![All's Well That Ends Well... All's Well That Ends Well...](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/11525/510999/5f59f49f5b41f/Motorcycle.jpeg)
I’d always wanted a simple, 130 tyre front-and-rear bobber, and as club bikes have to be capable of being ridden hard and far, it had to be a fully functional hardtail with the right attitude and stance. I started research into frame builders and, after a discussion with a few trusted heads, I contacted John Parry at Cobra Motorcycle Engineering about constructing a one-off bobber frame that meant I could keep the Dyna soft mounts, but run the motor and ’box in a hardtail. He did so, and it is, I must say, an extremely well-made frame, as the last 12 years are testament.
The build was an opportunity to work with my dad, who’s a great engineer and doesn’t pull his punches – what’s right is right. In his own words, he has “no time for an agricultural piece of shit like a Harley” (he loves his Jap bikes), but I thought he’d be the perfect person to help as he’d make sure I wouldn’t go wrong, and all parts, and construction, would be to the highest standard so, and I quote, “it doesn’t pull itself apart like the rest of them Harleys”.
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Back Street Heroes.
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Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Back Street Heroes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![THE SLED THE SLED](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087c70737f11/crp_THE-SLED.jpg)
THE SLED
I’M A SEMI-PRO SHED BUILDER, WHO BUILDS UNDER THE NAME DIRTY DICK’S… I SAY ‘SEMIPRO’ BECAUSE I’VE ONLY, AT THE TIME OF WRITING, SOLD TWO BIKES (AND, USUALLY, I GET PAID IN BEER FOR ANY OTHER WORK I DO).
![THE CHIEF THE CHIEF](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087b45408336/crp_THE-CHIEF.jpg)
THE CHIEF
I BOUGHT MY ENFIELD, A 2001 350 BULLET, IN SHROPSHIRE IN JUNE 2019, WITH JUST 11,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. IT WAS IN TRIALS TRIM, BUT I ALREADY HAD IN MY HEAD WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH IT – MAKE IT INTO A ‘50S-STYLE CUSTOM, BASED LOOSELY AROUND AN INDIAN SCOUT THAT I’D SEEN PICTURES OF.
![MADE O'GUBBINS MADE O'GUBBINS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087b328a081f/crp_MADE-OGUBBINS.jpg)
MADE O'GUBBINS
OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO, MANY OF US’VE HAD TO FOREGO THE JOY OF SEARCHING FOR PARTS AT AUTO-JUMBLES, SHOWS AND BREAKER’S YARDS, RELYING ON EITHER THE HIT-AND-MISS OF INTERNET AUCTION SITES, OR TURNING TO OUR OWN STOCK OF PARTS, WHEN LOOKING AT BUILDING OR MODIFYING A BIKE.
![BUDGET BOBBER BUDGET BOBBER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087ca02d88f4/crp_BUDGET-BOBBER.jpg)
BUDGET BOBBER
PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY CUSTOM BIKES’RE EXPENSIVE, THAT ONLY THE RICH CAN HAVE ‘EM, BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT ONE THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY…
![LEAF IT OUT LEAF IT OUT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087b584e4153/crp_LEAF-IT-OUT.jpg)
LEAF IT OUT
THE SUZUKI LS650 IS PERHAPS BEST KNOWN FOR HAVING ONE OF THE LEAST SUITED AND MOST RANDOM MODEL NAMES IN MOTORCYCLING HISTORY – THE SAVAGE.
![SIZE O SIZE O](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087c5142a0ee/crp_SIZE-O.jpg)
SIZE O
I DECIDED I NEEDED A BIKE FOR MYSELF AS A KEEPER (RATHER THAN THE USUAL BUILD IT, SELL IT, FUND THE NEXT ONE), BUT TIME AND FUNDS WERE GOING TO GET TIGHT. I WANTED A ‘60S/’70S-STYLE HARDTAIL WITH A DECENT-SIZED MOTOR, SINGLE OR TWIN, AND SOMETHING I DIDN’T HAVE TO DO ANY FRAME MODIFICATIONS TO.
![LITTLE VICTORIES LITTLE VICTORIES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087c0ccb5e62/crp_LITTLE-VICTORIES.jpg)
LITTLE VICTORIES
SOME FOLK SAY WORK’S A NECESSARY EVIL, OTHERS MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR SITUATION. A GOOD FRIEND ONCE SAID TO ME THAT IT’S THE LITTLE VICTORIES THAT COUNT WHEN AT WORK, USING THEIR MACHINERY TO MAKE BIKE PARTS, BLAGGING FREE STATIONARY, OR JUST HAVING A POO ON THEIR TIME…
![BACK TO THE EIGHTIES! BACK TO THE EIGHTIES!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087cba598b1b/crp_BACK-TO-THE-EIGHTIES.jpg)
BACK TO THE EIGHTIES!
AFTER THE STYLISTIC EXCESSES OF THE 1970S, THE 1980S SAW A KIND OF DIRECTION CHANGE IN CUSTOM BIKE BUILDING – ONE WHICH RESULTED IN NO SMALL PART FROM THE ABUNDANCE OF FAST, RELIABLE FOUR-CYLINDER MOTORCYCLES FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN.
![APPLE APPLE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087cdfd6df1e/crp_APPLE.jpg)
APPLE
MY GOAL WAS TO CREATE A CAFÉ RACER WITH STYLING FROM THE FIFTIES – ROUND CURVES THAT’D MAKE IT POP.
![3 DIRT DIGGERS 3 DIRT DIGGERS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11525/631050/6087bcce60e79/crp_3-DIRT-DIGGERS.jpg)
3 DIRT DIGGERS
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS DIRT DIGGERS, HELD AT THE EDDIE WRIGHT SPEEDWAY STADIUM IN SCUNTHORPE, HAS BECOME THE NUMBER ONE, ALL-COMERS-WELCOME BIKE RACE IN THE UK.