The Rocketeer Takes 4th in the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building
The newly designed and hand-fabricated gas tank embodies the central theme of the 2011 Rocketeer.
The introduction of the bike kicked off at the 2010 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. The Rocketeer takes several design cues from the 1930’s and 40’s and integrates them into a tight Bobber, which delivers a fresh interpretation on the classic bobber.
About the First Rocketeer
Originally, the Rocketeer was about a superhero created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. The character first appeared in comic books in 1982 and is an homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.
The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot, who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. His adventures are set in 1938 Los Angeles, and Stevens gave them a retro, nostalgic feel influenced by the King of the Rocket Men movie serial and the syndicated Commando Cody TV series (both from Republic Pictures), and pinup diva Bettie Page.
In 1991, The Rocketeer was released as a feature film by Walt Disney Pictures and was directed by Joe Johnston. Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens has a small cameo in the movie. He is the German test pilot who is killed when the Nazis’ version of a rocket backpack explodes during its take-off sequence. This is a part of the smuggled black-and-white film footage showing the Nazis’ top secret rocket backpack tests.
Back to the bike… Classic looks combined with cutting-edge American components provides a motorcycle platform that delivers outstanding performance, reliability and the elusive WOW factor.
The Rocketeer is an homage to Pulp fiction, which was published as inexpensive magazines from 1896 through the 1950s. The motorcycle captures the romance and danger of that era.
The illustrated Rocketeer book is a superhero created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. The character first appeared in 1982. The Rocketeer began as a comic then a movie and now is a custom production Bobber.
The Rocketeer Details
- Engine: Crazy Horse 100″
- Exhaust: Ceramic Coated D&D Exhaust
- Frame: Rake 40 degrees Stretch 1″
- Front End: 41mm Meanstreet
- Transmission: Baker
- Front Brakes: Wilwood 4 piston caliper & rotors
- Rear Brakes: Wilwood 4 piston caliper & rotors
- Paint: Underground Studios
- Bars: Inverted Drag bars
- Grips: Leroy Thompson
- Guage: Wire Plus gauge machined into trees
About Brass Balls Bobbers & Choppers
With a strong team at the helm and a slate of innovative, high-performance designs that blend vintage with contemporary, Darwin Motorcycles is primed and quickly becoming one of the leading motorcycle shops in the country attracting new riders and setting trends through their Above Average Bobber program.
