It is very unfortunate that many people have been fooled on this one. It is mechanically imposible to ride this bike. You would have to throw your center of gravity into a turn causing the rider to go over the bike at the point of articulation. How can anybody who claims to know anything about bike building be on board with this.

From what I understand, Kris Krome is no longer building bikes. His father really had the talent to build but they are no longer working together. Good riddance to Kris Krome, fake name and lousy engineering

From what I understand, Kris Krome is no longer building bikes. His father really had the talent to build but they are no longer working together. Good riddance to Kris Krome, fake name and lousy engineering.

The bike is a beautiful piece of work. The engineering that went into designing that articulating steering was genius. You and your crew should be proud of the accomplishment. I really like the powder coated engine done by PSYCHO CUSTOMS. had to put that one in there for Jared.

Big T.

I told friends at Sturgis to be sure and visit the show and see the bike. From the postings above some liked it and some didn’t
for personal reasons. To each his/her own.

But all of you seem to have one commonality, that being it is a beautiful work of engineering worthy of being art.

Enjoy it for what it is in what ever capacity you have to do so.

keep up the work man. and dont listen to the nay-sayers. They all that said a carbon fiber monocoque frame could not be done and handle a vtwin engine (of any size and displacement). well i did it, it works (and my s&s version rides great – i rode it yday). keep up the amazing work. All experimentation leads to advances in design and production. A mere 4 yrs ago everyone balked at carbon fiber on a vtwin – now look what everyone is doing with it.

Way to go Kris!

Scharf
Renegade Magazine

To the Wright Brothers…… I mean KRIS KROME KUSTOMS…. nice work, keep ‘em comin’ !

As an acomplished builder such as yourself, you dont have to explain anything to anyone. The bike speaks for itself. Anytime people don’t understand something, or something creative and outside the box comes along, the only way people can deal with it is to critisize. There is nothing here to critisize.

If anything is to be critisized, it would be a person running down to the local H-D Dealer and standing in front of the wall full of bolt on stuff, picking out a new chrome bolt cover, and running home to “Customize” a bike. Then strutting around at the local bike night pretending to be a bike builder, and then coming back home and getting on the Cyril Huze blog and talking trash about something that they would never have the ability to create such as you have done. This is the mentality that is out there that has to be delt with when you have the kind of talent you have.

Just remember, when people talk shit, that means you are doing something right.

Keep looking forward, don’t explain why, or how you do what you do to anyone. You do what you do because its what you love and have the ability to do.

There are no rules in bike building.

Steve Carr

Certainly out of the box design.
Were it more “old-man-ergonomic” i would love to give it a try.

However, as it is, for my ilk (too) it’s simply a “display item.”
But a very cool one at that…..

And the industry needs more out-a the box thinking.

-nicker-

Kris, as you well know, your video demonstrates that Re-Flex-tion complies with the AMD requirements for running and forward motion so thanks much for helping the Americans finally have our year. I know you must also recognize that it does leave room for some of the criticism it is receiving. I can only believe that many people are not aware that the entire focus of the AMD freestyle competition is on INNOVATION and ENGINEERING

The question of is it a step towards new technology or a concept best left alone is one that I know I can’t answer. I would like to think that there would be more appreciation for your pioneer spirit and patience for seeing what can be developed in the future.

Now, Sweetlemonaid. The term 550 “International” is the short hand way we came up with to describe what is otherwise a bit of a mouthful.

The driveline in Rambler is a one of a kind collection of various metric comments and Dave Cook one-off fabricated components. The engine, from cylinders on up is pretty much a stock Honda CB 550 tranverse 4 cylinder, albeit cosmetically massaged to a bit of a different look. The case, though based upon the cases from the same donor Honda are radically reworked by Dave to allow the engine to be used longitudinally instead of transversely. In addition to reworking the cases themselves, an auxillary oil tank and oil regulator was fabricated by Dave. The timing assembly is one off by Dave as is the bell housing and clutch assembly. The clutch runs Aeromachie clutch plates. The transmission housing is an old 3 speed BMW gear case which Dave managed to fit with a BMW R75 four speed gear set. The shaft drive is adapted from a Yamaha Virago. Intake manifold and exhaust are one off.

So, 550 “International” is the shortest way I could come up with to express all that……. If you have any specifi question you can reach me through our web site. The point of the whole thing is to create a motorcycle that evokes a vintage feel, with Dave Cooks aesthetic sensibility in terms of form and line, and uses mechanical components that we can pick up on e-bay if not a local dealer so that it can be ridden, broken, and repaired at a minimum of cost and inconvenience.

