building motorcycle kits can be a tough job...
...so make it easier by using these motorcycle kits resources...
For anyone thinking of building motorcycles from motorcycle kits, it can be a
little bewildering to know where to start. Especially if you are embarking
on a motorcycle kit project when your last experience of shop work was in high
school!
Don't worry! I have found some great resources, all designed to help you put
together motorcycle kits from scratch.
In my opinion, the best way to learn is by doing. Having a motorcycle kit of
your own to work on, make a few mistakes here and threre an build up experience
as you go would be the perfect solution. But hey welcome to the real world,
where motorcycle kits cost upwards of $12,000! who is going to take a risk when
they have spent that kind of money?
So lets look at plan B. If you can't learn by doing, how about learning by
watching someone else do it? There are a couple of videos that are a must see if
you are starting out with your very own motorcycle kit. The best I have seen is
custom bike
building secrets , which gives you seven and a half hours of film showing
exactly how to work on building a custom bike from a motorcycle kit. The film is
exremely high quality, and is available on tape or DVD. The company that
produced these videos also runs "bike building boot camps" from time to time; if
you can get on these courses you get the best of both worlds watching someone
else doing the build in person! These guys are real experts, having built dozens
of bikes. Well worth checking out.
Some other videos I have found which would be very useful can be found at JP Cycles . They have a pretty good range of products aimed at educating the
first time builder of motorcycle kits. Inthe video line, they have the Big
Bear Choppers bike building video . This video is specifically aimed at
builders who have bought one of the Big Bear Choppers motorcycle kits, but as
the owner of BBC said it is no bull. All the BS ended up on the cutting room
floor, aand you are left with a good guide to what is involved in putting
togther one of their motorcycle kits.
If you are not ready for a motorcycle kit, why not try this Fix
My Hog DVD? At least you will get the hang of some of the maintenance
chores you can do before you move up to the motorcycle kits...
Any other alternatives? Well there are a good range of books available on the
subject of building motorcycle kits and related issues. Again, JP Cycles have a great range of books; here are my favorites;
How
To Build a Kit Bike by Timothy Remus . This book is entertaining but a
little basic. The good side of the book is that allows you to follow the
building of three different models of motorcycle kits from different
manufacturers. The down side is that the motorcycle kits are put together by
professional shops so you dont really get an idea of what putting together a
motorcycle kit will entail for you. A good read though; well worth checking
out.
How
to Build a Chopper by the same author talks about a different arm of
bike building; the chopper. Gives a nice little insight into chopper building,
but if you think you csn buy this book then go anf build yourself a chopper, you
may want to rethink. Good basic book for beginners though.
The
Chopper Cookbook This is a great book. Lots of tips trick and diagams
that tell you what works and what doesn't. In my research on hat are theuseful
tools for people setting out to build motorcycle kits, this book title comes up
time after time. Might be a little heavy for the first time builder, but will be
referred to over and over.
These resources are all very reasonably priced, particularly if you
compare them to the price of a top motorcycle kit. Check them all out, make your
choice and enjoy the education as much as you are going to enjoy the build!
return from motorcycle kits resources to Motorcycle parts accessories and more
Copyright Motorcycle parts accessories and
more, Michael Holmes 2004