I had owned my XJ900 trike for so long now (well, 6 years anyway) that it seemed like it had been part of me forever and I hadn't even contemplated being separated from it. So when my mate Rich phoned me and asked if I wanted to sell it out of the blue one day, I didn't know what to do. Well, I got to thinking, maybe it was time for a change. So the deal was done and the trike now has a new home After getting over the shock of being parted of my long time friend, with whom I had covered many miles, usually at Mach 1, I got to thinking about what I wanted. I decided it had to be two wheels this time, because while the trike was mega fun, it was different to a bike. It might just be me, but I didn't use it the same way as I did a bike. It was shortly after selling the trike that I got to shoot Paul Scott's Road Creature, the absolutely stunning ground breaking creation that everybody must have seen by now, unless you're a hermit from Ulan Bator. So I talked things over with Scotty, and we decided he was going to build the frame. Plus it is my honest opinion that Paul Scott will be the next biggest bike builder from these shores since John Reed, so I wanted to get him to do something for me while hewas still in my price bracket.

So I scored a 600 Bandit lump very reasonably to provide the necessary motive forces. A couple of good reasons for this, a. they are plentiful, reliable and cheap, and b. the insurance is cheaper, (bet you can't guess who insures it can you?) making the whole package so much more affordable. The other way I wanted this bike to be different to my trike, aside from the obvious dearth on the wheels front, was that I wanted some suspension under my derriere. Rigids might look as cool as chuff, but, in my advancing years, it wasn't doing me a lot of good. So with that in mind, I set out on my search for the necessary components. I like the look of the Fireblade pseudo upside downies, so when I got the chance of a full set of Fireblade running gear, including wheels, I jumped at the chance. I'd asked Kev Keld, bike breaker of Pocklington Parish (01759 305599) to keep an eye out for some decent running gear for the project, and one day he gave me a call and said, 'come over and have a look at this'. So off I dutifully trotted Eastwards and when I got there I was presented with this gorgeous gear from a low mileage stock 'Blade which some poor unfortunate had sent up the road. Voila, good looks and springs for me aching bones in one package. Sorted!

So running gear and engine sorted, now I needed to sort out a top yoke to hold a more conventional pair of handlebars than the head down arse up type offered on the standard Fireblade. Well, who else to see but that brilliant billet basher Binky. After talking it over with him, we decide to go the whole hog and make a complete new set of top and bottom yokes, complete with digital rev counter and speedo built into the one piece riser and bar clamp. 'How do you want them' said Ian. I gave him one or two ideas with the addendum that he was to treat the job as though it was his own and to do whatever he thought would look good. When I went over to collect them, I was gobsmacked. He had produced for me some stunning work. Both top and bottom yokes are blind! No splits anywhere! They're the first pair he had made utilising his new idea and should cause a fair bit of head scratching when people see them in the flesh. He had also wide-glided the front end by a couple of inches for me, along with the necessary new spindle and brake disc bolts (in stainless, natch) Top work fella!

Ah, but what fuel tank to use? I did rather fancy a VS 1400 Intruder tank, but when I had tried unsuccessfully to find a second-hand one, I gave in and went for my second choice, a Harley FXR item, albeit a bit modified That meant I now had all the bits Scotty needed to slice his ear off artistically with, and do his design bit.

Scotty's workshop is both well equipped, and spotlessly clean. Aside from the cleanliness of his workshop setting him apart from me, the next most obvious difference between the way Scotty does things and the way I would tackle it soon became apparent. Where I would fly straight in and start offering bits of tube up, the first thing Scotty picked up was the ruler. He measured absolutely everything; the front wheel diameter, the front spindle centre in relation to the headstock, the yoke offset - the lot. Once he had done that, he retired to the drawing board, and draws everything out at _ scale, and by making meticulous drawings and calculations, he works out how far the engine should sit above the datum. Before he ever gets his hands dirty, he has calculated everything necessary to build the bike; the position of the headstock, the rake, ( which on this bike would be 33 degrees ) the trail (144mm) - the lot. All his working out done, he then transfers all the measurements to the jig, confident in the knowledge everything will be spot on.

Paul's jig is another of his creations. It's made from a variety of precision engineering machines like lathes, milling machines etc. and has a fully adjustable bed to allow the engine to be slid forwards and backwards to get the position spot on, while on the vertical axis, the headstock clamps into place at the right height and angle. I don't think it's a big secret now that it is Scotty's skill and flair with castings that sets his work apart from the norm. The castings are really going to make the bike stand out from the crowd when the bike is finished. In keeping with Scotty's philosophy of constant change and pushing back the envelope of custom bike building, he has even changed the way he makes the patterns for the castings. He used to make the patterns from MDF (medium density fibreboard), but has now opted to use Perspex, because it is more stable and doesn't respond to atmospheric conditions, therefore making it more stable. It also has the added advantage of being transparent, so he can see through it to ascertain where it is necessary to apply the body filler to give the pattern it's shape. Once he has cut the perspex to the shape needed to pick up the various mounting holes, it is then drilled and bolted into place, some masking tape is used to give the filler some support until it has gone off, then it is sanded into shape, more filler added, more sanding, and so on until he has achieved the shape he is happy with. Once that state has been reached, he then sprays it with a filler coat, and then paints it red so any imperfections show up that bit easier in the light. Only after he is totally satisfied does Scotty consider despatching the patterns to the foundry for casting up.

