Nick had the blues. He broke down in Novato, California, just north of the San Francisco Bay, captured between Drakes Bay on the coast and San Pablo Bay on the inland side. It was originally the site of several Coast Miwok villages, and is now a portion of the Olompali State Historic Park.
The first post office opened in 1856 and lasted until 1860. The new post office opened in 1891, but that didn’t mean shit to Nick. He was broke down along side Highway 1. His chopped FXR would not start.
A railroad was built in 1879, connecting Novato to Sonoma County and San Rafael. The area around the train depot, where Nick once worked, became known as New Town, but formed the edge of what today is called Old Town Novato. He was laid off when stock and the housing markets crashed, and all the money was given to the banks. They tore down the train station after the second fire and built a Whole Foods, but he couldn’t get a job.
Just 25 and out of work for three years, Nick’s last possessions included the clothes on his back and his motorcycle. He was on his way to Point Reyes National Seashore, a 71,028-acre park preserve. Clem Miller, a US Congressman from Marin County, wrote and introduced a bill for the establishment of Point Reyes National Seashore in 1962 to protect the peninsula from residential development, which was proposed at the time for the slopes above Drake’s Bay. He had in mind oyster farming and ranching with the preservation of grasslands and open scenic vistas.
Nick was on his way to the Point Reyes Lighthouse to see about a park job, when chopped FXR, with over 150,000 on the clock crapped out. He would gladly help clean the pristine beaches or work around the 45-bed youth hostel at the Seashore, on the 30,000-acre Reyes National Park.
The afternoon weather was warm as Nick shoved his bike off to the side of the road and tinkered with wiring connections. The FXR was true to Nick for many years, but his lack of finances forced him to neglect his ride. He looked up at the sun beginning its gradual decent into the Pacific Ocean and thought about how cold it would become as night fell around him. The bike still wouldn’t start.
He didn’t dare leave his motorcycle along side the road and walk for help. He hadn’t eaten all day, and spent his last five bucks on gas to chase work. He tried to start his bike once more, but it didn’t budge. Nick wasn’t bad looking. He kept in shape, but his ability to date slipped away with his fleeting bank account. No touch was afforded him for a couple of years. He was hurting as he knelt beside his beloved Harley and pushed pine needles with his buck knife. He wasn’t feeling so hot, and wondered if he could walk to the lighthouse, but he didn’t dare leave his motorcycle alongside the highway.
Just as serious depression began to engulf young Nick, he heard the squeal of a young woman in the woods. The sound hit him like a splash of icy water in the face of his doldrums. He dusted himself off and went to investigate. Just a few yards away, through dense shrubbery, Nick discovered Kirk Taylor, one of the world’s renowned motorcycle masters during a photo shoot with the lovely Natalee Nichole for the cover of Hot Bike magazine.
Nick suddenly stood up straight to his 6-foot height and looked skyward through the pine tree forest limb surrounding him, and flickers of sunlight warmed him. He blinked, and looked at Kirk’s five-year Dirty Boot Panhead inspired by the historic racers from the Sacramento mile, during the ‘50s days of KR, Sportster, and Bonneville flat track racing. Natalee’s smile graced him like a warm blanket, and suddenly he knew his life and his FXR were saved. He had just stumbled into motorcycle heaven in the woods on the California coast.
Owner: Kirk and Lisa Taylor
Shop Name: Custom design Studios
Shop phone: 415 382-6662
Fabrication: Kirk
Assembly: Kirk Taylor and Mike Miller
Time: 5 years
Engine
Year: ’06 RevTech
Model: Pandemonium Panhead
Builder: CDS
Cases: STD 88 cubic inch
Rocker Boxes: CCE finned
Heads: STD
Air Cleaner: CDS Cool Unit
Exhaust: CDS Lake Pipes
Year and make: ’72 H-D
Type: 4-speed
Clutch: BDL
Primary Drive: BDL 2-inch belt system
Year and make: ’05 CDS
Rake: 32 degrees
Type: Rigid
Forks
Make and model: 39mm H-D narrow glide
Length: 2-inches under
Triple Trees: GMA
Mods: Chopper Shox, Race Tech Gold Valves Emulators and Springs
Wheels
Front: 9-Spoke H-D
Tire: Bridgestone
Brake: Dual PM four piston
Rotors: Dual PM 11.5-inch
Rear: 9-Spoke H-D
Tire: Bridgestone
Caliper: PM four piston
Rotor: 11.5-inch PM
Paint
Color: PPG Variance Rattlesnake
Painter: Kirk Taylor, CDS
Graphics: Kirk Taylor, Courtney Schumacher Pinstriping
Accessories
Front fender: CDS
Rear fender: West Eagle Aluminum
Fender struts: CDS Hot Rod lightened I-beam
Gas Tank: Indian Enduro, Bill Dodge cap
Oil Tank: CDS Speedway
Handlebars: Pro Taper
Hand controls: ISR
Foot controls: CDS FXR mid controls
Pegs: Bear trap
Headlight: Carbon fiber with rock guard
Taillight: RSD/CDS Vintage
Seat: Duane Ballard
