UTMC

So I've been working in the machining lab since last spring, learning the ropes, and helping to make little models of F1 race cars. Today I finally met the professor who is actually in charge of the lab. He's very much a traditional Japanes business man, dresses in suits, gives gifts to business contacts, takes a minute or two to learn and understand his accent, etc. This is a good thing for me, because his lab also makes a shitload of money, which means that, as of this morning, I'm getting paid $14.50 an hour, which really ain't shabby for being an undergrad student intern.

Anyway, the lab manager was explaining to the professor that I have an interest in motorcycles, and was working on poaching/developing a CAD model that would be my project for the next two years. I've been looking at Ducatis, and cool naked bikes (of course) and figuring out ways to make them machinable out of a solid piece of aluminum.

Professor, being the business man, knows that it would win more points with his Japanes business contacts if he were to have little Harley Davidsons to give away, so for the next two years, for between ten and forty hours a week, I get to spend all of my time figuring out how to make the best little V-Rod I can churn out in miniature.

Did they specify a V-Rod?

You could make little Captain America bikes (as in Easy Rider), or Captin America Bikes (as in pimped-out WLAs, like in the Captin America Movie, sorta)...or XR750 flattrackers or XRTT racers, with the fairing and everything...or the properly cool Harleys:






(No, it's not a BMW, it's a Harley Davidson XA...the Army said they wanted a bike that did what them German bikes did, and Harley went all literal)

Not technically a motorcycle, but a Harley Davidson, none the less:


Harley have been around for donkey's years, there's all kinds of stuff there...

DerGolgo wrote:You could make little Captain America bikes (as in Easy Rider),

Golgo has a point. Since they're givaways to Japanese business contacts, give them the Harley icon recognized around the world: a Cap'n America. Doesn't even have to be anatomically correct, just a long rake chopper w/sissy bar, stars n stripes and shit tons of chrome.

Best not do a WLA given the US and Japan weren't getting along too well at that time, and memories die hard for some, and you wouldn't want to have that happen with a future business contact. (Think, a Japanese person giving an American a model Zero, and that person's grandpa was killed in the Pacific. A stretch, I know, but . . .

You should make them a Rikuo....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikuo_Motorcycle

The V-Rod was chosen specifically because it doesn't have a big rake, or big handlebars. It does need to be something iconically "American Harley," but at the same time, it needs to be something that can be CNC'd in miniature out of a solid block of aluminum or copper.
If I were to do a Captain America clone, the thing would snap if you looked at it funny.