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Nige NCC Honorary Life Member - Ribble Valley

'Spirit of 73'

The following photos and transcript are from an article which was written by Odgie and first published in 100% Biker in 2013.

We’ve featured a few of Nige Bamber’s bikes before, but I’ve never told you much about the man. That’s partly because his bikes are always interesting enough in themselves, and also because he invariably ticks the box marked ‘No Publicity’ (I had to wait till he was riding the bike away from the shoot to even catch a photograph of him). But in this case, man and machine can’t really be separated, their stories intertwine and weave together, a story and timeline that wends its way back fully forty years…

SPEC

  • Year, Make and Model:
    1972 Triumph
  • Frame:
    Cycle Haven
  • Frame Mods:
    2 inch stretch both ways, lots and lots of rake
  • Engine:
    Triumph T140
  • Engine Mods:
    Fully rebuilt, hydraulic clutch, Hayward belt primary drive, engraved cases
  • Carb(s):
    Single 930 Amal
  • Gearbox:
    Stock 5-speed
  • Front Forks:
    Kustom Korner twisted springers, from mid-1970s
  • Front Wheel:
    Harley Sportster
  • Rear Shocks:
    Ha-ha!
  • Rear Wheel:
    Triumph
  • Tyres:
    19 Road Rider front, 500x16 Avon SM rear
  • Tank:
    Mustang
  • Oil Tank:
    Paugho
  • Exhaust System:
    Copy of my 1972 bike
  • Handlebars:
    Narrow hi-rise
  • Seat:
    1970s King and Queen
  • Front Mudguard:
    Cut down
  • Rear Mudguard:
    6” flat
  • Front Light:
    Twin 1972 Lucas Square 8
  • Rear Light:
    Cats eye
  • Paint:
    Triple S Powder Coating
  • Special Engineering:
    You’ve got to be kidding me...

Paul NCC Secretary

The original bike arrived in the garage as an fxr hardtail chop but was in need of a complete makeover as the frame tubes were too small and the lines wrong. To get the right lines would mean using a long-case primary. So a complete new primary (plus spacer kit) and gearbox were sourced from Will Burrows motorcycles, along with a set of 8 inch overs to get the forks right. The bigger back wheel also came from Will.

SPEC

ENGINE
  • Make:
    Harley Davidson Evo running Andrews Cam and S&S carb
  • Exhaust:
    One-off stainless
FRAME
One-off hardtail by owner and Steve (NCC Kernow Rep)
FRONT END
  • Forks:
    8” overs running DNA wheel and Harley brakes
  • Yokes:
    Powder Coated
  • Brake Lines:
    Goodridge
  • Handlebars:
    18” Apes
  • Master Cylinders:
    Batastini front
  • Switchgear:
    All behind oil tank
REAR END
  • Mudguard:
    Hand-made by Graham, Coba Valley Cycles
  • Wheel:
    DNA with Pretech 4-pot caliper
  • Torque Arm:
    One-off in stainless
BODYWORK
  • Front Mudguard:
    Fibreglass
  • Petrol Tank:
    Stretched custom
  • Seat:
    Single with air units
  • Oil Tank:
    Off the shelf, internals re-worked by owner
  • Electrics/Battery Box:
    Integral with oil tank
  • Numberplate/Holder:
    Off the shelf
  • Electrics:
    One-off by owner and Steve
  • Main Loom:
    One-off by owner and Steve
  • Head and Tail Lights:
    Custom off the shelf
PAINT AND FINISH
  • Colour(s):
    Frame is Jaguar casein blue. Tank and mudguards are Casein blue along with white pearl tricoat and Malibu metallic blue
  • Painter:
    Dave Harriss (Harriss Motorcycles, Cornwall)
  • Polishing:
    By owner
  • Engineering:
    By owner and Steve

Nik NCC Wiltshire

2005 1200GSF stage 3, outlaw frame with modified headstock and bracing, billet yokes and frame powder coated by Reality Paint Works, Kawasaki ZRX tank modified to take top tube painted along with one piece rear fender and seat unit painted by TJC designs, GSXR 1000 front end, ZRX rear wheel and brake, ASV stubby levers, custom rear sets, wavey discs, all stainless fasteners, Wolsey car winged mascot on rear mudgard with the W to simulate my county Wiltshire.

