With all the resources available today, building a bike may be easier than ever. On the other hand, it may be more complex to achieve the look you want. There are a lot of considerations in determining how your final product will look and ride.
Different frame builders do things different. For example, the neck area is sometimes manufactured like an old Harley chassis with a triangle area behind the neck, while others bring the downtubes up to the bottom of the neck. Even if the frames are made to the same specifications, the latter style creates a look of a short stretch as the tubes are further forward. Understanding things like this ahead of time can help with deciding what type of frame to use.
Many top builders start off with a concept drawing before starting a new build. Perhaps seeing your own vision before spending big bucks is the way to go. It’s motivational to invision your goal and chase it with a visual at your side.
Recently, Chris Kallas helped a guy with a bike project being built at Settle Motorcycle Repair. He called Chris, the artist, who has been a rider and Harley guy for decades and said he’s going to have Larry Settle put it together. “He told me he wanted to be sure he liked the design before he built it,” Chris explained. “I said, no problem, I’ve done it before. I’ve been drawing choppers since 1968, and since then have stayed on top of the industry. After talking a bit, he said he’d seen my art for one of the Build-off bikes in Street Choppers mag.”
We carry limited edition prints on Bikernet, signed and unsigned by Mr. Kallas in our Bikernet Black market. Chris has worked with us on project bikes and drew an illustration of one of our Bonneville racers, the Bonnie Belle. Our current old school T-shirt design came from the man and he’s painted fiction illustrations for Bikernet tales. We proudly have a piece of his original art framed in the Bikernet collection.
In this case the concept was a snap. The customer did his homework and knew which components he wanted to incorporate into his dream bike. “A profile drawing of the bike would help him envision the frame/rake/fork relationship,” Chris said. “The drawing would be a concept of what he thought he wanted, as opposed to me designing it.”
“At our first meeting he described basically what he wanted to build,” Chris explained. “He showed me photos, torn out of magazines, of details from different bikes he liked. Coincidently, I pointed out that one of the images he showed me was art I created for another customer. We then made a list of all the components and specs that the bike might have.”
Here’s the list we came up with:
Frame: Rigid, (maker not decided), six up, one out, rake/32 degrees
Engine: S&S 93” Shovelhead
Aircleaner: Goodson
Pipes: Custom high two into one, black or silver metal finish
Tranny: Six speed, kicker, brass pedal
Final drive: ChainFork: Jeri’s Springer, inverted, 13″ wide for 250 tire, length to be determined, black
Gas tank: Sportster, mounted high
Oil Tank: Round with built in battery box, black or silver metal finish
Rear fender: Pro-One
Seat: Solo, brown leather , coil springs
Wheels: front and back ,18”, 40 spoke, 250 tires
Brakes: Rear sprocket/rotor , Front single disc.
Controls: Forward, Accutronix
Sissy Bar: Low, black, match fork angle, if possible
Bars: Fat 1.25” custom z-bars, black, low risers
Headlight: 8”Harley Fatboy type, black shell
Paint: Black with yellow/orange tank scallops, yellow/orange wheels,
”For a starting point reference,” Chris said. “I scanned a photo of a basic rigid framed Shovel. From that photo I established a scale to figure out the up and out measurements for the frame, wheel size, etc. I over layed the photo and began the rough draft.”
”Next, I drew up a more finalized draft,” Chis said while at his drawing table. “I got lucky cause he liked it without changes. Usually I don’t take the art this far without client pre-approval to save me from redos. At this stage we discussed other colors and metal finishes that he’d like to see in the final art. I then printed copies of the black and white art and hand colored them with the two paint schemes. Besides the paint and wheels, I colored the exhaust and oil tank different on each version since he wasn’t sure which way he wanted to go. The coloring could have been done on the computer, but I decided to hand paint them.”
The drawing is a style guide, not a blue print. Chris told the client that he should discuss details with Larry before purchasing parts. Before ordering the fork, they’ll need to mount the rear wheel and block the frame the way he wants it to sit, and then measure the neck to the front wheel axle and check the manufacturer‘s deminsions . No fork length was given in the specifications chart.
The client was happy with the final art. “I was able to give him a good idea of how the finished product would look and some guidance that he could apply to his decisions,” Chris said. A small amount of investment in a concept illustration, up front saved him from bad decisions in the long run.
If you need some art before you start your next build, design consultation, or just a portrait of your current pride and joy, call or e-mail ckallas@verizon.net
(310) 316-2790
