Freedom Machine - Part Three

BSA A65

...closing thoughts.

 As simple as this motorcycle may look it was my first crack a building a custom bike and a daunting task. I don't recommend to anyone setting out to build their first bike to choose the route I took.  My plan was to find a not-so-common vintage project that perhaps someone had started and then never got around to finishing. I began checking the classifieds and came across this ad for exactly what I was hoping to find, a 1968 BSA 650 Lightning.

I picked up the parts, and when I say parts, I mean parts. There really wasn't much bike there. A frame, pieces of engine parts, a couple of wheels and old tires some handle bars, a fuel tank, and a title. But like a kid at Christmas I unpacked it all, sifted through everything, and began dreaming and scheming.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

The BSA had to have a look of its own, to look like no other, with most of the parts to be hand-made with metal and have custom paint work. I purchased several more new and used engine parts and had a friend take care of the engine while I dove into fabrication and paint. The inspiration for this motorcycle comes from salt flat racing with a soft aggressive stance. The seat and rear fender combo, and oil tank where both fabed-up with heavy gage steel and fitted to flow together. The tank was an old, beat up mustang, that needed a lot of massaging.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

I toiled for months over the paint. This bike was going to be at least five other colours before I choose this paint scheme, and I definitely wasn't going to paint it black and silver. That is until I decided to make brass trinkets to accent several areas of the BSA.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

The tail light was a lot of fun and artistic license was put to good use with the red hand blown glass rondel and my son Mitchel Thibeault etched the word "Pipe Bomb" into the end cap sealing the light enclosure. Artistic license is still a untaxed privilege, so if you have one get your money's worth before the government catch's on.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

The battery box is completely hand formed brass, fitted together with several pieces, and neatly tucked in behind the engine. The dual exhaust exits out the lower right side and is made up of several pieces of old chrome BSA exhaust pipes. Several people will frown upon the pipe wrap but welding old chromed pipe with fifty years of crust inside it, just isn't pretty. This option fit the budget, and yes it's loud...!

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

There's a lot to look at in this small area of the rear wheel, and it's an area I had a lot of fun creating. The brake cover or backing plate is not an area that usually gets noticed. That's all been changed with the addition of black paint and a functional brass rear brake vent. The brake vent bares the same raised vented openings as the battery box. The rear chain tensioner was thrown together in the shop, as well as the brake levers and brake return spring. All crafted with the highest regard to hot rod mantra. (If you don't have it, or can't get it, you make it, steel it, or scab it from something else.) The twisted steel is a taste of vintage custom.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

The end of the riding season is beginning to come to a close. The BSA isn't 100 percent complete and as two more new custom motorcycles are beginning to get underway in the shop, this British beauty will be completed and road worthy for the next riding season.

Photo by Meagan Thibeault

Specs:

1968 BSA A65 Frame with a rigid rear frame

Custom seat/fender combo

Custom oil tank

Custom brass and steel tail light

Custom brass battery box

Custom brass rear brake-vent

Custom rear braking

Custom exhaust

Custom paint thru-out with nine coats of clear

A65 engine with .20 over pistons

Joe Hunt Magneto

Two 930 Amal Carbs

'71 BSA front fork set

Drag Bars (maker unknown)

Grips (Lowbrow)

16" rear wheel with Bridgestone rubber

21"front wheel with Kenda rubber

Special thanks to Mitchell Thibeault who aided in some fabrication of the foot pegs (not shown and still in the works) and for etching the brass light. Meagan Thibeault for the great photo's. Nicholas Thibeault for aiding in video production (soon to be released). Bella for helping cleanup and asking a lot of questions. Hailey Thibeault for wanting to help (but still too little), asking a lot of questions, and who will some day be a big help.  Jackie Thibeault for her support, keeping me feed during the late nights, and being the parts getter.

"Up All Night"

This beautiful photo taken during the BSA custom build is now available for $25.00 on a quality black "T"

contact Gerry at thibeaultgerry@gmail.com to order yours.

If you desire custom fabrication or paint I will be happy to make room in the garage for yours.

Aging and Nostalgia

How Old is too Old...?

Online, through general interest, I made a new friend, Ross.  Our common denominators are BSA motorcycles and repairing bikes. We've never actually meet and likely have other things in common soon to be discovered. We live about an hour or so driving distance apart from each other and I'm certain over the next year we will touch base at a local event.

"Up All Night"

T-Shirt available now!

