That all seemed normal to me and I always looked up to him for it. But I never experienced that ‘proud’ moment that parents talk about with their kids.
It was interesting to hear that he wanted to build a custom motorcycle. I?m not sure where his inspiration came from, but when you look at this creation it?s an almost perfect mix of cafe racer, bobber and Art Deco piece.

The bike started life as a 1973 BMW R75/5. We found it for sale in Oklahoma in a very rough, barely running condition. It had many non-original parts, so instead of restoring it, Dad decided he would do something a bit different.
He started out by checking the entire frame for straightness. He separated the neck from its mounting points and added three degrees of rake. The rear was then chopped off, custom-made shock mounts welded on, and new Hagon shocks installed.
The fuel tank came from a BMW R60 we found. With the air box gone, the tool compartment was modified to house the main electrical components?including an EarthX lithium battery.
The headlight bucket is an original ?60s Italian C.E.V. [made in Italy by Fratelli Pagani]. It?s been modified to carry the electronic tachometer and more of the bike?s electronics, and is mounted using a custom-formed bracket. My Dad then built the tail light from scratch using multiple LEDs for the running and brake lights.

It’s a comfortable bike, with a seating position that means it can be ridden. Dad and I did all the design and modifi...