Tinworks Yamaha SR250

he name Anthony Keeling is not unfamiliar to anyone who has been into custom motorcycles for the past two decades. As a custom frame builder, he began building frames in 1999. For a good spell, he was the head of R&D at Daytec up t until 2005. Under his own company, Chassis Design, he worked for some of the great names, including Arlen Ness, Indian Larry, and Bill Dodge, just to name a few. While we were at Wheels of Steel in December, we ran into Anthony sitting at a booth with the name Tinworks on it and a killer little Yamaha bobber right beside it. It turns out that as the years went on and Anthony’s business grew, he had international appeal and ended up having quite a large company on his hands, employing as many as 15 workers to get the jobs out. He mentioned that he actually sells more products in Japan now than he does in the US, which makes sense when you pick up a copy of Vibes and see how that scene has exploded. Being a hands-on business owner, he would spend a lot of time visiting the companies he did business with, wherever they may be. During his account visits, he would check out the local scenery. On one of those trips, he found himself in Sydney, where he fell in love with the culture and wound up a full-time resident. Around 2017 he ended up selling the Chassis Design Company in favor of a smaller business model that would give him a little more room to breathe. While the scene in Australia was great, the politics of manufacturing frames is much tougher there as they hold the TUV standards that Europe does. Back to the US, he went where he set up his new endeavor, Tinworks in Tampa’s surrounding area. Exactly one year ago, in February,

he set up shop and went to work. It turns out that he still does much of the work that he was doing as Chassis Design, just at a more manageable pace.

When it comes to the bike you see pictured here, you might wonder how a cat that made his way doing some of the most notable custom big twin frames would end up building a little Yamaha bobber, as did I. Well, it turns out the answer was twofold; one part being the location in Sydney. The bike is named for the Suburb he lived in, The Brookvale Bobber, and it’s a lot tighter there, small streets with tight turns. Anthony wanted to build a quick and nimble little bike that

could book through town and get in and out fast. Also, in Australia, they have a cc limit in the licensing process. When you get a permit, you can’t have anything larger than a 400cc, and it goes up from there in stages. So, as you can guess, there are a ton of these little bikes there. The other part is simply that he had never built anything like it before, so it became a challenge. When you start a build like this, you quickly realize how many parts are not available from retail outlets. That fact made this build take twice as long as a normal build and had Anthony handmaking many parts that he would typically just grab here and there.

It started with a motor and a stock frame; in its previous life, it was an SR 250, sort of an ugly little commuter bike. Of course, he hardtail it immediately, but that would end up being one of the easiest parts of the build. The motor was punched out from a 250 to a full 400ccs. Beyond that became the obsession with nice details that only come from handcrafting. He made foot controls, the stainless steel pipes, the electric box, and the modified sporty tank. Even the fuel cell that hangs on the side is one of his creations. It’s a ½-gallon emergency fuel bottle that he sells at Tinworks. Topping it all off is the incredible paintwork by Stephan at Adler Moto Design.

Owner: Anthony Keeling City/State: Tamp, Fl Builder: Tinworks Inc. Year: 1981 Model:SR250 Value: $8000 Time: 40 Hours

Engine: Year: 1981 Model: Yamaha SR250 Model: Yamaha Ignition: Yamaha Displacement: 400cc Pistons: Wiseco Heads: Yamaha Carb: Mikuni Cam: Yamaha Air cleaner: K&N Exhaust: Tinworks Inc. Primary: Unknown

transmission: Yamaha Year: 1981 Make: Unkown Shifting: 5 Speed

Frame: Year: 1981Yamaha Model: Tinworks Hardtail Rake: 34°

Forks: Builder: Stock Type: Stock Triple Trees: Stock Extensions:Top Line Tubes

Wheels Front Wheel: Stock SIze: 18” front tire: Metzeler Front Brake: Stock Drum Rear Wheel: 16” Rear tire: Metzeler Rear Brake: Stock Drum

Paint painter:Adler Moto Design Color: Gray & Black graphics: Wayne Wreck Chrome: Unknown

Accessories Bars: Tinworks Inc. Risers: Tinworks Inc. Hand Controls: Speed Dealer Foot Controls: Speed Dealer Gas Tank: Sporty Peanut Tank Oiltank: Tinworks Inc. front Fender: None Rear Fender: RWD Seat: HardLuck Designs headLight: Drag Specialties TailLight: Warbird Speedo: None

As everyone knows, the past year has been a wash, and for Anthony, that has been bittersweet. At the same time that he was launching his new company and had finished this great build, the world shut down, and it hadn’t really been anywhere. He had it at Daytona last year just before the shit hit the fan. Other than that and some rides around Tampa it has been waiting for a proper introduction to the world once it opens back up. Hopefully, that is this year, and you will get to see him and the Brookvale Bobber out at a show, it’s a fantastic bike.

the mercury sat at 19 degrees; a long ways from optimum. Kayla was giving me that look that says, you are insane. A look I am not overly surprised by anymore.

Smoothly blended into that look of bewilderment, however, was a calm and collected, ‘you’ve been through worse’, aura that set me at ease. It was just the confidence injection I needed.

