The bike project known simply as "Tesla" is now for sale here on the Ebaysss.
Here's a few photos to pique your interests. Keep scrolling past the photos as well. There's a lot to learn about this little gem....
The video below was a special shoot with Jeff Yarrington (the builder), his son Kyle (lifter of all things great and heavy), and the MotoLady aka Alicia Elfving. Alicia is one of those people that has energy for days and days, so during her time here in Maryland there was a lot of shenanigans mixed with work. Here is her website, The MotoLady. She's a professional photographer/designer with a huge love for bikes and is super fun to work with (as if being an avid motorcyclist wasn't enough) :)
The body is probably the most unique piece of metal work to come from Saint Motor Company. Originally the idea for the entire bike came from learning of the experiments and theories of Nikola Tesla (thus the moniker) and the appearance was loosely inspired by the 1990s Disney film, "The Rocketeer". To build a body that would fit the bill, Jeff started with a "wire frame" using steel rod that was bent by hand and spot-welded together.
After the completion of the wire frame, the bike needed to be skinned in metal. Using basic tools, mostly hammers, dollys, and sandbags, Jeff began hammering out the body into the appropriate shapes and enclosing the creation.
Pictured below is the bike with a 90% completed body and the custom made exhaust for the bike. With other projects and builds coming and going, Tesla remained this way for some time. While working and tinkering in the garage, Jeff would take breaks from time to time just to stare at the bike. He never looked at it to admire his work, but rather to check the body lines, ask himself what to do about wiring, to figure out what else could it use... The man's mind is a labyrinth.
Skipping ahead to now, the bike's body has been finished with a translucent brass powdercoat, giving the metal it's think "epoxy-clear-over-gold" appearance. The frame was also treated with powdercoat in the smoother ivory color. Pictures below are courtesy of The MotoLady, Alicia Elfving.
The bike as a whole is a work of art, but the smaller, less noticeable details took patience and even more creativity to really go the extra mile. Pictured below is the handmade chain tensioner. It utilizes a standard sized chain-gear, along with a fabricated steel armature and a small coil spring to take up the extra slack in the drivechain.
Another wonderful touch is the "GPS" that was placed just behind the handmade quarter fairing/headlight. The GPS is a real, somewhat working antique compass.
The exhaust guards/heat shields are cast steel pieces with mounting brackets in the shape of the Fleur-de-Lis. When Tesla was still in the metal stages, the back of the gas tank had a small guitar jack for a key, the original keyhole has since been covered by another matching Fleur and the key removed.
Even the smallest bolts have been given the victorian treatment with accented washers, which were then painted black and scuffed to create a more aged look, which would match the rest of the bikes powdercoated brass finish.
The rear end may be familiar to some people who loved the 60s and 70s hardtail chopper scene. The back half of the frame is an Amen Savior, with steel spring boxes allowing the rear wheel roughly and inch-and-a-half of suspension travel under heavy forces.
Other small things that may be difficult to see in these pictures include:
A brass air screen on the carburetor made from repurposed lighting parts
The kicker has a very nice sleeve over the peg as opposed to the standard rubber pedal
The exhaust runs 2-into-1-into-2 (the muffler is under the seat and was handmade for this bike, the exhaust exits from just under the tail)
The electrics for the bike are not complicated at all, which makes owning and possibly maintaining a custom bike of this quality much simpler. Note the "ignition on" switch and indicator light just behind the kicker.
This particular project has also garnered some attention from other sites, blogs, and motorcycle enthusiasts as well. Read more about the Tesla build here:
The MotoLady Maryland Meet up and Tesla
PipeBurn Saint's '72 Triumph Tiger
AutoEvolution Photo Gallery and Video
Triumph North America Short, but sweet photo w/ text
Moto Triumph Hellas More photos
Rusty Knuckles Repost from the PipeBurn article
The MotArt Pictures and a special message from Jeff
The Washington Post Closer Inspection by Kris Cornado
And another interesting article, also from Return of the Cafe Racers, showing some of the trial-and-error in getting the bike just right (many things were changed, I just thought the pictures were funny)
In the past three years that Jeff has worked on this project, there have been more friendships created, partnerships started, and art inspired than any of his other previous works. To everyone involved in this weird thing we call Saint Motor Company, Thank You. Work feels more like play every time you're all around :)
*That's right, I went all touchy-feely. Bringing out the big guns haha :-P
No comments:
Post a Comment