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What can you say, peanut tanks and MCM fork covers on triumphs are some of the nicest things you can have. The peanut dates back to at least 1954, MCM's (actually made by MCM even back then) been around since the early 1950s. Same with ribbed fenders. Covers and ribbed fenders had practical applications. When you smashed that T-Bird nacelle and front fender flapping across the desert you took them off and replaced them with aftermarket covers and a ribbed fender as close to the original as you could get, way cheaper than a stock replacement. Or just run without a front fender. Voila, two staples of the custom bike accessory world are born. Peanuts came about because of drag racing, another thing we Californians INVENTED (this oughtta get you east coasters going!)
But now I grow tired of them. Someone said it the other day, it is getting old, seems like everyone runs covers and peanuts. I am guilty of the same tiredness. the trouble is that these items are timeless, you can use them on a chopper or bobber style bike or even on a recreation of a period bobber and not go wrong. They morph with whatever you are building. The peanut goes great on a pre-unit custom or drag racer, goes great on a raked out monster from the early seventies, twisted Invaders and all that.
So if you don't use them, what do you use? many of the Paughco tanks came along at the height of the "easy rider" era where bikes were stretched and raked, they are "dated" and married to the Chopper Look (that is chopper with a capitol "C"). I like the sportster tank, but I like it on harleys, not on Triumphs. Fat bobs are too FAT for Triumphs, bobbed HD fenders are too big for Trumpets. So what to do? Most guys cannot make their own tanks, and what would it be shaped like anyway?
Not sure what the answer is, but i gotta build a bike early next year for a customer and my challenge is going to be NOT to use the peanut or the MCM covers or the ribbed fender and still make it look like some sort of a period custom.
any ideas floating around out there I can steal??
But now I grow tired of them. Someone said it the other day, it is getting old, seems like everyone runs covers and peanuts. I am guilty of the same tiredness. the trouble is that these items are timeless, you can use them on a chopper or bobber style bike or even on a recreation of a period bobber and not go wrong. They morph with whatever you are building. The peanut goes great on a pre-unit custom or drag racer, goes great on a raked out monster from the early seventies, twisted Invaders and all that.
So if you don't use them, what do you use? many of the Paughco tanks came along at the height of the "easy rider" era where bikes were stretched and raked, they are "dated" and married to the Chopper Look (that is chopper with a capitol "C"). I like the sportster tank, but I like it on harleys, not on Triumphs. Fat bobs are too FAT for Triumphs, bobbed HD fenders are too big for Trumpets. So what to do? Most guys cannot make their own tanks, and what would it be shaped like anyway?
Not sure what the answer is, but i gotta build a bike early next year for a customer and my challenge is going to be NOT to use the peanut or the MCM covers or the ribbed fender and still make it look like some sort of a period custom.
any ideas floating around out there I can steal??
