Anybody have a rat bike/bobber??

[bombadillo]

I'm looking to find a sub 1k bike that runs.  I'm either looking to create some kind of rat bike or hardtail bobber with it.  I looked at the cx500, shadows and any of the old preferably chain drive bikes.  I know the cx is a shaft drive, but it was had easily.  My buddy ended up building it so that ended the story real quick.  Anyway, I'm looking to build an older bike for the dirtbagchallenge.com event in SF.  Throw some really cheap ideas out there and we'll see what comes of it.

[manofthefield]

I guy I knew in college had a sweet CX rat bike

He was going to put a turbo on it (from a CX turbo), but I don't know what ever came about from that.

He ran studded tires on it in the winter so he could ride all year (houghton, mi  ~200" of snow a year)



the seat was custom made, some red vinyl wrapped over foam and there was a half a bucket tacked on as a rear fender

[bombadillo]

I'm definitely going for more of a bobber style than a ratbike style, but since i'm going for super cheap, ratbike kinda fits in.  I want it slammed with little clearance, and it's obviously going to be a town cruiser geared way down so I can have some oomph if I need it. 

[makenzie71]

The CX is an awesome platform for both.  It have plenty of power to do all terrain stuff, highway stuff, and the engine can handle being at odd angles so slamming the rear is alright.

[makenzie71]

...and I'd love to see more pics of that CX, monofthefield.

[manofthefield]

I'll have to look, but I think that's the only one I can readily get ahold of.

[frankieG]

and i thought my old 89 was a rat bike, that one in the pic above , i think, is the definition of a "rat bike"