The Hustler...

..back when I made shiny bikes.

Plum Krazy - "lost" photo.. found on iPod

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel details..

..little love I put into the fork sliders..

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

My fellow bike builder & buddy Bennie from Boneshaker Choppers http://www.boneshakerchoppers.co.uk/ has hooked me up with a primary drive and clutch so with a bit more work she should be making noise..

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

Time for a beer...!

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

I decided to leave off the pussypad until I get it covered in mushroom-colored leather. I'm really glad I had to go for a foot clutch - jock shift arrangement in the end as it just looks right: an old skool bike with no levers, although I still have to fab the gubbins to make it work. I love the feel of the shifter as I reach behind my leg - just such a cool feeling that..

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

The name I chose "Love:Hate" comes from both the two engravings I made on the fork sliders, and the inspiration for that idea: The 1955 film with Robert Micham as a strange tattoo'd preacher "Night of the Hunter".. so now you know!

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

Oh what I wouldn't do for Photoshop.. ha ha - apart from the mind numbing background I like this angle.

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

Well here she is, minus primary & clutch plus a few other parts but they will be fitted asap, trust me, as I'm kind of looking forward to riding this baby.. Yes it is very low.

Billy Whiz's Love:Hate shovel..

About time to roll her out of the garage for some pics..

shovel build - progress again...

I will nick ideas if I like them enough.. sorry everyone!

shovel build - progress again...

The result - it's actually a silver cross, but maybe looks white here..

shovel build - progress again...

Time then to get the paintbrush out for a little embellishment..

shovel build - progress again...

I think I done made some nice ol' bars here.. after welding, scotchbrite polishing and concocting brown insulating tape grips.

shovel build update...

I guess I will just have to run a foot clutch now that's all.. oh and link in the front brake to my foot rear brake pedal too. Probably. Just for the MOT.

shovel build update...

.. but they didn't have enough attitude for my liking.. So instead of painting them I made another set there & then! Now they got bad attitude...

Panhead build parts.. (& bar brawl)

I found a new pair of front wheel bearings supplied by my good friend and fellow bike builder Paul Milbourne aka Jonny Eighthammers, which were surplus from the shovel build - ta mate! Whilst I was out in the 'shop for the first time in a couple weeks, I decided I needed to paint the bars on my shovel - which I still wasn't feeling exactly. Then it occured to me - those bars were OK but a bit "nice" really - you know, people might have said "nice bars".. drag bars - bit of a drag.. hmm.

Easter a la Bottom..

Fought my way through hords of Easter shoppers piling vast trolleys high with food & booze (a lot of which, statistics say, will be thrown away uneaten) and what bargains I found.. Oh well, that's the Easter food shopping budget spent, a couple of hours in the fridge & both should be ready to eat! Eddie.. Eddie?

Bulldog Bash Panhead build..

Earlier I stated I'm aiming for a high end finish. That's true but I won't be leaving behind any old school values. For me it's about making something with the minimum tools, fabbing stuff by hand and by eye. I don't like having machined parts set the tone of my bikes or to rely on expensive parts for a professional appearance. If my stuff looks hand made - it is!

Let the games commence..

Panhead build...

Bulldog Bash 2006 & 2007. I'm not a rest on my laurels kind of bloke so these are pretty seldom seen & in fact have been tucked away in my shop but I'm glad to have them as they have good memories attached. Those are both runner up pots so I still have to get gold instead of silver!

Panhead build parts..

I had this 16" Harley rim stashed - straight off an old 70's sled - it even had aluminium wheel discs bolted on it. When I took those off it was a bit rusty underneath & for a long time I was going to run it as it is on an Evo rat/hot rod bike I might get around to doing after the Pan. What I like is the rim has a great rolled edge - it actually comes back in on itself - it'd hold dog piss! Both hub & rim will be powder coated black. I'll get a nicer tire for it.

Panhead build parts..

