American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 172 November 2013 | Page 24

The Rocket Bobs turn signals match the
company’s headlight, and both feature a thick
body to allow them to be custom-machined if
alternative designs are requested

customer work needed to travel to the US to compete
in the World Championship.
It was also the same year that Rocket Bobs Cycle
Works moved to its present location, having
outgrown the farmer’s barn and the small until it had
been based in for the previous year. Having been in
the current location for a little over 18 months, the
business once again needs more space and Pete and
Lisa are planning to add a mezzanine level inside the
unit to allow more space, which will be used to carry
a higher level of stock.
The current situation with production parts is that
the company offers more lines than it shows on its
website, and there are more new options on the way.
Each new piece is designed and developed in house
by Pete and Lisa, and then, when they are satisfied
with the fit and finish, the CAD files are sent to a
local engineering company which handles the
production runs. By contracting the production out it
allows more time to concentrate on developing new
parts and also work on customers’ bike builds and
shop bikes.
he development of new parts is something that
Pete enjoys, but it is not without problems, as he
explains: “It’s easy to make a one-off part, but to
make a part that can be reproduced and then
packaged and sold is really difficult. Because that
production part is going to be fitted to someone
else’s bike, you have to cover every eventuality. Our
Voodoo fender kits should be really easy to fit, but
some of the feedback we get is from people asking
the most basic of questions. That is the problem, you
have to make everything as simple as possible.”
Having said that, Pete then went on to say that
the next part he would like to bring to production is
a fairing with a heavily Japanese influenced design,
and it is easy to imagine that the issue of making

T

The Rocket Bobs trophy collection is growing as rapidly as the shop’s reputation and product line

that suitable for mass production and fitment to
numerous bikes will be extremely challenging.
However, it would seem that taking on near
impossible challenges are what drives Pete.
Following his success in Essen, Germany, at the
World Championship, he has already begun work on
his next ground-up build. His plan is to take the bike
to the 2014 World Championship, then take it to
Pendine Sands in Wales for a shakedown run at the
speed trial held on the beach there, before heading
over to the US to Bonneville to compete at the BUB
Speed Trials on the Salt Flats.
Early plans for the new bike include a 167ci
methanol-burning motor with the barrels, pistons
and heads all being made in-house. While others go
to Bonneville to break records, Pete has other ideas:
“I’m not that bothered about getting a record, but if
I detonate the engine that’ll make me happy - to have
gotten a bike so finely tuned that it’s bound to
explode.”
aving the bike detonate its engine is not what
custom builders usually aspire to, but that is not
all Pete would like to achieve with the bike as he also
wants to place higher in the World Championship
than the third place he achieved with Gas’d Rat.
The fact that Gas’d Rat placed so highly at the
World Championship has brought more publicity for
Rocket Bobs as the bike has been seen on numerous
sites on the internet, and it is an area that Pete has
always been keen on using. “Without the internet
Rocket Bobs simply wouldn’t have happened,” says
Pete, commenting on the impact modern technology
has had on his business. “Even before Facebook I
was on bike forums the whole time pushing the
busin W72???f6V&???&V6V?F??f?V?B?7GW&R?`?7v??v&?vR??R?'WBF??( ?BGfW'F?6R??F?P?vV'6?FR??B&W?7FVB?B2?Wr?7GW&R?????&?6?&?&Bv2WF^( ?26V6??BW'6???7W7F??'V??B??B??P???2?F?W"&??W2??BF??vV?B??F?&R6??rv???W ??wwr??F6?????6???6???f6V&????B???7B???VF?FV??B??&FW"g&??W7G&?f?"??R?v?F??WBF???w2??Rf6V&???vP?6???v?V?F?( ?B?fRF?Bv??&?&V6??R?FV?F??W6R?bf6V&???F?6GW&R?Wp??&?WG26?6?V&?&R6VV???F?R6?W2?b&?6?W@?&?'>( ?'G2??FW&?F??????v?F?&?GV7B6????rF??7W7F??W'27&?72WW&?R??B??W7G&??TR??6VF?&&??6?WF?g&?6?'&?????v????7&V??@????F??2?2??FF?F???F?sRW&6V?B?b???bF?P?6?????WGWB?b'G2F?B7W'&V?F?6??2F?F?P?U4??( ???WrF?W&Rv2v??F?R?&?WB?WfW'???P?v2F???r6?gF??2?'WBF?R7G&VWB&?"&?FW2&V???vV???6??7F'FVBFWfV????r'G2f?"?B?BF?W??6??B?( ??2??rWFR7V?2WF?R??v???r?B&?@?7V66W72?b&?6?WB&?'2??R?2F?V?V?6?F?FC?( ??6??2?v?2'V?F?R'W6??W72v?F??R?vR7F'FVB?@?F?vWF?W"??F??( ?B???r??r6?R??vW2F??V??P??WBv?F?F?R'V??G2?BF?V?F?W26&R?bF?P?66?V?G2?BF?RvV?W&?'V????r?bF?R'W6??W70?F???6?R?V?VBF?FW6?v?F?R???&?&'2f?"??7F?6P??Bv2F?W&R?V???r?R??F?&?Vv?F?R'V??B?`?v>( ?B&B?( ?v???RWFR6??F??VW2F?FWfV??F?R?FV2?R?0?f?"?Wr'G2??6?27FVW&??rF?R'W6??W72F?v&G0?7FVG?w&?wF??B?2?fW'6VV????7&V6R???6??G&7F??r?WB&?GV7F????b'G2????v??rF?V?F?&VGV6R?VBF??W2??FV?fW&?W2?B7F'B?7F??p?'G2??F?R7W7F??6?&??RWW&?R6F??r??&?6?WB&?'2?2FWfV??VBfW'?V?6???'WBF?P?V?G??b?G2'G26???B&RF?7WFVBv?V?F?P?6??( ?2?v?&??W2?'V??BW6??rF?W6R'G2?6??F??V????6R??v??????FW&?F????6??WF?F???2??Bv?F??F?R??WB?bWFRG&v??r????2&6??rW?W&?V?6P??B?6( ?27FVG???r??B?F?R6????( ?26??F??VV@?7V66W726??V?B&R6W'F??G??@??$?4?UB$?%25?4?Rt?$?0?7v??F???v??G6??&RT??FVâ?CB??ssB#SSs`???f?&?6?WF&?'2?&???wwr?&?6?WF&?'2?&????U$?4???D?$5?4?RDT?U"???dT?$U"#0??#@???