The Peckerhead Wins

Maybe it smacked you at a local bike night, maybe it occurred at a bike show, or maybe you were out for a ride. We all run into bikes that stick in our brains like the first touch from a gorgeous woman after a hazardous tour in Iraq. In this case, “Peckerhead,” the motorcycle, slapped me like an angry redhead at happy hour.

I ran into this bike at a local bike show last summer and it stuck. It was super clean, very tight and everything was well finished. I talked to the owner, Woodie Sweat, on show day, but I didn't get the whole story. So, when I ran into Woodie and the “Peckerhead” at the Easyriders show here in Charlotte this past January, I made it a point to set up a time to talk with him and get the low down on his bike.

Woodie struck me as a no nonsense kind of guy. He told me when he was a kid in school he took a lot of abuse being named Woodie. The school kids came up with all kinds of “Woodie Woodpecker” jokes directed at him. That's the origin of this name. It's a remembrance of all the “Peckerheads” he went to school with.

Woodie told me he wanted a “bobber” for sometime. He owned “long” bikes, but this is more fun to ride. The “Peckerhead” is not all about looks. It's light and rocks out with 120-inch Ultima engine and a 6-speed Ultima tranny slapping mountains of torque to any black top.

The “Peckerhead” story also contains an element of the underdog winning in the end. Ya see, when Woodie entered “The Peckerhead” in the Easyriders show here in Charlotte, well, it was a tad overwhelming. Woodie watched as one bitchin' bike after another rolled into the vast convention center hall. He had no idea how the show competition might turn out.

“I didn't have a chance,” Woodie estimated under the show lights.

Any of us who have entered bike shows know that each show is different, from a staff and judging prospective. Sometimes you win, and well, most times you don't. It’s just a roll of the dice. The Easyriders Bike Show Tour brought out the best of the best, and it is a major accomplishment to win an award.

As Woodie observed all the “High Dollar” bikes rolling in, he wondered how his “budget bike” would stack up. I have always said that it's not about how much money you spend, but rather it's how you go about spending what little coin you have! Take a good look at “The Peckerhead,” and I think you'll agree the money was spent very judiciously.

So, the Easyriders show came to a close and guess who walked away with the prestigious “Editors Choice” award? You got it, Woodie and “The Peckerhead.” This award garnered them an invitation to compete in the Easyriders National Invitational Bike Show in Columbus, Ohio.

Woodie and “The Peckerhead” arrived at the February show and similar lackluster feelings consumed him. Woodie scanned the large hall packed with state-of-the-art custom bikes from four other Easyriders state shows leading up to this grand finale. Then he looked as his creation. “We can do this,” he said.

When it was all said and done Woodie and “The Peckerhead” walked away with a 2nd place class award at the Columbus show! A damn fine accomplishment for a “budget bike.” As we all know, you can never underestimate an underdog. They have a way of rising to the occasion and that's what “The Peckerhead” did. The bike and Woodie went up against the best and competed with the “High Dollar” bikes from all over the country and came out standing proud!

I wonder if any of Woodie's school kid classmates are laughing now?

Bikernet.com Extreme Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: Woodie Sweat
Bike Name: Pecker Head
City/State: Charlotte, NC

Builder: Sweat Speed Shop
City/state: Charlotte, NC
Fabrication: Sweat Speed Shop
Welding: Sweat Speed Shop
Machining: Sweat Speed Shop

Engine

Year: 2009
Make: Ultima
Model: 120” El Bruto
Displacement:120”
Builder or Rebuilder:
Case finish: Natural
Carburetion: Mikuni
Air cleaner: Roland Sands
Exhaust: TCX

Transmission

Year: 2009
Make: Ultima
Gear configuration: 6-speed
Final drive: Chain
Primary: Ultima Belt
Clutch: Ultima

Frame

Year: 2009
Make: Kraft Tech
Style or Model: Rigid
Modifications: Molded

Front End

Make: DNA
Model: Springer
Year: 2009
Length: 2 under

Sheet metal

Tanks: Ultima – Sportster
Fenders: Kustomwerks
Oil tank: Moto-X-Cycle

Paint Southern Collisions

Sheet metal:
Base coat: Burnt Orange
Graphics: Indocil
Frame:
Molding: Sweat Speed Shop
Base coat: Burnt Orange
Graphics or art: Indocil
Special effects: Indocil
Pinstriping: Indocil