Joined
·
1,076 Posts
As some of you might have read on my "Stone Free II Project" thread I'm an old school bobber and chopper man from the 1960's and I'm building a tribute Street 750 bobber in honor of my older brother that passed away last year. Both the Street 500 and Street 750 are virtually a perfect fit for the "old school" bobber/chopper style of the 1960's when virtually any motorcycle from 250cc and up was often turned into a bobber or chopper.
Yes, all of the "old school" bobbers and choppers of the 60's were air cooled engines but there was a simple reason for that. There were no good water-cooled motorcycles in that era.
For those that don't know the difference between a bobber and a chopper the primary difference is that the bobber basically retains factory geometry while choppers increase the rake/trail of the front wheel for extended forks. In the 60's the choppers generally had 8"-12" extended springer or girder front forks. Both were stripped down motorcycles often with engine performance upgrades.
Anyway, since I have to create a new frame for my Stone Free II project, and having a background in tooling, I've partnered with a friend to produce after-market bobber and chopper frames for daring individuals that just can't "leave well enough alone" and want to make statement riding. We're also partnering with a motorcycle radiator company to have a "custom" radiator designed for the project (the stock rectangular radiator didn't "work" for me). We'll also product the wiring harness that will be required to run through the frame because that is always a pain in the rear for anyone not used to making up motorcycle wiring harnesses.
No one else to our knowledge has gone off on this tangent but the new Street 500 and Street 750 bobbers and choppers will offer a low cost alternative to the current custom bobbers and chopper. Our goal is to be able to provide the platform for a chopper or bobber that, taking a stock motorcycle and using many of the parts from that bike, can be be built for about the cost of a new Sportster (basically about $13,000 or so). Of course a person can spend more but to have a unique Harley-Davidson bobber or chopper for about 1/2 the cost of even the lowest priced larger choppers and bobbers is really cool IMHO.
The company (Stone Free Manufacturing) is only two weeks old and we haven't even started actual prototyping yet (held for a new Street 750 and Street 500 for our prototype bikes) so bear with me. Of course as I work on building both my "Stone Free II" tribute 750cc bobber and another 500cc chopper prototypes I'll share pictures and information.
I'll also offer as much advice for anyone that's interested in doing this on their own including those that want to build their own frames. We just think that having an after-market frame will make it easier for someone to build a really cool 500cc or 750cc Harley bobber/chopper because of the work involved in producing a frame. Creating the frame is at least 50% of the work in building a custom bike while just assembly is much easier.
It is all very exciting to say the least. I sort of feel like Star Trek where we're "going where no man has gone before." LOL The truth is my partner and I have built so many show motorcycles and have so much background that this is just the next evolution of our creative skills. It's going to be way too much fun.
StoneFree
Yes, all of the "old school" bobbers and choppers of the 60's were air cooled engines but there was a simple reason for that. There were no good water-cooled motorcycles in that era.
For those that don't know the difference between a bobber and a chopper the primary difference is that the bobber basically retains factory geometry while choppers increase the rake/trail of the front wheel for extended forks. In the 60's the choppers generally had 8"-12" extended springer or girder front forks. Both were stripped down motorcycles often with engine performance upgrades.
Anyway, since I have to create a new frame for my Stone Free II project, and having a background in tooling, I've partnered with a friend to produce after-market bobber and chopper frames for daring individuals that just can't "leave well enough alone" and want to make statement riding. We're also partnering with a motorcycle radiator company to have a "custom" radiator designed for the project (the stock rectangular radiator didn't "work" for me). We'll also product the wiring harness that will be required to run through the frame because that is always a pain in the rear for anyone not used to making up motorcycle wiring harnesses.
No one else to our knowledge has gone off on this tangent but the new Street 500 and Street 750 bobbers and choppers will offer a low cost alternative to the current custom bobbers and chopper. Our goal is to be able to provide the platform for a chopper or bobber that, taking a stock motorcycle and using many of the parts from that bike, can be be built for about the cost of a new Sportster (basically about $13,000 or so). Of course a person can spend more but to have a unique Harley-Davidson bobber or chopper for about 1/2 the cost of even the lowest priced larger choppers and bobbers is really cool IMHO.
The company (Stone Free Manufacturing) is only two weeks old and we haven't even started actual prototyping yet (held for a new Street 750 and Street 500 for our prototype bikes) so bear with me. Of course as I work on building both my "Stone Free II" tribute 750cc bobber and another 500cc chopper prototypes I'll share pictures and information.
I'll also offer as much advice for anyone that's interested in doing this on their own including those that want to build their own frames. We just think that having an after-market frame will make it easier for someone to build a really cool 500cc or 750cc Harley bobber/chopper because of the work involved in producing a frame. Creating the frame is at least 50% of the work in building a custom bike while just assembly is much easier.
It is all very exciting to say the least. I sort of feel like Star Trek where we're "going where no man has gone before." LOL The truth is my partner and I have built so many show motorcycles and have so much background that this is just the next evolution of our creative skills. It's going to be way too much fun.
StoneFree
