So, you want a really nice bike from one of the custom builders but you’re a little short in the checkbook. Maybe $25,000 is a bit out of your range, you might be able to swing $7000 or $8000, but, the bike you want isn’t available at that price, so what do you do except dream? Think eBay, think garage sale, think extra parts lying around in your garage, think take offs at your dealer and you might be surprised at what you can do.
Richard Pollock has had photos of the Web Surfer Special up on his website at Mule Motorcycles for some time now but he was holding back on the story because it was a project done with Cycle World. They finally got around to writing it up and it’s in the November 2009 issue. This is a bike I like. It’s a street tracker, like Pollock builds all of the time, but instead of being one of those hand crafted beauties done at his price in the mid twenties, this one was sourced from eBay, garage sales and any place they could find what they needed, adding up to a bit under $8000. Of course there was a bit of labor involved, actually lots of labor, but the pieces were pretty reasonable considering the finished product.
A 1972 Sportster rolling chassis from a garage sale for $100 was the beginning, a dealer take-off Ducati 900SP fork was acquired for $200, … you get the idea. Nice parts on the cheap. The tailsection made from plywood, balsa and walnut, formed and finished like a surfboard, looks right on the “Web Surfer.” This bike definitely has the looks and though your skills may not be in Pollock’s league, the same idea can be followed by anyone.
Think about it, lots of folks are a little uneasy about buying a new bike right now but, suppose they change the bike they already have or build something from scratch using parts from everywhere. If Pollock can create a street tracker like this from eBay and garage sale parts, think about what you can do if you already have a bike to start with. It’s certainly not a new idea, but seeing it done can get the creative juices flowing pretty quickly.
The other aspect of this build that I like, is where it was built. Mule Motorcycles isn’t a huge shop like you might see on an OCC television build, Richard did most of this work in a nicely laid out 2 car garage. What were we just saying about motorcycle dream garages? Well thought out and nicely equipped spaces of all sizes can serve the purpose and his street trackers are perfect testimony to what you can do in limited space.
This is a great time for going back into the garage and doing it yourself. You save money, you learn a lot in the process and you get a sense of pride in a job well done. Add to that, you have a pretty sweet bike at the end. Those benefits are hard to beat.
Link: Mule Motorcycles via November 2009 Cycle World
Related: Street Trackers from Mule Motorcycles
Related: Street Trackers
Grant says
I’m afraid my skill set and $8K won’t add up to anything remotely close to that. I love the street-tracker/flat track look, and the wooden seat is great. (There is potential for even better though, if you’ve seen any of the wooden kayak build sites…)
Go Mule!
jp says
Very nice… A lot of us are either upgrading old bikes with ebay parts, or foraging with the intent to create something that scratches our own particular itch. Nice to see magazine coverage showing the motorcycling public at large what’s possible.
J.Bohannan says
Best looking Harley I’ve seen in a while. I really think they should be offering something like this. Too many similar styles.
Jim says
Very nice. Grant, I think you’d be surprised by what you could produce. Yes there are somethings that you might farm out, welding for instance, if you don’t have the equipment. But a lot of other fabrications, fiberglass for instance, is relatively inexpensive and you can make a mold out of wood, another forgiving material to work with. If you screw it up just throw it away and start over.
For most of us looking at these projects if we’ve never done them is intimidating, but if you take your time and seek out help (the internet is great for that) you can do it. A suggestion, if you have a friend or two who are also interested, build the bikes side by side, that way you can puzzle out the problems together.
Rick says
custom mounting an omar’s dirt tracker seat would be way easier than all that cabinetry. Wrenches far outnumber saws in my garage.
PS I’m not sure it has enough lights to be a ‘street’ tracker in my neck of the woods.
rocker says
why the fuel tank isn’t made by pieces of wood as well? just like the wine drum..hehe..just kidding! this is awsome bike! keep up the good work!
Pierre says
Sorry, but tank and seat don’t go together at all.
frozen prairie says
Beautiful bike. Why do factory attempts at this sort of bike always come off so much bulkier and heavy looking?
Pierre, Rick, you’ve missed the point and the humor of that tailpiece.
mobilus says
What the Harley XR1200 should have been; not with wood mind you, but styling wise at least. I don’t understand why manufacturers seem unable at times to make really beautiful machines. This is gorgeous. There are so many wonderful designers out there who don’t have the opportunity to see their work mass produced, and that’s a shame. This bike deserves to live everywhere.
todd says
Well, yeah. You mean there are people out there who just go and have other people build their bike?
