Melv Exton, the guy whose bike this is, has definitely been through more than his fair share of shite. Back in 2014, after five years of looking after her, his good lady, Linda, took a turn for the worst, and passed away. By his own admission, it hit him really, really hard. “I was devastated, angry, and lost. I hit the bottle and the dope.” In remembrance of her, he designed a picture of an angel with her face, a lone wolf, and the words ‘In The Spirit of Linda’, and commissioned John Callaghan at Spray Artist to paint it on the tank of his Kawasaki (which you’ll be able to see in a future issue). He completely brought the picture to life, and while it did help, Melv was in a dark place for a very long time.
A life-long biker, he’d bought a Triumph Speedmaster to build a bobber from but, after this, he, quite understandably, just lost interest. He is, he says, not much of a mechanic, and he couldn’t afford to have anyone build it for him, and so the planned project was put on hold pretty much indefinitely.
Then a good friend, Denny, pulled him back from the brink, and suggested that he should have a go at building it himself, put his own mark on it. When he protested that he wasn’t a mechanic, Denny, who is, said he’d guide him through it. That was the spark that, he says, brought him back to life – gave him something to live for.
Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Back Street Heroes.
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Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av Back Street Heroes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE SLED
IâM A SEMI-PRO SHED BUILDER, WHO BUILDS UNDER THE NAME DIRTY DICKâS⊠I SAY âSEMIPROâ BECAUSE IâVE ONLY, AT THE TIME OF WRITING, SOLD TWO BIKES (AND, USUALLY, I GET PAID IN BEER FOR ANY OTHER WORK I DO).
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 â MAKE IT INTO A â50S-STYLE CUSTOM, BASED LOOSELY AROUND AN INDIAN SCOUT THAT IâD SEEN PICTURES OF.
MADE O'GUBBINS
OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO, MANY OF USâVE HAD TO FOREGO THE JOY OF SEARCHING FOR PARTS AT AUTO-JUMBLES, SHOWS AND BREAKERâS 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
PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY CUSTOM BIKESâRE EXPENSIVE, THAT ONLY THE RICH CAN HAVE âEM, BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT ONE THEREâS ALWAYS A WAYâŠ
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 â THE SAVAGE.
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 â60S/â70S-STYLE HARDTAIL WITH A DECENT-SIZED MOTOR, SINGLE OR TWIN, AND SOMETHING I DIDNâT HAVE TO DO ANY FRAME MODIFICATIONS TO.
LITTLE VICTORIES
SOME FOLK SAY WORKâS A NECESSARY EVIL, OTHERS MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR SITUATION. A GOOD FRIEND ONCE SAID TO ME THAT ITâS 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 TIMEâŠ
BACK TO THE EIGHTIES!
AFTER THE STYLISTIC EXCESSES OF THE 1970S, THE 1980S SAW A KIND OF DIRECTION CHANGE IN CUSTOM BIKE BUILDING â ONE WHICH RESULTED IN NO SMALL PART FROM THE ABUNDANCE OF FAST, RELIABLE FOUR-CYLINDER MOTORCYCLES FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN.
APPLE
MY GOAL WAS TO CREATE A CAFĂ RACER WITH STYLING FROM THE FIFTIES â ROUND CURVES THATâD MAKE IT POP.
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.
