Cameron Grierson
Chopper Motorcycle
Stratford High School
Year 13 Graphics: full year project
Teacher: Arnold Cox
For his Year 13 full-year Graphics project, Cameron was asked by his motorcycle enthusiast father to design a chopper motorcycle in the spirit of 'a little less work, and a little more play'. Cameron was asked to produce working drawings and show construction methods for a chopper motorcycle that his father could build in his engineering business. The bike would have to meet all New Zealand Road Standards and be able to be registered and gain a Warrant of Fitness.
Cameron began with extensive research. He made contact with a member of the nostalgic chopper group Taranaki Retro Rockers, who owned and rode a 1972 Triumph chopper. Through this contact, Cameron got a feel for the Triumph and a number of similar machines. He also borrowed a couple of boxes of classic 1970's chopper magazines to study.
After discussing a number of the possibilities with his father, Cameron drew up three initial concepts. "My father chose one concept and there were certain features he wanted to be carried over from the others," said Cameron.
After further extensive research and ongoing expert advice from his chopper group contact, a final brief was agreed upon. It incorporated the following specifications:
- An 'Easyrider' style (popular in the 1970s)
- A 140 cubic-inch V-Twin engine
- A 'hard tail' (rigid frame)
- A 460mm diameter x 200mm wide rear wheel with standard profile tyre
- A skinny 530mm diameter front wheel
- Wire-spoke rims
- Raked front end with springer forks
- Disc brakes – front and rear
- A chain drive
- A small Harley Davidson® Sportster™ front mudguard
- A sissy bar
- A 'king-and-queen' seat
Detailed working drawings were produced and finishing concepts and material requirements discussed. The final design emerged.
Cameron was particularly pleased with the results. "It looks really classy and laid-back, yet it can still perform," he said. Cameron's father was also delighted: "This is pretty much my perfect chopper – not only a wheel-spinner, but a head-spinner as well."
To complete his project, Cameron decided to do a presentation of his development work and final concept to a meeting of the Retro Rocker chopper club in New Plymouth. For this, he constructed a model of the bike, making everything himself apart the engine and front wheel which he cannibalised from a from a cheap 1:12 scale model. "I scaled the drawings to 1:12 so that I could compare the parts to the drawings to make sure they would look right."
As he worked on his model, problem solving and developing new construction skills became second nature to Cameron. As a finishing touch, he mounted the model on a macrocarpa base. "It looks great, and is very detailed for something of its size," he said.
For the club meeting, Cameron also produced a PowerPoint presentation and took along his folio work to help him to explain his development process to the audience.
The presentation itself became more interactive than he had imagined and he was happy to respond to the many comments and suggestions flowing from the audience. "We learned about each others ideas and perspectives," he said. "A lot of information I'd come across and wasn't quite sure about was confirmed, such as how bobbing came before chopping, and why. All-in-all it was a great and very informative night, enjoyed by everyone."
Teacher comment
Cameron chose an interesting and unusual subject for his project work and his commitment to producing a quality outcome was obvious right from the start. The modelling requirement was very challenging and working to the scale required involved a high level of technical skill to ensure an authentic look. He also made the jigs to be able to hold the work together for the brazing. His drawing skills were very good and completed from a difficult set of concepts. He presented his outcome to his client very effectively and this gave him the confidence to take up an invitation to talk about his development work to the local motorcycle group. Cameron was initially unsure about what he would do on leaving school, but over the year his focus became clearer and he is now studying Engineering at Canterbury University.
(Click to enlarge)
