This is a project a friend of mine in Melbourne has underway right now, and shit am I jealous. The good man's name is Stuart Geddes and he's also a really great designer. We met while I was doing my Masters at RMIT a few years ago now. Stuart has a really nice image-based blog (I think you still call it a blog?) here called Before & After Science.
This bike started life as a pretty stock standard Honda CB175 (circa 1975 I'm guessing). It was, when Stuart got it, exactly the same as my first motorbike... it was even the same colour. Gold. I'll try and find a picture of mine somewhere, but you can see this one in it's original state on Stuart's blog.
I've been really impressed by Stuart's willingness to strip this thing down to it's bare bones and to literally 'start again'. I understand he is receiving some very useful guidance from a Mr Christian Condo, founder of Melbourne's The Modern Motorcycle Company. Actually I believe Stuart's studio is in the same building as the MMC, but I probably should check my facts? No I'm pretty sure I'm right. Anyway I'm still impressed as fuck with Stuart's display of balls here! I wish I had this kind of patience. I'm always too eager to get shit on the road and ride it. I'm definitely thinking I need to use the Triumph as my main ride, and then get something else in the garage this year that I can seriously fuck with. I'm not sure the Norton is the bike to do this with though? I'm still thinking that once I get it going it might be best to sell it and put the money into something rougher and less straight? It's just so hard to cut up and modify such a good original condition example of an old bike. Here she is again for memories sake:
Sometimes I forget how cool this bike is. The sound, smell, and feel of this thing running hot is something out of this world I swear. I wish I could just put it in the garage and get something else to work on as a project bike, but I can't really afford it and I also don't really have the space. I think I'll advertise it for a good price and see how it goes...
Looking through Stuart's blog and his progress with his Honda really makes me eager to get something I can really mess around with. Check out his skateboard-deck seat. And those header pipes are pretty mean. He's done most of the work himself I think, he even re-spoked the wheels...
That man deserves a beer.
I think I might just have to pop over and buy him one... and have a good nosey around the studio/motorcycle workshop.
Incredibly jealous of your Norton! ...Beautiful. And Stuarts blog is rad as well. Makes me want to customize a bike.
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