Q: Topic? We have a topic? Just kidding, but that seems like an interesting one to me. Every time I strain my sacroiliac stuffing my seven-foot-something chopper into the elevator by hoisting the front wheel up into the ceiling corner, I relate to that one myself. d So, do you think that nostalgia for "practicality" is making a comeback among other guys like us? John Brain's been predicting a comeback for cruiser-style and size machines, not that they ever went away, of course, and I've been eyeing ChoppersUS' new UAV in a speculatively covetous way. I don't know whether it would fit my body, but I'm damn sure it would fit my elevator. I noticed that one of the Euro guys has built one along the lines of that one, only fabbed-up from aluminum sheet/plate. .. A: Definitely...... styles and tastes seem to change at a rapid pace when it comes to bikes. As for a general shift, I think the move to 40's-50's style cruisers has already started. I'll always like the image of Brain's late 60's style choppers though. I think there's room for both.... or at least I hope so because I'd like to try my hand at one of those! . Now that the chopper television boom has died down, people are doing some re-evaluation. Maybe it's a coda we're coming to, as we reach a certain point we then must return to the beginning. One thing is for certain, though, we will be seeing a lot of building going on and the bikes to emerge probably won't fit neatly into any one category. . Q: We do have a lot of advantages now, as a result of the chopper bike "craze". Back in BR&K's early days, most everybody was building kustom cruisers with a very small source pool for frames and non-stock parts. As a result, everybody's cruiser looked pretty similar to all the rest, except for the paint scheme, since they mostly had wheels and other components from the lowrider bike catalogs fitted to Schwinn cantilever frames. Thanks to the chopper boom, the parts and components pool is a lot bigger now, and most of the stuff works on cruiser frames just as well as on chopper ones. And, of course, the chopper thing got the cutting-edge people, like yourself, involved in designing and making their own frames and parts. . Do you think this will carry over into the next generation of kustom bikes, with people aspiring to create their own scratch-built designs, no matter what form the bike takes? Or will stock frames continue to be the main basis, just because it's easier than starting from scratch? I notice that there's also a disturbing trend going on of newbies and middle-tier builders not bothering to give their bikes individualistic style or paint schemes, which seems regressive to me. Are we forever doomed to always have "cookie-cutter" bikes making up the majority? . A: I think that the scratch builds will continue to grow in numbers. Not only the availability of components, but also the availability of reasonably priced metal-working equipment will play a role. Overall I think that the number of people building is on the rise. Not everyone into kustom bikes is interested in building, though, and these people will also want to put their own personality into the bikes they choose to buy etc.. . I think lately the actual definition of "custom bicycle", (with a c), is up for interpretation though. We now have whole groups devoted to assembling from vintage parts as an art form. We are seeing a large number of people that build and rebuild in an apocalyptic freakbike style. There are diehard recumbent builders, motorized bikes, it goes on and on. I will always be into the "car show" type bikes, but I have a definite appreciation for people creating in these new styles. I just don't have that mindset and it's always surprising to see what they come up with. . Q: Your own and certain other builders' scratch-built bikes have followed a progression toward increasing technical complexity, culminating in your current hubless one, in which you and the other tech-escalator guys pretty much "re-invent the wheel". Now that I'm familiar with your mental process, I doubt that you have a checklist of projects pinned to your wall, but do you think that your next project will up the technical ante, or will you go back to something simpler than hubless, but more complicated in a different direction? . A: To be honest, I'd like to take a little break from the overly-complicated route. I just had never seen a bike with a hubless rear wheel.... and now I know why! It's true what they say about reinventing the wheel. Once the rear wheel is proven to be bullet proof, a side project may be to build the front to match. The whole thing started with Kenny (Prather) handing me some free wheelchair parts. One thing leads to another... and.... . If I had to pick from a few ideas that I'd like to try next..... One would be a proper chopper in the style of Brain. Something fast, comfortable, and stylish with a timeless appeal. A build that I could spend time on the esthetics more than mechanical design issues. . I've got an idea for a futuristic all-aluminum digger that would have "standard" wheels and a