Easiest way to go old school 70's is build a "Rat Bike". Nobody does it anymore so check out old Easyriders for pictures.

 

That's the route I'm thinking about going with mine. I want to make it a rat-bobber. I have a dented tank at home that I bought on ebay. Next I want to pick up a rear fender (I'll just leave the front fender off). Then I'm thinking I"ll put a couple of bullets in the fender, take it and the tank down to bare metal and shoot em with clear and put a plain Jane open belt primary along with a baker 5 speed Kicker kit and a foot clutch/Jockey shift.

I want to keep all the original **** for when I eventually decide to put it more back to stock. I don't plan on ruining any of the parts that are on it now. Just want to give a kinda rat-bike look.

 

Thanks sharky, i did,nt know about Google images, very interesting.

 

Rat bike!

 

If you really want to go old school, build it out of a Triumph, BSA, Honda or Kawasaki like they did back then.

 

Look closely, some ideas below:


Larger Photo: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gBrc8CpEJ_g/Sf...2007%20006.jpg


Larger Photo: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_gBrc8CpEJ_g/Sf...2007%20007.jpg


Larger Photo: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_gBrc8CpEJ_g/Sf...2007%20010.jpg


Larger Photo: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gBrc8CpEJ_g/Sr...2009%20007.jpg


Larger Photo: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_gBrc8CpEJ_g/Sr...2009%20008.jpg

 

I guess it harkens back to my old Schwinn 5-Speed Fastback, but nothin says old school cool like a big tall sissy bar! imho

 

rat bikes are not somthing that can be built, they just happen.

 

How about this Schwinn Orange Krate for old school....This was my first custom bike. A Springer that had a Springer front end, Bobtail rear fender, ape hangers, and a five speed trans with a Suicide shifter.

 

...from Wikipedia

Wabi-sabi (侘寂?) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" (according to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers). It is a concept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the Three marks of existence (三法印, sanbōin?), specifically impermanence (無常, mujō?). Note also that the Japanese word for rust, 錆 is also pronounced sabi (the borrowed Chinese character is different, but the word itself is of assumed common etymology), and there is an obvious semantic connection between these concepts.[citation needed]
Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes.