Kick start your custom motorcycle project with our online video training!
Those custom motorcycles that grace the home pages of the big websites were built by some amazing builders. But most of us don’t want a trailer-queen piece of garage art. We have one bike (or two, or three!) and we love to ride.
But factory bikes are a bit boring. When it rolls out the dealership, any other mug can buy the same model and have the same bike. Even when you tick the boxes in the factory options list, its still a bit, well……vanilla.
If you’re reading this you’re not into vanilla. You want it to be your own. And you really don’t want to pay anyone else to do it.
So you posted a photo of your favourite custom above your workbench and stripped your bike into a pile of parts and picked up the angle grinder.
BUT! Unless you took shop classes – or worked in a fabrication or machine shop – you probably got stuck! Maybe you didn’t even get started!
Maybe you were frustrated and uncertain when you hit that roadblock:
- What happens if I cut it in the wrong place?
- What is the right metal to use to make my seat pan?
- Should I weld this on? Or bolt it on?
- I need to make a bracket for the taillight…where do I start?
- How do I cut this sheet metal into the shape I want?
- What drill should I use to make these holes?
- How do I get a brushed finish on my part?
All of a sudden your project is stalled. So its off to the YouTube search box: “how to install a cafe racer hoop”. Start watching the top video. Nope. Wrong bike. Second video. Nope. Didn’t explain where to cut the frame. Third video. Nope. He did it so fast I couldn’t see how to do it. Fourth video. Nope. I don’t have the tools that guy used.
And thats just the first problem! What about the other 500 problems you’re going to face during this build?
Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, there is a way. I started Krank Engineering in 2012 to help other people with machining and welding on their project bikes in Melbourne, Australia.
Now, via this website, I provide better tech info for custom bike builders. Just like you.
Not professional builders. They don’t need any help.
But, backyard builders. People whose car lives in the driveway so they can build their bike in their garage.
People who scrounge second hand parts off Craigslist or eBay.
People who have a day job in a completely different field, but scour the internet for inspiration on their lunch break.
People who are determined to be part of the custom motorcycle community.
People who are passionate about learning.
People who -most of all – want that sense of achievement that they did it themselves.
Is this you?
You might be wondering: “Can I really build a custom motorcycle?”
Of course you can!
Brain surgeons didn’t start on their first day of med school on live patients! They started with basics and built their skills up over a period of time.
Luckily, we’re not trying to be brain surgeons. We just need some hands-on skills to keep our project moving. Anyone with some hand-eye co-ordination can learn these skills. In fact, if you can ride a motorcycle you ALREADY posses the hand-eye co-ordination you need.
If you’re ready to take the next step, I have built out my first course, just for you.
Metalwork 1 is the fundamental course to teach you basic skills to work with metal. We start from a zero base, and take you to the stage of building some simple functional shop tools and motorcycle parts.
How? With video. This is as close as we can get to me being in the shop with you, coaching you along the way.
In more than four hours of video training, we cover:
Lesson 1 – About Metals
- Properties (14:46)
- Metals & Manufacturing (12:43)
Lesson 2 – Marking Out
- Introduction (2:10)
- Marking out fluid (4:35)
- Marking Out Tools (8:54)
- Work Surfaces (4:37)
Lesson 3 – Making Holes
- Cutting tools (14:41)
- Drilling machines (16:07)
- Safety (9:59)
- Deburring (2:37)
- Lubrication (3:34)
Lesson 4 – Cutting Metal
- Introduction (0:29)
- Hacksaws (8:03)
- Shears (4:18)
- Angle grinders (10:28)
- Circular saws and power shears (4:17)
- Cut-off saws (2:54)
- Deburring (4:46)
Lesson 5 – Filing
- Files and Filing (13:54)
Project 1 – Drill Gauge
- Marking Out (20:05)
- Making holes (10:01)
- Version 2 Drill Gauge and Finishing (9:46)
Project 2 – Vice Soft Jaws
- Vice soft jaws (21:53)
Project 3 – Licence Plate Bracket
- Introduction and design features (8:59)
- Bracket #1 Marking Out (17:01)
- Bracket #1 fabrication (15:43)
- Bracket #2 fabrication (18:08)
Want to see a trailer? Check it out:
You can access Metalwork 1 in two ways:
- Standalone video course, with private Facebook Community for members
- Community Membership to our private forum, with Q&A sections, build threads and Resources & Training
1. Standalone video course
- Lifetime access to all the video lessons in the course so you can return and review the course whenever you want.
- Lifetime video updates and additions.
- Access to a private Facebook group for discussion and support, where I will drop in and answer your questions relating to the course.
- One-time single payment
2. Community Membership
- Access to ALL current and all future content while membership is paid up.
- All video courses
- Start your own build thread
- Ask tech questions about any topic
- Get support from fellow garage customisers, and better still, help contribute to their success and achievement.
- Use the Forums to get direct build support from me (this is where I hang out daily).
- Monthly subscription price is locked in when you sign up – any new content is free while membership is paid up.
- More info on the community is here.
Want to get started? Select the access option you want on the next page:
