It all started when the Horse Magazine issued a challenge to four talented builders for their annual Smoke Out this year. The challenge, to build a cool rideable bike, for under 10 grand, and have it at the Rowan County N.C. fairgrounds for judging on June 25th. The builders accepting the challenge were Josh Mills, Eric Gorges of Voodoo Choppers, R.E.D. Racing and Jose of Puerto Rico's Caribbean Custom Cycles.
Jose was a close friend of the legendary Indian Larry, whose untimely death the year before left all with a sense of emptiness. Even under the time and financial constraints of the competition rules, Jose decided that his entry bike would be dedicated as a tribute to the man who inspired us all in a special Chopper way.
Jose and his Caribbean Crew got to work fast and furiously to complete the classic and prepare it to be shipped from the sun soaked tropical island of Puerto Rico to the States in time for the competition. His first decision revolved around the project motor. That was an easy choice. Nothing but a 74-inch Panhead would do for a bike dedicated to Indian Larry. Also the rules set a maximun amount that could be spent, so friends and colleagues pitched in whatever Jose couldn’t find in the deep recesses of his island shop.
The '49 Panhead cases, Jose planned to use, were in tough shape. Stevenson's Cycles jumped in and took care of the repairs while Jose and his crew bored out the cylinders “just a bit.” When the cases returned, the Caribbean crew rebuilt the lower end and put the power plant back together. They kept the point ignition system, bolted up a Mighty traditional, rebuilt, bronze, Linkert carb and designed a set of custom side by side pipes in Indian Larry classic style. For the transmission, they opted to stick with an original old 1961, 4-speed H-D set up with a foot clutch, ratchet top jockey shifter and a Primo belt drive.
The next decision was what kind of frame?A 2005 rigid Wishbone frame with a 30.5 degree rake was called for, since that’s what Indian Larry would have picked. Pepo and Julio from Pepo Paint in Puerto Rico got busy molding and shooting the frame and tin for the Caribbean Crew. They chose to paint the gas tank, donated by Bob and modified by the shop crew and finished by Twisted Choppers. Indian Larry's favorite purple metal flake, with his famous Question Mark logo ghosted through the layers of paint while touches of golden polished brass accents by Mara shined throughout the bike.
The tribute for Larry showed up in many forms. The handlebars are Johnny Chop's stainless Ape Hangers and Johnny Chop also came through with the one-off pegs. The bars nestle in brass risers from Misumi Engineering in Japan in Indian Larry fashion, the Amber, cool-as-shit headlight rolled in from Caffine. Fab Kevin kicked in the foot control plates and the Caribbean Crew made up the twisted levers and brake lever. The Bitchin' Brass air cleaner came from the legendary Hank Young especially for this project.
A front end was sought, and this one is a honey. It started off life on an H-D XL, but the Caribbean Crew shaved the legs. The XL triple trees jumped into the barber chair for a close shave. Of course, there is no front fender to take away from the look of the polished down tubes. For the bike’s rear fender, Hank Young donated a spare tire cover from an old Ford which Jose and Crew shaped to sit atop the twisted a la Larry style rear struts.
The front wheel is a 21-inch rim painted black and laced with stainless spokes donated by CCI with a white wall tire, while the rear is a 16-inch white wall as well. The bike has no front brake and the need for stopping power is met by a 4-piston caliper donated by PM. Guti the Guru of the Caribbean Crew handled the electrical work
Trying to build a custom bike for an event while running a thriving shop is difficult enough—deadlines, deadlines. Having to meet customer's needs and the clicking clock can leave little time for side projects, but this bike was a labor of love for the Caribbean Customs Crew. Not being able to spend the money they wanted on trick parts, the guys worked long into the hot tropical nights after busting their collective humps all day on their regular work. They put out the word to their friends and other builders for parts donations and the call was answered in spades.
The kicker was that the bike had to be transported across the sea to the Mainland in time for the Smoke Out. It's not cheap to ship a bike. Jose dug deep in his pockets and shelled out the cha-ching to make sure that the crowd would not be disappointed.
Jose cherishes the time he spent with Indian Larry and this bike is a fitting tribute to a guy who always took the time to help out his friends.
I want to personally thank Jose and the entire crew at Caribbean Custom Cycles for going the extra mile to make sure that a friend's memory lives on. Somewhere on high, Indian Larry is smiling, looking down at the bike and thinking, “Ya did good pal.”
You can contact Caribbean Custom Cycles at
Monterey Industrial Park
#90 Acacia St. Suite 1
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00920
Phone: (787) 721-0633
Or visit their web site:
http://www.chopperfreak.com/
email: prbobchop@yahoo.com
–TBear
GENERAL:
OWNER: Jose
YEAR/MAKE:Caribbean Bob/chop 49/61
FABRICATION:Caribbean Crew
ASSEMBLY: Caribbean Crew
BUILD TIME:not enough, very long nights
ENGINE:
SIZE/TYPE: Panhead 74 cubic inches
CASES: HD stock, repaired in a hurry by Stevenson's cycle
FLYWHEELS: HD
RODS: HD
PISTONS: HD
CYLINDERS: Hd, bored a bit
HEADS: Pan
CAM: Stock
CARB: Mighty Linkert
IGNITION: Points
PIPES: Caribbean Crew, side by sides
TRANSMISSION:
YEAR/TYPE: HD 4 speed
CASE: HD
GEARS: old
CLUTCH: Primo, by foot
PRIMARY DRIVE: Primo belt
FRAME/SUSPENSION:
YEAR/TYPE: Wishbone rigid 2005
RAKE: 30.5
STRETCH: None
SWINGARM: it's a rigid baby
REAR SUSPENSION: I said it's a rigid
FORKS: XL takeoffs, shaved legs
EXTENSIONS: stock
TRIPLE TREES: Xl take offs shaved
WHEELS,TIRES AND BRAKES:
WHEELS FRONT: 21″ painted black, Stainless Spokes donated by CCI
REAR: 16″ takeoff, painted, Stainless spokes donated by CCI
TIRES FRONT: 21″ white wall, donated by
REAR: 16″ white wall stripe
BRAKES FRONT: no stinkin' nothin'
REAR: 4 piston donated by PM
FINISH:
MOLDING: Pepo paint
PAINTER: Pepo & Julio
COLOR: Indian Larry's favorite
GRAPHICS: ghosted
CHROME PLATING: none, but brass plating by Mara
POLISHING: Caribbean Crew
POWDERCOATING: None
ACCESSORIES:
BARS: Johnny Chop stainless apes
RISERS: brass from misumi engineering in Japan
HAND CONTROLS: none
HEADLIGHT: Amber cool as shit, donated by Caffeine
TAILLIGHT: someone's take off marker light
GAUGES: what ?
ELECTRICAL: Guti the Guru, Caribbean Crew
FUEL TANK(S) Peanut donated by Bob, modified by us and finished by Twisted Choppers
DASH:OIL TANK: to put the gauges I guess……
FRONT FENDER: REAR FENDER: We don't need no stinkin' front fender, rear a ford spare tire cover donated by Hank Young
FENDER STRUTS: Twisted a la Larry, by us
PEGS: Johnny Chop, new shit
FOOT CONTROLS: Fab kevin plates, Caribbean Crew twisted levers
SEAT: Jammer flip back, covered by me
