Is this the fugliest chopper in the known universe?

[rainman]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/show...adline-NZ-show

Well, to be fair I suppose he did do a few interesting things but:
a) I wouldn't want to pay the insurance.
b) Looks like the road clearance is about 2 thou. Cornering would be... interesting. And expensive on replating. In gold. Plus is that it clearly doesn't need a side-stand.
c) I would definitely not want to have to brake suddenly with that neatly placed nad-splitter just in front of the tank.
d) That front is the ugliest motorbike-related thing I have seen since the Victory Vision. By a long way.

Ah well, couldn't afford one anyway...

[Road kill]

Metal art doesn't have to be practical,,,,there's your fucking proof right there

[AllanB]

Yawn........

I remember Arlen Ness doing a radical twin engines chopper with fold plating on it decades ago - pretty sure it had a special front end too. Nothing new on that ride, another run-o-mill V twin custom.

[imdying]

I dunno about fugly.. but it sure lacks imagination. One mans art is his own business, so what he builds is entirely up to him... until it goes to shows. Then it's fair game to have all it's faults picked over. This is just more same old same old... but that's why fashion changes... choppers are out... why? Because they've been done to death, which then ends up with more derivative work like this. You can't fault the finish though. However... it's gold plated because without garish crap like that, it basically has nothing.

[tigertim20]

it looks fuckin stupid. and imo, it aint a bike. bikes are for riding. that monstrosity has been built to look at. its art, but it aint a bike to me

[AllanB]

Shit photo but all I could find - 1977 - the exhaust side looked ace - nice and twisty pipes.

Do I like it? weird front does nothing for me but my point is he was a master of innovation trying new and radical stuff. Has it all been done? In the chopper world one of the most recent genuine innotations was the hubless wheel.

[kiwifruit]

Tough crowd!

[Virago]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/show...adline-NZ-show

...Looks like the road clearance is about 2 thou. Cornering would be... interesting. And expensive on replating. In gold. Plus is that it clearly doesn't need a side-stand...

Did you read the article?

Extensive design work and testing went into the single-sided front "fork," whose main spar is more than a metre long and machined from aluminium billet. Fully functional, it incorporates an air-ride system that, along with the single-sided swing-arm rear suspension, can lift the motorcycle 25 centimetres or lower it right onto the ground. In fact, a side stand is unnecessary as Nehme-sis softly lands on its frame rails when it's time to park.

25cm sounds like reasonable ground clearance.

[Brian d marge]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/show...adline-NZ-show

Well, to be fair I suppose he did do a few interesting things but:
a) I wouldn't want to pay the insurance.
b) Looks like the road clearance is about 2 thou. Cornering would be... interesting. And expensive on replating. In gold. Plus is that it clearly doesn't need a side-stand.
c) I would definitely not want to have to brake suddenly with that neatly placed nad-splitter just in front of the tank.
d) That front is the ugliest motorbike-related thing I have seen since the Victory Vision. By a long way.

Ah well, couldn't afford one anyway...

yes
and as for Alen Ness ........ a dick that said " motorcycles should be "Swoopy""


Stephen

[GSF]

It looks like a microscope view of some kind of intestinal parasite.

[rainman]

Did you read the article?

Yeah, a bit, but there were all these words an shit, and I may have glazed over and taken refuge in my JD for a bit...

[bogan]

That's kinda cool with the air-ride lowering to park, and it has front brakes. I'd be a bit surprised if it was actually ridden further than off/on a showroom floor though.

[idb]

Wouldn't want to own it.
Wouldn't want to ride it.
It isn't a bike, but very cool.

[scumdog]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/show...adline-NZ-show

Well, to be fair I suppose he did do a few interesting things but:
a) I wouldn't want to pay the insurance.
b) Looks like the road clearance is about 2 thou. Cornering would be... interesting. And expensive on replating. In gold. Plus is that it clearly doesn't need a side-stand.
c) I would definitely not want to have to brake suddenly with that neatly placed nad-splitter just in front of the tank.
d) That front is the ugliest motorbike-related thing I have seen since the Victory Vision. By a long way.

Ah well, couldn't afford one anyway...

Only my budget stops me buying it.

That and the lumpy NZ roads..

[Oakie]

TBH I'd rather have a GN250 in my garage. At least I could ride that to the supermarket ... or anywhere. (Or am I missing the point?)