When it comes to the Greasy Dozen Builder Collective, you never know what you'll see. The range of makes, models, and even styles is so broad, when selecting builders each year we look for things you don't always see and Ron George's submission was exactly that! Ron submitted a 1974 Yamaha TX750A into our cafe racer category with the start of a beautiful hand shaped aluminum fairing, as soon as we saw his submission we were sold. Many of you may have never heard of the TX750, and that's not uncommon. The TX is a model you rarely see being customized, these bikes were notorious for having a oiling problem from the factory which would result in engine failure. But, with that being said, Ron caught our eye with the model, and his beautiful hand shaped body work. We wanted to see if he could turn this problem child into something spectacular! We have to tip our hats to Ron, he absolutely crushed it with this build and fixed the notorious oiling problem while he was at it. Without further ado, let's dive into this interview and learn more about his build.
What’s your name and where are you from?
Ron George. Hobart, Indiana

Give us the backstory on how you got into motorcycles and how long you’ve been building for.
My Father was into bikes when I was growing up, but I never had too much interest either than riding mini bikes. Something clicked in me towards the end of 2012, I completed my first build (1981 Kawasaki KZ440) early in 2013. I've done 4 full builds total and a bunch of other stuff along the way.

Take us back to the day you found out you were selected as a builder for this year's GD, what was going through your mind?
Man, I was stoked! I've seen some amazing builds come out in the past and I was so excited to be an alumni!

Tell us about the starting platform for your build (year, make, model)
It's a 1974 Yamaha TX750A

What was the inspiration for the build?
I was really inspired by the 70's road race bikes piloted by Kenny Roberts,  mainly the YZR500. 

Have you named the bike? If so, how did you arrive at that name?
"Space Oddity" my wife Kristen named it, she said it looked out of this world lol.

Were there any favorable moments during the build process?
Definitely,  every time I formed a piece of aluminum and it actually turned out like I had imagined!

We know building a motorcycle can be challenging and everyone runs into a set back at some point. Did you have any notable setbacks that you were able to overcome?
There were way too many to write down here, but besides Covid-19 de-railing my progress there is one that sticks. I had to scrap and re-do the entire left side fairing after already having around 10-12 hours of shaping into it. That hurt...

Throughout the build process we tend to learn new things whether it's a skill, knowledge or even something about ourselves. What are some things you’ve learned throughout building this bike? 
I learned that I need to keep trying to learn new skills, even if I'm afraid to fail at them.

Paint tends to be one of the first things that draws people in and then they start looking at all the other details in the build, who did your paint and what made you go with the color scheme?
Well, as mine is mostly polished aluminum,  there isnt a ton there. The livery was once again inspired by the Kenny Roberts race bikes of the 70's. I did the paint myself. 


Now that the build is wrapped up, what’s your plan? (Catching up on sleep?, ripping it around the countryside?)
Now that I'm done, I'm relaxing for a long while! This one took alot out of me. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with the family.

Any plans for a new build?
No plans at the moment. 

They say “It takes a village” who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank Bear, Zane and everyone else at OBB. I definitely wouldn't have got this thing done anytime soon it weren't for them! Every one of the sponsors involved with the Greasy Dozen for helping out, Mike Muller at Federal Moto, Dane Utech(@plzbeseated) for the seat ,all the other builders for keeping me motivated along the way. Last but not least my wife Kristen for putting up with all the long days of work and going through the up and down emotions I went through with this process. She really helped as much as possible.

Lastly, where can people find you (Social media)?
@garagegnome on IG  , Ron George on Facebook