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In the wonderful world of Fighterdom, you are only limited by your imagination. In the grand scheme of things, we are working with 3 main elements: the wheels, the engine and the seat. The way in which these elements are connected, to work as a whole, are practically limitless. Chassis design, suspension components, and body design are all key factors of what makes a motorcycle unique. Each part that is assembled with the machine not only adds in its function but also to it's style.
One thing that has always intrigued me was frame design. With out a frame we basically have a pile of random parts, but there's more to it then just a place to bolt it all together. This is the beginning and end of how well your bike is going to perform. You can put the best suspension, biggest brakes, and lightest wheels you can afford on your bike, but if the frame is weak and twitchy all those killer parts are for nothing. In the day and age we live in, it's hard to beat the quality and construction of the latest and greatest factory superbikes. Let's face it. They have the time and money to put all the R&D and design into them they want until you have a super light, super rigid frame. Now that doesn't mean we have to swear off the idea of designing our own. This is kind of the crme de la crme of building a special. A truly one off frame separates the men from the boys so to speak. For those of us with older bikes this can greatly help overall performance and handling by making the bike much more sturdy and responsive. But also on a styling note this is where you can really start laying out the look of a bike. The chopper crowd has been stretching and raking frames for decades. This was for a mater of style. But when you start building your own frame you can make it all work together. You can have the style and performance in one package.
Different :
Trellis Frames:
For those of you that have been around the fighter scene, you no doubt have seen the beautiful examples built by Spondon, Harris, RAU and some of the later builders such as Martek, Steelheart and PEST. The most common design of these frames is a trellis format, similar to Ducati and MV Agusta. Built from either large diameter aluminum tube or chromoly steel, they offer a very light and rigid construction, but also give the builder a range of adjustability in component placement and over all layout. Mounting points can be made to fit many different engine configurations and also allow for a range of suspension locations. Backbone or Cradle-Style Frame:
The next form of frame configuration is the backbone style or cradle frame. Most commonly found in older bikes and traditionally styled cruisers. RAU has adapted a version of this to act as a stressed member frame. Instead of a full cradle frame that has mounting points for the engine to sit into, they use the engine to mount the frame. This style does away with the lower frame rails. It incorporates a large diameter tube for the "backbone" and a section of down tubes to connect to the engine mounts. Honda has also adapted this style frame on their Hornet line. This setup is not only very rigid but also allows to showcase the engine. The down side is the frame has to go over the engine witch can make the bike rather tall. Twin-Spar or Twin-Beam Frame:
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