Customizing Your Motorcycle

Building a custom motorcycle has never been more popular, with even the major manufacturers keen to capitalize on the growing trend. A custom motorbike is the product of an owner using their own skills to produce an individual machine, and with the right tools and approach it is well within most people's means to take a standard machine, new or second-hand, and make it their personal statement. Providing clear and practical advice, this new book, Customizing Your Motorcycle - Shed-Built to Show Bike introduces the reader to the techniques and processes needed to customize any motorcycle. Eschewing the practice of using expensive off-the-shelf parts, it shows how the shrewd use of salvaged and alternative sources is not only economic but also results in a satisfyingly unique custom machine. The book also covers an introduction to the main styles on which today's custom scene was founded. Choosing a suitable bike and how to make decisions when buying second-hand are covered. Workshop setup and tools and components of a bike and custom parts are also covered. Basic improvements and the essential maintenance to make a safe and usable bike are discussed. Projects demonstrate how to make custom parts, while examples of how different custom bikes were built by the author show how they are designed and put together.

Chris Daniels has been learning how to make bikes unique since owning his first bike as a teenager, going on to fabricate custom builds that have been exhibited in major shows. Now, operational under the banner of Marmisto, he builds custom bikes that are specifically designed to ride and enjoy. This is his third book for Crowood. www.marmisto.co.uk