bent elastic modulus fork for suspension. Maybe a steel long-travel mountain bike also. Oh, and another chopper motorcycle build starting with an enduro bike. But of course all of this can change if someone hands me another free part. . Q: I can relate to the "free part" part. I'm a real sucker for having something weird on hand, where I can see it often. I'll just compulsively think about what I can do with that thing, every time I see it. Sometimes it can take years, but I'll eventually find a purpose for it. I had this really cool old chrome speaker grille on hand for about 20 years, just waiting for the right project to come along. Then, about a year ago, my daughter got herself a hedgehog, and asked me to build it a habitat. Voila! I designed an acrylic tank around that speaker grille, which served as a portcullis-type hinged door. Recently, she found a new owner for the hedgehog, so I dismantled the tank. It may take me another 20 years to find another use for that grille. I should send it to you! . I've had a 1980 Honda Elsinore 250cc 2-stroke motocross engine hanging around for a couple of years, waiting for me to rebuild it and trick it out for use in a project. I've collected all the external components for it, a new set of gaskets and a complete set of stainless-steel fasteners. That baby's ready for a total teardown now; but I keep changing my mind about the project. The last idea was a chopper trike done in Ed Roth style, but I've been feeling a little choppered-out lately, and open to other ideas. . Recently, I was down in Baton Rouge, building one of my kiddy Bugatti cars for a client, with my brother. While we were building it, BroDave got the idea that it would be cool to build a classic Morgan Trike-style HPV car, big enough for him to use. So, we decided that would be our next project, when cool weather finally gets to Louisiana. . Lately, though, I've started thinking about combining that Honda engine with that type of vehicle, to end up with 3-wheeled cycle car, like the ones that were popular in the UK and Europe in the '20s. The original Morgan Trike had a V-twin motorcycle engine between the front wheels, if you recall. Do you have any really nutty ideas like that gnawing at you? . A: What a coincidence... I used to ride an early 250 Elsinore. If you ever get too choppered out, take a look at some of the motorcycles being built in Europe and Japan. It's sure to get you recharged. As long as we're on the topic of engine power, the bike I envisioned would use a Honda XR 500 powertrain. I think that you're onto something with the lightweight cycle car though. A simple commuter vehicle with a small displacement air-cooled engine would do the planet some good, and it would be fun to drive at the same time. . I've always got some ideas brewing. I usually stop myself when I try to figure out where to store this thing when it's done. I've been eyeing an old aircraft fire dolly that has four-foot tall knobby wheels on it. I'd like to try something with giant wheels once, even if I had to make the hoops and fabricate some giant bicycle tires. If I could sort out the details, a monowheel would be really cool to build. . I haven't done any hedgehog lodges, but our living room is sporting a horseman lamp and entertainment center. There's little projects like that here and there around the house. I'd like some Roth-esque furniture.... the next piece will be metal flake and pinstripes. So many things to build! I'd better get busy. . Q: I know what you mean; life is just too short to do everything I ever wanted to do. I think it's really cool that so many of us have been training ourselves, through making our own bikes, to become the sort of backyard tinkerers capable of creating the kind of land vehicles the world needs now. The last time that was going on was at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Wright brothers switched over from building bikes to developing the first truly functional aircraft. Here we are at the beginning of the 21st century, and the weirdo bike guys are at it again. . That giant-wheel urge of yours sounds like a lot of fun. I suppose you know that Greg Barron of http://hiwheel.com will make just about any size spoked bike-style wheel to order, and I suppose that also applies to the rubber. Since there's a lot of activity in the solid elastomer tire area now, the technology lends itself to molding your own tires in your back yard. Come to think of it, with all the composite materials we can use in our backyards, and the cheap metalworking tools we can use in our garages, this is shaping up to be a very interesting time for guys like us. But you know what the old Chinese curse says about interesting times. What do you think, Eric, is this shaping up to be good times, or just the-usual-pain-in-the-ass times? . A: Man I'd love to have one of those highwheelers. I got the chance to ride one once, and once is never enough. . Interesting times are only good to look back on. I'd like to think that the times ahead are destined to be good times. With a real resurgence in people interested