It was a last minute, ill planned and haphazard plan that was suddenly coming together on this frigid Saturday morning. Just the night before, while I nestled deep into the embrace of my couch soaking in the warmth of a blood orange fire roaring in its rightful place,

I proposed the idea of getting my chopper to

Wichita, Kansas for a long overdue engine rebuild that very next morning.

My parts from S&S Cycle were on their way. Dustin at Werners

House of Horsepower was ready to do the work, which meant that the only step left was to actually deliver the motorcycle to the shop. I quickly searched for one way plane tickets from

Wichita back to Denver so that I could return that Sunday and not miss a day of work. They were surprisingly inexpensive, so I booked a flight with no further thought about locking myself into this harebrained idea. I hadn’t even bothered to check the weather forecast. As soon as the ticket was purchased I went to work laying out my gear so that in the morning I could make quick work of getting out the door

and embarking on the 550 mile ride through weather that was unknown and unpredictable. But if one thing were for sure, it would be cold and it would be windy. It’s Kansas.

With the wheels now in motion, I stared deep into the horizon as I sailed along Interstate 70. I was East of Limon and a few hours into the day with the temperatures still in the 20’s. A wall of grey lie ahead. It wasn’t just grey clouds in the distance, but a low slung veil of grey that seemingly kissed the road. I knew I would soon penetrate this veil to find true winter. As the cloud and mist embraced me everything went dark, yet simultaneously glistened with a thick layer of luminescent ice. It was like diamond dust was sprinkled on the world. The clashing of environmental moods created an experience that felt almost otherworldly. The darkness from above fought to sour your optimism while the incandescent blanket draped on the landscape below fought to lift your spirits high. This left me in the middle, stuck between two opposing worlds, hoping neither would collide. The diamond dust did pose a certain risk however, one that had me occasionally stopping to put boot to pavement in an attempt to assess the risk of careening out of control. At that time it all seemed to be well and good, so

pressing on seemed to be the only viable option. In situations like this, sneaking a peek at your front tire to see if it is wet is not always a sure fire tell if the road is wet. It could very well be frozen, hence the dry tire.

I continued through this bipolar weather pattern for another 150 miles, give or take, until finally the blanket of white subsided and the expected brown and beige colors of a dormant prairie returned. My nerves calmed a bit as I watched the shiny glaze on the interstate fade away and return to a welcoming flat tone. Aside from the persistent dark layer of clouds and temperatures still resistant to break into the 30’s, the ride itself was becoming increasingly pleasant. I had acclimated, as well as one can, to the frigid temperatures. This was a strict ride, gas, coffee, repeat rhythm, and found myself systematically clicking off the miles. My concerns about being forced off the road due to weather had faded and I was comfortably in my element. Inclement conditions are where I thrive. This was all before I began my approach into the Interstate town of Russell, Kansas h, approximately 400 miles into my day.

I spotted a single droplet of water slowly working its way across my visor. Picture a close up of a single movie tear during an overly dramatic sad scene of a low budget Hallmark movie. It was like that, and conjured similar emotions. Where hath this droplet come from, I said to myself in a Shakespearean accent, and shalt there be more? Yes, there shalt be more. There shalt be many more. Not so much droplets though, but a fog attempting to churn itself into a snow cone. This was just fantastic, I thought to myself, just great! I get this far, 150 miles from my destination and now I have to deal with this! To say it was cold and damp would do these conditions a colossal disservice. I found myself in the worst case scenario. Temperatures were consistently hovering around a not so balmy 30 degrees, the outside of my visor consistently glazed over with a layer of ice, the inside of my visor fogged constantly and everything

else grew increasingly damp. I had no choice but to just drop the hammer and punch through the other side! That’s exactly what I did. I got into a steady rhythm of scraping ice from the outside of my visor, defogging the inside by cracking it open momentarily, warming my face for a moment with the visor closed, then repeating. Scrape, lift, close. Meanwhile, the needle hovered between 85-90 mph. I was in a- don’t think- just go mode. And go I did. I kept going, avoided thinking too much, until I clawed my way out of the frozen soup and found myself whisked into a dry 40 degree ecosystem. After what I had just been through, it was like being in Florida on a warm sunny day. 40 degrees had never felt so good. With the worst of Mother Nature behind me I leaned myself to the right, glided onto the interchange at Salina and started the 90 mile stretch South, along I-35, to the Air Capital of the World, Wichita, Kansas. Now racing the sunset and battling a stiff headwind, I blazed my way to my final destination, Werners House of Horsepower, arriving thoroughly knackered. Dustin had been waiting for me at his shop. He had been kind enough to stick around and wait for my arrival. Between his excellent motor skills and the always reliable S&S parts that will be used throughout, I have no doubt that this brisk winter crossing of the Great Plains will prove to worth every frozen mile. Besides, what a great excuse to go out and push the boundaries of choppering once again! Now, there is a part where I failed epically. I neglected to take a single photograph other than one mediocre shot of the back of Dustins shop...guess you’ll just have to look at pictures of past frozen snot rides. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @ travelingchopper to keep current.