A late Hello from one of the rookies involved in the Metric Revolution television build off. John, Soren and several others from this forum have been so kind to drop an encouraging email from time to time as I have been busy with a ground up custom derived from a new Triumph SpeedMaster. We had the unveiling in Las Vegas last week and now I am allowed to show my stuff. I wanted to do that first here because of the support.
I suspect this bike will not be everyone's cup o' tea but I ask that you consider the fact that I was fortunate enough to get a crack at this from thousands of applicants and it is my first rodeo. Not my first custom bike...just my first ground up job. The images you see will not resemble your own beloved SpeedMaster but if you take a gander at the powerplant, you will see where the heart is. Study it and you will see what I've done for the sake of custom...and the engineering challenge of it. Yep...keep in mind that I had this one chance to go all out and I wasn't interested in building another retro or bobber or even a Rick Fairless imitation. This is my own original design and as much as I like the bobber and ape hangers that sits in my shop tonight (along with several other style customs), this was my design decision for the show that is to come soon. I simply wanted to do something that has not been done with this great Triumph platform. Big Thanks to Jojje in Sweden which I know many of you will recognize the name. The guy is a jewel.
I call it RATIKUL...and it was well received in Vegas. Now that this is past, I am able to continue on with my next project which is the BootLeg Bonnie frame that Big Daddy has on his frame page at Bitter End Old School Choppers. I had Big Daddy make that frame for me in an effort to give it a no downtube look. For this design, Big Daddy admitted to me that at first, he thought I was crazy. After progressing with the design on the frame, he told me I was a genius. Coming from Big Daddy, that is a large compliment but if he thinks I'm genius material, someone should check in on him from time to time to make sure he is doing OK after the lick to the head. This BootLeg frame has a very low seat height and the potential for a very wide rear tire...I have had a 330 x 17 in there and there is room for a 530 chain using a jackshaft to keep the tire centered.
After disassembling the SpeedMaster, I quickly fell head over heels for the Triumph stuff. If y'all don't mind, I'll be hangin' my hat around here to learn a little more about 'em. Thanks, guys and gals. Be safe.
Carl in Kentucky USA
MoonShineSteel.com
About the pics...
First image I am really proud of...that's Kyle Woods...Triumph's factory rider and stunt guy extraordinaire sitting on RATIKUL...what a great guy.
Second image is the CycleTrader.com crew that worked the Fremont Street Experience unveiling there in Vegas. They were a lot of fun and like most everyone I met there those 2 days on Fremont...some of the nicest people you could ever meet.
Third image I shot here at my small shop trying to ready it for the road trip to Vegas. It just shows a different angle and the other side of the bike. I'm kinda proud of the Triumph name and logo in case you can't tell...it's hand-tooled into the leather seat and on both sides of that new valve cover as well as the belt cover.