in learning real hands-on skills, maybe the discipline of craftsmanship will make a comeback. Either that, or all the new builders will drop out and the rest of us will get lots of great tools for cheap! . The only bad thing I see happening lately is the way that new laws are trying to squash home-built vehicles from being made. Like State and federal governments coming down on individuals using vegetable oil for fuel. Levying fines on home inventors for used vegetable oil? People being held to one custom motorcycle build during their lifetime. This stuff is ridiculous. Who's to say that what I can buy is better than what I can make? I always get a kick out of those science channels that repeatedly do stories investigating the building of the pyramids. How did they ever do it? Easy... they didn't need a building permit. . Q: I'd heard about the guy getting screwed by that idiotic vegetable oil penalizing deal, which is certainly bad enough; but is that "one custom motorcycle build per lifetime" thing for real or only proposed? Federal or State regulation? I've never heard of such an insane thing. Custom building stuff is like thrill-killing or Pringles chips- nobody inclined that way can possibly do just one. . Well, I'm personally ready for the post-apocalyptic-total-anarchy scenario now. Fortunately, I've already got the wardrobe and accessories for it, so bring it on, Mofos! . I'm assuming that you share the "outlaw" attitude of most of our readers. Do you have any recommendations as to how guys like us can evade/avoid the idiotic attempts to squelch creative approaches to saving the world, one vehicle at a time? . A: The "once in a lifetime" builder proposal is/ was very real. It's almost impossible to find out how these proposals turn out. This is all the EPA's secretive way of doing business. Even manufacturers of custom bikes were to be limited to 24 per year, and they can only be ridden to and from shows. Even the width of the tire comes under the EPA's scrutiny. The last I heard of this attempt, they were talking about having a fee schedule for "Non-Conformity". The public is not invited to learn or question any of it, even though these rules affect small businesses as well. Do a search for "EPA LOG motorcycle" and check out bikernet's story. That's "Letter Of Guidance". While you're at it, do a search for how Jesse James was attacked by the California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) and shaken down for money. . What can we as builders and tinkerers do about this? Well, I think with people avidly involved in discussion on forums and being kept aware of how quickly things can change is the best way. You know, sooner or later you may just want to add an engine to that bicycle you just built. It would be nice if you were able to actually use it when you're finished! Don't be afraid to get involved; and keep a close eye on people trying to save you from yourself. I don't wish to impress my views on anyone in the areas of politics and organized religion, but let's just say it's ALL bad, if you let it be. If that makes me an outlaw, then so be it. . Q: Dude, I thought I was ambivalent about the future before! You know, back in the day I was paranoid about the Nixon administration's agenda. What a joke! Nowadays it's hard to figure out who's running ahead in the oppression stakes- the Left or the Right. . Thanks very much for taking the time for the chat, Eric. We'll be looking forward to seeing your future projects, whatever they may be. . A: Jim, it's been a pleasure. I'm glad that you see some merit to my projects. I've always been an avid reader of BR&K and it's an honor to be a part of it! |
Q: Eric, I've been catching up on your current project recently. It's incredibly ambitious, from a technical standpoint. This makes me curious as to what gave you the urge to take up our form of bike creation in the first place, how long you've been doing it, and whether you started out working in other kustom forms before starting with bikes? . A: Yes Jim, I suppose this newest bike seems to have a stack of challenges. I like to explore at least one unknown with each build to keep it interesting, but this one has several "unknowns". I have been into bikes since I was a kid and did my share of customizing but it's only been four or five years that I can say I've been creating new bicycles. I guess it starts with fabricating small parts out of necessity and grows from there. |
My first job was as a bicycle mechanic's apprentice in a Schwinn dealership in Massachusetts. I really liked it and eventually became store manager. Times changed, and for the last twenty years or so I've been customizing mechanical systems on board private yachts. I guess now I've combined the two disciplines. . Q: Having seen the video of you riding your latest bike "Hubless Horseman", I'm curious about something. What does it feel like to ride it? .. A: It does feel a little different than a "regular" bike. It's got slightly more drag for one, but I'm fairly sure that any bike with four inch wide front and rear tires would have a little drag. The belt drive has an odd feel to it. Almost like you're disconnected from the rest of the bike somehow. Everything else seems the same. The cornering etc. feels like any other bike. |