-todd
Jeff says
Love it! The idea behind the parts bin special has always had a lot of appeal to me. The seat works with the Web Surfer just fine.
Tin Man 2 says
mobilus, Look closely at the Bike, It looks clean and stripped down because it is. No turn signals,taillight,speedo,mirrors,plate mount,and not emissions complient for new sale. This is what the factory would love to build, The Government wont let them. Thats why we build them ourselves!!
Willie says
Interesting bike/display. Surfboard and wooden seat. I’d like to see how they widened the Sportster 19″ front wheel and set it up for rear application.
kneeslider says
Willie, both wheels come from a ’70s Kawasaki and purchased on eBay, eBay cost for similar items, $50 to $75 per set. The rear was widened by Kosman Specialties.
FREEMAN says
Another fantastic build. I wish more builders would incorporate wood into their bikes. It gives them a much more living/organic feel.
johnny says
that looks AWESOME ..very inspiring!
Kathy says
Not sure about the ‘holding back’ business – Bike EXIF got the scoop on this bike way back in June.
kneeslider says
Kathy, the general story has been out there for quite a while and has actually been on a number of sites, but the article in the latest Cycle World has all of the details, how it came about, what parts were used, etc.
michman says
I am lucky enough to have one of Richard’s creations; his work is first rate. I love his minimalist style as exhibited again in this project bike.
Phoebe says
I love it. I think the wooden tail is a really neat touch. I think I would have to try really, really hard to duplicate this for $8k! Maybe with something different than a Harley, that would definitely save costs. The Harley flattrackers just look so cool, though!
SteveD says
I’m not sure Harley could make this bike for mass production. The current XR1200 is what happens when they try. HD is a big company and they have to sell in volume and satisify every govenrment agency and their legal dept. The current XR 1220 is built on the rubber mount Sportster frame, which is just too heavy to really capture this machine. In HD’s defense, they sell between 60 and 75 thousand Sportsters a year based on that frame. I doubt they would sell more than a few thousand of these, and it would require a new frame/production line. Not a good business decision, which is why bikes like this come from little shops or individuals.
Markkit says
Richard rocks! He has no marketting to tell him how to design, no sales to tell him his product is too fast for the market, he does not base his design on the latest best selling bikes on the the market. His designs come from pure passion and instinct, something big brands lack because :-
1. Big companies need to cater to the mainstream consumer if they want to sell most product. Mainstream consumers are easly put off by product that is too different, so unless you want to sell fewer numbers of a niche product it makes financial sense to keep design predictable and not too edgy.
2. Big companies can`t take risks introducing too many new designs, because if they don`t sell, they have too many overheads and stock holders to answer to. So mainly big companies stay safe by doing what they know best, predictable mainstream product. However it can also be said the if you lack in vision and understanding of the developing market, if you spend your days looking at sales figures, then most new designs will seem risky, so it could also be that big companies stay safe because they lack vision, because they have limited understanding of product and the consumer.
3. Management in big brands is`nt always in it for the product, if corporate culture is anything to go by. A big company has a certain allure and looks good on your resume, being a manager is also asiprational add the two together and you get corporate culture.
As the old adage goes, ‘If you want something done properly do it yourself’. Richard is doing that and I doubt his talent would shine as brightly in a big company that is`nt his own, as they say ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’
Richard, keep doing what you do best.
Brian Sheridan says
I have had the pleasure of knowing Richard & Edna Pollock since about 1980 when Richard was the service manager at the Yamaha dealer in San Diego. I had the good fortune to do the head work on the Triumph Street Tracker that he did for the Company. What most people do not know about Richard is that he builds all these beautiful creations in a very normal garage. You would think that it would take a million dollar shop to pull off these bikes. All it takes is the will, a very good eye for design, a few great support companies to help, a wife that is your moral support, and lastly a whole lot of heart. Richard has all those things, and more, and by the way he’s one of the most honest guys I have ever known. I almost forgot, he also builds rockets for a living.
Keep them coming Richard, we love them!
Mule says
Thanks for the compliments. Yes, this bike was a ton of work and although I haven’t seen the article yet, I definitely know the whole story. It was a blast to build and Dave Edwards pretty much turned me loose to do whatever I wanted.
To answer a few questions, the wood seat seat was a wacky idea I had that I was dyin’ to try out on a bike. Look at old wooden, V-8 power boats. There is nothing more beautiful than dark wood, polished stainless and some rumble!
