Try our new info resource - "Aladdin's Cave" (Main menu)Just added a separate link to Ash's Dropbox thread (shortcut)
Everyone to their own, we are entitled to do what we wish to our own bikes its just to me the pleasure in owning an old bike is the fact that it is old and looks old, so I don't see the point of making it look like a modern bike as it will never handle as well as a new one due to the compromise of using an old frame. Anyway a proper bike should have two shocks!! I do like to look at custom bikes and admire the skill and workmanship involved, so if that's your bag then go for it.
I do agree with you oddjob that the work that's gone into that bike is quite something.However it's not about the engineering or the style of the bike it's about the execution and how balanced the bike looks.The bike above has no sense of balance -the back end looking completely disconnected from the rest of the bike and I think the less said about the seat angle the better.The engineering skills to fit all of those bits together, well yes, i doff my cap to that.But for me it's in the design where that particular bike falls down. For me is just a collection of parts thrown together with no apparent thought as to how well it all sits together.It's not about preferring one particular style of bike over another - I personally like bobbers, scramblers, racers, well all bikes really, but they have got to look right.For example. I have seen a lot of cafe racers and essentially they are all the same. Tank, racing seat, rear sets etc. But, while some of them just don't look quite right, some of them look horribly wrong and leave me wondering what on earth the builder was thinking - it's all about balance for me.There is a relationship between the tank and seat that has got to be right for me.Yes, you could build a lovely cafe racer with all the right bits but if you put a seat unit on that sits higher than the tank or overhangs the rear end too much then the balance of the bike is ruined and the whole package suffers because of it.Of course this is all just my opinion. If we all liked the same thing blah blah blah :0)
Stuart that's lovely.Do you have build posted anywhere?
I will say though, it's all a matter of personal taste. If someone wants to build a 500/550 with the benefit of modern suspension, good luck to them. If we all liked the same things it would be a boring world. As you know, I detest polish and my bike is far from standard.One of the things that lets this bike down is the front brake. A more modern front end would certainly sort this out. I remember the front brake on my CX500 being phenomenal as it had two twin piston calipers. If there were a way of fitting that set up I would be interested, as long as the wire wheel could be retained.