Custom R65

[hacksaw]

I like this one .
Nice roadster . Not all street trackered to death!
 

[hacksaw]

Looks better in original format

[motogrady]

Looks borderline garage cafe to me.


Not that there’s anything wrong with garage built after work cafe’s.

Well, most of them.

[hacksaw]

Define cafe .
I see no cafe in this bike at all.
It looks more standard roadster than even the stock bike.

[motogrady]

The open air look behind the engine where
an oil tank or battery would go.

The small tight to front tire fender.

The seat which looks to have minimal padding.

Garage built cafe’.

[hacksaw]

I totally disagree .
It’s mainly jap choppers and assorted bobbers and street trackers that push the empty look.
I suppose they don’t have oil tanks even as cafe style .
But cafe bikes have Clip ons and rear sets . True cafe bikes like Norvins Tritons have this area quite filled in with custom oil tanks . Some have a fairing or boxy tail section . And many have NO front fender at all.

This machine could perhaps be called a bobber . The seating is traditional straight up . A lot of crap has been removed but the bike remains symmetrical in appearance and in
rider ergos.
It’s the epitome of a roadster . Sporty kinda standard bike slightly modded in good taste.

[motogrady]

hacksaw wrote

I totally disagree .
It’s mainly jap choppers and assorted bobbers and street trackers that push the empty look.
I suppose they don’t have oil tanks even as cafe style .
But cafe bikes have Clip ons and rear sets . True cafe bikes like Norvins Tritons have this area quite filled in with custom oil tanks . Some have a fairing or boxy tail section . And many have NO front fender at all.

This machine could perhaps be called a bobber . The seating is traditional straight up . A lot of crap has been removed but the bike remains symmetrical in appearance and in
rider ergos.
It’s the epitome of a roadster . Sporty kinda standard bike slightly modded in good taste.

Ya, cafe may have been a bit off the mark,
but bobber is right on imo.


Look at that bike.  
It’s been stripped down to bare bones.

What’s your definition of a roadster

[hacksaw]

You are  certainly entitled to your opinion . I don’t mean to dissuade that.

A roadster is a bike built for sporting road riding in a traditional sense . Not a modern sport bike sense. More laid back than Ricky racer stuff.
Think motorcycle equivalent to a MGB
Or a topless old ford flathead v8 sans front fenders.
Most motorcycles of old , and some still today are roadsters.
Just enthusiast machines a cut above standard utilitarian motorcycle.
Of course there is crossovers . Some scramblers were basic roadsters to start . Roadsters are state of mind. Mid size by todays standards , not tiddlers and not behemoth baggers and they don’t have to have neck breaking power of todays squid bikes.                                  

motogrady wrote

hacksaw wrote

I totally disagree .
It’s mainly jap choppers and assorted bobbers and street trackers that push the empty look.
I suppose they don’t have oil tanks even as cafe style .
But cafe bikes have Clip ons and rear sets . True cafe bikes like Norvins Tritons have this area quite filled in with custom oil tanks . Some have a fairing or boxy tail section . And many have NO front fender at all.

This machine could perhaps be called a bobber . The seating is traditional straight up . A lot of crap has been removed but the bike remains symmetrical in appearance and in
rider ergos.
It’s the epitome of a roadster . Sporty kinda standard bike slightly modded in good taste.

Ya, cafe may have been a bit off the mark,
but bobber is right on imo.


Look at that bike.  
It’s been stripped down to bare bones.

What’s your definition of a roadster

[Fatfatboy]

I like it. Who built it?

Kinda resembles my R60/7 except the R65 has real tires and mufflers.

[hacksaw]

And a rear fender . No offense meant  , but I detest that no back fender trend .

[hacksaw]

I forgot who built it . I just copied the image from a newsletter . The info is so long from these emails I rarely read it all
I may have posted the whole spiel on hacksaws garage face book . I don’t recall . I have to check lol.

[Fatfatboy]

hacksaw wrote

And a rear fender . No offense meant  , but I detest that no back fender trend .

