Felt Torch Chopper (finished pics p2)

[hewey]

I just bought this Felt chopper off fellow RRBer Halfdone. He wanted the wheels off it, and I donated the fender and chainguard to his spares pile, cause Im not gonna use em. Original plan was to blast the frame and clearcoat the aluminium, but the red is growing on me, looks so pretty in the sun 8) Might paint the tank sides white, like a 2 tone Harley tank, the flames arent my thing.

Mocked it up with some wheels and tyres.

 

[bikeriderx]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Lookin' good! My next one's gonna be a chopper!

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Hewey,
These make nice riders. I had a Blue Torch like yours a couple of years ago, and still have a "Scythe" that has been re-done into a similar fashion as Felt's Bandit... but was completed before they introduced it, and has a bit more ...attitude?

It will be interesting to see where you go with this.

My Blue one:

This bike got sold to a friend after I "borrowed" some pieces from it to complete the Rat Royale, and I kept the wheelset for a Nirve Cannibal I bought for my son to ride. I left the 3 pc. cranks and Flames sprocket on it though.

And the former Scythe (The Rat Royale Project):

This one started out as a one speed wonder. It now has seven, a front drum brake (from the Torch), and a bunch of other little goodies from various sources. It rides nice, and gets a fair amount of comments while it's out for a ride.

Keep postin' your progress....

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[hewey]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Nice choppers Rat Royale

Hmmm, thinking a white metalflake bannana seat and sissy bar could look cool 8) , if I can attach the seat to the seatpost Im getting :roll:

 

[deorman]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Cool shifter. You scratch that together?

 

[SkidMark]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

That shifter is amazing, even if it is on the "throttle" side :mrgreen:

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

That shifter is amazing, even if it is on the "throttle" side :mrgreen:

I'm right handed... What can I say!?!?!?!? I thought it would be better there just for that reason. Didn't even think about "throttle." May have misunderstood and thought someone said "bottle'" and I hold those in the left hand! (well, sometimes... )
Thanks for the comments!

Cool shifter. You scratch that together?

A close-up of the shift mechanism...


Yeah, that was a mind thing about ... shifter.... I can do that. Oh wait a minute, I want it to be idiot proof. May take a little more thought. It came out pretty good overall, and has been on the bike now for several years, and still works just fine. The idiot in me hasn't really been too hard on it, so it still functions as designed. (I realized after posting that this shot still shows the original crank and sprocket, and that was replaced in early '06, so it has been on there for a while!)
Basically, it's a bent rod with a stainless turnbuckle/heim joint ended (intended for a dual carb setup) linkage, hooked to a 7 speed Nexus quickfire shifter. The hardest part was spring tension to stop the rod from doing a downshift every time you hit a bump. The spring is made from one of the spokes lying in my toolbox.
Thanks for the comments!
Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[HornetB]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

I love the bikes Felt puts out. I was lucky enough to score this El Guapo off craigslist when I was looking to build pretty much the exact same style of bike. I'd love to get a torch/bandit/scythe frame though. I'd loose the high bars but that's personaly taste. My bike gets compliments everywhere I go, I'm always surprised by how many people comment and want to chat about it. In the quest to get a lower seat it now has an electra hillbilly seat but still remains pretty much as you see it. I was planning on doing a colour change to the frame but I can't really bring myself to do it now. I kind of like how it looks.

Good luck with the project. Get some fat tires on it.

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

I love the bikes Felt puts out. I was lucky enough to score this El Guapo off craigslist when I was looking to build pretty much the exact same style of bike. I'd love to get a torch/bandit/scythe frame though. I'd loose the high bars but that's personaly taste. My bike gets compliments everywhere I go, I'm always surprised by how many people comment and want to chat about it. In the quest to get a lower seat it now has an electra hillbilly seat but still remains pretty much as you see it. I was planning on doing a colour change to the frame but I can't really bring myself to do it now. I kind of like how it looks.

Good luck with the project. Get some fat tires on it.

Funny you mention the high bars.
Over the time it took to finish the Rat Royale project, the bars kept getting lower... and lower. After they got to the low point I was comfortable with, I narrowed them a good bit. The bike is a lot more fun to ride with the bars shorter and more narrow than when it started out. The only drawback is at lower speeds, it is a little more "wobbly." Maybe that's just the rider......
The blue one only got ridden by me once or twice before it departed. My wife liked the color, so I changed some stuff on it, and initially planned to keep it. It just didn't ever capture my interest that much, as I was higly intent on finishing the black one. After the shifter and 7 speed (the blue one was a 3 speed), it really dropped from the view!

