You can build 'em big. Or you can build 'em
small. But it doesn't mean a thing if you

don't build 'em different...

Old Empire Snipe 

Old Empire Motorcycles | Alec Sharp | Rafe Pugh | Suffolk 

Ya gotta have vision. Ya gotta have confidence. Ya gotta have passion. And perhaps most of all, you've gotta be prepared to take chances. We're talking about making your presence felt on the British custom motorcycle scene. And that's why the best builders and exponents have all these qualities in spades.

For a long time we've been reporting on the bikes created by Old Empire Motorcycles, or OEM if you prefer. The firm is run by Alec Sharp and Rafe Pugh, and these two guys definitely take chances.

Take this lowly Yamaha SR400. Lowly? Well it is if cubic capacity alone is the yardstick by which cool custom bikes are measured. But Messrs Sharp & Pugh clearly don't see it that way. For these guys, more ain't necessarily more, not when you can hit the style bullseye with less and less.

What we like about this motorcycle is the simplicity which, paradoxically, is riddled with detail. At first glance it's interesting, but nothing remarkable. Then you look again and study it for a moment, and then it begins to reveal itself. The theme. The poise. The muted livery. The attention to detail. The subtle boldness. And perhaps most of all, it's got OEM written all over it, and we've got no doubt that Google's satellite could instantly pick this machine out of a thousand customs in a terrestrial car park.

Confidence of a match? 100%.

Now, someone once was speaking about guitarist Eric Clapton and said, "Old slow hand isn't the fastest axeman on the block. But Clapton knows that it isn't all about speed. It's about the choices you make." So it is with custom bikes. Choices. Decisions. The steady development of ideas. The progression. The counterpoints. And the nuances.

Alec Sharp can now tell you in his own words how this bike came about, and if his vision sits comfortably alongside your own, call him up and take it to the next level. Just remember that OEM doesn't do "the same but different." Sharp and Pugh simply do "different". Full stop.

And that's exactly how it should be.

Our last single thumper the OEM X ODFU Osprey based on a GN400 proved popular with the public, and off the back of that particular build we had an enquiry concerning building something similar but unique to the customer also.

We decided, as we have done with other builds, to move towards a new donor motorcycle so we could focus on spending our time improving the aesthetics and upgrading the components rather than restoring worn, broken or just manky bits you usually find on an older donor.

The only real big (ish) air cooled singles that we could get new were the Yamaha SR400s. We'd had experience working with an older SR500 (the Lightning) so we knew our way around it. We decided to immediately strip her of all non-essentials whilst keeping the wheels, the front fork and the intake system intact.

To get ‘the stance’, the front fork was shaved and lowered by an aggressive 3’’ which we have learned should not be done without modding the yokes! We created our first set of 3D machined upper and lower yokes specifically for this project with an 1’’ offset (both upper and lower) to keep the fork travel sensible and help us get that line.

After looking around for suitable bars, we ended up in the same position of not particularly liking anything available, so it was back to the Post-It notes and crayons to sketch up some suitable examples. Made in three parts they are fully adjustable. The bars are screwed into position and then "locked off", the idea being to imitate the ‘sleeved’ and brazed bars of old.

We think they look pretty good.

To set them off, we couldn’t use any old switchgear either, but again, after looking around and seeing some really nice functional and aesthetically pleasing pieces of engineering, none would suit. The idea behind these Mk1 clusters is a blend of the old Jap-shaped switchgear which we always thought was quite shapely. But the functionality of the mechanical switches inside made us shy away from them, hence a mix of the push-button setup alongside the shape of the retro Japanese switchgear.

I'm all for minimalism, meaning that if we can get away with with no switches, that for us is the best option. However, if motorcycles are to be ridden, then it's come to our attention to make them as usable as we can whilst getting that age old balance between form and function. All the electronics have been modified to run such a setup along with a latching kill switch relay.

At the back end we run the smart looking set of K-Tech Bullit shocks usually used for big twins. However, with a little tinkering and turning them upside down, they seemed to compliment the front quite nicely!

Metal work-wise, our good friend Willy (www.londonmotorcyclewiring.co.uk) was enlisted to help as we were stacked out at that point. So we took the original tank which we scalloped and moved to suit the lines, then the foam models were taken and slowly wheeled, hammered and welded into aluminium versions. The front cowling we took inspiration from classic aviation and automobiles to recess a vinyl covered dash within and then capped by a smoked visor.

The dash houses all the warning lights, the mini speedo (with warning lights) and a tacho. The headlight is a simple small Bates unit. The rear cowling is designed to be removed inorder to reveal a small pillion seat beneath it. The seat design came from the idea that we wanted something very slim and to mount the battery monitor unit and charger in the vinyl covered panel sitting in the gap.

A simple aluminium cover hides the injection "unsightlys", and the ignition switch has been relocated into another vinyl covered panel under the airbox.

Frame modifications-wise, the only work done was to carefully remove the rear frame rails at a specific point, then model with foam the two frame extensions that integrate the rear Highsider LED lights within. These were then machined in aluminium and slotted into place and pinned in. The effect we think is really minimal but you can see the lights a mile off!

Legalities were taken care of in the form of small Motogadget Pin Indicators mounted front and back alongside a rolled black &  silver tin numberplate mounted low and tight.
Tyre were changed to a more aggressive, but still quite classic, Dunlop K70s.

A simple stainless exhaust was the order of the day. It's short, it's loud and it took quite some work to get the bike to perform and sound well with the right baffles, but we got there in the end!

All the unnecessary intake and exhaust gizmos and gadgets were duly removed, and the ignition upgraded with a Power Commander. The airbox was then drilled, and intake ducting was removed to free up space and improve airflow.

The air box and electrical covers were ditched, and we then machined wooden formers in which to press and mould leather side panels to mimic side satchels along with leather retaining straps. We're well known for our leather work, and the Snipe deserved some nice touches such as our machined and laser cut leather grips and pegs. Our kickstarter and foam moulded knee pads also got attention, as did the seat which is specially prepared and hand dyed to get just the right colour.

The final piece of the puzzle was the finishing: simple black satin Cerakote from Flying Tiger Coatings, satin bead blasting from Suffolk Blast, and a lovely drop of Jaguar E-Type grey with gold pinstriping, and airbrushed shading from the talented hands of Black Shuck Kustom tied everything in perfectly!

Other little details include, a machined finned brake caliper, a custom Harrison floating front brake disc, upgraded rear sprockets and chain, an oil temperature filler cap, and K-Tech brake and clutch levers.

A special thanks to Willy for the extra help, and to Chris from X Bikes who helped tune her up!

Also thanks to: Demeanour Customs, Flying Tiger Coatings, Suffolk Blast, Blackshuck Kustom, Harrison Performace, K Tech, London Motorcycle Wiring Co, X Bikes, GB Upholstery, Cambrian Tyres, Number Plates 4u, and So Low Choppers.
ALL PHOTO CREDITS TO SIMON BUCK PHOTOGRAPHY

www.buckphoto.co.uk
www.instagram.com/sibuckphoto