My front tire's the revered 2.75" x 21" size - but sadly not a new Avon SM2. This pattern will look best on the new bike though..

Panhead build parts..

I got this hub which is a Honda part from a moped a few years ago, it's new old stock & has that 70's feel I dig. I'm going to run it up front on the Pan and get a nos brake plate which will be PC'd black - the hub itself will stay laquer coated alloy as stock. It's a good start..

Panhead build parts..

I ordered a couple sets of neck cups from the states a few months back when I had a few spare bucks - there's the start of my Panhead frame.

Panhead build seeds..

I plan to run a disc brake on a 16" Harley rear rim which I have stashed, front will be a small super-cool drum I happened upon. 21" front rim, with a trials tire on there. I haven't decided on a tank yet for sure, nor oilbag but I can see that being horseshoe again. There's not going to be any chrome to speak of, a lot of black powder & it's going to run low.. real low! I'm very influenced by what the Japs are doing at the moment with Pans and other old motors. I'm staying rigid rear though - although I could make a swing-arm bike I prefer the purity of a rigid rear. I just have to keep the finish high-end really and it'll work, 60 pc show 40 pc street balance. I am budgeting in a good paint job from a serious artist too, although it will be subtle. I'm doing all the welding myself as I'm getting my coding in the summer and so it'll be certified quality throughout. I will make pipes, bars, controls, and some kind of one-off carb inlet manifold to set it apart from the stockers in that dept. If funds permit I will run a magneto and an S.U. carb for sure. Internal throttle and foot clutch/hand shifter are a must on this project.

New bike, new build..

So I have been collecting a few parts and more importantly a few ideas for the BulldogBash build. I'm going to stay HD as I have the jig set up right & all the dimensions at my finger-tips. I'm building a twin downtube frame, a wishbone set-up for a Panhead motor & 4 speed ratchet-top tranny. I want to get a short stock pattern springer for the front end and I have a cool hub to use up front already stashed. It's high end dough for the motor I suppose but I have a bit of cash coming in a month or three & I see this as an investment somewhat as we motorcycle junkies do of course.

Planning the next BillyWhiz bike..

I'm just one of those guys that if I'm not building something or planning a build then I don't have any purpose in my life - & I'm an arse to live with too.. So I was thinking this last week about the future & I decided to have another pop at winning something shiny at the Bulldog Bash. Sometimes it's easier to have a definate deadline or aim to a build & so I came to that decision. I have said I'm over showbikes a few times but that is true in the sense that I'm over only for show bikes. Anything I build nowadays has got to have a primary purpose like a street bike & be showable too if needs be. I love the excitement of a big show and all that goes with it: groupies, free beer and drugs, oh sorry I was dreaming a bit there.. Seriously I do love all the down home englishness of camping, tinned beer and the smell of petulie oil on a warm summer breeze. Just need a reformed-for-the-night Led Zeppelin & it's about perfect!

Bike building update!

As far as the shovelhead build goes, I'm collecting the oiltank and sissybar tomorrow from Bob the chroming guy. I'm glad I didn't plan on more chrome for this bike as it's pricey these days. Bob Cooper does a great job of polishing though & the parts should look really good fitted back on the bike. I plan to gradually complete this bike which is intended as my daily rider, fitting the remaining parts like the primary/clutch & the electrics and ignition as I get funds. Stay patient! At the same time I'm already turning to the next build as I'm both a junkie hooked on creating & probably a closet masochist as in my financial situation I should be doing stamp collecting really instead of putting together vintage Harleys.. Doh!

Bike building update!

My point featuring this picture? None. OK so I've had a frustrating week or two, no funds for progress, indeed I've been rather neglecting important things like eating in order to get so far with the bike. It's Easter though & I figured I better prioritize a little different for a change and so food shopping first! To be honest it's sometimes a bit more than simple black & white: eating/going hungry a little. I guess I've been suffering from post creation blues.. Time to re-focus on the future.