Soldier Makes Chopper-style Bicycle

Defense News ^ | Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt

[SandRat]

U.S. Army Spc. Keith Jennings, welder with Company B, 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, sports a chopper-style bicycle he made with scraps he found around Camp Taji, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt

U.S. Army Spc. Keith Jennings

Soldier Makes Chopper-style Bicycle

By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 4th Infantry Division CAMP TAJI, Iraq, June 29, 2006 -- As soldiers on Camp Taji move about in their Humvees or bicycles from one place to another, one soldier from Fort Hood, Texas, truly stands out. Spc. Keith Jennings, a welder with Company B, 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, gets a lot of double takes from soldiers on the camp north of Baghdad as he rides around on his custom-made bicycle.        “I like to be creative and it (the bike) was something different,” Jennings said. “I like seeing people’s heads turn while we are in this stressful situation.”        Jennings, originally from Tazewell County, Va., built a custom chopper-style bicycle from materials he found around the camp. The tires and brakes were taken off a previous bike he owned and the frame is made of half-inch thick chain. He arc welded each link of the chain eight times, threw on a coat of bronze paint, and covered the seat with a red, velvet rag he found in a rag box.        The brakes, which were just recently added, are on the pedals with the right foot engaging the rear brake and the left foot engaging the front. The pedals are custom-made just for him, so there is enough clearance between his foot and the rocky roads of Iraq.        “At first I was kind of baffled at what he was doing because I didn’t know what he was going to do with it (the materials to make the bike),” said Sgt. Brian Kilough, the senior welder with the Service and Recovery Section,

Company B, 4th Support Battalion, and Jennings first-line supervisor. “When he started making it, I was shocked and I wasn’t really sure what it was going to look like when he was done. Now it looks real good and it gave me a lot of ideas for another bike, but I doubt I’ll ever have the time to build one of my own.”        The bike took about a week to build. Jennings used his lunchtime and after-duty hours to complete the project. This is the third chopper-style bike he has made, but this is the first one he has made of metal.        “This is definitely the heaviest bike I’ve ever made,” Jennings said, who is currently serving his second tour in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “This bike has made it easier to get around camp, and I have a quicker response time if I need to be somewhere fast. It’s great for (physical training).       “Someone stops me at least once a day and asks me about it, and a lot of people take a picture of it,” Jennings added. “When it comes time to leave here, I’m going to chop it in half and send it home. Then I’m going to put it back together, fix it up real nice, and I plan to dip it in chrome. Also, I’m probably going to have to make some of these for my three children because they love this kind of stuff.”

[SandRat]

Now that's a dedicated Hog Rider!!!

[bnelson44]

1st BCT needs more work to do.

[July 4th]

I like the bike, but what I really want is the gun on the roof of the building.

[Huntress]

From the article:

The bike took about a week to build. Jennings used his lunchtime and after-duty hours to complete the project.

[Seaplaner]

Clearly, this young Sergent has more creative talent than Andres Serrano.

Sgt. Hunt, you da artist, dude!

.

[JRios1968]

No intruding on my business...

[phoenix0468]

You noticed that too eh?!? It looks like a 20mm machine gun doesn't it?

[ElkGroveDan]

Wrong show

[JRios1968]

Jesse James makes choppers too...that's how he first started with Discovery Channel.

[aft_lizard]

Did you see the one where Jesse went to Iraq and they tried to build dragster hummer but some air force soldier forgot to lube a gear in the tranny so they blew the build?

[EricT.]

The poor AF dude didn't fill the torque converter with fluid before assembling the tranny. You could tell the guy wanted to dig a hole and jump in it when the tranny broke.

[Maximus_Ridiculousness]

You've GOT to see this...

[SFC Chromey]

You noticed the 12.7mm gun sitting idle on the roof? Me too. Heck I used to go to Taji all the time and I can't tell where this is.

[isthisnickcool]

I saw that. I felt sorry for the soldier but it was not all his fault. I was amazed that Jesse James almost heliarc welded that thing back together and got it working.

[SFC Chromey]

This guy is a hack. Too bad because Rock Tavern is where my dad's farm is.

At least they are finally able to build their own frames.

No one I know that does custom bikes actually buys the frames the way these guys did.

[Bobibutu]

Here is something else ...

http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

Just FYI and more fun

[ASOC]

Interesting

Seems there is a community of this stuff
http://www.lowriderbike.com/

Whoda thunk?

[Erasmus]

I like the bike, but what I really want is the gun on the roof of the building.

Well, his next project is to mount it on the bike.

[tdscpa]

If he was a Republican, he would be court-martialed for unauthorized use of government welding equipment and supplies.