The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Hill Climb Special by Chris Barber

By

Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special
Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special

Chris Barber is no stranger to The Kneeslider, having had both his Desmohog Harley/Ducati hybrid engined bike and Alfabike featured here previously.

His latest endeavour is a bike build which is a reaction to the increasing number of board track inspired customs being built at the moment. In his own words, “board trackers are so 2009 so I’m calling this the ‘30s Hill Climb special.”

The build began when Chris was looking around for a Ducati Bevel drive V2 frame for another project and stumbled across a ‘40s Matchless G3 frame on eBay. Being an admirer of the look of pre-war bikes, he put a bid in and the frame was his.

The original plan was to use a JAP single for the motor but, as these are both rare and expensive, an alternative option had to be found. In this case, a GM speedway engine.

While a frame and engine don’t make a complete build, it did give Chris enough of an idea of what he wanted the finished bike to look like and fortunately he had enough parts lying around his workshop to get him well on the way. A Burman gearbox has been mated to the engine and a Husqvarna front rim built up onto a Bultaco rear hub to complete the drivetrain. A Suzuki RM125 donated its front wheel, and this is held in place by a set of girder forks that Chris fabricated himself, saying, “I wanted the front end to be different but not too out of place… I tried to get a ‘30s aviation look on the girder forks.”

Having made up his own front end, it was a simple task to Chris to then go on and fabricate the exhaust, gas tank and handlebars for the bike.

Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special
Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special

————-
Note from Kneeslider – Thanks, Duncan. Some of you may wonder what a GM Speedway engine is, in this case, GM is not General Motors, it stands for Giuseppe Marzotto, a speedway racer from the 1970s, who designed, along with Giuliano Galiazzo, an engine for use in speedway racers.

Chris Barber continues to impress with his original builds. I really like the fact that he is a one man shop and yet comes up with these unique creations. His new website has a rundown of all of his builds, including one in the works, a C114 V6 Maserati Engined bike, I guess the Alfa Romeo bike started him off in that direction. Cool.

Link: Chris Barber

Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special girder fork
Chris Barber's '30s Hill Climb Special girder fork

Comments

  2. A real beauty. I’d forgotten all about Speedway racing. It used to be covered a bit in the motorcycle mags back in the 1970s. The thing I remember is the bikes had no rake and no brakes.

  5. Very sweet. It captures a lot of what I like about antique bikes: very simple, beautiful to look at. With the antique frame, it probably also captures what I dislike about such bikes: hellishly uncomfortable to ride. Not a daily rider by any stretch, but a great build nonetheless.

  6. Duncan, thanks for the write-up, it’s an honour to be on The Kneeslider, the great thing about this site is the diversity of machines.

    Thanks to all for the kind words, I was a surprised this little bike made it on here, it is just an assembly of odd parts, after all….but saying that I’ve enjoyed building this more than some of my more complicated projects.

    Despite living in the over policed British Isles, I am actually allowed to ride this bike with no lights, although I don’t think I’ll be travelling too far from home on that seat!

  7. This bike manages to look vintage, yet not antique. Lots of great gearhead triggers here, like the forks, frame-hung tank and heavily finned single motor. I like it.

  8. The huge and heavy-looking girder front end looks out of place with the relative size of everything else on the bike. The exhaust is two or three feet too long. The coffin tank? I like mixing bike style metaphors but a coffin tank on a speedway doesn’t work. At least not on this one.

    Now, here is a speedway that has some great style mixes but still comes across as a very singular exercise in tight design: http://bikernetmetricnews.blogspot.com/2009/12/some-japanese-builders-are-blowing-me.html

    I wouldn’t mention the mismatched body elements if Chris had his Frankengine Ducarley as the motor. That would be something. Especially if it had a dynamometer reading.

  9. Love the front end!!! I’ve got to agree about the tank, though (a slab-sided tank with messy welds would put that right for me). Also, this thing is screaming for some red and gold pin-striping.

    Is the pipe tuned (46 inch-ish)?

    Well done, man.