It was about this time, when we started discussing how we each saw the finished bike, that me and Paul started having differences of opinion. He didn't want to sacrifice style for function, whereas I wanted things like 2 seats, luggage carrying capabilities etc. Well, somewhere to strap the black bin bags to. So armed with my requirements, and his own ideas, off he trotted for half a hundredweight of inspiration, and set to with the pipe strangler to make the frame. Having made the patterns for the rear engine mounts and swing arm pivots, these were sent away to be cast in LM25 alloy, and then heat treated, as is the norm for structural parts. Once they had been through those processes, the inside faces were machined flat, and the pivot and engine bolt holes bored, (by telling them rambling tales presumably) and then counter bored to allow the bolt heads to sit flush. Now it's on to the frame proper. A top tube is addressed into the headstock, which is held in place on the frame jig. Paul uses 1 _ inch 12 SWG CDS (cold drawn seamless) tube, to build the frame from, but that's only after he has built a complete mock up of the frame in cheap ERW (electric resistance welded) tube. And he doesn't even move on to the ERW stage until he has used a piece of welding wire as an angle finder.

The attention to detail at this stage goes a long way to explaining why every joint throughout the frame is fitted to perfection, no gaps, nada! The man's a genius! The frame has 5 bends in 4 different planes so Mr. Cock up can appear at any time! Once the ERW mock up is finished to his satisfaction, Scotty then copies it all in the 1 _ x 12 CDS tubing. The frame is made a bit more solid by bronze welding some of the joints before Scotty conducted the all important engine out test. With the swing arm castings removed, the engine slips out no bother. The frame is then completely bronze welded. Once all that had been done, the bike was removed from the jig, the front end bolted into position, and the new rolling chassis was wheeled out into the sun for the first time!

With the basic frame complete, it was time for the fender struts. These would prove to be a tricky balance between doing the job required of them, and being a sleek and attractive tail end of the frame. The jobs list read as follows, to carry the mudguard, which would be big enough to provide genuine weather protection, and to provide a comfortable support for Miss Right (or at least, Miss Right Now!). As well as being able to carry all the luggage and paraphernalia required for their frequent grand tours. With the threat of all the weight to take into account (of the luggage that is) and my request for the full suspension travel of the Blade to be retained. Our sleek and attractive finial was beginning to turn into a gantry! With a piece of clear perspex clipped in front of the parts, a design evolved, looking a bit Dan Dare at first, but tempered with some Harley nostalgia. Just to give you an idea, the design of these struts took three days to come up with before the work actually started!

A solid wheel conversions lost those "odd" Fireblade spokes on the rear wheel. Gear and brake levers from Triumph's 509 were mated to the N.W.S. footrests (how smart?) These were mounted to the frame using very minimal 'cups'. Readers top tips number one. What we did to avoid marking the frame when fitting the engine, was to cut up some old inner tubes, and using masking tape, wrap the frame in them. This method at least affords your hitherto unmarked frame a certain degree of protection. The engine had to go in the frame first, before we could get the bike up as a rolling chassis, because the castings Scotty did for the back engine mounts, also serve as the swinging arm mounts. With those in place, the hacked up 'Blade swingarm slotted straight into it's allocated orifice. Stick the back wheel in, and its time to move to the front end. A little while longer saw us with the front end and wheel fitted, and yea verily, the bike was up on its wheels!

And just in time for me to head off down Norfolk way, I had just had a phone call from Ty Lawer telling me my paintwork was ready to collect. Excited? You bet! I could hardly contain myself on the way down.. Remember that I had given Ty a free hand with the paint, both in the colour and scheme department, so I had no idea what awaited me as I strode into Ty's studio. Well, all I had to do that day to make a dream come true, was to wake up. Beautiful and flawless don't go far enough to describe the miracle Ty had worked. I think he became a little embarrassed by an old, fat Yorkshireman leaping about like a schoolgirl. Pleased? You couldn't have knocked the smile off my face with a thermo nuclear device! With the paintwork wrapped up and cocooned safer than a new born baby, I set off home to show it to all and sundry. I told everybody I was keeping it in my bedroom for safety, but I may have had an ulterior sexual motive as well! And now it's the turn of the hero of this tale, one of the nicest blokes you could meet, General, from Kev Keld's emporium in Pocklington. I took the bike over there for General to wire up, as I consider vehicle electrics a machination of the very Devil himself. As a rule, General is very thorough and finicky, but this time he excelled himself. Five days of past midnight work later, the bike was wired, with one of the neatest jobs I have seen. Concealed where possible, and covered in shrink wrap everywhere anyway.