I do agree, the shorter bar height was the way to go.

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[lbcycles]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

COOL Felts I own few also and I own a few electras 2!

 

[bikeriderx]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Dude! I, I just don't know what to say....So many sic bikes....Gotta go lie down now... :mrgreen:

 

[Simplicity Nut]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Hewey,
I had a Blue Torch like yours a couple of years ago, and still have a "Scythe" that has been re-done into a similar fashion as Felt's Bandit...

So, Felt makes all three of those choppers mentioned by rat royale? I was really impressed with a "Scythe" that I saw on youtube a few months ago, and nver found out which company made it. I saw that Nirve makes a couple of very similar choppers too.

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Hewey,
I had a Blue Torch like yours a couple of years ago, and still have a "Scythe" that has been re-done into a similar fashion as Felt's Bandit...

So, Felt makes all three of those choppers mentioned by rat royale? I was really impressed with a "Scythe" that I saw on youtube a few months ago, and nver found out which company made it. I saw that Nirve makes a couple of very similar choppers too.

No... Unfortunately, Felt discontinued both the Scythe and Torch models a year or two back. They are no longer in the catalog. It's a shame, as they are pretty nice riders, but I guess that makes the ones that are out there a little more special????

I have not used this bike as much as I would like, but have been going in other directions in the last while. Presently, I am trying to get a little more organized in what I have sitting around. As soon as things are a little more normal, I'll get back to riding more frequently.

Life seems to get in the way far too often lately!

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[BVH BIKES]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

felt bikes are the shizzzz!!! out of all the companies around right now felt bikes had a great deal of quality and style i have the mp from about 2005 its aluminum now their hi ten steal i believe but i put a three speed hub on it and the cable through the frame so its a lillte cleaner and i welded an ammo can on the back rack im curently weighing my options on how to turn the can into a ice cooler it just melts to fast without some insulation later for now oh yea sweet bike and the shifter is sick

 

[Simplicity Nut]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

rat royale, thanks for that info about those Felt choppers.

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

rat royale, thanks for that info about those Felt choppers.

You're welcome...
A little piece further on the Torch. According to several articles posted here and there, there were only 12 blue ones made. 6 came to the US, 6 stayed in Europe. The rest were red. The blue ones were made in the end of the '05 model year, and they went to red with the upstart of the '06 run. I guess that makes the blue ones a little more odd... Guessin' maybe I shoulda kept it? :roll:

Naaaa...... Can't keep 'em all! 8)

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[hewey]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Mmmm, sweet bikes 8)

Ive just copped a massive bill from my mechanics, so Ive got nothing to throw at the Felt Ive had the broken spoke in the front wheel fixed, and have chucked thorn-proof tubes in both wheels. The LBS cant source chrome or polished alloy seat clamp or seat post, so I think Im going to have to settle for black :? I'll just have to strip the paint and polish it myself. I've had a play with the bars, I want to get a longer head tube so I can run a stumpy stem with mt bike riser bars, and just cap off the fork uprights. Current thinking is a white metalflake bannana seat, but that'll happen when I get funds :roll:

 

[rat royale]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Mmmm, sweet bikes 8)

Ive just copped a massive bill from my mechanics, so Ive got nothing to throw at the Felt Ive had the broken spoke in the front wheel fixed, and have chucked thorn-proof tubes in both wheels. The LBS cant source chrome or polished alloy seat clamp or seat post, so I think Im going to have to settle for black :? I'll just have to strip the paint and polish it myself. I've had a play with the bars, I want to get a longer head tube so I can run a stumpy stem with mt bike riser bars, and just cap off the fork uprights. Current thinking is a white metalflake bannana seat, but that'll happen when I get funds :roll:

The seat post clamps I used are from FMF - and I think they are for a BMX bike. They were no problem to get through the LBS here. Kind of odd yours can't find 'em...

Look online.

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[tnt1]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

I have a streched cruiser for sale on lakeland,fl. craigs list if interested check it out. t/y Tony

 

[hewey]

Re: Felt Torch Chopper

Well ive got the bike back all in piece, but Im selling it to a mate - the forks just make shifting it in a car too painful.

Ive added some hotster whitewalls from Electra, and a flamed seat, and cleaned up all of the crap that was on the forks. Took her for its maiden voyage today (and the last!), but I got some pics.

Flamed whitewalls 8)

Paint is real nice in the sun

Cool GMC pickup I saw 8) had some great patina happenin

Back home

With my Taboo Tiki