Q: Sorry about my confusing your wife with yourself, which is a major gaffe; but in defense, I only had eyes for the bike. I was really impressed with how it looked while rolling. And that hubless rear is really startling to see in action. But I'm most impressed that something as complex as that drivetrain worked the way you'd anticipated/hoped, right off the bat. If I'd designed the thing, I'd probably still be tweaking it like crazy, just to get it to roll. . This one's the "hubless" one. Do you think of your other bike builds in terms of their most interesting or challenging features? If so, what are they, in those other cases? |
A: I suppose they have all had some particular component design that prompted their fabrication. My wife's bike, "Black Widow" was all about the redesign of a Phat chopper. I wanted to try my hand at a fiberglass "tank" to reshape the frame, and some sheet metal shortening of a Harley fender to act as a seat support. I'd like to think that it came out good. It's an experience to ride, and you can actually wheelie it. She's used this bike on every FBM ride so far. |
The "Blingatron" bike was an exercise in excess. Again the drive system was the test. Getting the seven-speed freehub and an eight-inch disc on the same side of a 250mm tire was a trick. Also the miniature chain guides and a 25"-over springer added up to a ten and a half foot long build. If you look close you can see the cyclical control for braking/shifting behind the seat on the left hand side. |
Interview conducted by Jim Wilson Eric Paulson, alias "4th Horseman", has always exemplified the "artist/engineer" principle, in company with Leonardo da Vinci and Ettore Bugatti, among others I worship. This combines the attributes of wildly-creative thinking with the practical type of intellect required to carry out the processes needed to realize their technical brainstorms in an efficient way. This is a relatively rare combination. With Eric's latest, and wildest project, "Hubless Horseman", we felt it was about time for an interview. |
The "Lucky13" bike was about trying my luck at a motorcycle wheel and jackshaft arrangement. I thought I'd try to get the feel of a rigid bar hopper at the same time. Getting the five-speed freehub, deadman brake and springer dialed in were probably the high points of that one. |
Lucky 13 Click to see large. |
Blingatron Click to see large. |
Black Widow Click to see large. |
I was more or less possessed by the appeal of a girder fork for the next build, and that's where "Pandora" started. I decided I'd do the bike in the style of the current Japanese custom chopper builders. That fork was a lot of work, both in theory and in fabrication. But I feel it was worth it. And she now has a spot in the living room. Pandora also has the bolt-in bottom bracket housing that mimics an old engine case. The funny thing that came out of the build was the debate spurred by my use of knobby tires. |
The other bikes were for the fun of building a custom for someone else. Although they were not built as design test-beds, they had the design criteria. They needed to be reliable, streetable custom machines and still have my own stylistic signature on them. I'm ready to do another one like that for myself. |
Q: You obviously have a very well-equipped shop. Did you set it up just for your bike "hobby" work, or does the bike work merely benefit from the needs of your "day job"? How about describing your shop and its equipment for us? . A: I'm lucky to have a lot of equipment to speed things up here at work. I outfitted the shop for the most part. We have some older machines, like a Bridgeport (milling machine) and lathe. No automation, but with a plan I can generally build what it is that I need. We've got sandblasters, presses, saws and welding machines among other niceties. |
Pandora Click to see large. |
Giant Killer Click to see large. |
Jeff's Trike Click to see large. |
There is a separate fabrication bay at work where I have a bunch of personal tools more related to building bikes. I have made several jigs both for bicycle and motorcycle frames, and just purchased a new TIG welder. I try to add more tools to my personal list all the time, but for now the bicycles definitely benefit from my day job. . Q: It's pretty safe to assume, since you do work on yachts, that there's lots of work space, too. Sounds like heaven to me! . How many scratch-built bike projects do you have under your belt now? |
A: Yeah it's definitely a nice shop to work out of. There's always someone with a project going on to help out with too. Motorcycles, go-karts, pocket bikes, sandrails, we are always into something. . As far as scratch builds... hmmm.. so far four bicycles and one motorcycle. I've done extensive modifications to four other bicycles. I guess it doesn't sound like many but my builds tend to be fairly complex and therefore time consuming. I generally don't start a build unless I'm consumed by a certain idea for it. |
