Furniture Designer's BTH Scat Hummer is a Hit
Daily Slideshow: How does a furniture designer become a custom Harley builder?
First Timer
Most custom bike builders don't exactly fall into their chosen craft by mistake. Rather, they're usually motorcycle enthusiasts who learn to work on their own rides, people who just have a passion for two-wheelers from the start. But that isn't exactly the way it all came together for Canadian-born Jackson Burrows, as we learned from this Bike EXIF feature.
Trading Trades
That is because you see, Burrows is actually an artist and furniture designer by trade. And the amazing custom Harley you see before you is, incredibly enough, his first-ever attempt at building such a machine.
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Stumbling In
So how the heck did Burrows fall into the custom Harley scene? Well, it was almost by accident. “I found an old Lucas brass taillight in Spain,” he tells us. “A month later, I stumbled upon an unusual power plant: a 1960 Harley-Davidson Super 10. It wasn’t running, but it was ‘all there’ and had a unique AMA race history.”
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Start of Something Big
Burrows struck a deal with the owner of the 165 cc single-cylinder two-stroke and took it home. The little engine had been built for racing with a ported cylinder, matched cases, and a high compression Webco Racing head. But Burrows saw this humble little motor as something much, much more.
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Dare to Be Different
“Lewis Puckett and Dick O’Brien made so many modifications to these engines to get everything possible out of them,” says Jackson. “This engine is what would separate it from yet another restoration of a vintage Harley Hummer—but I wanted to take it a bit further.”
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Learn as You Go
Thus, Burrows started piecing together his vision of a custom Harley in the kitchen of his small downtown apartment. He knew nothing about this kind of work, but learned as he went and did whatever he could in his spare time. Sounds like your average enthusiast, no?
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Next Big Thing
Burrows soon found the most important part for his build - a 1964 Harley-Davidson Scat frame. He proceeded to modify it, stretch it, and clean it up. He then located a 1948 Harley-Davidson pressed steel girder to serve as the front end.
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Daring Details
Much of the bike was born of Burrows' imagination, but there are many subtle details to drool over. Including the vintage Ducati headlight, which holds an embedded Harley Hummer speedometer. Despite all of this old-school kit, there are LED turn signals hidden within.
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Devil's in the Details
The one-off handlebars took many hours to craft, and even the custom internal throttle consists of 13 unique parts. The rear wheel is from a 1961 Scat, the front from a '48 Harley. But both feature polished stainless steel Buchanan spokes.
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
First of Many
This insanely complicated combination of vintage and modern motorcycle parts with custom one-off pieces somehow works together perfectly. And it creates a bike most of us could never dream of building. But just because this is Burrows' first attempt at building a custom motorcycle, it obviously won't be his last. In fact, he's already planning the next one!
>>Join the conversation about this Custom BTH Scat Hummer right here in Harley-Davidson Forum!
Click over to the HDForums' how-to section and catch up on the latest maintenance and DIY tips for your bike.
