Folks have been wending their way home from
Burning Man through my town for days. I was out running errands (not "outrunning errands". That's impossible!) and saw this obviously homebrewed rig parked on our main drag. I went home and got my camera because it was too good not to share.
Besides being a burn-yourself-down-to-your-socks-or-you-didn't-have-a-good-time bacchanal, Burning Man is a festival of art and counterculture. This rig is a perfect example of gearhead self expression. One wonders how much of what substance went into the idea and execution!
Kudos to the owner and builder of this thing. Looks to me like more thought and sweat than money went into it.
Click fotos to embiggen
This is a
Honda CX motorcycle engine, about 30 years old. In my not-so-humble opinion as a motorcycle mechanic for forty years, it's one of the worst engines Honda ever built. I still look at the engine number boss on these to see if it has all the center punch marks indicating the various recalls have been performed. Heh.
That said, a lot of folks love these things and the engine was a good choice for this rig because a) it's shaft drive, and b) they're cheap.
The next view is the view you want to have - the thing going away! Heh. The exhaust pipes are terrific, and the Burning Man Acceptance (?!) sticker is to die for!
Close-up of the steering gear. Better than a clothesline wrapped around the steering column like on your soapbox derby little car when you were a kid, but not much.
A few final thoughts:
The rig got a workout. It is caked in
Black Rock dust.
The seats look like someone, somewhere, has to
stand to wait for a bus. Seat belts? Nah, this is a better-to-be-thrown-clear job!
The lights might work but this is definitely a rig best driven by the light of yo' blazin' brain! With lotsa "Yahoo!"ing. Ah, memories...
This rod is the-hell-with-safety-stand-on the-gas-and-give-all-the-girls-rides! A little reminiscent of dry lakes rods of the '50s and why not? They worked then and they still do.
If you spot anything you think I missed or shoulda covered, puh-leeze comment!
