I have been invited as a 20 year Long term builder for the Sturgis Exhibition this year in August.

Well, with everything going on right now, I need a little pick me up and a little while ago I was invited as a long term Builder to exhibit a Motorcycle I am building from scratch, to display at the Buffalo Chip at Sturgis this year- but, with the Pandemic, everyone was held up in a way that would make it very difficult to create and head turning Motorcycle by August.

So- the Organiser Michael Lichter has decided to make this Sturgis deal and 2 year exhibition called heavy Mettle. And this year all builders will be showing motorcycles the created years ago and I thought would be neat , is taking Bass Player of Greenday “Mike Dirnt” Caff bike I created for him back in 2006, and hopefully its still in one piece after all them years as Mike likes to ride pretty hard when he gets time to go out etc.

I wont receive it at my place until the end of the week, and as 14 years has passed, I am sure it will need a little bit of clean up but it will show this bike is used and I hope I do the Cafe, Brat and Metric Motorcycle builders out there, justice at what I created all those years ago.

I am excited to at least show this old Ton up machine that I built from parts around the garage when Mike Came to see me back then and then later Next year will bring the bike I am staring to create for the show, but thats a long way off from being completed and am glad we get this opportunity to continue building for next years show.

I am going to put the information for Sturgis below, just in case anybody is attending this year and want to see a little something different and creative.

So-here is the information about Sturgis as I am hoping that some of you may be able to make this show and see some creative Builders that have been around for Donkeys years LOL! Seems like it anyway.

 

 

So I am going to take Mike Dirnt of Greenday ,Cafè bike to Sturgis.

It arrives from Oakland Thursday so I can clean it up, I built that back in 2006.

 

Heavy Mettle” Exhibit to Feature Legendary Builders Who Have Withstood the Test of Time
See Dozens of Machines Built by Master Builders for Motorcycles As Art Exhibit Curated by Michael Lichter
Who:You and your friends!
What:Heavy Mettle Exhibit
When:Saturday, Aug. 8 – Friday, Aug. 14, 2020 – 2-10 p.m.
Where:Buffalo Chip Event Center Near the East Gate
Why:See this one-time collection of world-class custom motorcycles built by the most legendary builders in the industry.
How:It’s FREE to the public! Get there however you can.
Many motorcycle builders come and go. Economic downturns and fickle twists and turns of moto fads can yield a new crop of talent each year, only for those names to become forgotten by the onset of the next trend.

Those with metal-lined backbone and character strong enough to buck trends have earned their legendary status and a fair amount of recognition. During the 80th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, you’ll have the opportunity to see 38 of these builders display a motorcycle in the style of their choosing in the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s 2020 Motorcycles as Art exhibit titled “Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles and Art with Moxie.”

In addition, this one-time collection will give you the chance to see photographs captured by exhibit curator and legendary motorcycle lifestyle photographer Michael Lichter over his 40-plus-year career on the walls of the exhibit hall.

The exhibit is free and open to the public at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Event Center from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 through Friday, Aug. 14, 2020.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Heavy Mettle: Motorcycling With Moxie will feature a collection of custom motorcycles from 38 of the world’s most celebrated builders that’ll show you the spectrum of history and possibilities inherent in custom motorcycling. Without a theme to guide the builds themselves, you will see the world’s most legendary builders shine in their particular niche of custom motorcycle building that’s made them a household name in a world-class gallery setting.

In order to secure an invitation to join this show, builders must have completed at least 20 custom builds and been in business for at least 20 years. Faced with the knowledge that half of all businesses fail in the first five years, it is evident these motorcycle aficionados have fought hard to become successful and legendary well beyond the confines of the industry.

You’ll be able to get an up-close view from every angle as each bike is individually lit and displayed atop elevated pedestals spread throughout the hall.

Every bike you’ll see in the display will be built specifically for this show. This means in many cases you’ll be one of the first in the world to lay eyes on them.

MEET THE CUSTOM BUILDERS
The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit include:

Arlin Fatland

Bill Dodge

Billy Lane

Brian Klock

Carl Olsen

Chica Chikazawa

Cole Foster

Cory Ness

Dave Perewitz

Don Hotop

Donnie Smith

Eddie Trotta

Fred Cuba

Fred Kodlin

Jeff Cochran

Jerry Covington

Jim Nasi

Kaichiroh Kurosu

Ken Nagai

Kiwi Mike Thomas

Lou Falcigno

Mondo Poras

Pat Patterson

Paul Cox

Paul Wideman

Paul Yaffe

Richard Pollock

Rick Fairless

Roland Sands

Ron Finch

Russell Mitchell

Shinya Kimura

Steg Von Heintz

Steve Carpenter

Sugar Bear

Tomo Matsumura

The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit .

Sturgis Honda still in the planning, but making some headway.

Rome was not built in a day and the same goes with this old inline four Honda CB750 machine, it is a wee bit of a head scratcher as so many things I am trying out, some work, some do not, but I guess that is the adventure in stepping into the unknown, when it comes to fitting non stock parts to a well known brand.

Well, the 230 pound inline 4 Motor is finally in and I tell ya, having a girlfriend that drops everything and gives you a hand, manipulate this arse grape giving engine into its cradle, well, its a blessing I tell ya, what a girl. We managed to get this motor in the frame area as I cut the old rails out and am making them removable.

The Lump is in place, it will be taken out later when I get to strip it all down and work on the frame for welding and I think I shall paint it, but right now I have no clue on color yet and am glad we got the motor to sit in this old Duplex cradle chassis, but so much more to do now.

This is an old KO Die cast Motor and this time we have lightened the flywheel and will not be using a starter Motor, it will be kick only, but should save some weight on the starter alone.

You can see the frame rail that is removable, I will strip the bike later and paint but I wanted to show you my own Custom oil tank that I want to use, instead of the ugly factory version.

This is roughly where I will fit the Oil tank, it also has a Battery box in the rear, this will house an 8 cell anti gravity battery and open the frame up, as I didn’t want to have stock oil tank and side covers on this build. This oil tank will fit snugly under the frame and I am stoked to be able to incorporate this set up . And so, we plod along, trying this and that, until I am happy with the way the build is going, no idea on color yet or rims etc but will sit down on the weekend and try and write up some sort of game plan for this Sturgis Bound Motorcycle.