So, David. I am assuming your question about running comes from comments of mine you have read pointing out that we are changing the Ramblers carb to one with lower air flow in response to over heating.

Let me answer this way, long before I was as deeply involved with custom motorcycles as I am now, I was intensely into off-shore powerboats and racing them when I could afford it. Running at WOT pretty much constantly tends to cause more than an occasional cracked piston and engine rebuilds are just part of the program. Each rebuild was begun with the intent of that build being the best balanced one we had done yet, Each time race day was just around the corner we moved faster and tolerances became just a little less important. Bottom line, when race day came, we were on the water. It never occurred to me not to be. Just as it would never occur to Dave or I not to make a competition deadline it we could possibly meet it Dave put together a one of a kind engine to put into a one of a kind bike, and yes, at the end of the process timing got crazy tight to the deadline for leaving for Sturgis. The engine had first fluids poured into it on the day we had to leave,…..and then we had it running within minutes of the first attempt. (No bench testing, timing on building the rest of the bike would have been too adversely affected) I call that an amazing success. In fact, it doesn’t get any better than that in my world. We were thrilled to be able to load it up and race to the competition. I would have loved to have Dave take a few victory laps around the tent. Turns out we would have blued the pipes. Big deal.

Bottom line. Everything we do is a little different, a little crazy. Wouldn’t be worth doing otherwise.
Coming up with something that seems like it shouldn’t work, then making it work, then making it work well, is the only way we get to move on to the next crazy thing. Somebody’s got to do it.

JP

Cook Customs

Also thank you for your intrest in the bike
and how it works,

I wonder if the motorcycle you ride has a chain
or a belt?

If you may rember not to long ago
people such as yourself ” said that belts will
never work” & you can never replace a chain.

If you take just a min to do some research
you would find that many things we take as
normal today were once thought of as
impossible .

Once agin thank you, everyone who has and
willl continue to support the advansment
of the motorcycleing world.

I have many new builds to work on and have
no more time to reply.
But please everyone feel free to call me
and I will me more than happy to talk
about my passion of motorcycles

thank you
kris krome. Be safe

The video for the bike ‘riding’ is a joke! A bike has to be ridden WITHOUT the feet touching the ground EXCEPT AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS! Not even the most ludicrously unusable barhopper that I’ve ever seen is as unridable as this bike. Have you guys forgotten what MOTORCYCLING is? Did you ever know?

Has custom building gone so far up it’s own backside that even the judges (at what is supposed to be the most prestige global competition) have been so seduced by the shiny stainless and slick engineering that they’ve forgotten that they’re judging a MOTORCYCLE? Beautiful art Kris, and beautiful engineering, but don’t waste any money trying to get a patent on your configuration.

And AMD, please explain how this bike took out a prize in the METRIC class? Or was that the only space left to ‘squeeze it into a category’? I hope this excursion into fairytale bikeland will result in enough controversy to have some parameters defined that future entrants will have to also meet, such as RIDEABILITY. They may not have to conform to DOT standards (as all the countries represented here are different), or not ever be able to get licensed, but a mapped course including cones and track to demonstrate RIDEABILTY please.

Kris, I’m all for thinking OUTSIDE THE BOX, but some thoughts should remain just that…how about putting your obvious talent towards inventing product that enhances and improves the riding experience, and hopefully the evolution of motorcycling, in a direction that is not a dead-end? Do we need yet more examples of what DOESN’T work?

Get yourself a runner sled( a snow sled that is, like rosebud from the film Citizen Kane) and flex the runners by pushing the steering handle left or right.

Maybe a little simply analogy for what Kris did, but I see it quite clearly. Heck, I even thought of a few mods to make the front end of Kris’s bike have some unique flexibility with an increase of longitudinal rigidity built in.

if I am way off the mark here Kris and Cyril I apologize, however I feel pretty sure that this is what is happening.

Laurence

Even the AMD winners that appear more traditional and look as if they steer in a standard fashion or have nice big comfy seats aren’t making trips cross country. Is the Hot Dock bike from last year’s win really putting on tons of miles?

All the winners this year are pushing design forward, and fine if you don’t like the style, but these bikes act as showcases for the industry of motorcycle design, much like the concept cars shown at auto shows.

I would love to see a traditional, immaculate, stock shovelhead win the AMD, but it’s not going to happen. Those bikes may be great, reliable scoots, but they serve a different purpose. These guys each had a vision that they then had the determination to see through to completion. What they eat doesn’t make you sh&t, right?

Congrats Kris and Dave and the rest of the winners and participants. I love the innovation and spirit here.

Video