So where's this thing going?

Hey! Post #2! Who says I don't update this blog?

So in the last post you learned that I had purchased a 1981 Suzuki GN400 (for $250 mind you...) and I was going to use that bike for the basis of some kind of Kustom (yes, with a "K" cuz it's kooler.) motorcycle project... So WHY in the world would I choose a GN400? Read on, my friends.

My wife and I moved to Asheville NC from the flat, freezing cold, in-humanly hot and humid (and sometimes all in the same day...) midwest. A little town called Chicago. You might have heard of it... Actually we lived in Elgin, a north-west suburb of the Chi. It was fine, we grew up there, but it's flat. And it's hot... and it's really really cold, and we hate shoveling snow. All the roads are straight and at 90 degrees to each other. I guess it's the ideal place for big, heavy, outdated cruising motorcycles made in Milwaukee. I am not so enamored with these things like everyone else. I instead have a thing for small, lightweight, fast, flickable motorcycles. I probably should've been born in Europe... Maybe Italy. They all love small, racy motorcycles over there. Anyway, I digress. Now we're in Asheville. A small mountain town inhabited by hippies, hillbillies, retirees, New Yorkers, and Floridians. It's a great town, and super diverse. One of the best things is that it's nestled in the Western NC Mountains. Ever heard of the Blue Ridge Parkway? Or how about the Tail of the Dragon? I'm a couple miles from the Parkway, and the Dragon is about 45 minutes away. This is where people come to ride motorcycles. In addition to those famous roads I mentioned, there are tons of hilly, curvy backroads all over. I am literally surrounded by great places to ride... Unless you like hours of super-slab cruising. In which case, I recommend Chicago.

One thing I notice here, is that people ride motorcycles all year 'round. It's not Southern California, and it does get cold here, but people don't seem to mind too much. We have LOTS of scooters running around. That's something I wasn't used to up North. So, it got me thinking...

Tight curvy roads, small engine, fun flickable bike, simple design...
AHA!!!
That's what I'll do. I'll find an older motorcycle that is simple in design, bulletproof, low maintenance, and turn it into something unique, cool, fun to ride on a sunny afternoon, and I'll design it myself! What did I come up with you ask???    Well, something like this:

This is one of many drawings, but it captures the spirit and soul of what I'm working toward. I've grown into liking those old board track racers of the late teens and early 1920's. Back then, Harley was at the top of their game... along with Indian, Cyclone, and the Flying Merkel... among others. So, I guess I do like some Harleys, just the really really old ones. The ones that were fast, and on the cutting edge of technology.

So that's where I'm headed. I have started disassembling the bike, saving what I want in one pile, and leaving the rest for ebay or the scrap yard. I know this will be a long road, but like I said in my last post, I'm excited and can hardly wait to see everything take shape.

The start of something BIG

The realization of many years of thinking/dreaming/designing was realized on February 10th, 2010. This was the night that my friend Dave and I headed down the mountain to pick up a motorcycle. This wasn't just any motorcycle, this beauty was purchased for the sole purpose of being morphed into something that had been bouncing around in my brain for a long time.

I have a little background in suspension tuning, and in the mid 90's I operated Profile Motorsports Services. A small motorcycle roadrace suspension and chassis business. I loved building the bikes and put my heart and soul into each one. Fast forward now to the year 2010, and I'm about to embark on my biggest challenge yet...

I will design, engineer, and fabricate a custom motorcycle from the ground up.

Sounds easy right? I mean if Paul Jr. and Senior can do it, then certainly I can too. Those guys aren't rocket scientists (no disrespect guys...) but I've seen some incredible bikes made by some pretty average folks.

So the journey begins. I have a small assortment of tools, but it's growing all the time. I'm a mechanical person, so I understand machines, and MOST of all, I have a passion and a desire to see this project to completion. I WILL do it.

I do have a day job, and it consists of sitting in front of a computer for most of the day. This means that I will probably not be one of those people who is constantly updating their blog page. I promise to do my best though. Hopefully this will be a great thing for me to look back on and see all my progress, and maybe it'll even inspire someone else to just go for it. You never know what you're capable of unless you try. That's what I'm doing anyway...