Julian Farnam's Dirtbag Rat - Yamaha Banshee-Powered Funny Front End Mutant

Image courtesy Alan Lapp

"Hey Jason, I hope all is well. I thought I'd reach out and mention that I've just completed a new project that may (or may not) be of interest..."

Image courtesy Alan Lapp

The photos that followed in Julian's email made me lean back in my chair and giggle with glee. You are goddamned right this is "OF INTEREST". You should know my taste by now Julian, because every time you send me something you nail it.

Image courtesy Alan Lapp

If you've followed OddBike for any period of time you should be familiar with Julian Farnam and his designs. He has become a staple subject of the site for years, and for damned good reason: there are few backyard tinkerers as talented or as innovative as Julian is, and every time he puts Tig to metal he concocts something inspiring that speaks to the very heart of OddBike. Or at least something so thoroughly weird and wonderful that it will cleanse your palette of the dull Hondas and derivative Triumphs that populate your feeds for the remainder of the week.

Image courtesy Alan Lapp

Guest Post - Robert Horn's RoHorn Two Wheel Steering Recumbent Racer

Image courtesy Margaret Oliver

I'm pleased to present this guest post courtesy of motorcycle innovator Robert Horn, who has spent several decades developing a series of machines that redefine the motorcycle by combining alternative suspension with two wheel steering into a recumbent chassis, which ultimately became the RoHorn racer. Here is Robert's story, in his own words:

Like old biplanes? Who doesn’t! They were once state of the art – those are what airplanes were supposed to look like - almost a century ago. Now imagine how progress in aviation would seem like if the only advances made since then were only with materials and electronics – would a carbon fiber covered titanium framed biplane with digital fuel injection sound like the peak of aviation development to you?

Would PlaneExif feature old aircraft with the latest developments in ironically inappropriate undercarriage tires, patina by numbers, and smug purveyors of artistically diminished airworthiness for the edgy iPilot? Well, that’s not too far off from what’s happened to the motorcycle world. For the high performance end of the market, how many years in a row of bold new graphics, .01mm smaller valve stems with 1.2 degrees less included angle for 2.4 more horsepower, and 17% more bodywork tortuosity does everyone have to get from press release regurgitators before everyone tunes out?

Are motorcyclists that braindead? I’m not innovation intolerant - if the OEMs won’t offer real innovation, fine, I’ll take that as an opportunity to do it myself. I don’t have any qualifications, credentials, or connections to do what I’m doing, but if the results from the qualified, credentialed, and connected are anything to go by, I’m better off for that.

I see the vast majority of the motorcycle industry as horrifyingly uninspired, unenthusiastic, and antipathetic. Look at any of the “Motorcycle Art” sites and bore yourself to death with endless images of Battle Tarts™ on dystopian café racers. How do you get that screwed up to think that’s exciting, attractive, or even remotely interesting? Am I the only one that doesn’t “Get it”? Maybe I need to look pretty far back to see why I’m headed the other way.

Guest Post: Alan Lapp's Dirtbag Challenge DR650

Innovation is a scarce resource in today's motorcycle industry, despite what the OEMs might lead you to believe. Behind every supposed leap forward in electronic trickery aimed at keeping your untalented ass out of the weeds is several decades of stagnant design and engineering tarted up with fancy new plastics. We haven't seen a real revolution in motorcycle design in a long while, at least one that didn't deviate far from the accepted formula of oversized bicycle with a big horny engine stuck in the middle.

The people who truly innovate are not found at major manufacturers. They aren't listening to focus groups or making clay mockups in well-lit design studios with Instagram accounts vomited all over "inspiration boards" on the wall. The people who are driving innovation are doing so in their garages and their homes, building their dreams without the constrictions of tradition and bean counter interference compromising their vision of perfection. They build the future the way they envision it, everyone else be damned. Their work is pure. Their genius is only recognized by the few who can appreciate the iconoclastic vision.  

This is not the story of one of those machines. This is the story of a Dirtbag bike.