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.

Editorial - Authenticity

The whole concept of authenticity (and what is or is not authentic) is one of those paradoxical topics that seems simultaneously important and utterly trivial. The term serves an accusation / accolade directed at whatever fad du jour is grabbing the attention of the public, but it also seems to be a product of our recent cultural aspirations. The whole business of following your passions, aspiring to greatness, and generally expecting the best for ourselves no matter how lazy or shiftless we are is a recent development that has enveloped our culture. To lack authenticity is to contrive against some notion of “true” passion – or worse, to debase those passionate pursuits with monetary concerns. To exhibit an idealized form of authenticity is to be in tune with your loves and desires without corrupting them with too much rationality or materialism. Upon reflection it’s all a bit ridiculous, but bear with me, I’m sure I have a point brewing here somewhere.

Julian Farnam's CHOPPRD - The leading-link Dirtbag RD400

Image Courtesy Alan Lapp

In a modest garage a few miles east of San Francisco, there is a man who builds motorcycles. This might not sound particularly exceptional, as there are men building bikes in many garages in many cities, and some of them are exceptional enough to get profiled on sites like this. Julian Farnam is a different sort of builder though, and he has built a different sort of bike. He is a consummate tinkerer, a man who puts together unique machines of his own design in his spare time. It's not his day job, but he is damn good at what he does – producing some of the most interesting and thoughtfully designed custom bikes you'll come across anywhere. The bike we are featuring today is one of Julian's odd creations, a raked and chopped Yamaha RD400 that applies one of Julian's favourite concepts – alternative front suspensions. More remarkable is that the CHOPPRD, as Julian has christened it, was built in his spare time over a 30 day period for a total budget that could not exceed $1000 – that includes the donor bike and all the parts and modifications that go with it.

Read the rest about Julian Farnam's CHOPPRD RD400 on Pipeburn