Once I start a build, I take a sort of zen approach to it. I don't make extensive drawings or templates as a rule. I build a little then wait for the bike to tell me what to do next. That way I don't feel confined to build what my first idea might have been. . Q: Your approach and mine are very similar, it seems. I prefer an organic process with one thing growing out of another, and even one bike growing out of the previous one, if only in reaction to it. That's a pretty workable process for an artist, but I imagine it would suck for a commercial builder. Does that mean you have no aspirations toward being "like WCC or OCC, except with pedals"? |
Rainmaker Click to see large. |
A: I really have no certain agenda to follow regarding bike building. I don't see myself as a bicycle "manufacturer". I have kicked around the idea of making a simple, stylish frame for people to build around though. Not in huge numbers, but if someone had an interest in it I might make a few. . The more complex my builds get, the more appreciative I am of the relative simplicity of the everyday bicycle. It really is the perfect invention. I've got a few ideas for bikes to come, one being more of a classically styled early chopper. But I suppose I'm drifting off topic..... |
Q: Topic? We have a topic? Just kidding, but that seems like an interesting one to me. Every time I strain my sacroiliac stuffing my seven-foot-something chopper into the elevator by hoisting the front wheel up into the ceiling corner, I relate to that one myself. d So, do you think that nostalgia for "practicality" is making a comeback among other guys like us? John Brain's been predicting a comeback for cruiser-style and size machines, not that they ever went away, of course, and I've been eyeing ChoppersUS' new UAV in a speculatively covetous way. I don't know whether it would fit my body, but I'm damn sure it would fit my elevator. I noticed that one of the Euro guys has built one along the lines of that one, only fabbed-up from aluminum sheet/plate. .. A: Definitely...... styles and tastes seem to change at a rapid pace when it comes to bikes. As for a general shift, I think the move to 40's-50's style cruisers has already started. I'll always like the image of Brain's late 60's style choppers though. I think there's room for both.... or at least I hope so because I'd like to try my hand at one of those! . Now that the chopper television boom has died down, people are doing some re-evaluation. Maybe it's a coda we're coming to, as we reach a certain point we then must return to the beginning. One thing is for certain, though, we will be seeing a lot of building going on and the bikes to emerge probably won't fit neatly into any one category. . Q: We do have a lot of advantages now, as a result of the chopper bike "craze". Back in BR&K's early days, most everybody was building kustom cruisers with a very small source pool for frames and non-stock parts. As a result, everybody's cruiser looked pretty similar to all the rest, except for the paint scheme, since they mostly had wheels and other components from the lowrider bike catalogs fitted to Schwinn cantilever frames. Thanks to the chopper boom, the parts and components pool is a lot bigger now, and most of the stuff works on cruiser frames just as well as on chopper ones. And, of course, the chopper thing got the cutting-edge people, like yourself, involved in designing and making their own frames and parts. . Do you think this will carry over into the next generation of kustom bikes, with people aspiring to create their own scratch-built designs, no matter what form the bike takes? Or will stock frames continue to be the main basis, just because it's easier than starting from scratch? I notice that there's also a disturbing trend going on of newbies and middle-tier builders not bothering to give their bikes individualistic style or paint schemes, which seems regressive to me. Are we forever doomed to always have "cookie-cutter" bikes making up the majority? . A: I think that the scratch builds will continue to grow in numbers. Not only the availability of components, but also the availability of reasonably priced metal-working equipment will play a role. Overall I think that the number of people building is on the rise. Not everyone into kustom bikes is interested in building, though, and these people will also want to put their own personality into the bikes they choose to buy etc.. . I think lately the actual definition of "custom bicycle", (with a c), is up for interpretation though. We now have whole groups devoted to assembling from vintage parts as an art form. We are seeing a large number of people that build and rebuild in an apocalyptic freakbike style. There are diehard recumbent builders, motorized bikes, it goes on and on. I will always be into the "car show" type bikes, but I have a definite appreciation for people creating in these new styles. I just don't have that mindset and it's always surprising to see what they come up