Steampunk Xj?

Not sure what this thing is but its definitely interesting, Those are definitely the xj wheels.
Steampunkxjthing

 

that is one hideous bike. Fact.

 

Beyond hideous...

 

Not definitely. Could be Virago wheels.
Edit- further down it mentions being a Seca wheel.

 

They're SECA wheels; the REAR is a 19" Seca 750 front. (I read the article.)

You guys didn't look closely enough.

That thing is absolute genius. Granted, we could do without the Dr. Seuss color scheme; but the rest of it is simply a modern-engineered and executed 1930's motorcycle; with every functional bit hanging out in public. The engineering is wickedly clever.

Paint everything black, polish the aluminum and it would look like a '37 BSA, or a Scott Flying Squirrel (do a Google image search on that one.)

It doesn't have to look like a carnival ride. Methinks the good Doctor has been poking about in the medicine chest.

 

Looks like he had a Mechano set as a kid.......

 

Aside from the colors, the ugly shape and what seems to be 800 lbs of unneeded wieght, it is an engineering marvel.

 

The shape is pure function (since it's water cooled) and I'll bet that aside from the frame it's light as can be. Everything is alloy.

It REALLY needs a paint job.

 

if that thing was done in a black and brass and chrome job, it would be worth alot, its like they let fisher price do the paint job

 

Fitz, I'm sure there are people out there who like that sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. While I am a big fan of making pieces and parts not meant to fit together fit together, my idea of great engineering encompasses form and function. Make it work and look good. Anybody can weld brackets on everywhere. The old saying "it looks fast even parked" definitely does not apply here. Quite the opposite. It just looks like Al Queda bombed an Erector Set factory and the guys from OCC painted the debris pile. But, somebody spent time and money on it and is proud of it and that was the look he was going for.

 

Ya, Im gonna have to agree with that.

 

Hey its OCC's Willy Whonka Bike designed by Mikie. :lol:

 

You're missing what I'm saying; and/or you're not familiar with motorcycle history.

Do a "Google image" search on "1937 BSA" and "Scott Flying Squirrel."

All this guy has done is build a modern-engineered 1930's motorcycle, but painted it like it was a tinkertoy set.

It's PURE FUNCTION; hence the "ugly" but if you look close it's not ugly at all, it's ingenoius as all get out in the way he managed to adapt the entire water-cooling system from the Kawi mill.

Look past the paint job; and look at the bikes I said to look at pictures of. That rear fender "saddle" gas tank is NOT something he thought up; they were relatively "common" in the 1930s.

Factoid: There were over 100 American motorcycle manufacturers in (and out of) business between 1911 and 1939.

 

I see what your saying there fitz, it does look similar. I just found it very interesting that someone went through so much time and engineering to make such an odd bike.

 

It's a working, moving, interactive piece of art. It's creative as can be and quite frankly, I love it. Fitz is totally right, look past the crazy colors and instead look at the engineering, how it somehow all works together. It's amazing someone could take parts from so many different bikes and make it all work.

 

I guess that's why everybody is entitled to their own opinion. To me nothing works together. It reminds me of a house that gets a new room added on to it every year. Everything is a seperate entity hanging off from somewhere held on by a bracket with speed holes drilled in it. Speed holes kinda belong on fast bikes. The tank/fender would be pure genious and a work of art if any of the curves either the one on top or bottom matched the tire and wheel. I just don't see how functional that seat can be sitting on those springs. There's got to be a certain "squirrelliness" to it going around corners. Or maybe it is just made to be shown, in which case the functionality can be skimped on, thus leaving the engineering marvel a little short on engineering. Hiding water lines by routing it through the frame rails, but leaving everything else out on display. Are we going stealth or showing off everything? No rhyme or reason to it. Anybody can make something work. It's making it work and making it look good that defines "genius" and "work of art" for me. With a little more thought involved with the asthetics, it could have truly been a masterpiece. Instead, it looks like a Christmas tree with too many ornaments on it, paint or no paint. I give credit where credit is due for taking the many different bike parts and making one bike with them. I just can't stand the look of it. Guess I'm just not into over the top. It's not my cup of tea, but it doesn't have to be. It belongs to the owner. It's his to enjoy.

 

It kind of reminds me of modern art and I don't get that either.