Building
Mr. Benson, the supervisor of the Oshkosh West High School Mini Chopper Build team, told us he brought in a bike that had been dwelling in his garage for years for the team to recycle and use as a starting point. The bike was a Honda motorcycle; a Nigh hawk 1981 CB450. The team stripped down the bike to the frame and redesigned the frame to meet their design plan. They built supports to keep the frame square and to keep the rear of the bike inline with the front. They are currently rebuilding the bike and have reconstructed the frame to meet their design needs.
The team searched the internet for parts to buy, often off of eBay and other such sites. It was difficult to figure out how to put some of the pieces together, especially since they weren’t originally engineered for the team’s dream bike. Consequently, the team used some of the ideas they got from the parts they researched online to formulate their design plan. The team decided to make almost every single piece for their bike, instead of buying a kit. The team started in the middle of the bike and continues to work “out” to the ends.
The processes the team has been involved in so far include welding, using the plasma cutter, lathe, files and other hand tools, torch, vertical mill, notcher, band saw (for cutting angles), numerous grinders, and even three different tubing benders for the different radii of pipes.
The words Benson left us with: “It’s coming together really well."