To make the bike a runner, it still needed one or two more jobs doing. Like the exhaust. Now one of the advantages of being a biking "journo", is that I get to meet all sorts of interesting, motorcycle related people. One of those in question being Andy Martindale, of Quill Racing near Lancaster. I bet he wishes he'd never met me though, because, although I knew full well he only makes full blown works race exhaust systems and slip on cans, I pestered and pestered him into making an exhaust system for my bike until he relented and made me one. He probably figured it was easier to plait fog than to go on listening to my whining! So having acceded to my desires, Andy then proceeded to craft an exhaust system which is not only pleasing to the eye, but, drawing on his vast experience of producing works racing exhausts, is also superbly efficient. And it sounds well smart too. As seems to be the case when anybody builds a new bike, it only seems to get finished at the eleventh hour, and so it was with mine. I didn't get a chance for a good shake down run, as I only finished the bike at 3.30 am, and set off to catch the ferry to Ireland at 7.00 in the morning. Well, that should show up any inadequacies alright.

No major problems reared their ugly head, but 500 miles of the bike's "not quite running right" steeled my resolve to have it dyno tuned. So, a call to Mark at Hobbsport in Keighley soon had a visit to them arranged for the bike to have its neck wrung on their rolling road facilities. Tim the Kiwi (for Gods sake don't call him an Aussie, he'll only throw a wobbly) did the work on it, and bloody good he was to, I was most impressed with his knowledge and efficiency. An initial run on the dyno showed more ducking and diving than one of Arthur Daley's deals. The first thing he did was junk the S & B filters I had fitted, saying that while they were OK when new, the soon became blocked with road grime etc and won't flow enough air, and fitted some K & N jobbies. A quick firkle with the main jets and needles, adjust the floats and some air leaks in the carbs, a quick balance, and job done. Tim said that my engine had been running so lean it was a wonder I hadn't melted it! Believe me, for anybody who messes about with bikes, removing air boxes and changing exhausts, Dyno tuning has got to be the way to go.

Most jobs only take 2 to 3 hours at £35 per hour, and all the while it is being tested, it is connected to the test equipment, including the CO meter, so you can accurately diagnose and rectify the problems. All that, and an increase of 11bhp to boot! Result. Well, now the bikes finished, what can I say? Well, only that I am immensely grateful to everybody who has been involved with the project in any way. From Scotty, who designed and built the frame and castings, my good friend Kev Keld and General who supplied the running gear and other bits and bobs and wired it, to Ty who designed and applied the beautiful paint. This bike is a rolling testament to all their skills. Thank you all so much. P.S. It still won't stop me putting "All work by owner" on the spec sheet when I enter it in bike shows. Shit, my secret¹s out nowŠ

THANX DEPT; The Most Wonderful People on the face of the planet ;
Paul Scott 01763 274700, www.fotos.demon.co.uk/pscott/scott.html
Pageant Paintwork 01953 600280
Kev Keld 01759 305599
Simon at N.W.S. 01992 509900
Earls Performance Products Direct 01364 73956 www.earls.co.uk
M&G Metal finishing 01422 831916
R N' T Fasteners 01332 738646
Elbro Laminations 0115 941 4919
Triple S powder coatings 01274 562474
TRC (The Restoration Company) 01977 603652
Brand X breakers 01384 637265
Will Burrow 01995 601228
Pop Browns 01279 412794
AR Pound Automotive Retrimmers 01462 892704
Quill Racing 01524 751791

TECHIE CORNER Owner John Bolt
Frame ; One off in cd seamless 1 _" tube with bronze welding by Paul Scott
Engine; Suzuki GSF600, restored painted and polished
Engine mods; Stage 3 Dynojet kit, dyna coils Taylor leads
Front forks; Honda Fireblade 33 degrees rake
Brakes; Fireblade
Wheels; Fireblade with aluminium spinnings for that "solid" back wheel
Tank; Harley FXR, much modified with flush aircraft filler cap
Mudguards; One off in Fibreglass by Elbro Laminations
Handlebars; Stainless steel Superbike bars
Exhaust; One off in stainless by Quill racing with oval end can
Lights; Cat¹s eye rear, 7 inch Harley front
Paint by Ty Lawer of Pageant paintwork multi shades of blue with gold and silver leaf
Chroming and polishing; M&G metal finishers
Seat; one off in leather
Engineering details All stainless nuts and bolts turned down and polished, one-off aluminium castings for rear fender support, rear engine mount and front fender supports by Paul Scott, Triumph 535 gear and brake levers, digital speedo and rev counter built into billet risers, blind billet yokes, Fireblade swingarm has had the brace removed so the back end looked less "busy".
One off side panels in fibreglass by Paul Scott.
Hand silkscreened number plate by Dr.Rod.

John Bolt