so-cal foose cruiser, llooking for more info on it

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I found this thread/forum after seeing a Foose So-Cal listed on Craigslist a week ago. I picked it up from the original owner (living in Garden Grove) for $100, but he didn't have any info on it other than he bought it new from the store. It is in good condition with a few small Chips in the paint and some minor rust on the chromed parts, and he claimed everything is original on it although I am a bit skeptical about the wheels (Weinmann As7x's).

You can see in the pics the fenders have silk-screened flames, and you may not be able to see the StreamRide grips which also have flames; it also has chopper-style forks which I haven't seen on many otherss. I don't think this is one of the extremely rare "Burner" signature bikes I've read about (it doesn't have the Foose badge on the headtube, among other things), but from looking at the other pictures in this forum and what I can find elsewhere it's somewhat unique.

I do plan on making some modifications, but nothing that can't be undone (with the possible exception of drilling & tapping a couple of holes in the rear frame brackets for mounting a rack).

index.php


index.php
 
Last edited:
39A1D36A-9C20-42DC-BF5B-BF1B56734402.jpeg
Has anymore been done on this as I got one last night, not in bad condition has Front mud Guard missing
 
nirve made 2 different bikes for George Barris,there in the nirve catalogs but i dont know what years,did a search and nirve pius others made a ton of differen bikes for barris,prolly 6 or so nirve crusiers
 
Last edited by a moderator:
He had a pretty rad show on Discovery a few years ago. I liked that he would work on all types, not just the typical muscle car builds. And his marker renderings of the concepts...mind blowing!
foose-design-jaguar-e-type-sema-03.jpg
images.jpeg

He's more than a hot rodder, he's a designer!
 
Here is mine I purchased from a bike shop new off the floor. I am and have been the only owner. They only had this one model and said it was a very rare design. I paid 550 for it in 2003 I believe. This is 100 percent original.... nothing has been changed or replaced. Only ridden once and has remained inside my home all these years. I would definitely love to know more facts on this bike... value, how many of this exact bike were actually made, etc. I did speak with a representative from Nirve but they said their company has made changes over the years and they have no information on this bike because it was produced too many years ago. He recommended finding a specialist that actually values bikes. Its is a Nirve. It does say Foose on it and has So Cal Speed Shop on it also. If anyone knows solid information or where I can find information, please let me know. I've researched the last 9 years and keep running into zero answers. I haven't found where the serial number is listed... if anyone knows where to find that, that would be great too. This bike is my pride and joy for sure. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20200402-110637_Facebook.jpg
    Screenshot_20200402-110637_Facebook.jpg
    159.7 KB · Views: 121
This information was posted on the previous page:

"The bike is definately built by Nirve. It was designed by Foose for So-Cal. The only one I have not been in touch with directly, is chip Foose. According to Nirve, the frame was designed by Foose as well (forgot the year), but they (Nirve) were also using the frame design for some of their other bikes as well, like the early Kilroy's. Anyway, my guess is that this was pre Bethlenfalvy, because around the time he came to Nirve, the frame style changed. Foose also used this frame for his "Burner" bike, which has a Foose headbadge and by some accounts was limited to 500. As far as what i got from So-Cal, and I spoke with the owner; He said that they were thinking of carrying a branded line of cruisers, but for some reason opted not to. He said they only made like 30 of them! And while one of the employees has one, the shop does not. My almost decade long search for my own ended a year ago, after a few failed attempts to buy from several people here on the East coast and the West coast. Your So-cal is only the second out of the 5 or 6 I know to exist, with black rims (the others are white). I thought maybe the other had been customized, as it also had black ape hangers to match. So congratulations! You have a very rare bike!"

The post above yours actually shows a picture of the serial number on a Nirve Foose, and the post before that explains where the serial is located.
 
This information was posted on the previous page:

"The bike is definately built by Nirve. It was designed by Foose for So-Cal. The only one I have not been in touch with directly, is chip Foose. According to Nirve, the frame was designed by Foose as well (forgot the year), but they (Nirve) were also using the frame design for some of their other bikes as well, like the early Kilroy's. Anyway, my guess is that this was pre Bethlenfalvy, because around the time he came to Nirve, the frame style changed. Foose also used this frame for his "Burner" bike, which has a Foose headbadge and by some accounts was limited to 500. As far as what i got from So-Cal, and I spoke with the owner; He said that they were thinking of carrying a branded line of cruisers, but for some reason opted not to. He said they only made like 30 of them! And while one of the employees has one, the shop does not. My almost decade long search for my own ended a year ago, after a few failed attempts to buy from several people here on the East coast and the West coast. Your So-cal is only the second out of the 5 or 6 I know to exist, with black rims (the others are white). I thought maybe the other had been customized, as it also had black ape hangers to match. So congratulations! You have a very rare bike!"

The post above yours actually shows a picture of the serial number on a Nirve Foose, and the post before that explains where the serial is located.
 
I believe my bike having the 26 A on the bottom bracket. My bike is the 26th bike,
“A” first run. My bike was purchased from the So-Cal Speed Shop, Sacramento, California.
My bike also has the 26 A.. my Bike was purchased from the Scwhinn dealer in Wichita Kansas
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20200420-130012_Gallery.jpg
    Screenshot_20200420-130012_Gallery.jpg
    85.7 KB · Views: 99
He had a pretty rad show on Discovery a few years ago. I liked that he would work on all types, not just the typical muscle car builds. And his marker renderings of the concepts...mind blowing!View attachment 112891 View attachment 112892
He's more than a hot rodder, he's a designer!

He is a designer—he went to Art Center for transportation design. I'm not sure if they teach it so much anymore, but that's pretty standard old school car design rendering where it's a style and set of techniques that's as much meant to be a language to communicate an idea in a quick, efficient way as art.
 
I'm a graphic designer. We were literally the last class at my school to be taught the "old school design techniques". After us, everything moved to computers. I can make graph paper by hand, accurate to within 1/64 of an inch. I have lots of respect for the old ways.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top