with. . Q: Your own and certain other builders' scratch-built bikes have followed a progression toward increasing technical complexity, culminating in your current hubless one, in which you and the other tech-escalator guys pretty much "re-invent the wheel". Now that I'm familiar with your mental process, I doubt that you have a checklist of projects pinned to your wall, but do you think that your next project will up the technical ante, or will you go back to something simpler than hubless, but more complicated in a different direction? . A: To be honest, I'd like to take a little break from the overly-complicated route. I just had never seen a bike with a hubless rear wheel.... and now I know why! It's true what they say about reinventing the wheel. Once the rear wheel is proven to be bullet proof, a side project may be to build the front to match. The whole thing started with Kenny (Prather) handing me some free wheelchair parts. One thing leads to another... and.... . If I had to pick from a few ideas that I'd like to try next..... One would be a proper chopper in the style of Brain. Something fast, comfortable, and stylish with a timeless appeal. A build that I could spend time on the esthetics more than mechanical design issues. . I've got an idea for a futuristic all-aluminum digger that would have "standard" wheels and a bent elastic modulus fork for suspension. Maybe a steel long-travel mountain bike also. Oh, and another chopper motorcycle build starting with an enduro bike. But of course all of this can change if someone hands me another free part. . Q: I can relate to the "free part" part. I'm a real sucker for having something weird on hand, where I can see it often. I'll just compulsively think about what I can do with that thing, every time I see it. Sometimes it can take years, but I'll eventually find a purpose for it. I had this really cool old chrome speaker grille on hand for about 20 years, just waiting for the right project to come along. Then, about a year ago, my daughter got herself a hedgehog, and asked me to build it a habitat. Voila! I designed an acrylic tank around that speaker grille, which served as a portcullis-type hinged door. Recently, she found a new owner for the hedgehog, so I dismantled the tank. It may take me another 20 years to find another use for that grille. I should send it to you! . I've had a 1980 Honda Elsinore 250cc 2-stroke motocross engine hanging around for a couple of years, waiting for me to rebuild it and trick it out for use in a project. I've collected all the external components for it, a new set of gaskets and a complete set of stainless-steel fasteners. That baby's ready for a total teardown now; but I keep changing my mind about the project. The last idea was a chopper trike done in Ed Roth style, but I've been feeling a little choppered-out lately, and open to other ideas. . Recently, I was down in Baton Rouge, building one of my kiddy Bugatti cars for a client, with my brother. While we were building it, BroDave got the idea that it would be cool to build a classic Morgan Trike-style HPV car, big enough for him to use. So, we decided that would be our next project, when cool weather finally gets to Louisiana. . Lately, though, I've started thinking about combining that Honda engine with that type of vehicle, to end up with 3-wheeled cycle car, like the ones that were popular in the UK and Europe in the '20s. The original Morgan Trike had a V-twin motorcycle engine between the front wheels, if you recall. Do you have any really nutty ideas like that gnawing at you? . A: What a coincidence... I used to ride an early 250 Elsinore. If you ever get too choppered out, take a look at some of the motorcycles being built in Europe and Japan. It's sure to get you recharged. As long as we're on the topic of engine power, the bike I envisioned would use a Honda XR 500 powertrain. I think that you're onto something with the lightweight cycle car though. A simple commuter vehicle with a small displacement air-cooled engine would do the planet some good, and it would be fun to drive at the same time. . I've always got some ideas brewing. I usually stop myself when I try to figure out where to store this thing when it's done. I've been eyeing an old aircraft fire dolly that has four-foot tall knobby wheels on it. I'd like to try something with giant wheels once, even if I had to make the hoops and fabricate some giant bicycle tires. If I could sort out the details, a monowheel would be really cool to build. . I haven't done any hedgehog lodges, but our living room is sporting a horseman lamp and entertainment center. There's little projects like that here and there around the house. I'd like some Roth-esque furniture.... the next piece will be metal flake and pinstripes. So many things to build! I'd better get busy. . Q: I know what you mean; life is just too short to do everything I ever wanted to do. I think it's really cool that so many of us have been training ourselves, through making our own bikes, to become the sort of backyard tinkerers capable of creating the kind of