This is a tough story to tell, perhaps the toughest I’ve encountered since, well, it happened to me. I won’t go there, at least not here. It would take volumes and the summer’s coming. I don’t want to spread mass depression through out the Biker Universe. Matt and his brother’s story is sad enough to make me weak at the knees. Just pondering their personal plights is enough to send cold, sweaty shivers up my spine. I hope you don’t mind if I pour a double Jack on the rocks before I venture down this path.
Let’s start with the good shit. These two, Matt Kimbo and Isaac Bowser, grew up together in one of those picturesque Southern California communities, where the sun shinned most of the time, the streets were clean and the beach wasn’t far away. They both attended parochial schooling at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa and endured high school at the same prison.
They ventured into Orange Coast College and Matt struggled through Long Beach State and graduated with a degree in finance, then went to work for A.G. Edwards Financial. Isaac stumbled into Vanguard University, while his dad paid the way building custom boats on the coast. He shared his upbringing with a brother and sister. His mother is currently the church accountant. I don’t know if his sister is a stripper or not, but his dad wouldn’t let him ride, although as a toddler his first words were, “That’s a motorcycle Dad.”
Matt’s dad was an optometrist and mom was a pre-school teacher. He grappled with similar anti-motorcycle controls, but as soon as both men were free, they bought and customized British bikes. Isaac scored a ’67 Triumph and Matt a ’65 BSA. “I sold mine to finish this bike,” Isaac said.
Matt sold his BSA and bought a rigid from Huntington Beach Motorcycle Shop, rode it around town for a while, rattling his spine, then sold it to build this Softail. Both bikes were built out of Matt’s garage.
“I’m the creative type,” Matt said, “and Isaac gets the job done.” Fortunately they both have access to Isaac’s dad’s shop, which contains a paint booth, end mills, drill press, cutoff saws and welders. “Both were painted with boat paints.”
Since they’re both first-time builders, they encountered obstacles with wiring issues, ignition failures, and busted rear fender brackets. That was lightweight. Even experienced builders encounter all sorts of dilemmas during the creative process. That’s why it’s advisable to road test a bike before the paint and chrome process is applied.
Currently, Matt works at brokerage house handling the vast Bikernet portfolio, and Isaac has a successful career in outside sales for Pella windows. They’re both educated and free, or once were. Here’s where the story spirals into the toilet.
Both men were capable of being respectable bikers of the first outlaw order, chasing women and building bikes for years to come. They could have learned the lingo of the streets and how to make shady deals while roaming the countryside breaking hearts and getting laid, but nooo.
Instead Matt got married, which is acceptable. I did it five times. But in the true outlaw spirit, he should have started growing stands of Thai sticks in his back yard, got raided, blamed it on the ol’ lady and divorced her while she was doing time.
That’s where a big-titted redhead could have come into play, but nooo, he’s been married six years and when I ran into him, trying to figure out why all my stocks are worth shit, Kelly, his wife, was pregnant.
That brings us to his better-half brother, Isaac. He watched Matt stumble mercilessly down the isle and get hitched for his mental demise. He would have been better off to take notes, drink heavily and party with bi-sexual strippers for both of them, but he didn’t. He witnessed Matt’s wife being supportive of his motorcycle efforts and had the audacity to believe the same could befall his biker bones, so he fell in love with Nikki.
“She’s got her shit together,” Isaac said and Matt nodded in agreement. I stifled the urge to puke, and guzzled another Corona to quell the nausea.
Matt’s Kelly hoisted a major red flag warning in the form of triplets, and I thought for sure the tired pillows under Matt’s eyes would send a final strident warning to his brother.
“We’re going to get married,” Isaac said, then explained how he and Nikki were buying a house together.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I saw only stucco prison cells, cases of Sam’s Club diapers, open roads waiting with hot babes in every state. My head swam with memories of wanton women, drugs, police busts, terrible hangovers, angry husbands, more cops and moving vans. The conversation brought back memories of psycho broads, divorce attorneys, destroyed friendships, break-ins, fights, lost loves, subpoenas and warrants.
On the other hand, I was also beginning to think they had the correct impulse in mind. Maybe at 28 and 29 years old they were on the right track. Could it be?
Then my cell phone rang. It was a big, disfigured bill collector hired by my ex-wife. I closed the phone and ducked out the back of the Mexican fish market.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” I said. “I better move my Shovelhead before she has it towed away.”
Bikernet.com Extreme Tech Chart
Regular Stuff
Owner: Matt Kimbo
City/State: Laguna Hills, CA
Builder: Fleetside 61
City/state: Laguna Hills, CA
Company Info: Fleetside 61 Transportation Co.
