L.A.’s George Harris is the hard- driving force behind a multi-tasking company called Mean Machines Custom Bike Designs/Tap’d Out Studio. He’s no stranger to one-off bikes that often prompt the question….ah, why??? Basically it’s like asking a mountain climber why he wants to scale Mt. Everest, the answer being “because it’s there.” But in George’s case, relative to his unique bikes, his answer is “because it wasn’t there before.”
Just recently we got a call from George asking if we wanted to take a look at a new bike now ready for viewing. We were up for that and George suggested we ride over to the city of Northridge, famous for the monster 6.7 earthquake of January 17, 1994. Since he promised no quaking except the vibes sent through the pavement by the bike, we met.
We arrived at the designated location, a quiet, off the beaten path suburban street of upscale houses, but a few minute later we felt and heard George before we saw him. As it loomed into point blank view, our attention, our cameras jumped out of their bags. Suffice it to say, the radical chopper George had named The Hit was just that right down to the bullet hole scarred air cleaner, the switchblade fairing graphics and the “RIP” 3-D rose gracing the rear fender… plus the bankroll of 100 dollar bills decoupaged all over the bike…not to mention the incredible set of polished copper “organ” pipes reaching skyward from where you’d expect a gas tank.
We found a shady spot and George gave us the back story, his interest in customs starting with his Grandfather who built hotrods, then on to his late Father and inspiration, also named George, who was into cars as well. “When it came to me, I thought I’d be a little clever and build two wheels instead of four.” George laughs and adds, “Then I found out that half the wheels means even more work, but I stayed with it and believe I’m starting to make my mark as a custom bike designer. And through Tap’d Out Studio we’ve branched out to design about anything people can think of.”
So where did The Hit gets its inspiration since it doesn’t ring any comic book bells?
Says George, It’s got to do with the idea of The Hit behind the dirty money, the Benjamin’s plastered all over the bike. I did a job for a client and they paid me in cash, hundred dollar bills. When I went to celebrate, I stopped at a local tavern before heading for the bank. I handed the bartender one of these 100 dollar bills and he held it up to the light of the TV and said, hey, man, this is fake. What?!!! I went to the bank and they confirmed it. I had a pile of fake money. Afterwards I couldn’t sleep one night and the thought came to me, take those fake 100s and create some art out of it. And call it The Hit, like it’s from some old gangster movie, payback for the bad money. So that’s why you see some of them decorating the bike.”
As far as the bike’s components George got hold of an old Paughco frame then started bending and cutting on it, designing in two inches of stretch and a 42 degree rake. The first piece he fabricated was the rear fender, turning it into a hidden oil tank holding 6 ½ quarts. Besides adding more engine cooling, the placement of the weight helps the bike’s balance. It fills through the copper toned Allen head bolt just north of the Victorian style red rose designed and sculpted by George’s artistically gifted daughters, Kailee, 14 and Kaylen, 12. “That rose is my favorite part of the motorcycle,” says George.
The motor used to be a RevTech 110 to which George added a full menu of high performance internals retaining the highly reworked RevTech heads. A RevTech 6-speed tranny was also beefed up and as George says, “doesn’t miss a lick” no matter how hard you punch it. The next obvious question is what happened to the gas tank? George laughs and says, “This is an interchangeable set-up. The original tabs are still on the frame and I have a larger capacity regular gas tank I can bolt on in ten minutes when I need to go some distance.”
With those copper stacks filled, there’s a total of one gallon, just enough for this thirsty motor, fed by a Mikuni 48mm carb, to get you about 25 miles before you need to find a gas station. That six-pack of “organ pipes” was made out of 2 /12 inch muffler steel tubing fabbed up by A-1 Welding in North Hollywood, then George had them copper plated along with several other parts of the bike. He also got some much appreciated suggestions from his friends and master mechanics Edwin and Mad Mike.
The list goes on…BDL open primary and belt drive, Joker Machine Brakes, bars and fenders by George, modified H-D front end, twisted, copper plated 80-spoke wheel up front, solid H-D wheel in the back.
Summing it up, George says, “I’d say the bike is a ratter with a touch of class, like Mad Max meeting the future. It’s also a light motorcycle so handles really well and the power is off the charts. For me it’s the closest thing to flying. Just recently I got pulled over for going a little too fast. The officer walked over, looked at the stacks and the 100 dollar bills, didn’t say a word, just shook his head and walked away without giving me a ticket for which I was very grateful. So you could say the bike has gotten the CHP seal of approval.”
You can reach George via TapdOutStudio@gmail.com or 818.949.8475 or 818.645.7560.
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