Billy...

[rick]

OK, taking a cue from Rody (tandem thread), I would be interested in knowing how many of the Shock-a-Billys are out there. Does anyone still have one that they still ride? How do they compare to the newer FS bikes?
As for myself, I would like to have one of the second generation bikes, but have not seen one in my size.

rick

[rody]

Rick,

I've fixed a few of the old ones, but it's been a few years. Unfortunately, the AMP rear ends were too noodly for my big buns to ride, would have like to have tried the later model.

I do know there are a few over on Retrobike that have been procurred through EvilBay.

Is the Billy with the Action Tech BOI that Jeff has one of yours?

cheers,

rody

[rick]

Rody,

Yes, the Action Tec bike is mine. It has been ridden hard, and unfortunately does not really fit me. I plan to give it the full restoration process but still need to accumulate a few more purple bits (anyone have some spare purple hubs?).
I always admired the AMP bikes but also found the bikes too "light" for my riding and size.

rick

p.s. Rody, this may have been covered elsewhere, but have you ever tried to match the Team Violet paint color with red tint? I recall a discussion some time back, cannot remember the details.

[rody]

Rick,

Yep, I've got the team violet down.

As it has been said before, there are about 6 different shades of "team violet" as the color is hand mixed...you've got to set up a little paint lab to get it right . The red pearl is a constant though.

It is almost impossible to match for aftermarket parts (forks, bars, stems) unless you have the original frame to match in front of you; shade variations, uv fade, etc make it a tough job.

It is a lovely color atmo.

cheers,

rody

[settemarche]

Gents,

in the event that you come across an AMP Billy - someone "light" like myself would be interested.

thanks as always,

Sette

[I-ROBOT]

Hey Guys

I did weld at least one Titanium Shock-A-Billy. It was the most complex frame that I ever welded. I had to create several custom purge jigs and fixtures to make it come out right.

Of all the frames that I welded there, that is the one I want the most - even if it does have the stupid amp rear-end.

Believe it or not, the most difficult part to weld was the seat tube brace. I had to build a special jig (for all the shocka's) that forced the seat tube to bend back 2 degrees from parallel. The shrinkage from the welds on the brace pulled the seat tube back to parallel. Of course it had to be modified for the TI frame. A bunch of trial and error went into building the jig but the seat tubes came out parallel after they were welded. I also had to build a special purgeable copper heat sink for the bottom bracket since there was so much welding done to it. That was the coolest tool I ever built.

If anyone know where that frame is, I'd re-mortgage my house to buy it.

Scott "I-Robot" Bengtson

[Fat_Bloke]

I would imagine that there are some folks that might sell say a kidney, arm, leg, something to get their hands on this

[kingroon]

I'm taking my Shock-A-Billy to the sprayers in Bristol, Western UK this weekend to get sorted.. Going for a Chameleon Aquafade combo [saw it once ina magazine], but would ideally like the Team Violet so it matches my Yo..

I know the colour is a hard one to match perfectly, but is there a RAL colour than I can quote for the Team Violet that would as close a match as possible?

[YoKris]

Originally Posted by kingroon

I'm taking my Shock-A-Billy to the sprayers in Bristol, Western UK this weekend to get sorted.. Going for a Chameleon Aquafade combo [saw it once ina magazine], but would ideally like the Team Violet so it matches my Yo..

I know the colour is a hard one to match perfectly, but is there a RAL colour than I can quote for the Team Violet that would as close a match as possible?

Hello Kingroon,

Concerning Team Violet - this was the source of this paint story.

//yo

[Upchuck]

Originally Posted by YoKris

Hello Kingroon,

Concerning Team Violet - this was the source of this paint story.

//yo

What has that site got to do with bicycles?

[YoKris]

Originally Posted by Upchuck

What has that site got to do with bicycles?

Chuck, as I've said. Team Violet is based on the Milka color - sounds surreal, but that's the story Wendyll told me. Therefore you just have to buy a Milka and match it to a ral color scheme.

[fat-tony]

Originally Posted by YoKris

Chuck, as I've said. Team Violet is based on the Milka color - sounds surreal, but that's the story Wendyll told me. Therefore you just have to buy a Milka and match it to a ral color scheme.

FYI: I have been told that the purple color of the Milka wrapper has actually changed shades over the years.

[YoKris]

Originally Posted by fat-tony

FYI: I have been told that the purple color of the Milka wrapper has actually changed shades over the years.

Thanks Tony...that's good to know. Luckily I got a color sample; frame; here!

cheers,
//YO

[kingroon]

Progress report here http://www.fatcogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1769

[perand]

As a rather big rider (100+ kg) who used to race at a (very low...) national level and still rides hard in the typical swedish terrain with lots of roots and rocks I really don't understand people saying that the AMP-style Billy is wobbly in the rear end. Sure, it is not as stiff as a front suspended bike (duh!) but I have tried modern bikes with flexier rear ends. With a White Industries Ti rear hub and a stiff brake booster the rear end is as stiff as I could ever ask for and with 2/3 10W and 1/3 5W fork oil the AMP damper is smooth as silk. Am I too blind to see that things have happened over the last 14 years?

By the way, can anyone explain the S/N system for the Billy? My bike has S/N 004P4ML. The last two letters mean medium/large I think but the rest?

/Per

[fat-tony]

Originally Posted by perand

As a rather big rider (100+ kg) who used to race at a (very low...) national level and still rides hard in the typical swedish terrain with lots of roots and rocks I really don't understand people saying that the AMP-style Billy is wobbly in the rear end. Sure, it is not as stiff as a front suspended bike (duh!) but I have tried modern bikes with flexier rear ends. With a White Industries Ti rear hub and a stiff brake booster the rear end is as stiff as I could ever ask for and with 2/3 10W and 1/3 5W fork oil the AMP damper is smooth as silk. Am I too blind to see that things have happened over the last 14 years?

By the way, can anyone explain the S/N system for the Billy? My bike has S/N 004P4ML. The last two letters mean medium/large I think but the rest?

/Per

Are you sure that the letter is a "P" in your serial number. I am thinking that it would actually be a "B" with the letter not stamped hard enough at the bottom making it look like a "P". ? Actually by looking at the frame registry list Doug put together, there is another Billy listed with a "P" in the serial number

I'll take a go at it:
004(4th) P(Billy?) 4(year 1994) ML (medium/large).

[perand]

Thank you for the answer. I am pretty sure it is a P although the S/N is a bit hard to read because of the thick paint.
How many Billys very made in 94? Total number of AMP-equipped Billys?

/Per

[d3f3nd3r]

Well I can toss my newly minted 2 cents into this my newly aquired 1993 Billy's serial number is 024P3M

Usual heavy paint on mine but definitely looks like a P versus a half B.

To answer the old threads question though. I'm very excited to have it and I am going to definitely riding it. Way to much fun. It seems to me the AMP design has really passed the test of time is still very rideable. Although I would LOVE to check out the later models as well, the 1993 has very special nostalgia to me.

[IF52]

This is sort of a guess, but consider the Shock-A was still in development during its first year. Earl Bob's bike's serial number was PROTO2 if I remember correctly. The 'P' in the early bike serial numbers probably represents Prototype and was later changed to 'B' to represent Billy.