Yes, there is a taillight!!! It’s under the back of the seat. After racing flattrack for a while, having the experience of building stuff that doesn’t work or just doesn’t look right, eventually you find the combination that’s “Right”. Hopefully nobody ever sees the stuff that didn’t look so good. And even on this bike, if I did it again, I’d make lots of changes. Throwing a “Streettracker” body kit on bike means you will end up with a street model bike with a dirtttrack seat. Nothing more. I guess what I attempt to do is build a race bike with lights without forgetting that it will actually end up on the street for most/all of it’s life.
Could this bike be done the second time around cheaper? Of course! Is everything perfect? Not! Does it have it’s own personality? Hell yes! Will I do another bike with a wood seat? Put money on it! This bike has been to 3 big shows and everyone wants to walk up and touch the seat. It’s like a hand magnet.
If somebody started with a complete bike or at the least a lot of stuff that was intended to fit together, the cost would drop radically! For instance, the reason this bike has new front brake rotors is that it made all the other pieces bolt together. Actually saved time, effort and dollars. If I have a knack, it’s for mixing and matching components and then designing/making interface parts that make it bolt together with a minimum of effort.
Anyway, this was a fun project. Thanks for the compliments Brian! Brian was a huge help with one of my first big projects in 1981 that was probably my favorite all-time bike! I sold it and bought it back 3 times and the new owner (since 1998), won’t cut loose of it 🙁 .
Nick says
I absolutely love that tail section! While I of course get the surfboard reference that it carries, the first thing it makes me think of is my bass guitar. Plus, it’s making me seriously consider tapping my woodworker buddy for something similar on my KZ. So much for the plans for a simple repaint over the winter…
steve w. says
This is what I always envision a Streetracker to be when someone says Streetracker. You may recall my Triumph Tracker from a month or so ago on here. These bikes are perfect for these applications and the fun part is they are totally ridable for lots of fun. Gotta remember that so many Sportsters were Flatracked and Road Raced when they had the 883 spec class. Sure lots of people can’t do this or lack the skills but if you never try then you will never have the talent. You might want to try on something less costly to begin with. A rat anything will be a starting point to build on. Very nice job and with the prices of some bikes falling quickly why not start now. Remember too that there are bikes other than Harleys and Triumphs that are good platforms and dirt tracked. Again nice work.
danmick says
being a cash strapped student, I really appreciate this. Good parts with good looks,
gives me encouragement. I need to start combing ebay more often. great bike
Marneyman says
I am impressed. HD has been coming out with some stuff I could ride in their blacked-out series, but this might be the first time I have liked a non blacked-out Harley powered ride. I will be considering constructing a wooden tailsection of my own. Sandpaper and plywood are my friend!
Secaman says
Mule, your a man after my own heart. Kneeslider featured my bike back in the spring. Same concept. Garage sale, eBay, trade, weld, paint, equals cool bikes. Got my eye on a wrecked 2007 FZ1000 for cheap……this is gonna be fun. JF
SteveD says
BTW, I really like this bike. If I could afford it, I would definitely buy one in this style. I’m just not sure it’s a good mass produciton style. I’m also not sure what this bike would look like after you put it through state laws and EPA regs.
Jacquie says
I saw this in cycle world’s show in Long Beach CA. I fell in love. Having long a fan of Mr. Pollock’s artistry. I wasn’t too surprised my favorite motorcycle there was the Websurfer.
Ken says
No way this bike could be built by the average joe for that kind of money. The CW article talks about how many of the items used for this build were aquired. Almost all were because of an inside track with somebody. (yes, I could probably find an old frame and forks on the cheap). But you failed to mention the insanely high dollar triple clamp that they somehow never paid for, or other items never quite explained. Believe me, if the average garage builder spends 3 grand for an engine on ebay, and it turns out to be “roached beyond repair”, -end of project. I don’t have any master builder friends with a tricked out sportster motor laying around. Shame on you for propagating this budget build myth. There are real budget builders out there building some unbelievably cool stuff. They deserve the attention, not another guy who builds 25,000 dollar harleys.
Matt says
Ken,
I dont htink you have understood what Richard has done, triple clamps arent expensive to produce (we know we make hundreds every year), do your home work on the engine you want and you wont get burned you dont need to use a special motor/frame combination work with what you have/can get hold of!
Make a list of what you need add a budget for each part and stick to it, it wont come together in weeks/months but neither do the bikes that Richard at Mule makes. The time searching for the parts is where you can save big money, think 2 years to complete and your about there.
Patrick Ramey says
WHAT TANK IS THAT???? Someone help me out here.
Tom Lyons says
I think the Street Tracker style looks good on Harleys.