The last couple of weeks, I've been extremely busy with some offline activities showing no sign of letting up and yesterday, I was really ready to relax for a couple of hours. I remembered the Harbortown Bobber DVD had recently arrived, it's by Scott Di Lalla and Zack Coffman, who you may know better as One World Studios, the guys who made Choppertown and Brittown. What better time to fire up the DVD player and watch a little bike action?
Scott Di Lalla has been working hard filming southern California custom builders and spending a lot of time in their shops for those previous films and he was getting the itch to build his own British bobber and that's what this film is about. He found a roller chassis and a half finished Triumph cafe project and before you know it, he had the beginnings of what would soon become the Harbortown Bobber. This film shows how it all came together. You get to meet the builders while they repair the frame, modify the tank, fabricate the pieces and take his vision through to the end.
It's pretty encouraging to see the work in progress, you're not watching some televised trip through million dollar shops, these guys work in garages with a lot more basic equipment and you get the feeling you could do a lot of this yourself.
The build is mixed with scenes of group rides through the southern California streets to the sounds of The Lords of Altamont and the DVD finishes with Scott firing up the bobber and taking it out on its maiden run.
At no time will you think this is some display of high end, high tech engineering. This is about creating a British bobber in a garage much like many of you might have and getting an inside look at the builders who do this all the time. Check it out, then, fire up that welder.
Link: Harbortown Bobber
Dorzok says
Hey Mr. Kneeslider,
Is this film rated? Don’t want to watch if I’m not going to let my young children watch it.
kneeslider says
From the cover: “This film is not rated. Strong language.”
steve w says
Exactly how things should be done. Forget the high tech! Lets build something.
sean says
It sure is nice to look at, but i can only imagine what it
would be like to ride on the street. I’m guessing it would
loosen your fillings.
todd says
to continue the commenting on the bike; it probably would look good if the tank actually fit on the bike. This reminds me of the guy I’d see running around town (for a few months) with a plastic jerry can bungee-corded to the top of his frame.
-todd
joe says
The bike looks great appart from that fuel tank,it sticks out like a giant wort on a whiches chin. If it sat lower over the top frame bar and flowed more with the lines of the bike,it would be the icing on the cake.