Sneak Peek : Jeff Leighton's Builder Video

Our BF7 Invited Builder Sponsor Street Chopper Magazine has a early preview of Jeff Leighton's build video...check it out now! https://www.facebook.com/streetchopper or http://www.streetchopperweb.com/

BF 7 Invited Builder : Jon Rispante

The recipe is pretty simple yet it's really hard to find guys who can do it correctly. That is building a traditional 50's/60's style British custom without over doing it. Jon Rispante is in a very small group of guys that understand what these bikes should look like and have the skills to build one. Jon has built some really cool bikes over the years. He brought the killer swing-arm Pre Unit "The Grass Hopper" to BF2, built a period perfect BSA dragster for BF3 and now is back as an invited builder for BF7. He has just checked in with his first update....he writes:
I'm building a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird this year. I purchased the start of this project about 12 years ago and have been slowly collecting the pieces for it since then. My favorite style of custom Triumph's are from the mid 1960's. That
transition period between a fairly stock bike and a raked out, extended front end, full on chopper. My Dad graduated in '67. The bike he customized and rode to High School was a '64 TR6. As a kid I loved looking at the old photos of his metal-flake blue custom. I will be building my '50 as if a 17 year old kid would have in the mid 60's. No fancy CNC parts, perfect TIG welds, or belt drives... As a kid still in school and pumping gas at the corner Phillips 66 station, funds are limited... I will be saving my lunch money for chrome and will be doing all the work myself including the Watson style lacquer paint, polishing,
engine rebuild, etc... Also, full show bikes are nice to look at but since this will be my only means of transportation, it has to work and be within "regulation"... That means brakes, lights, and mufflers. Jon       

BF7 Invited Builder : Jeff Leighton

Jeff is back after sitting out a year with a special new project. Here is the story....This year for Born Free I'm stepping a little outside my comfort zone and building a 1950 Triumph show bike. The bike will be very much in the vein of bikes that I like, but on a totally different platform. My inspiration for the bike are the early 1960's bikes from the LA and Oakland Hot Rod shows. I'm using a matching number 1950 thunderbird motor and frame. The frame will have all the extra stock stuff cut off of it. With a tank and fender molded to it. The motor is decked out top to bottom with period hop up and accessory parts, including an original Award Cycle finned timing cover. Haven't picked a front end yet. But I have a few options in my mind. The wheels are 19" wm2 with a triumph rear hub out back and a 21" wm0 radial laced to a hallcraft hub up front with an NOS Avon 2.75 tire. Every part of the bike will be chromed polished and painted. I'm sure I will look ridiculous riding it... but I can't wait to see it all finished. We can't either. Take a look at some of the bikes Jeff has built in the past.