Rick NCC East Lancashire

Hooligan Ol' Skool Fighter

Frame is a Hard Up Choppers, engine Suzuki GSX1100f power screen 1127. GSXR forks and wheels. Tank is a King Sportster. Front fairing is off of a Honda NS125, bracket made from scratch. Bellypan is an aftermarket special. Parts made by Rick from scratch include rear struts stainless steel, battery box and rear wheel spacers. Wired by Rick himself.

Logic NCC Cumbria

Engine is a GS1000 with home made exhaust. The frame is also home made. The front end has a Suzuki wheel, Triumph brakes, +10" Harley forks, yokes by Slik Mik (NCC East Lancs) and home made bars. The bodywork is a home made tank, stainless battery box and stainless electrics box. Harley front mudguard widened and re-radiused, rear from Custom Chrome. Re-shaped Bates headlight and Lucas rear light.

Tinker NCC Sussex

Shovelhead Chop

1981 Harley Davidson FXE 1200 Superglide
Paughco rigid frame modified by Phil Piper
Heavily modified Frisco mounted Sportster tank by John Turner Druids MC Sheffield
14” apes
Performance Machine forward and hand controls
S&S Super E carb
Custom metal flake paint
3” BDL open belt primary drive
Custom leather solo seat, tool roll and solo bag
Motor rebuilt courtesy of Boz Engineering
Revtech 4 speed transmission
Sparto tail light and license plate assembly
Accel coil kit
Twin plug head
Andrews J grind “old mans” cam
Solid lifters
8:1 Keith Black pistons
Kibblewhite black diamond valves
S&S electronic ignition module
Jagg oil cooler
Thanks go to Woody and Steve Whitmore (both former NCC members), Beaky NCC Honorary and Nick V-Twin, Rye.

V8 Trike

302 V8 Ford Mustang
5000 cc
183 BHP / 259 LB-FT
Ford C4 Automatic Transmission
Holley Carb
Ford 302 HEI Distributor
Land Rover Series 3 Steering Box
Gaz Performance Shocks
Cooper Cobra Radial G/T P255/70R15 Rear Tyres
Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 195/45Z R1785W Front Tyre
Steel Fuel Tank with Stainless Monza Cap
Mooneyes Rat Fink Shifter Knob and Air Scoop
Rear Rack - Shogun Stainless Steel Bull Bar
Smith’s Digital Speedo
Milsco XB150 Seats
Powder Coat - Sussex Blast Cleaning
Paint - JT Vehicle Body Repair
Stainless - Nick Wright Engineering
Bits and Bobs - CBS (Car Builder Solutions)
Build/Fabrication - Will NCC Sussex and Russ Wheatley

Diamond Dog - Evo Chop

1992 Harley Davidson 1340 Lowrider
Rigid Paughco frame up 6” and out 45 degrees - Dave Batchelor P&D
14” over Tolle forks
Adjustable Tolle triple trees
Polished aluminium rims with stainless spokes - 16” rear and 21” front
Metzler ME880 tyres
Custom solo seat
King Sportster tank
Side mount license plate and stop/brake light kit
Drag bars and risers
Paughco horseshoe oil tank
Ultima kick start kit
S&S Super E
Stainless steel custom drag pipes
Performance Machine forward and hand controls
NCC custom engraved derby and points covers - Tony the Engraver
Electronic speedometer
Diamond Dog custom paint job - Nobby Leicester
Thanks go to Nick and Woody V-Twin, Rye for finishing things up once I’d fucked it up and gone as far as I could!