Well, it looks like I've got my BMW sold but I've been bitten by the bike bug. I would prefer a Triumph but would consider a BSA. Needs to be rigid and stripped down. I was really diggin' those pics that were posted a while back. I'm thinking about just buying a chopper frame and building one from scratch. I don't have a lot of cash to work with and it looks like (Ebay) you can buy most anything you need, even a motor. Any opinions?
Make your own frame, and it will be "from scratch" (or close enough to it). Otherwise it's "from parts". Check out a Yamaha XS650 motor before you decide unless you're hung up on brand names. Same feel, sound and power because it's a 650 parallel twin made to compete with the british on the flattracks in the late 60s/early 70s, but it's a lot tougher and way more reliable. Not to mention cheaper. It looks good, but it's a bit more industrial looking, instead of the pretty, embelished look of the triumph motor.
Why don't someone post some pictures of one of Yamahas. I think I am interested. I always liked the show bikes they used to print Hot Rod and other magazines back in the 50's and 60's.
That is super nice! Just perfect. Nice to see a bike chopped like a real hot rod motorcycle instead of a gay hippy bike.
Here's a more traditonal one. I'm not wild about all of the details but the basic shape is nice and you can see the motor well. http://cyclepsycho.com/yamachopper/yamachopper.html
Duh, just go here. http://www.650choppers.com This one's nice: http://www.650choppers.com/AlbertHansen.html
Buy a running ridable bike, then swap all the parts to a different frame or get a weld on hardtail, or a bolt on. It's alot easier than just pieceing one together, less time aswell. If you shop around you could find a good running/reliable Triumph for under 2k, I'm askin for $1800 for mine(spam). -Jesse
YOU guys gotta stop putting these *****en bikes on the Hamb,It's enough to make a guy sell one of his rods and start bikein--TV
Oops, I meant a Norton Manx, not a gold star. They're the only brit single that ever made any real power.
The 650 Yams are still good flattrack motors, but...anyone who'd advise a friend to buy one is the kind of person who used to s**** running flatheads just to fit an SBC in a rod.I'm not prejudiced either, I ride a Honda 500, but if you really want that old school chopper the build a Trumpet or a BSA, not a lego bike clone of one. The best internationally compe***ive Manx Nortons make about 58 HP NOW and back in the fifties, 46 or so. Goldstars between 36 and 48 HP depending on the tuner (fastest ones at Ascot in the 60s). A fast Velocette single was always faster than either but wouldn't hold together...
I didn't say anything about trashing a triumph motor, just making sure nothing unrealistic is expected of them. If you want cheap, if you really want to go places (I mean more than a state away), or if you want to build it up and have it hold together, or if you're not patient, use the Yam and save the Tri for someone else. The Yam came out in 68 and was high tech for it's time so it's not going to fit with an early/mid 60s period piece, if that's what you want. The Yam is not at all a clone though. Other than being a parallel twin with a 360 crank that was made to run on the same tracks, it's nothing like the brit twins.
After owning 15 or so Harleys, numerous Hondas, Triumphs, etc, and coming close to owning Donzies BMW...(thought it would make a great custom)...I ended up picking up a low mileage 78 Yamaha 650 to tear around on this summer. Clean, cheap, and a blast to throw around. I don't see it as chopper material, but I do have some ideas about how my next custom will look...gotta be a 1970 or older Truimph in flat track style, rigid, wide bars, ...similar to Coles blue bike.
One thing hot rod guys don't get is that car ****ogies don't work well with bikes because there is no old hemi, big block, nailhead or even small block equivelant for motorcycles other than 70s japanese engines. There are plenty of engine choices for hotrods that can make power on par with anything out there in the car world, but there are no pre-japanese mc engines that are anywhere near as reliable as most hot rod engines including flatheads, and they make a small fraction of the power of modern mc engines. The only thing that resembles a "traditional" engine with any real power and reliability is a modern big inch aftermarket american twin, if you're a rich guy. Otherwise you decide between a real bike or a pretty around-the-block toy.
Man, I didn't mean to start something here. I have to say, after looking at some of the Yamahas, I kinda like 'em. Hatch and I had a discussion a while back about how a Yamaha engine looked a lot like a Triumph. I hadn't never noticed that before. I'm just looking for something I can build a low-buck, rigid frame, Bobber style bike. If I was to pick up a 650 Yamaha can I buy a rigid, bolt-on, tail pc. for it? The stock fenders, tank and seat would have to go but I could do all of that in time. I know it's not a real chopper but again, I juust want something reliable to have some fun with. I mean, I can dig this.
[ QUOTE ] I know it's not a real chopper [/ QUOTE ] wtf? does it have to be a harely or a brit bikes to be a chopper? I dont think so
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