Comments on: Rooke Customs Vettel15

By: Stephen F.

Stephen F. — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:19:04 +0000

Jesse Rooke definitely has skill or has hired someone who does, but his bikes are all of that variety of “bling” that I associate with rap music videos and Southern California culture which includes slamming your 4WD SUV then putting 22″ rims with low profile tires on them, painting that damn repetitive small logo all over things like you see on the Louis Vuitton purses etc. It’s more of a hey look at me! style that comes from the culture of having so much money that you can afford to buy ridiculously wasteful and backwards things just because they are so unique.
I like how he’s personally redefined the word “scrambler” to be a hard tail chopper/bobber 1400cc or larger v-twin.

By: Mule

Mule — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 23:19:41 +0000

If I was “ridding” a GSXR (I don’t have one), it would because I wanted to. Should we all rid rigids just to keep us from speeding? No thanks, I can do it by way of wrist/throttle control. But I get your point, Sportbike equals Insanity.

Personally, I have only a passing interest in sportbikes, but I can fully appreciate the advances in technology that have been made. Yes I like simplicity in bike design, no doubt about that, and antiques are cool as hell, but to me, the only bike that has credibilty with a rigid or no rear suspension is a speedway bike. They are highly functional and compete on a billiard table smooth surface. And they run low tire pressure for traction and don’t ride with their full weight in the saddle. So thats apples and oranges.

The whole chopper trend is going away? Finally! I thought the day would never come! The downside is those darn RUBS are now out to ruin Cafe Racers! Damn the bad luck. We’ll, at least they’ll be leaving the rigids to the lucky guys that have a choice on what they want to rid.

Would you drive a rigid car or truck? Hell no. Well, I don’t think I would anyway, if given a choice. Rigids look cool and clean in the back half, no argument there. But beyond that, what’s the justifcation for building one?

By: Sportster Cafe

Sportster Cafe — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:19:13 +0000

If you were ridding a GSXR you probably would have meant God, because you would have been going to fast! Don’t talk trendy to me, I have been riding longer then you, I ride what I want to, and don’t worry about trends! Besides, the whole chopper trend is going away, the RUBs are of to ruin cafe racers. As for whats a good bike, apparently, unlike you I have a choice of which bike to use for that particular days ride! Yes, I am lucky.

By: Mule

Mule — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:25:08 +0000

I’ve ridden one rigid. A 750 Triumph. I hit a good bump in a semi-fast sweeper and saw GOD! Up close and personal too! Coolness has a price and in this(rigids) case, I’m not a buyer. It’s a compromise I won’t make on an everyday roadbike. Why would you want to?

Shawn F., The age thing matters to you much more more than people with 30-40 years of riding experience I guess. To a rider like me, I base my opinions on things I’ve learned the hard way over 42 years of riding and leave “Coolness” to people more interested in the “Trends”.

In the old days (30′s, 40, 50′s), or the days that everyone under 30 is trying to relive now, bikes had no suspension, because it hadn’t been invented yet.
Guys had no choice. They weren’t being stylish or trendy, it’s all that anyone could buy. Now you can have a good ride that sticks to the road instead of getting air over bumps or having a flexy-flyer frame or running on semi-flat tires to try to get back to the feel of suspension without the stigma of safety and decent handling.

Rigids are about style, not motorcycle riding.

By: Sportster Cafe

Sportster Cafe — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 03:55:46 +0000

I’m over 50 and building another hardtail! They are fun and better then any softtail, which runs out of rear suspension way to fast, and with no sprung seat, well, lets just say you are saddle sore, plus they are not called Hogs for nothing, just look at the weight. I like how small this bike is, and it has very good ground clearance, next to most customs! My problem is, he only makes a couple a year, translation, way expensive. I would like to see more articles on down to earth bikes that could be built by most of the readers! The occasional dream bike is fun though, so keep up the good work!

By: Shawn F.

Shawn F. — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 03:39:43 +0000

@ JR

Ive found the people that cry “you cant ride a rigid on anything but a smooth surface!” almost always have never actually ridden a rigid frame bike.

A well designed hard tail will flex a little, plus spoked rims will flex a bit more, and a tad lower air pressure in the rear tire gives you a bit more ‘bounce’. Top that off with a sprung seat, and its really not that bad. I ride my ‘unrideable’ rigid every single day. (rode it this morning, 51 degrees out) Although im 22, if your 55 I can understand how attractive a Softtail might be.

Back to the bike featured….

I saw it this year at the Indy GP. Its GORGEOUS. The welding looks fantastic. Its very small though, smaller than it looks in the pictures.

By: JR

JR — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 19:47:50 +0000

How many of us here have actually ridden a rigid? I haven’t. I can imagine it being a little annoying for a daily ride, yes.

I think if this bike had a rear suspension, even a faux suspension that moves about 2 inches (like a stock Sportster) people would LOVE this bike.

I like A LOT about this bike. Just because there is one aspect about something you don’t like, doesn’t taint the whole thing.

Let’s respect that fact this guy is amazing at building things. Better than all of us… maybe not the guy that builds Mule motorcycles though.

V/R
JR