“My wife wanted something legal,” said Todd Silicato of Todd's Cycle.
Todd is a nondescript builder’s builder. He's not a celebrity type. He's a biker who works his ass off building anything from modified stock bikes to world-class customs and billet products, to speedway racers, and now he's tempted to roll to Bonneville. He's also got the Bikernet Mantra tattooed on his arm, “Modify Everything or Die.”
So his missus, Lisa, asked for something legal and he bought an '09 Road King, but there's something about a stock bike rolling into a custom shop. It's sorta like a virgin in a whorehouse. Ice water begins to boil and stainless steel starts to immediately rust. Everything in the Huntington Beach shop stopped until the King came apart.
“I rode it from the dealer to the shop and immediately needed more power, so we tore it down,” Todd said, and launched the stock gas tank and started carving his own. Todd would like to mass produce these shapely fuel tanks. “I need the tooling costs to mass-produce these tanks. I can put them together, but I need the costly stampings.”
He also yanked the front end and replaced it with this 2-over-stock Marzocchi superbike fork. He installed a Softail EFI system for more space, and adjusted the angle of the tank to align the 5.5-gallon cell with his modified bags. He carefully adjusted the bag lids up 1 inch by layering them with fiberglass until they took the exact subtle shape he was after. Then he installed his billet bag-insert taillights. He installed 3/8-inch taller Todd's floorboards. They are adjustable forward and backwards. He also makes another shape for Street Glides. He replaced the stock headlight with dual Todd's Martini models.
Then he pumped the performance with a 103-inch kit and handled the porting himself. All the engine components were ceramic-coated. He's working with Saddleman to produce a line of Todd's signature seats, including this one for Kings. He's also working with Bassani on a stepped exhaust system for touring bikes. Finally, he installed a rear air-ride suspension system from Bilstein with Firestone Airide springs.
“The alloy art, self-leveling air ride shocks work well,” said Todd, “and self-leveling adds a fine ride quality, loaded or unloaded, without having to make adjustments.”
Todd's shop is a creative den of new product designs, project bikes, hot rods, and now speedway bikes. He's working on a Sportster Speedway kit, including a short-coupled, 1-inch tubing frame, cut-to-fit custom front end, and Marzoki shocks. He's planning to build this platform to support Sportster engines, rubber-mounted engines, and Buell drivetrains. He's considering an exhaust system, while Lisa hand-files the spikes into the cast aluminum pegs. He builds the motocross risers (high, medium, and low) and messes with Joker Machine throttles.
Todd also manufactures builders' bungs, seat pans, and pivot arms. He makes his own grips in aluminum or brass, and will make any one-off sheet metal you have the bucks to pay for. One of his cool products is his custom bike-wiring system, and a choke cable relocation bracket for Mikuni carbs. And of course, he switched out the stock King bars for a set of his own.
“I love this thing,” Todd said. “It’s a blast to ride, with aggressive handlebars, and it handles as good as a bagger can. Oh, yeah; I shitcanned the windscreen. On a motorcycle, you should feel the wind. That's what it's all about.”
Owner:Todd’s Cycle
Address 15665 Commerce Lane
City: Huntington Beach
State/ Zip CA 92649
Phone: 714 901 4516
Website: www.toddscycle.com
E Mail: todd@toddscycle.com
What kind of bike?
Make: H-D
Year: 09
Model: Speed King
Type: Performance Dresser
Fabrication: Todd’s cycle
Finish: Todd’s Cycle
Time: 3 month
Hardware: diamand eng 12 points
Assembly: Todd's Cycle
Assembler: Todd's Cycle
Value: priceless
ENGINE:
Type: Twin Cam
Displacement: 103 ci
Year: '09
Horsepower: plenty
Heads: ported by Todd's Cycle
Valves: Stocy
Pistons: Screaming Eagles
Cylinders: H-D
Camshaft: Screaming Eagle 555
Lifters: H-D hydraulics
Pushrods: screaming eagles
Carburetor/Injection: H-D injection
Air Cleaner: Todd’s cycle
Ignition: Screaming Eagles super tuner
Exhaust: Todd's and Bassani
Mufflers: Todd's
Finish: ceramic coating
Fasteners/Hardware: diamond eng 12 pnt
Transmission:
Make: H-D
Model: 6-speed
Clutch: H-D
Primary drive: H-D Chain
Finish: Wrinkle black and ceramic coat
Mods: Baker hydraulic cap
Frame:
Type: Road King FLHT
Year: '09
Builder: H-D
Stretch: none
Rake: stock 28 degrees
Swing Arm: new cast
Shocks: Bilstein
Forks:
Make: marzocchi
Type: super bike inverted
Year: '09
Finish: red ano
Triple Trees: Todd's Cycle
Sheet Metal:
Front Fender: Todd's Cycle
Oil Tank: under trans
Fuel Tank(s): Todd's Cycle
Bags: H-D with Todd's modified lids
Wheels:
Front:
Rim: Performance Machine wrath cc platnium
Size: 23×3.5
Tire: Avon
Brake: Performance Machine
Rear: Rim: PM wrath cc platSize: 18.5Brake: pmTire:avon
Other Stuff:
Handlebars: Todd's Cycle new 8th
Risers: Todd's Cycle new bones
Headlights: Todd's Cycle
Taillights: Todd's Cycle billet inserts
Turn Signals F/R: Todd's Cycle
Speedometer: H-D new image
Electric’s: Todd's Cycle
Seat: Todd's Cycle signature by Saddleman
Backrest: H-D
Footrest F/R: Todd's Cycle new floardoards
Paint, Metal Finish:
Colors: blk, red, silverleaf, candy
Special Paint: Buck Wild lettering
The Painter: Buck Wild
Chrome: avoided
Powder Coating: specialized coating
Color: titanium ceramic
Special thanks to Dennis Schanchez, the “tank man,”And Brandon Holstein, “brawny.”
