So you’ve got a wee bit more green in the wallet than usual. You decide to finally use that donor bike currently sponsoring Charlotte’s web in the back corner of the garage, but first, you need parts.
As anybody knows in the bike community, aftermarket parts can add up…especially when it’s an accessory featuring a beloved brand name (looking at you in my peripherals, Harley).
Obviously you want to test the stretch of your wallet when it comes to long-term monies saved, so what do you do?
Apparently, you can get a 3D printer.
Additive manufacturing certainly isn’t the most common thing to see in custom builds around the county; CNC machining already holds a very big place in many a mastermind’s chest-ticker, but there are a few that swear by this process for “the little intricate bits.”
Take Youtuber Jish, for example.
Jish is a member of the “can’t do without” crowd; being a tinkerer in all things 3D, Jish uses designs from a studio specializing in biomimicry / additive manufacture (Evol Components) with his machine to create an alternative to “generic motorcycle parts that still cost a fortune.”
By all accounts, the process couldn’t be more seamless – and lordy, is the end result useful/fun.
“[3D printers] are brilliant tools to have, I’ve been using them over the last few years for some of my builds,” chats Jish on his Youtube video.
“You can create some really interesting and wonderful shapes, and [there are] so many resources online for things that you can print.”
Apart from the vid’s content showing the creation of handle levers, the most recent project Jish took on was the replacement of a head mount for his Yamaha XJ650 – a big success, by the way, and a small example of the hundreds of items Jish has toyed with on his bang-for-buck unit, a new Creality Ender-5 S-1.
Next goals are apparently to try working with a particular ruby tip for the use of carbon fiber – and we look forward to seeing the result, Jish!
Would you consider 3D-printing plastic and carbon fiber parts for your bike build? Why or why not?
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