Address: 25242 Las Bolsas
Phone: 714-721-5020
Web site: www.fleetside61.com
E-mail: mkimmel2004@yahoo.com
Fabrication: Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Manufacturing: Fleetside 61 and Westerly Marine
Welding: Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Machining: Fleetside 61 and HBMC
Engine
Year: 2005
Make: S&S
Model: Sidewinder
Displacement: 113 in.
Builder or Rebuilder: S&S, HBMC
Case finish: Brushed
Carburetion: S&S
Air cleaner: Goodson little breather
Exhaust: Paul Yaffe
Mufflers: Nope
Transmission
Year: 2005
Gear configuration: 5 speed
Final drive: Chain
Primary: BDL 3” Open Belt
Clutch: BDL
Frame
Year: 2005
Make: Mid West
Style or Model: Soft tail
Stretch: None
Rake: 30 Degrees
Modifications: Custom machined neck cups, Custom 3 degree trees with internal fork stops
Front End
Make: Harley Davidson
Model: Wideglide
Year: 2005
Length: 2” under Stock
Mods: Front end lowering kit, machined off fender struts and brushed fork tubes
Sheet metal
Tanks: Narrowed Fat Bob tanks with custom vintage flip top gas cap
Fenders: modified West Coast Choppers with external struts
Panels: Custom hand engraved coil cover and ignition switch
Oil tank: Full custom handmade oil tank and battery box by Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Other: Vintage panhead remote mount oil filter
Paint
Sheet metal: Fender, Oil tank and Gas Tank
Molding: Epoxy Fill on Fender, Oil tank and Gas Tank
Base coat: Imron by Westerly Marine
Graphics: Matt Kimbo
Frame: Painted not Powder Coated
Base coat: Imron by Westerly Marine
Graphics or art: Fleetside 61
Special effects: House of Color ghost chrome sanded to give it a brushed look
Pinstriping: hand pinstriped by Bob Iverson
Wheels
Front
Make: Black Bike Wheels Inc.
Size: 19×2.5
Brake calipers: Black Exile
Brake rotor(s): Exile
Tire: Maxxis classic wide white wall 220×19
Rear
Make: Black Bike Wheels Inc. Custom
Size: 15×6
Brake calipers: Black Exile sprocket brake
Brake rotor: Exile
Pulley: Chain
Tire: Maxxis classic wide white wall 170×15
Controls
Foot controls: Fleetside 61 custom controls
Finish: black controls with knurled aluminum pegs
Master cylinder: Runs front and rear off foot brake.
Brake lines: Ran Internally with remote brake sensor
Handlebar controls: PM
Finish: Brushed Aluminum
Clutch Cable: Stock
Shifting: Foot control
Kickstand: Hotmatch Brushed Straight Stand
Electrical
Ignition: Crane Fireball
Ignition switch: Vintage panhead
Coils: Crane
Regulator: Crane
Charging: Spyke High Performance
Wiring: Fleetside 61
Harness: None
Headlight: Fleetside custom design
Taillight: LA Chop Rods modified Side Mount
Accessory lights: none
Electrical accessories: none
What’s Left
Seat: Hand made seat by some tweaker, Todd’s Cycle seat bracket, Valve spring seat dampners.
Mirror(s): Paul Yaffe
Gas caps: Vintage Marine modified
Handlebars: Modified apes with Exile internal throttle
Grips: Vintage black rubber Harley
Pegs: Handmade knurled aluminum
Oil filter: Vintage Panhead
Oil cooler: None
Oil lines: Black
Fuel filter: Pingel
Fuel Lines: Black
Throttle: Exile Internal
Throttle cables: Exile
Fasteners: Todd’s Cycle bungs
Specialty items: All hand made fender struts, brackets and mounts.
Comments: Matt Kimbo and Isaac Bowser, owners or Fleetside 61, took everything we could soak up from anything we saw vintage and looked at bikes from the best builders in the industry and made it all our own.
Credits: We would like to give all our thanks to Chucky at HBMC (Huntington Beach Motorcycles), Lynn at Westerly Marine, Nick, Crazy Lee, Kelli for your patience, a mix of B- and C- and all the guys that helped those late nights.
Bikernet.com Extreme Fleetside 61 Tech Chart
Regular Stuff
Owner: Isaac Bowser
City/State: Laguna Hills, CA
Builder: Fleetside 61
City/state: Laguna Hills, CA
Company Info: Fleetside 61 Transportation Co.
