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Faber Frames History
Faber Frames History
But such minor inconveniences don’t seem to trouble Faber bosses Howard Fawkes and Miles Webb. And with a brand new workshop and a whole heap of enthusiasm and self-belief, they’re ready to hit the ground running in 2010 with new products, old favourites and yet another project well on the way to production.
Welcome to the Phoenix that is Faber Frames…
Allen Greenwood was the boss of US motocross specialists, Knobby Shop International (KSI) in La Jolla, California and was obsessed with the idea of building an ultra-competitive four-stroke motocrosser. He had approached Eric Cheney to build him a prototype frame for the then-new XL350 Honda engine and he asked Mick Whitlock to take the project further. “Mick was really a trials man though,” Miles explains, “so he passed Allen on to Ralph and I.”
Miles carried on with sub-contract frame work though. “I did the Gollner monoshock conversions for the Honda TLR250 and built Wildcat grass track frames for Rafferty Newman, and I did a bit of tube bending on the Yamaha HL500 Aberg replicas too,” says Miles. That’s a pretty impressive CV by any standards. In 1992, a chance conversation Howard had with a colleague in Cornwall brought a reunion with old mate Miles - and the start of a new endeavour. “ A pal I was doing some work with mentioned that he had an old Cheney BSA,” Howard explains. “I said: ‘I used to make them…’ and, of course, I had to go and have a look at it. It was beaten and battered, but I took him up to see Eric and thought I’d have to get hold of Miles while I was up there - so I did. Then the lad who had the Cheney asked if I could repair it and I said: ‘It would be easier to build a new frame…’ That was how Faber Frames started.”
Before long, Howard and Miles got asked to build a batch of reproduction BSA frames. After trying to replicate an old Walker frame, they borrowed a genuine works BSA frame and built a jig round it to manufacture MKII Victor frames. Faber Frames was up and running.
Faber got involved in the trials market in 2000. “A chap called Chris Williams asked us if we could build some Otter replica frames,” Howard remembers. “We borrowed Colin Dommett’s original Otter and built a jig round that.
All Faber frames are jig built and brazed by hand and the scramblers are built by Miles in Hampshire, while the trial side of the job is handled by Howard in Cornwall. “It’s only about three and a half hours drive though,” says Howard breezily, “so we see quite a lot of each other and collaborate on pretty well everything. Board meetings are an excuse to talk bikes and go for a pint afterwards!”
Howard Fawkes and Miles Webb the creators of Faber Frames have been in the off-road game long enough not to be put off by a little thing like geography - or even a fire. The two met in 1964, when they were both members of the Alton and District Motorcycle Club. Howard was serving his apprenticeship at local BSA dealers Heath Brothers while Miles worked in Alton.
But it was when Howard finished his apprenticeship and snagged a job with legendary frame builder Eric Cheney in 1969, that things really took off.
But it was when Howard finished his apprenticeship and snagged a job with legendary frame builder Eric Cheney in 1969, that things really took off.
By 1970, Miles had joined Howard in the Cheney workshops and their first big joint project was the frames for the British ISDT squad for 1971. “We built the frames and project managed the whole thing under Eric’s guidance,” Miles recalls.
But, by early 1971, Howard was on the move again, heading down to Cornwall to make his living as an electrical contractor. Miles stayed with Cheney until Eric closed down his fleet, Hampshire workshop in June 1976 - but stuck with bikes. “I started working with Ralph Rustell” Miles continues.
But, by early 1971, Howard was on the move again, heading down to Cornwall to make his living as an electrical contractor. Miles stayed with Cheney until Eric closed down his fleet, Hampshire workshop in June 1976 - but stuck with bikes. “I started working with Ralph Rustell” Miles continues.
Eric Cheney 1952
Miles & Howard
Faber showed their first Otter frame at the Classic Off Road Show at Stoneleigh Park in 2000 and, since then, we’ve sold 115 frames. Most have been for unit BSA engine (C15 and B40), but we’ve also built 15 for Triumph Cubs and six for Triumph twins. The trials frames have gone really well - especially since they’ve been accepted as eligible for the pre-65 Scottish.”
Miles and Paul Webb
Faber Frames original Hampshire premises burnt down - destroying years of work on a new product that was due to be launched, as well as thousands of pounds worth of stock, materials, tooling and equipment - after a fire started in a neighbouring woodworking workshop.
Faber Mk2 B40 BSA Otter