land vehicles the world needs now. The last time that was going on was at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Wright brothers switched over from building bikes to developing the first truly functional aircraft. Here we are at the beginning of the 21st century, and the weirdo bike guys are at it again. . That giant-wheel urge of yours sounds like a lot of fun. I suppose you know that Greg Barron of http://hiwheel.com will make just about any size spoked bike-style wheel to order, and I suppose that also applies to the rubber. Since there's a lot of activity in the solid elastomer tire area now, the technology lends itself to molding your own tires in your back yard. Come to think of it, with all the composite materials we can use in our backyards, and the cheap metalworking tools we can use in our garages, this is shaping up to be a very interesting time for guys like us. But you know what the old Chinese curse says about interesting times. What do you think, Eric, is this shaping up to be good times, or just the-usual-pain-in-the-ass times? . A: Man I'd love to have one of those highwheelers. I got the chance to ride one once, and once is never enough. . Interesting times are only good to look back on. I'd like to think that the times ahead are destined to be good times. With a real resurgence in people interested in learning real hands-on skills, maybe the discipline of craftsmanship will make a comeback. Either that, or all the new builders will drop out and the rest of us will get lots of great tools for cheap! . The only bad thing I see happening lately is the way that new laws are trying to squash home-built vehicles from being made. Like State and federal governments coming down on individuals using vegetable oil for fuel. Levying fines on home inventors for used vegetable oil? People being held to one custom motorcycle build during their lifetime. This stuff is ridiculous. Who's to say that what I can buy is better than what I can make? I always get a kick out of those science channels that repeatedly do stories investigating the building of the pyramids. How did they ever do it? Easy... they didn't need a building permit. . Q: I'd heard about the guy getting screwed by that idiotic vegetable oil penalizing deal, which is certainly bad enough; but is that "one custom motorcycle build per lifetime" thing for real or only proposed? Federal or State regulation? I've never heard of such an insane thing. Custom building stuff is like thrill-killing or Pringles chips- nobody inclined that way can possibly do just one. . Well, I'm personally ready for the post-apocalyptic-total-anarchy scenario now. Fortunately, I've already got the wardrobe and accessories for it, so bring it on, Mofos! . I'm assuming that you share the "outlaw" attitude of most of our readers. Do you have any recommendations as to how guys like us can evade/avoid the idiotic attempts to squelch creative approaches to saving the world, one vehicle at a time? . A: The "once in a lifetime" builder proposal is/ was very real. It's almost impossible to find out how these proposals turn out. This is all the EPA's secretive way of doing business. Even manufacturers of custom bikes were to be limited to 24 per year, and they can only be ridden to and from shows. Even the width of the tire comes under the EPA's scrutiny. The last I heard of this attempt, they were talking about having a fee schedule for "Non-Conformity". The public is not invited to learn or question any of it, even though these rules affect small businesses as well. Do a search for "EPA LOG motorcycle" and check out bikernet's story. That's "Letter Of Guidance". While you're at it, do a search for how Jesse James was attacked by the California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) and shaken down for money. . What can we as builders and tinkerers do about this? Well, I think with people avidly involved in discussion on forums and being kept aware of how quickly things can change is the best way. You know, sooner or later you may just want to add an engine to that bicycle you just built. It would be nice if you were able to actually use it when you're finished! Don't be afraid to get involved; and keep a close eye on people trying to save you from yourself. I don't wish to impress my views on anyone in the areas of politics and organized religion, but let's just say it's ALL bad, if you let it be. If that makes me an outlaw, then so be it. . Q: Dude, I thought I was ambivalent about the future before! You know, back in the day I was paranoid about the Nixon administration's agenda. What a joke! Nowadays it's hard to figure out who's running ahead in the oppression stakes- the Left or the Right. . Thanks very much for taking the time for the chat, Eric. We'll be looking forward to seeing your future projects, whatever they may be. . A: Jim, it's been a pleasure. I'm glad that you see some merit to my projects. I've always been an avid reader of BR&K and it's an honor to be a part of it! |
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Photo by Alison Guerino. |