  10. Interesting project . I used to build up bikes like this when I was a teenager, more out of financial necessity rather than pleasure projects. We called them Bitsa specials, concoctions of whatever parts we could scrounge up and cobble together. Back then they where looked on as kind of hickey and uncool. It’s amazing how times change

  12. Trent, it’s not a speedway bike, hence the road tyres, it’s a hillclimber (that’s British hill climbing up a short stretch of twisty road) hence a larger tank than a speedway bike…………..hillclimbing was very much working mans racing, so a lot of these machines were built in blokes sheds and would therefore come in all shapes and sizes, some a little bizarre and experimental.
    I’ve tried to get an Art Deco look with the tank to reflect the 30s and the girder front is a reflection of the experiments with aviation design and material at the time. The front may look heavy but its total weight is <17lbs (minus wheel and handlebars).
    The exhaust is the optimum length and normal for the period but I understand it does not look fashionable.

    That Japenese bike is lovely but when did you last see a speedway bike with a front disc brake?

  14. Pipe not fashionable?
    Mr. Barber, that pipe was the first thing to catch my eye!
    Definately fashionable, and correct for the bike.
    I’ll bet this thing’s a blast on a steep twisty road. Hardtails do handle well within certain limits, (although uncomfortable) and can be amazingly simple. The handling is actually closer to a heavy bicycle than what we would think of as a motorcycle. What does it weigh?
    Thumbs up, man!
    Jim Flower

  15. Like it a lot-lots of guys can put together a nice bike that looks like thousands of other bikes, but to come up with something truly unique that is still pleasing to the eye is where the real artistic talent lies. Were I the builder, I’d appreciate the negative comments as much as the accolades-rule 1 is to be true to your own eye, and screw everybody else.

    Curious why all the old board trackers mounted the bicycle seats at such a steep angle-looks horrendously uncomfortable, plus possibly manhood-damaging. That is one change I’d make from period correct were it mine.

  16. Okay. No headlamp. It actually IS an Art Deco hill climber! I blame this darned cold. The meds have me all woozy and my head is obviously filled with snot.

  17. I also love the pipe, it looks great.

    I have no idea what it weighs, but it looks like it can’t be much at all. Those open, negative spaces, give it a super light look.

  18. Great looking bike! Were you by any chance inspired by a little-know builder in North Carolina that builds using smaller CC twin engines?

  19. I actually love this, Especially the way that engine just sits perfectly upright with plenty of ‘cooling’ space. Having the tank within the frame also quite nice, a perfect tear drop would look out of place in there. so thumbs up to coffin tank.

    I personally would stick on a straight bar on and try to lower the seat position and fit the pegs further back but i realise that probably wouldn’t work unless I had the carb sitting in the gentlemans region.

    Would a S/steel belly pan be out of place for a hillclimber?

  20. Hey Jamie,
    Little known???….famous in my book. I believe he was featured in the Horse calender…damn fine machine!
    I’ll drop you an e-mail very soon.

    Nathan and all,
    Thanks….I shouldn’t be so sensitive, the bike was built for absolute buttons, weighs nothing and is so simple, it doesn’t need a battery and is road legal (daylight hours only) I can even lift it on and off the work bench on my own!

    • hello
      My name is Francisco and I live in Argentina.
      I need de email the Chris Barber, i not found in your page.
      I am about to begin building a motorcycle AJS500.
      I liked his project, “Hill Climber”
      I can see that modified or adapted in another clutch.
      I could say that clutch use?.
      The clutch of my bike is destroyed and want to adapt other.
      best regards
      Francisco

  21. Chris, you’ve made a beautiful machine. When I was in art school I learned that a success was defined as a work that stirred emotion in it’s viewer, be it positive or negative.

    I wouldn’t change a thing. Please keep up the good work and remember:

    De gustibus non est disputandum.

  22. Even though it was not built to replicate a speedway bike, tucking in the tank actually keeps the speedway look quite prevalent, not to mention the exposed dry clutch. Also the small saddle, straight diamond rear, bobbed close fender, you have more speedway in it beyond the motor than you might think! Although Im not a fan of the front end I love the concept and how you mated aero with motorcycle. Great bike, great work!

  23. Top man. Speedway engines are immensely powerful and torquey just right for hillclimb. Added bonus it burns alcohol so you can have a drink of it before flying up a hill on a bike with no gearbox or brakes