The Deven Science Bobber

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of my bobber here, to those that might appreciate it. It started out life as a '74 Honda CB200. I bought it as an untitled, unregistered junk pile for $300. The gas tank was painted as is, and someone had welded the frame rigid, then gave up on it, and I saw the potential to finish it, and it wouldn't cost much. I made the handlebars, forward controls with linkage, and the suicide shift by hand. Everything else has at least been modified by me. It took three years of nights and the occasional weekend to get it finished. It's top speed is only about 50 miles an hour, but it looks cool doing it! I get harrassed with questions everywhere I ride it. Many have thought it a '30-something Harley. It gets more attention than expensive V-twin bikes parked next to it.

My plan is now to start a new project when I get back to the U.S. Originally, I was thinking of starting with a Harley Sportster, but I'm lately thinking of buying an electric motorcycle, something along the lines of the Brammo Empulse, and then costmetically modifying it to look dieselpunk, such as an old military bike.

Anyway, here are some pics of my bike:

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Deven Science on June 1, 2012 at 6:31pm

First off, I had to Google "TL;DR," as I had never come across that.

Second, bikes of this style are called "bobbers" because after the second World War, former Vets were buying old military Harleys to ride (the "Vet" price for one was only $250). They would cut, or bob, the fenders, gauges, and any other part to make them as light as possible, so they could race them. They would even drill holes in parts if that helped the weight. Those paired down motorcycles became known as bobbers. The grand theory was to make them so that only the necessary parts were there. "Remove one part, and it doesn't run" was the motto. Bobbers have evolved over to time to usually indicate a certain basic color scheme, as well. Flat black, with red and white touches are pretty standard, as are white wall tires.

tunnelingcat said:

Okay! so first off I love the way these look! I've been trying to figure out what words would describe the vision of what I wanted in a motorcycle. Now I know its called a bobber. Here's the deal, I know ZERO about motorcycles. I want to learn though. Is there anyone who would be interested and patient enough to teach me? or could you point me towards some beginner's resources or something? Thanks so much!

TL;DR I want to learn about motorcycles, can someone teach me?

Permalink Reply by tunnelingcat on June 1, 2012 at 6:47pm

Haha oops ^_^ I spend a bit too much time on other forums I guess. That makes sense. I love the flat black colour scheme. More than Just bobbers, I'm looking for a good entryway into motorcycles as a whole. I know very little about them mechanically or otherwise but seek to learn. Once I get the book knowledge and learn to ride well I plan to learn more about modding them, so I would love any resources or even if you just want to fill my brain with your personal knowledge. Thanks for the timely reply!

Deven Science said:

First off, I had to Google "TL;DR," as I had never come across that.

Second, bikes of this style are called "bobbers" because after the second World War, former Vets were buying old military Harleys to ride (the "Vet" price for one was only $250). They would cut, or bob, the fenders, gauges, and any other part to make them as light as possible, so they could race them. They would even drill holes in parts if that helped the weight. Those paired down motorcycles became known as bobbers. The grand theory was to make them so that only the necessary parts were there. "Remove one part, and it doesn't run" was the motto. Bobbers have evolved over to time to usually indicate a certain basic color scheme, as well. Flat black, with red and white touches are pretty standard, as are white wall tires.

tunnelingcat said:

Okay! so first off I love the way these look! I've been trying to figure out what words would describe the vision of what I wanted in a motorcycle. Now I know its called a bobber. Here's the deal, I know ZERO about motorcycles. I want to learn though. Is there anyone who would be interested and patient enough to teach me? or could you point me towards some beginner's resources or something? Thanks so much!

TL;DR I want to learn about motorcycles, can someone teach me?

Permalink Reply by Sgt Monster on June 1, 2012 at 8:55pm

Here's my two pence... if ya want to learn to wrench on bikes, get a 70s-early 90s Universal Japanese Motorcycle [UJM], a shop manual for it and go make a ton of mistakes until it runs. Then ride the hell out it for a while. When winter comes [assuming you live somewhere WITH winters....] tear it apart again and do it better.

This is the way I learned not only the basics of ICE(Internal Combustion Engine) Mechanics, but also the crucial skill of figuring out what I did wrong when I put it back together. It ain't that scary until you get to stuff with computers in it.

Again...your mileage :D may vary.

Permalink Reply by Clayton R McCurdy on June 8, 2012 at 8:02pm