these? I've looked for 'custom' bikes of my model and similar models and all that comes up are cafe racers and bobbers. I don't care for the retro style of the racers and I'm not a big fan of the hard tail bikes. I'd like to make my bike more modern looking (not quite a 1980ish bike, but a little more creative in my eyes) but also still look somewhat rugged like a bobber. I'm just looking for ideas at the moment for a project to do in the winter. I've seen a couple bikes looking through photos and one on youtube that really interested me. The biggest things for me are the fender, tank, and seat right now. I have a 1978 Suzuki GS400X. No electric start, kickstart only.
Cafe Racer, Bobber, or?
- Thread starter asletten
- Start date
lurkmaster2000
Active Member
No, sorry those are the only types of custom motorbikes. Come again.
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
Don't get hung up on a name... build what you want.
Maybe one of these will inspire you, click on the "Custom Bike" button on the left...
http://www.bratstyle.com
AlphaDogChoppers
Science is true whether you believe in it or not.
Don't get obsessed with modifying the bike. Just fix it up real nice. Polish the aluminum pieces, paint it, change the handlebars. Maybe ditch the dorky instrument panel and change the headlight & tail light. Re-cover the seat nicely. Put on nice grips.
Here is a bike I re-did recently. It is a 1985 Honda CB650 Nighthawk. It came to me as a rat bike. Leaking oil, corrosion every where. I made no modifications. Just took every piece of the bike and refinished it. It's as nice as any custom, yet it is not customized at all.
Click on any thumbnail for a larger image:
http://www.alphadogcustoms.com/BuildBlogs/cb650sc/
Here is a bike I re-did recently. It is a 1985 Honda CB650 Nighthawk. It came to me as a rat bike. Leaking oil, corrosion every where. I made no modifications. Just took every piece of the bike and refinished it. It's as nice as any custom, yet it is not customized at all.
Click on any thumbnail for a larger image:
http://www.alphadogcustoms.com/BuildBlogs/cb650sc/
ApriliaBill
Yeah...I'm old school.
I agree with these guys, don't worry about labels. Before I hit this site finding proper Cafe's or Bobber's, Brat's was pretty rare. Most bikes under these labels are just hack jobs missing intregal parts. A lot of people think because they cut off part of the frame (usually an important part) and slapped on some bars, that they've "built" something.... I've bought and sold old bikes for decades and thought I'd join this site and "build" some bikes. I put the brakes on that pretty quickly, finding it takes people with more talent than I have to do this properly. So I lurk, gathering as much info as I can in hopes of building something cool down the road...