Bob Braverman

Bob Braverman (AMA Hall of Fame 2000) was a very creative free-lance writer who found his “home” with several Motorcycle magazines. He first approached me wanting to fit a Honda 160 into a VanTech frame for a magazine article. He talked someone at Honda into donating a bike, a fiberglass company provided a tank, a painter offered their services, and VanTech supplied the Frame Kit and related pieces. Bob met me at VanTech’s Shop in Visalia, California on a Saturday morning. We burned a bunch of midnight oil and then loaded the “finished” lengthened VanTech-Honda 160 into his van for the drive back to L.A. Sunday evening.

That’s when Bob’s creativity really kicked in. Bob, his wife, and the VanTech-Honda went to work in their back yard. As Bob removed the tank and from the bike, he posed to make it look like he was installing them both and took photos that would become that stage of assembly in his “Do it yourself” article. Same shots with wheels, forks, and so on, and finally the engine. For the last photo, using a new bare VanTech frame, Bob posed with a hacksaw to reenact our cut to extend the frame for the longer Honda. With that shot, starting the first step we took Saturday morning, Bob had the photos he needed to complete the “Do it yourself” article he was preparing to sell to Cycle Guide Magazine. I think he also sold smaller articles on “How to paint your Tank”, “How to re-upholster your seat”, etc. Was that the whole story of the project . . . nope. Then he sold the complete VanTech-Honda. Clever for sure, and successful. If the rumor is correct, Bob did well enough to ultimately, become editor or even buy the magazine.

Except without the “Do it yourself” embellishment, I also built a VanTech-Honda 450, and a VanTech-BSA 441 Victor, using Bob’s donor bike parts (both motorcycles ultimately became Magazine covers and feature articles which you can find in our shop/free literature section). Thanks for all the fun projects, Bob. Rest in Peace.