It’s a cold winter day in the heart of Oklahoma City, the largest city in Oklahoma, as the tight crew at Brass Balls Cycles does exactly what they love to do, build bitchin’ custom cycles, bobbers, choppers, and FXRs. In this sketchy world we live in the boss, Dar Holdsworth is not afraid to do anything supporting the chopper dream.
He builds and rebuilds vintage bikes, wrecked bikes, and old Jap bikes for returning service guys through Pros for Vets, at no charge to the vet. “We could make a living if he would stop building bikes for free,” said Mrs. Holdsworth. About a year and a half ago he stumbled across an overseas customer, from Dubai, Murtaza Moulvi, who bought one of his bikes, a Digger. When they met initially, the young customer planned to open a coffee shop in an industrial portion of the city, away from the glitz.
Dubai is a city country on the Persian Gulf, apart of the seven-member United Arab Emirates making up the country bordering Saudi Arabia.
But the more his customer rode his BBC the more he loved it, the more it drew attention, but the better it handled the city and desert roads. He decided to open a coffee/Brass Balls Cycles Dealership. He had no motorcycle business history, no shop experience, some marketing savvy, some notion of branding and not one fuckin’ idea what he was getting into, but he loved his BBC motorcycle and the new his dealership, Cafe Rider, with featuring the Brass Balls Cycles would ultimately rock the Dubai world.
In 2012 Dar and his tight team won the AMD World Championship of Bike Building Production Class with his first Rocketeer F3, with aluminum sheet metal and a tight, techy, racy configuration. He shipped it to Dubai when the Cafe Rider opened along with a few other new models, hence another Dubai resident fell in love and ordered another one. The Rocketeer F3 became the first Brass Balls limited edition run with only 15 being built. This is lucky number seven.
This is a Softail configuration Rocketeer and the Brass Balls team figured out how to narrow the Softail chassis and still run a 180-17 tire. One of the major setbacks to the Softail configuration is the lack of turning ability, especially with a lowered model. The Rocketeer F3 still contains 4 inches of suspension travel while maintaining a narrow configuration, sleek enough to handle tight corners. “The chain runs between the chassis rail,” said Dar, “and the swingarm rail.”
In addition to the swingarm travel through Suspension Tech, the Brass Balls team designed a sprung seat using strong, tough Chopper shocks for some additional in the seat suspension.
“Almost ¾ of the bikes we sell are Softail frame based,” Dar said, “over rigids.”
Although this is a production bike built at the Brass Balls Oklahoma Emerald City in twelve weeks, it contains a lot of one-off custom work. As a production model it is designed for long road reliability with turn signals, electric starter, horn, and all the creature comforts of a solid manufactured scooter.
One of the specialty items on the Rocketeer F3 is the front brake, engineered by a brake manufacturer in France, Beringer, who makes brakes for small aircraft as well as Moto GP brakes. “This is a combination of both, the aircraft hub brake and moto GP calipers,” Dar said. “We order them, and they take 8-weeks to be manufactured. Then we send the hub brake system to HD Wheel. They drill the hubs for spokes, handle the finish, then lace and true them.”
That’s not all. Dar’s team must disassemble their mid-glide front end, machine one of the lower legs for additional clearance, then machine a mounting block, caliper bracket and install it on the lower leg, and then put the front end back together with the completed front wheel. This is a tricky assembly with the inverted caliper in the hub.
“Typically the front wheel is a 19 with an 18/180 rear,” Dar said. “But this customer wanted matching wheels sizes and chose 17s.”
Shortly, the Brass Balls team will have 10 bikes in Dubai, while the owner throws parties, Dar has stepped up to understand the world economy, international shipping, customs, and foreign regulations. It’s an expensive learning curve.
Dar has been building one more international relationship with a dealership in Shanghai. It’s another wild challenge to make all the elements work. But the team faced with a world economy stepped up. “When it’s winter here, it’s summer in another part of the world,” Dar said. “When the stateside economy tanks, there’s a growing market overseas somewhere.”
