Me likes but I like Roland's bikes..






http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2010/05/07/satanic-sportster-cafe-racer/

Looks very clean. He needs to pull that front wheel in though. Thing looks like a chopper.

that a sportster driveline? looks ALOT like one. me likey

I hear about this guy all the time, and some of his bikes look cool, but do you really think they're worth him being a celebrity?? To be honest I see work that's just as nice on customfighters all the time, and those people are spending $2-10k total on some great looking bikes, not making bikes with $50k+ "custom" price tags.

Seriously, if I saw that bike parked somewhere, I'd stare at it thinking it looked great, and I don't know what the price tags on roland sands bikes look like, but chances are if the guy riding it told me what he paid I'd laugh my way into the fetal position.

is there a reason he's trying to make me assume that he welds in his riding jacket with a scowl on his face??

Ehh he got his name out there. and if they stick wiht it many of these fighter builders will too. people from different camps will liek those.  some , liek myself, i like em boht. id rathe build my own tbh. have acess to anythign i needed. btu ehh not gonan happen. for any amount of time yet. all i can do is dream atm. so maybe one day when im able to, al lhte dreams can be put into a bike. and it will kick ass

Well I guess you can look at it both ways. A good bike builder will probably take 6 months to a year to build a custom and on the side sell parts and accessories. So a $30K bike doesn't net them much income if we think about what it takes to make a living and to support a family unless they have a dealer.

If I had time and money and did not need to work I would build my own custom. But if my time was money than I would just rather have someone build my dream bike. 

I'm definitely looking forward to building something someday. I bought a cheap welder a month or two ago and haven't touched it, I guess that would be my first step, haha. Once I learn how to use it I'll pick up a nicer one.

I figure it's a good hobby to work on when I have kids in a couple years as making bikes is safer than riding them. I still plan on riding them all the same, but if I spend a couple evenings or weekends working on a bike instead of riding it, that wouldn't be a bad thing. My riding style is already completely different since before I was married and had a job/house, so if I was cruising around on something I made, I think I'd definitely be a lot more controlled than if I was riding around on a beat up old gsxr.

Quote from: tt_four on May 10, 2010, 08:14:17 PM
I hear about this guy all the time, and some of his bikes look cool, but do you really think they're worth him being a celebrity?? To be honest I see work that's just as nice on customfighters all the time, and those people are spending $2-10k total on some great looking bikes, not making bikes with $50k+ "custom" price tags.

When you talk to people about how much it cost them to build their custom, they usually talk about the parts or services that they had to pay for.  They don't figure in labor because they were building the bike for themselves.

Those guys that sell them on the other hand have to add in everything.  Lets say it takes him 6 months to build a bike.  Thats 960 hours at $60 per hour.  That equals to $57,600.00 in just labor.  Even if he drops his rate to $50 per hour it is still $48K.  Add parts and a charge for creativity/artistry and I can see why they would charge $50K+.

Still too rich for my blood but they are pretty to look at and I'm sure fun to ride.

- Porkchop

Quote from: tt_four on May 11, 2010, 07:44:55 AM
I'm definitely looking forward to building something someday. I bought a cheap welder a month or two ago and haven't touched it, I guess that would be my first step, haha. Once I learn how to use it I'll pick up a nicer one.

I figure it's a good hobby to work on when I have kids in a couple years as making bikes is safer than riding them. I still plan on riding them all the same, but if I spend a couple evenings or weekends working on a bike instead of riding it, that wouldn't be a bad thing. My riding style is already completely different since before I was married and had a job/house, so if I was cruising around on something I made, I think I'd definitely be a lot more controlled than if I was riding around on a beat up old gsxr.

That what I thought before I had kids. Get everything done now because when you have kids free time seems to disappear. It not a bad thing it's just the time is spent doing joyful things.

I'm not so much worried about the time. I'm busy enough as it is now so joyrides are scarce. I'm always gonna need to run to the store for something quick, and maybe someday I'll work somewhere that actually has a parking lot, so I can fit in a ride that way. I used to primarily be a commuter by motorcycle anyway. It's really more of a safety thing at this point. I'm a lot more easy going with a wife and a house, but when I have kids I don't imagine I'd even be able to enjoy a bike with clipons and 130hp.

Quote from: tt_four on May 11, 2010, 07:18:33 PM
I'm not so much worried about the time. I'm busy enough as it is now so joyrides are scarce. I'm always gonna need to run to the store for something quick, and maybe someday I'll work somewhere that actually has a parking lot, so I can fit in a ride that way. I used to primarily be a commuter by motorcycle anyway. It's really more of a safety thing at this point. I'm a lot more easy going with a wife and a house, but when I have kids I don't imagine I'd even be able to enjoy a bike with clipons and 130hp.

Besides commuting every once in a while I find an hour free, hop on the bike and just ride. When you don't get to ride free as much as you use to any time you get a chance it's like the first time riding again.

My wife works an early shift, and goes to bed around 7 or 8, so by the time I get home from work I hang out with her for a couple hours, then before I know it she's going to bed. I'm not too crazy about night time riding, so week nights don't usually happen for rides. I can usually get a nice weekend ride in though, especially Saturday morning if she has to work. Someday I'll move out of the city and have to find other options for commuting, so when that happens I'll get in about 9 months of daily riding. There's no chance I'm going to try to get downtown in a car, just not gonna happen.

i know nothing about this builder, or blog, or website, or bike... but isn't that a typo, just right of the scowling model/yahoo/builder that obviously uses oxy/cety while donning his riding jacket ?

and the grinding sparks behind the finished bike- a little much. anyone that uses a torch knows:
1 it's hot, very
2 it's too hot to wear flimsy pleather jackets
3 it's not worth scowling. ... you'll only look like a model, and poorly

and then the grinding part:
1 never grind near anything painted, unless you want ot paint it again.
2 never grind near rubber
3 never grind near gas
4 never grind near chrome (uh oh, no hardleys in the grind shop !!!)

etc.

Now that I've taken a good look at one, I've gotta say his bike looks identical to a HD xr1200 with a tail swap and a new swingarm...

Quote from: tt_four on May 13, 2010, 08:28:22 PM
Now that I've taken a good look at one, I've gotta say his bike looks identical to a HD xr1200 with a tail swap and a new swingarm...

Damn, beat me to it. 

Quote from: ohgood on May 13, 2010, 05:02:00 PM
i know nothing about this builder, or blog, or website, or bike... but isn't that a typo, just right of the scowling model/yahoo/builder that obviously uses oxy/cety while donning his riding jacket ?

and the grinding sparks behind the finished bike- a little much. anyone that uses a torch knows:
1 it's hot, very
2 it's too hot to wear flimsy pleather jackets
3 it's not worth scowling. ... you'll only look like a model, and poorly

and then the grinding part:
1 never grind near anything painted, unless you want ot paint it again.
2 never grind near rubber
3 never grind near gas
4 never grind near chrome (uh oh, no hardleys in the grind shop !!!)

etc.

And never grind near Ohgood Hell Buddha Loves You to no end about it

ok, for comparisons sake:

this one

and this one


are not the same bike. close... but the somehow the HD appears incredibly cheap. over done huge pipes, huge slab of primary cover, huge ugly hd sticker on the tank, and just about everything your finger can touch looks like and after thought.

looks aside, it's prolly just fine for riding. or posing, whatever.