I've been wanting to build a new bike for a while now. Something that doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Fueley has...something that gets back to basics. I finally finished my project, after thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work. But it was worth it! Want to see it? Here it is!

Hey, did you know that I'm Redefining Trailering? Go here to see how!

Harley Davidson selected my '66 Bobcat for inclusion in their 95th Anniversary Bike Show and I was thrilled! Poor little Baby Blue was in fine company with some bikes that were over 80 years old! But I think she enjoyed it. She liked her first road trip in years, but is a little spoiled now from all the attention... Here's a picture of me with her at the 95th:

In this picture, I'm wearing the nice white staff shirt that Harley gave me, with my "official" Exhibitor pin. I also received a free ticket to the 95th (which I kept, since I'd already bought mine), and a laser-engraved wood box (see below) that had a limited edition belt buckle/pin/keyfob set in it. These items had "for participation in the 95th Anniversary Antique Bike Show" on the back, along with a number. Funny thing, I got number 066/100!

I'm an amateur airbrush artist, so I like to go to bike shows to see what kind of work others are doing. Below are a few pictures of bikes that I particularly liked. Last summer I took a lot of pictures of feathers...now I see that "feathers" and Indian themes are actually becoming commonplace and overdone. It's the occasional "odd ball" bike that really gets my attention, like the John Deere green and yellow one that had a tractor theme to it. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that one, but the second picture collage contains a picture of a bike trailer that's a miniature manure spreader!

 

My beginner bike was a 1980-something Honda 250 Rebel, which was the perfect beginner bike. I really enjoyed learning on it. It was lightweight and I could flat foot it. I managed to find a picture of it. I honestly don't remember if this was the one I totaled or the replacement. The other one was black. I highly recommend this model as a starter bike for any smaller person. (Note lack of passion about this bike!)

By the end of my first year riding, I bought a 1991 Harley Davidson 883 Hugger (I later converted it to a 1200). I learned a lot by customizing my own bike. For instance, you don't have to cut those wires to the tail light, there's a plug tucked in waaaayyyyy down on the front of the fender inside the frame! I knew this bike inside and out and have the scars on my knuckles to prove it. I took a lot of pride in her and it felt good when somebody would say "nice bike" and I could say "thanks, I did it myself." I added the fatbob tanks and skirted fender way before it became commonplace and fashionable. She was truly a creation out of my own mind, not my wallet and I believe that's the way a bike should be customized. If your only involvement in redoing a bike is telling someone else what you want and writing out a check, then you have no involvement at all. Or maybe that's just the artist in me--I'd no more claim I'd painted a store bought picture than claim a customized bike was my creation if all I did was buy the work of someone else. I sold her to a friend in 1996 and have missed her ever since. She must have missed me, too. The friend had a shop redo her and after that she would jettison parts whenever ridden.

My "other" Harley is a 1966 Bobcat. That's CrowDog kneeling and crouching behind her for a size reference--he's 6'3". She is 175cc's of raw power. Bobcats were only made in 1966 (they made 1,150 of them), and were the last of the American-made small Harleys, with production moving to Italy the next year. I've had some trouble tracking down information on this bike and finally stumbled on the Harley Hummer Club on the internet. I'm proud to say that I'm now Member #1066 and I even contributed a picture of my speedometer for their work on documenting Hummers. We haven't restored the Bobcat yet, but she doesn't need too much work. I'm not going to worry about paint and will leave the finish as is. The fiberglass cover that goes over the tank, under the seat, and forms the rear fender is in good shape but faded. It still has the original sticker on it from the place of purchase--a mere 8 miles from where I live. There are, however, a few parts I need. An air cleaner, tail light, axle adjusters, and kicker arm. Oh, and a chain, which is a minor thing. When we were looking her over we discovered that she has the original Grasshopper tires!

Here's a picture of my favorite brother, Tom (also known as T-Bird), tooling down the highway on his '73 Sportster...