Alright, so folks sometimes see this HD Street 750 bobber I put together and ask, “Why’d you go and chop up a perfectly good Street?” Well, let me tell ya, it wasn’t just about wanting a bobber. It was a whole thing, ya know?
I used to have this other bike, real sensible, one of those big touring things. Everyone said, “That’s a proper bike for a man your age.” And I rode it, sure. Went to work, did the weekend trips, all very… predictable. Just like my old job, come to think of it. Desk job, spreadsheets, meetings about meetings. Drove me nuts, slowly but surely. I felt like I was just ticking boxes, not really living.
The Breaking Point and the Beginning
The thing is, that old job, they had this way of making you feel like you were just a number. One day, they called a bunch of us into a room, said they were “restructuring.” Restructuring my paycheck right out of existence, that’s what they did. No warning, just “thanks for your service, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” I was mad, real mad for a while. Walked around in a daze for a couple of weeks.
So, I had all this time on my hands. And I kept looking at the Street 750 I’d bought on a whim a while back, just sitting there. It was a decent bike, but kinda bland, if I’m being honest. And one afternoon, after another pointless job application online, I just thought, “Screw it.” I needed to DO something, make something, get my hands dirty. That sensible touring bike? Sold it. Used some of that cash to fund this new little project.
Getting Down to Business: The Build
First thing I did was stare at the Street for a good long while. Visualized what I wanted. A bobber, yeah, but my kind of bobber. Stripped down, raw.
- Tearing it Down: I started by pulling off all the stuff I didn’t want. The big rear fender was the first to go. Chopped that sucker right off. Then the passenger seat, pegs, all that extra fluff. The stock seat went too, knew I wanted a solo spring seat.
- The Rear End: Getting that rear fender sorted was a bit of work. Had to figure out some new struts, or at least how to make it look clean without the original massive thing. Went with a short, tight fender. Bolted on a new side-mount license plate holder and a new, smaller taillight.
- Seat and Bars: The solo seat was next. Found a nice one, old-school look. Had to fab up a new mounting plate, took a bit of fiddling to get it right. Then I swapped out the stock handlebars. Went for some drag bars, lower and meaner. Changed the whole feel of the bike.
- Exhaust and Intake: That stock exhaust was too quiet, too polite. Ripped it off and got some short, loud pipes. Oh yeah, that’s better. Let the engine breathe a bit more with a new air cleaner too.
- Little Details: Then it was all the little things. New grips, smaller indicators. Relocated the speedo to the side. Thought about a paint job, but kinda liked the rough, work-in-progress vibe for a while. Maybe later. For now, it was about the shape, the stance.
The Outcome
Took me a good few weeks, working in the garage, cursing, bleeding a little, drinking a lot of coffee. There were moments I thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew. Parts didn’t fit right, wires were confusing. But I stuck with it. And when I finally rolled it out, started it up, and took that first ride… man. It wasn’t just a bike anymore. It was something I’d made, something that was mine, truly mine.
It’s not perfect, not a show bike by any means. It’s a bit rough around the edges, just like me these days, I guess. But riding it, I feel… free. More free than I ever did on that “sensible” bike or in that “sensible” job. So yeah, that’s why I built it. It was more than just a bobber project; it was me getting my hands back on the controls, literally and figuratively. Funny how life works out sometimes, ain’t it?
