Archive for month: December, 2011

When it comes to building Cafe Racers the true spirit lies in putting together, chopping up and mixing what you have at your disposal to create a bike you can call your own. Cafe culture for this reason tends to lend itself to the more creative and expressive of individuals and Tim Harney, a custom furniture manufacturer out of NYC, is just one such man.  Having been a graduate from the Pratt Institute flowing lines and function come natural to Tim. Toss in some welding skills and the ability to turn a wrench and you’ve got the makings for quite the interesting final products…

Featured above is Tim’s build for Season 2 of Cafe Racer TV. A conglomeration of parts featuring marquee brands like Ducati and Suzuki powered by a 2-stroke wheeler motor. Tim also hand beat and pounded the sheet aluminum body work to create a raw and industrial look. While other’s may comment that it doesn’t have a kick-stand we feel Tim would say something like “Why have a kick-stand, there’s plenty of good walls around and besides, that’s just extra weight and it’s not like I ever stop anyways!”

Above you can see Tim taking his 2-stroker smoker to the track at Talladega to put it through the ringer. While his test didn’t turn out exactly like he wanted, he had the opportunity to test a machine he built with his own hands that truly pushed the envelope of engineering and design. He came away with a smile and said “Cafe racing is more an activity then aesthetic. It’s putting mind over matter to create an innovation out of something you saw needed improvement.” And we couldn’t agree more…

So, if you’re in the NYC and are in need a custom metal chair or a custom speed machine, Tim Harney is your man! Checkout more on him here at his website: Brooklyndesignhouse.com