- Joined
- Jul 2, 2017
- Messages
- 79
Hi
I seem to have arrived here by a rather circular route, so bear with me if this goes a bit off subject.... I am currently racing a R69 BMW airhead in the UK National Sprint Association & the Sultans of Sprint European drag race events and when the bike is not being raced we take it to various events to meet people and see their bikes. Recently Sammy Miller had its once a year open day with lovely weather planned we loaded up the bike ( its called Velocity Baby ) when we arrived we were asked to display the bike in the courtyard in between the Manx Nortons, Brough Superiors, Biannci, BMW Rennsports and a whole gathering of loveliness. Got talking to a guy called Les Patterson with a bike could Superior who told me all about the 6 Salt Flats records he holds and some of the issues with running a bike on salt - lets just say it was on my bucket list but not so sure it is any more. So while we were taking in the bikes and soaking up a cuppa I bump into 3 guys who used to be members of a bike club my dad used to be a member of, one of the bikes was for sale and it turned out that there was also a almost complete bike in parts also for sale....You know where this is going.
Pete the owner of both bikes and bits gave me his address and on the way home I thought it would be rude not to go and check it out, the bike was in bits, 650 engine, 19 Borranni rimed wheels some nice stuff so I left with a head full of plans. I was lucky enough to have been asked to display Velocity at the "Bike Shed" custom bike show in London this year so it was also time to think about a new bike build with maybe the potential to have something worthy of another shot in 2018. So this current collection of bits would need to be turned into something left of centre or at least that's the plan.
Anyway back to Pete and the bike, I first asked if it could come sans engine - Yes, then after a lot more research I wanted to go with just the frame and a race faring and start the whole thing from scratch... Pete could I just buy the frame and fairing - err NO. so began a bit of a long and protracted back and forth but ended we me as the proud owner of a Featherbed frame + swingarm V5 & race fairing - Epic.
So far its been unloaded from my van and the photos I am hoping to attach taken on the sunny Saturday just gone. I have never owned a Norton / Triumph or for that matter an BMW until we built Velocity, so this is going to be an adventure. I have spent almost every Saturday for the last 5 years building bikes with my Dad ( Pete) and were planning on making this another 1 to add to the BMW and the Harley Ironhead Boardtracker.
If your still reading thanks for taking the time, not all the posts will be this long winded but we have a deadline of next May so we better get a wiggle on.... err photos to follow then........
I seem to have arrived here by a rather circular route, so bear with me if this goes a bit off subject.... I am currently racing a R69 BMW airhead in the UK National Sprint Association & the Sultans of Sprint European drag race events and when the bike is not being raced we take it to various events to meet people and see their bikes. Recently Sammy Miller had its once a year open day with lovely weather planned we loaded up the bike ( its called Velocity Baby ) when we arrived we were asked to display the bike in the courtyard in between the Manx Nortons, Brough Superiors, Biannci, BMW Rennsports and a whole gathering of loveliness. Got talking to a guy called Les Patterson with a bike could Superior who told me all about the 6 Salt Flats records he holds and some of the issues with running a bike on salt - lets just say it was on my bucket list but not so sure it is any more. So while we were taking in the bikes and soaking up a cuppa I bump into 3 guys who used to be members of a bike club my dad used to be a member of, one of the bikes was for sale and it turned out that there was also a almost complete bike in parts also for sale....You know where this is going.
Pete the owner of both bikes and bits gave me his address and on the way home I thought it would be rude not to go and check it out, the bike was in bits, 650 engine, 19 Borranni rimed wheels some nice stuff so I left with a head full of plans. I was lucky enough to have been asked to display Velocity at the "Bike Shed" custom bike show in London this year so it was also time to think about a new bike build with maybe the potential to have something worthy of another shot in 2018. So this current collection of bits would need to be turned into something left of centre or at least that's the plan.
Anyway back to Pete and the bike, I first asked if it could come sans engine - Yes, then after a lot more research I wanted to go with just the frame and a race faring and start the whole thing from scratch... Pete could I just buy the frame and fairing - err NO. so began a bit of a long and protracted back and forth but ended we me as the proud owner of a Featherbed frame + swingarm V5 & race fairing - Epic.
So far its been unloaded from my van and the photos I am hoping to attach taken on the sunny Saturday just gone. I have never owned a Norton / Triumph or for that matter an BMW until we built Velocity, so this is going to be an adventure. I have spent almost every Saturday for the last 5 years building bikes with my Dad ( Pete) and were planning on making this another 1 to add to the BMW and the Harley Ironhead Boardtracker.
If your still reading thanks for taking the time, not all the posts will be this long winded but we have a deadline of next May so we better get a wiggle on.... err photos to follow then........