I’m looking to see if anyone has any knowledge about building a rat bike? I road a sport bike for a few years and kind of grew out of it… So I have taken a interest in trying to build one of these…
So if anyone could point me in the right direction or has some helpful info that would be great…
This is what I want to try and build…
I like boppers
mmmmmm
odd that its chain driven instead of belt
thats the way its supposed to be … its old school like that
I think thats a bobber not a rat bike. I think rat bikes have tons of weird shit attached to it. Like here - http://www.ratbike.org/
Word.
I like that hand shifting with the pistol grip.
What your looking for is called a Bobber. The easyest bike to turn into a bobber for cheap is probably going to be a Triumph. You can get them for < $2000 and do a bolt on or weld-on hard tail. Im assuming since you know a little bit about bikes that you know what a soft tail and hard tail is. The other option you could do for little(er) money is a HD sportster bobber. Again, your going to have to do either a hardtail conversion to the frame.
If you really are a baller and want to do it the right way, you can build your own from the frame up. It sounds gay but, if you go on Ebay and type in “bobber” in the motorcycle search area, they do sell bobber kits that include everything from the motor to the oil tank. It really all depends on what your budget is and how much work you wanna put into it. BTW, this is the hottest bobber EVER:
This boober is built using a Crocker “Big Tank” Bike. FYI a Crocker is one of the rarest bike companys out there. There were around 100 built EVER. When they came out, they guranteed that it would beat any HD off the showroom floor and offered a full refund to anyone who was ever beaten by a HD. IMHO this is one of the cleanest bikes ever built. Someday I WILL build a bike like this one. I love it!
Thanks for all that info DrImodium… I was doing searches and getting all those bikes with the crap on it… Never knew they where called bobbers… Has anyone around here built any? It’s really not that common of a bike around here… Thats why want to get into it…
Ive only seen a couple. Most people are into the whole chopper thing around here. I like the sportyness look that the Bobbers have. Im young still and dont want to have the whole “Im a hard ass and my gf likes to ride on the back of my hog with a leather g-string on” type thing that bikers have. I think bobbers sorta have a nastalgic(sp?) thing to them and look like something that comes out of the James Dean Era. BTW, whats yur budget for this? Ive been looking around a lot of the past few months and could probably give you a few options.
I dont have a budget as of now. I have just started to play around with the idea… I really dont even know what I’m getting myself into. All I know is I would like to try and get one and until I start seeing prices and what it’s going to take to build one,I have no clue…
looks like its gonna be a bumpy ride
where are the brakes on that 2nd one, if it has a suicide shifter? and nothing on the clip ons?
also, what triumph can you buy for less than 2k that they use for this
From what I have been finding I need a Triumph Bonneville… And they seem start around $1,500 and go up from there… I’m sure I can find one cheep… But it seems like a bobber when it’s done and over with is going to be up around the 5g’s mark…
And this seems like a good deal…
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Bonneville-650-Hardtail-Chopper-Bobber-Project_W0QQitemZ4615269512QQcategoryZ50036QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Actually, what passes for a triumph is sometimes a Yamaha XS650 with the box cases ground down.
Although the bobber thing is cool and all, you might want to look into cafe racers too. They’re as easy to build as a bobber, but generally you can spend more than an hour at a time on them.
EDIT: stop calling them boppers, its bobber or bob job. Slang from when they would “bob the fenders” and remove weight from surplus military bikes after WWII
I hear what you are saying about the cafe racers… But I much rather go for this look…
look around for late 60’s or early 70’s Triumphs or BSA’s, you can get them relatively cheap and do the chopping and bobbing yourself.
:tup: good thread.
just by a bike and get a rigid frame for it. transfer parts
http://lickscycles.com/
A Triumph would be a good start but I think you would be happier with a HD sportster. Triumph Bobber’s tend to look like a mini-bike IMO. It just looks like the motor is a giant Coffee can. Again thats IMO. Search Google images to find a bike that you like and then back track that image to fine the page and info on what was done to build it. I know Ive seen a page thats dedicated to Triumph Bobbers. Ill try to find it later. This is the hottest Triumph Bobber that Ive ever seen:
There are tons of different styles that you could go with. If you want a rat style bike where the tank and frame are unfinished then obviously thats going to be cheaper. Search for the style that you like and then go from there. It does add up quick tho. Heres a link to the google image search that I did:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Triumph%20bobber&btnG=Google+Search&sa=N&tab=wi
To be honest this is still my favorite one… And I really like the flat black look… I dont like anything blingy or with ape hangers…
Well if this is the that you like thus far, then you should be looking into HD sportsters. Most Bobber’s have a rear tire that is < 250. Once you go >250 generally its going to be a chopper. I know the deffinition of a chopper is from the Rake and stretch but they also typically have the wide rear tire. I would go with a 200 rear tire but its rider preferance.
Here is one that one of my friends took last summer up in Amherst. Its sort of a mix between a chopper and a boober. It has a springer front end and you either love it or hate it. I personally dont care for them too much but they can be pulled of nicely.