Recently Ross shared some new information on insurance and vintage motorcycles. This topic and others always  peaked my interest for the simple reason it would appear the government combined with the insurance companies are moving at a rapid pace to get vintage, custom, and collector vehicles off the road. I asked Ross what his thoughts are on the matter?  His response more or less touched on the complexities of the matter and it's the simplest approach the authorities will act upon. There are many reasons that come to my mind and it's always been in the forefront of my thoughts, but the one thing Ross said that really struck home was,  "Our parents had so much freedom and ours is deteriorating." It's kind of a scary thought and seems to be true. Slowly our freedom is being dissolved. Not just in the custom and classic vehicle world but all facets of society. Is our society with computers and technology moving into and communistic style of rule?

I think for myself and many others who share similar skills and interests, we aren't ready to give up gasoline! The threat of alternative fuels threatens our dreams, past time, and culture. It's not that I'm against progress, I marvel at the new technology and thinks it's fascinating. I do find it costly when implemented into a daily driver and find most of it unnecessary and impractical. Automobiles are supposedly safer and easier to drive but the accident rates continue to go up, is all the new technology working? It really depends on who you ask. There are many directions this topic can move into, as Ross stated, and I will maybe blog on a few in the future.

For now I will continue to do-what-I-do and enjoy it for as long as I can. After all a Hot-Rodder is a Hot-Rodder, a bit of a rebel ,and occasional law breaker, so I've hatched this plan. They say by 2050 all transportation will be so-called green and emission free. By that date I will be 88 years old (I have to live at least that long before I can retire).  If I manage to squirrel away one of my vehicles it will be the 1979 Fox Body Mustang. Who knows what it will look like by then or what power plant will hold. It could very well resemble something out of Mad Max. One thing I know for certain it will have more than 400 horse power and run on pure unacceptable gasoline. I'm sure not everything will be green powered, somethings will still need gasoline. I may have to steel it from the airport. However, some way, some how, I'm going to get my hands on some, top up the tank, open up the headers, and head out onto the main street doing smoke shows and donuts at every intersection. A kind of Thelma and Louise moment, except I want to live and snicker with my grand children as we watch the replays on the news. I should get away with the shenanigans at least until I wreck the car or run out of gas. The authorities won't be able to shut me down 'cause in 1979 the cars didn't have computers they are completely mechanical. So with a devilish laugh and smoking tires I will  ramble through the streets, out running their electrical something-or-others until I run out of gas or crash into the court house. I'm pretty sure they wont throw a frail old man, with a sad puppy dog face in jail...

Fox Body Mustang by Mitch Thibeault

...to be continued.

Good Design

Re-create and Re-purpose

Deciding on a new vanity can be a daunting endeavor. There are many choice's and styles available but they all seem to follow the same box like shape with maybe a different coloured counter top and one of a dozen or more different drawer or cabinet fronts. For something truly different we choose this chest of drawers we found at a used furniture store. It's in great condition and still retained all its original drawer pulls.

Because it will be the crown jewel in its new home it needed some protection against water and steamy moisture from showers. It could of been cleaned up and shot with a fresh coat of clear, but this bathroom is in the basement with a small window and we wanted the room to pop and be bright and cheery. The surface was lightly sanded and prepped for paint. Two coats of polyurethane primer was applied. We opted not to adorn the top with marble or granite. To protect the surface the primer coat was prepped and then two coats of polyurethane automotive paint was applied to keep the wood dry. 

The drawers where treated the same way and top coated with two coats of this sunny yellow. The original drawer pulls where cleaned up and once again adorn the fronts.

The contrast between the different types of wood is stunning. The beautiful grain of the wood struggles to survive through the heavy pigment adding subtle soft texture to the piece and ultimately to the room.

Natural wood is always beautiful but the paint really brings out the subtle details and beauty in this piece of furniture. The shadows, shades, and brightness of the pigment bring this chest of drawers to life in a way the natural wood seems to hide.

It was delightful to have found a piece with all it's original drawer pulls. The quality, detail, and simplicity of the design surpasses any modern pulls available for purchase today.

To top it off this beautiful porcelain bowl shaped wash basin will give this chest of drawers a bit of old school charm. The next step will be to finish the renovation and I will be sure to share the final out come.

Good design may not always be an original idea. It can also be a collaboration of old and new. With thought and insight and bit of knowledge on how things work, it's inevitable to create good design.