Address: 25242 Las Bolsas
Phone: 714-721-5020
Web site: www.fleetside61.com
E-mail: fleetside61@gmail.com
Fabrication: Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Manufacturing: Fleetside 61 and Westerly Marine
Welding: Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Machining: Fleetside 61 and HBMC
Engine
Year: 2005
Make: Harley Davidson
Model: Evo
Displacement: 82 in. or 1340cc
Builder or Rebuilder: Harley Davidson
Cases: Stock
Case finish: Brushed
Barrels: Stock
Bore: Stock
Pistons: Stock
Barrel finish: Stock
Pushrods: Stock
Cams: Stock
Lifters: Stock
Carburetion: S&S Super E
Air cleaner: Goodson Lil’ Breather
Exhaust: Bare Knuckle Choppers Custom
Mufflers: Loud Pipes Save Lives
Other:
Transmission 5 Speed Brushed
Year: 2005
Make: Who Know’s
Gear configuration: 5 Speed
Final drive: Chain
Primary: BDL 3” Open Belt
Clutch: BDL
Frame
Year: 2002
Make: Santee
Style or Model: Rigid Wishbone
Stretch: None
Rake: 30 Degrees
Modifications: Custom machined neck cups, Trees with internal fork stops, All stock tabs and bungs cut off and replaced with custom mounts.
Front End
Make: Harley Davidson
Model: Wideglide
Year: 2005
Length: 2” Under Stock
Mods: Front end lowering kit, machined off fender struts and brushed fork tubes
Sheet metal
Tanks: Wide Sportster tank with custom vintage flip top GAS cap and custom petcock placement.
Fenders: Modified West Coast Chopper rear bobbed fender with internal struts
Panels: None
Oil tank: Full custom handmade oil tank and battery box by Fleetside 61 and Crazy Lee
Paint
Sheet metal: Fender, Oil tank and Gas tank
Molding: Epoxy Fill on Fender, Oil tank and Gas tank
Base coat: Imron by Westerly Marine
Graphics: Isaac Bowser
Type: Mine
Frame: Painted not Powder Coated
Base coat: Imron by Westerly Marine
Graphics or art: Fleetside 61
Special effects: House of Color Lime Green Metal Flake
Pinstriping: hand pinstriped by Bob Iverson
Wheels
Front
Make: Black Bike Wheels 40 Spoke
Size: 21” Wide
Brake calipers: Brushed Exile
Brake rotor(s): GMA
Tire: Metzler
Rear
Make: Black Bike Wheels 40-Spoke
Size: 16”
Brake calipers: Brushed Exile Sprocket Brake
Brake rotor: Exile
Pulley: Chain Drive
Tire: Metzler
Controls
Foot controls: Fleetside 61
Finish: Brushed Aluminum
Master cylinder: Runs front and rear off foot brake.
Brake lines: Ran Internally with remote brake sensor
Handlebar controls: PM
Finish: Brushed Aluminum
Clutch Cable: Stock
Shifting: Foot control
Kickstand: Hotmatch Brushed Straight Stand
Electrical
Ignition: Crane Fireball
Ignition switch: Marine Custom Mounted
Coils: Crane
Regulator: Crane
Charging: Spyke High Performance
Wiring: Fleetside 61
Harness: None
Headlight: School Bus Special
Taillight: LA Chop Rods modified Side Mount
Accessory lights: No Need
Electrical accessories: Just the basics
Switches: Ignition
Battery: Drag Specialties
What’s Left
Seat: Hand made seat by some tweaker, Todd’s Cycle seat bracket, Valve spring seat dampners.
Mirror(s): Paul Yaffe on custom mount
Gas caps: Vintage Marine modified
Handlebars: Modified apes with Exile internal throttle
Grips: Black Exile
Pegs: Handmade knurled aluminum
Oil filter: Harley-Davidson
Oil cooler: None
Oil lines: Black
Fuel filter: Pingel
Fuel Lines: Black
Throttle: Exile internal
Throttle cables: Exile
Fasteners: Todd’s Cycle bungs
Specialty items: All hand made fender struts, brackets and mounts.
Comments: Matt K. and Isaac Bowser, owners or Fleetside 61, took everything we could soak up from anything we saw vintage and looked at bikes from the best builders in the industry and made it all our own.
Credits: We would like to give all our thanks to Chucky at HBMC (Huntington Beach Motorcycles), Lynn at Westerly Marine, Nick, Crazy Lee, Kelli for your patience, a mix of B- and C- and all the guys that helped those late nights.
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