Parts of the Sum.

. . . all things created are the embodiment of a process.     This process can be of many parts cumulating into one creation, and this is exactly the situation with any motorcycle, the parts being the the designers ideas and drawings, the metals, alloys, rubber, glass and plastics, in fact everything that is a raw material contributing to the product.     Engineers and technicians, often experienced professional people create the shapes which suit the function of individual parts from castings to bolts to sprockets which are brought together in a final purposeful entity,  a motorcycle.

The vast majority of motorbikes are mass-produced in factories on assembly lines, many now partially or fully automated and we see such machines competing at Bonneville Speed Week and doing well.  They have a participation class of their own.

My bike is in another class, that of special production as the individual components making up my machine are bought as 'separates' or manufactured by team members.      

Both Richard and Chris are experts at own-fabricating and as I am not ready to show the whole bike yet, I will introduce to you two individual components made by Team members and ideally suited to the function of Speed on Salt !

 . . .  this fibreglass cowl seat has been made by Richard who has decades of experience in working with fibreglass in relation to time-trials bikes.   The material is light, strong and very easily moulded prior to hardening and he has done a magnificent job in contouring the seat to fit the frame of the bike.    As with most difficult to do things, Richard makes it all look so easy,   it's not,  and takes considerable time and patience.





. . . Chris has selected aluminium to fabricate
the battery box for the bike,   this is a strong yet light metal which provides protection and containment for the battery within the frame whilst minimising additional weight on the bike.   Welding aluminium is hard to do but fortunately Chris is a highly experienced welder with knowledge of how metals behave and react to heat and how they fuse under a welding torch.   Watching Chris at work is seeing a master craftsman with a considerable level of skill tackle challenges with ease.



I will introduce more components as time progresses and will explain what considerations are involved in preparation for Bonneville.