No offense taken. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean someone else can. IT’s what makes life interesting.
Could you imagine if everyone liked exactly what you liked and bought. What a boring world it would be. Nothing to discuss or detest.

[hacksaw]

I suppose.
Some things just don’t make it with me for a couple of reasons.
Especially if it’s trendy.
I suppose it could be said for no front fender as well as rear.
But no front fender has been around for decades. I guess it was a racing thing back in the thirties. But it really doesn’t effect much unless it’s raining . Rider gets it in the face. But no back fender gets tge people behind u. Not just rain but it can throw small shit . But whatever .
I get your point.
I just think no back fender looks unfinished .

[oldironnow]

hacksaw wrote

I suppose.
Some things just don’t make it with me for a couple of reasons.
Especially if it’s trendy.
…
I just think (X) looks unfinished .

I can groove with that assessment.
I think short-tail sporting bikes look unfinished.


.

[hacksaw]

I agree.
The thing here though ,
I don’t get having a front fender and no back fender .
That’s  just caving to a fad. And makes for an unbalanced look to the bike.

Maybe 20 years ago some bobbers started appearing with no fenders. I suppose young folks were trying to make something new. I mean how many ways can traditional bobbers be created? But they just looked like the builder was too lazy to hang a rear fender.
It morphed over into cafe and street trackers.
And then fender elimination kits became commercially available for BMW and hinkley Bonnie’s . Others perhaps.
When I had my 2005 t-100 I thought on this. I envisioned my bike as is vs eliminating the back fender . I realized right off the fender eliminated it would look like shit.
Change just for the sake of change is BS.
Now I am totally in favor of chopped, cropped or bobbed fenders . But at least leave a bit of rear tin to give a complete look. Especially on bikes like bmw where the large gas tank is a largely the focal point , making the rear end look even skimpier looking with no fender.
I am not singling out Fat2. I have been criticizing no back fender builds on a variety of moto news letters for years.
It’s just a major irk to me.

[Fatfatboy]

hacksaw wrote

 But no back fender gets tge people behind u. Not just rain but it can throw small shit . But whatever .

They do create one heck of a rooster tail in the rain. I did a short rear fender on my Ironhead Sportster and was told by the guys behind me that it kicked up a 20' rooster tail in the rain. If it keeps someone off my tail in the rain I don't mind.
I'm not sure how Harley got away with it with the bobbers they were putting out with the evo sporties. I guess the transportation regs don't cover that.

My R60 does have a fender on it. It's just a bit shorter than the one you posted. I think the only way to avoid throwing up rain and small shit is to have a fender that turns down over the fender bout a 1/3 of the way down.
I've ridden behind guys with the fender eliminator on sport bikes and have had small bits come up. It's worse in spring before all the cinders have been washed away but I've also have had it happen when behind jacked up trucks with big tires. Those guys throw some crap in the air.
All part of the experience of open face or no helmet riding.

[hacksaw]

I hate to say it , but those trucks throwing shit off their rear tyres should be taken off the road.
And it’s got nothing to do With open face helmets .
That’s just shifting the blame from the trucks to the rider. Thsts BS. That’s why u see mud flaps on all commercial trucks and trailers that get inspected regularly.
Throwing 20’ roosters at your buddies behind you seems a little out if character for you.
Idk how much of the fender needs to be in place for operational  coverage. Fender height may make a difference.

[Fatfatboy]

hacksaw wrote

Throwing 20’ roosters at your buddies behind you seems a little out if character for you.

It wasn't planned. When building the bike I cut the fender where it looked good without the thought of rooster tails. Once it was finished I liked it. I wasn't aware of the rooster tails until one day out on a ride with some friends we got hit by a popup rain storm and some one mentioned it. Gave me a good reason to ride in the back instead of being road captain.

I was road captain for several years. I enjoyed planning the rides and taking folks on routes they wouldn't normally have taken but sometimes it's nice just sitting in the back and following along and not have to be concerned about the pack behind.

[hacksaw]

That’s a good story .
Yes I can see leader of the pack wasn’t going to work in the rain.