Custom Motorcycle Fabrication

Custom Motorcycle Fabrication starts at the beginning with a discussion of the materials commonly used to fabricate custom motorcycle frames, fenders, brackets, and all the rest. This discussion includes steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.

Joining metal (that is, welding) is an essential part of building almost anything and the copy here includes TIG and MIG welding, as well as Stick and Oxy/Acetylene welding. In each case, the author covers sub topics including penetration, strength, getting started, and the relative size of the heat affected zone.

Most custom motorcycle frames, as well as many of the brackets that hold things together, are made from tubing. Thus, the book includes an entire section on bending and notching tubing to achieve a precise fit between any two parts prior to welding.

A good fabricator must be skilled at machining on both a mill and a lathe. The author walks the reader through the basics for both types of machining: set up, cutting speed, tools, lubrication, cooling, and safety.

Some commonly fabricated parts such as handle bars and exhaust systems are covered as separate topics, along with sections on building simple brackets and mounts.

Long time motorhead Timothy Remus is the author of over thirty titles: everything from lifestyle books including Bean're, Motorcycle Nomad; to how-to books such as Cheap Chopper. As president of his own small publishing company, Wolfgang Publications, the former auto mechanic also publishes five to ten books each year for other authors. Tim reports that the twin responsibilities of writing and publishing leave him with limited free time for the really important things: riding motorcycles and working on projects in the garage.

Paul Wideman started Bare Knuckle Choppers over nine years ago with a passion for motorcycle fabrication and a penchant for precision. In addition to heavy fabwork and precision machining, Paul has branched out into the literary world. Since 2007, Paul has also been a major contributor to Cycle Source magazine; first as a tech contributor and creator of Buy American or Die and more recently as Senior Tech Editor. In early 2012 Paul coauthored Bike Building Basics published by Wolfgang Publications.