My dad has a 107 Merch motor and was dying to stuff it into a chopper, so we ordered a West Coast Choppers frame.
As soon as we got it out of the box, my dad didn’t like it; he wanted something with more stretch and rake. It just so happened that I had an H-D Evo motor and tranny at the shop, and I decided to build the chopper for the showroom. Parts were ordered little by little over the next couple months. Andy at Custom Chrome and Elizabeth at Chrome Specialties were great about getting the orders out quickly. If you follow the Bikernet news section, you might have an idea of the whole build. It’s taken 2½ months.
One thing that makes a project easy is knowing beforehand what the bike will (sort of) look like and what components will be used. With that in mind,let’s get to the build.
The salty Caribbean air and chromed aluminum parts don’t gotogether. We had some parts that were new but already showed chipped chrome, including the forward controls, triple trees and grips. They were going to be powder-coated anyway, so it didn’t matter. Besides, it was dead stock that we were moving. I’m not going to mention names but anyone with a keeneye will know the manufacturer.
The first mockup was so-so. The rear fender was back ordered and thefork legs were too long. The plan was a narrow glide front end and 19-inchwheel, to make it look longer. When we received the tank (WCC CFL,which is built and sold by Custom Chrome), it was wider than expected and theskinny front end looked out of place. It was ditched and a wide glidetook its place, as well as a 21 wheel-tire combo.
The rear fender was in, a Two-eight by WCC, made for the frame. Well,the radius of the fender was too much and we could spin the 200-by-18 Avon tyrearound with the fender stuck to it. Some heavy cutting and grinding tookplace in order to free them both. I was expecting a better fit from theWCC fender. With all the “custom” work we did, we ended up with about 8inches less steel.
Spacing the rear wheels and Exile sprocket/brake proved to be ahandful. WCC has a hidden axle that looks very cool, but you have to be pretty accurate to make the right spacers, since the axle will not be able tobring the ends closer for a tighter fit. The Exile sprocket runs prettyclose to the brake bracket so a minimal spacer had to be made. Hours wereburned measuring and re-measuring the fender and bungs position before tackwelding. We guessed that the chain would have clearance problems with thefender and we were right.
Full mockup: The motor and tranny aligned pretty well with a stock H-Dprimary, but were hell to align with a BDL open primary. The motor sat veryfirmly and no shims had to be used, but there was a small gap between theplate and the cases. We left everything loose and forced the plate in. I think the tranny plate is to blame. A front regulator/oil filter plate was canned after grinding a half moon notch to fit into the frame down tubes. That’s when I came up with the idea to hide the regulator on the open belt plate. The filter stayed in factory position.
Here enters the new owner. He saw the Jesse James video (like millions of people on this planet) and went to check out the mocked-up bike. He likedit and a deal was made. Before this, the bike was for the showroom and was being built at our pace. Now a deadline was set and all hell broke loose. By theway, I want to thank my girlfriend, Yoly, for understanding my overnightersand lending a hand.
We worked all night, every day to put this bike together beforeSturgis. When all was welded in place and molded, the frame and rear fender went to the paint booth. The tank had to be worked on, moving the bung to a lower location in order to get more gas. Panic struck when I arrived at the shopand saw the color. Our guys have the good sense to always spray a samplebefore actually doing the parts. I had hoped to have the bike ready for the Jack Daniel’s BBQ. Boy was I cocky.
The new owner pretty much left me alone (which was great), only coming bythe shop to see photos of the bike being put together and asking for some parts that he would like.
The paint was my idea — tangerine with metal flake flames. As luck had it, we found a quart of paint in stock and got the project going once more. What you might see in the latest photos was done in five hours. Fitting all the parts two and three times makes life much simpler. Some stuff was still giving us a hard time, however. Yes, the chain rubs the fender a bit, the primary was still a pain in the ass to align and the spacers are not totally right, but that’s easy stuff.
One thing that’s great is the WCC oil tank, which fitted right in and saved us a lot of welding and measuring time. I expected more from WCC, fitting wise. A fender made for a frame should go “like butta,” as well as other littledetails. On the other hand, it’s a bike that needs “thought” and experienceto put together, which is anti-Bozo builders. In short, it makes you becreative.
By the time you read this, the electrics and front end (I hope!) willbe in place, the front brake and perches from PM are on the way (we know theyfit) and that’s about it. Maybe I’ll have it in time for Sturgis…I have no choice.
A really important part of every build; Nothing can get accomplished byone person. There’s a team of people always helping, even the guy who fetchesthe Cokes is worth his weight in gold. Thanks once more to all of you (inour shop and anyone’s), you know who you are.
Frame – WCC Dragon Choppers For Life rigid
Motor – H-D 80 cubic inch Evo, triple 80, 80 cubes, 80 horse, 80 torque
Tranny – H-D 5-speed
Wheels – CCI chrome, stainless spokes, 21 front, 18 by 5.75 rear
Tires – Avon 21 front; Avon 200-18 rear
Primary/ clutch – BDL open
Rear fender – WCC Two-eight (heavily modified)
Gas Tank – WCC CFL (CCI King Sporty tank)
Paint – Tangerine House of Kolor Kandy, with metalflake flames
Forward controls – Pro One chrome chipped
Triple Trees – Arlen Ness wide glide chrome chipped
Grips – Pro One chrome chipped
Electrical – Caribbean (by Guti the Guru)
Sprocket/ brake – Exile Cycles
Front brake – PM 4 piston
Perches – PM “old style”
Pipes – WCC Hellbent (2 months back order)
Carb – S&S
Ignition/Cam – Caribbean secret
Back to the Garage….
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