RevTech Sword Shifter Custom Motorbike
Robert built himself a candy red chopper that was old school and different, but more importantly, it was built to ride.
I HAVE always loved motorbikes, even when I was a kid. I used to go track-bike riding, which is like motocross riding, with my mates. We’d race around the bush or on the roads doing all kinds of things. I guess the love of motorbikes took off from way back then, and now the love has grown into building them too. I had a few different bikes as I was growing up: a CR80, 125 and 250; a XR75 and a YZ426. My first road bike was a Suzuki GSXR750.
One day I resprayed a Harley-Davidson for someone and thought to myself, this looks alright, I might build one myself. So I did. I built one for my brother and since then, I’ve built three more with another one on its way. I’m a spraypainter by trade but I did a mechanical apprenticeship before getting into spraypainting and that has enabled me to build these custom bikes.
This bike is a rigid with a RevTech engine, 100 cube, six-speed gearbox, 40-degree rake, five-up stretch; all custom parts — like the seven-piece handlebars which I did myself. My mate Paul from Greystanes helped with all the fabrications, like the rear guards.
The sword of the suicide shift was all handmade. I wanted something interesting and that’s why the sword is there. It’s pretty old school with the foot clutch and suicide shift and that’s what I was aiming for. I had a cable clutch originally but I converted that into a hydraulic system.
I picked the headlight and speedo because they were something different and kind of original looking.
It’s got 250 in the rear, 21-inch on the front, red walls and 100 spoke rims; chain-driven belt-drive and a three-quarter-inch Ultima primary.
It hasn’t been ridden yet. It’s still got to go through all the registration process. I’m not selling this one, it’ll be my bike, so it has been built to ride, but I have already got another one on the way. I aim to take it to a few shows this year and see how it goes.
I painted it myself, of course. The colour is candy apple red with a silver base. The paint was a backyard job… well, the whole bike was put together at home, actually.
My missus is happy with it too. She’s even got a scooter to ride with me but she loves the horses more.
Photos by Wall 2 Wall; words by Robert