His phased BBC Bike Kit system is working out. A brother recently called and ordered the driveline package, the pricey one. “He started his build several years ago and already had a frame and front end,” Dar said, “But since we investigated and did all the testing and component research, it made this stage easy for him.”
Check the article we did on the Brass Balls Kit Bikes: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/THE_BRASS_BALLS_NEW_WORLD_ORDER.aspx
Dar’s plan is to limit production to fewer than 50 bikes for 2015. He spends a good amount of his time building bikes alongside his tight team of workers, making motorcycle dreams come true for customers all over the world, and keeping his family and team living the custom motorcycle dream.
Next, we will bring you shots and maybe a feature on the Brass Balls/Darwin Motorcycles 69 Chopper heading to Shanghai. Talk about magic, fly to Shanghai someday and catch the transformation, from street huts and shops to amazing high rise buildings swaying in the breeze. “This is the chopper for Shanghai I was telling you about,” Dar said. “We hope to finish it next week.”
Regular Stuff
Owner: Sam Massaadi
Bike Name: F3 Rocketeer
Builder: Brass Balls Cycles / Darwin Motorcycles
City/state: Oklahoma City, OK USA
Company Info:
Address: 401 S. Blackwelder Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73108
Phone: 405-270-0995
Web site: http://BrassBallsCycles.com
E-mail: evolve@DarwinMotorcycles.com
Fabrication: Brass Balls Cycles
Manufacturing: Brass Balls Cycles
Welding: Brass Balls Cycles
Machining: Brass Balls Cycles
Engine
Year: 2014
Make: S&S
Model: Shovelhead
Displacement: 93 inches
Builder or Rebuilder: S&S
Cases: S&S
Case finish: S&S natural/brushed
Barrels: S&S
Bore: S&S
Pistons: S&S
Barrel finish: S&S black/natural
Lower end: S&S
Stroke: S&S
Rods: S&S
Heads: S&S
Head finish: S&S brushed
Valves and springs: S&S
Pushrods: S&S
Cams: S&S
Lifters: S&S
Carburetion: S&S
Air cleaner: S&S with something special
Exhaust: Brass Balls using Burns Stainless
Mufflers: Burns Stainless reverse meg
Transmission
Year: 2014
Make: Rivera Primo
Gear configuration: 6-speed
Primary: Baker 2.4-inch Synchronous drive
Clutch: Baker
Final drive: Chain
Kicker: nope
Frame
Year: 2015
Builder: Brass Balls
Style or Model: Bobber
Stretch: Zero
Rake: 34 degrees
Modifications: Signature logo gusset
Front End
Make: Brass Balls / Mean Street
Model: Custom Mid glide
Year: 2015
Length: Standard
Mods: Custom fitment to lower legs to work with hub brake system.
Sheet metal
Tanks: Machined from solid block billet aluminum
Fenders: Machined from solid block billet aluminum
Oil tank: Machined from solid block billet aluminum
Paint
Sheet metal: none
Base coat: none
Graphics: none
Frame: Candy Red Powder Coat
Base coat: Chrome powder coat
Type: n/a
Graphics or art:n/a
Pinstriping: Accent leather strips on tank and fender
Wheels
Front
Make: HDW custom made wheel
Size: 17 x 3-inch
Brake calipers: Beringer dual 6-piston
Brake rotor(s): Beringer Hub brake system
Tire: Continental Conti Attack
Rear
Make: HDW custom made wheel
Size: 17 x 5.5-inch
Brake calipers: 3 Guyz Sprotor
Brake rotor: 3 Guyz Sprotor
Pulley: n/a
Tire: Continental Conti Attack
Controls
Foot controls: Brass Balls Cycles
Finish: brushed billet aluminum
Master cylinder: Excell
Brake lines: Goodridge
Handlebar controls: ISR
Finish: Black Anodize
Clutch Cable: Motion Pro
Brake Lines: Goodridge
Shifting: yep, it does
Kickstand: stock/locking
Electrical
Ignition: S&S
Ignition switch: Brass Balls Cycles
Coils: Drag
Regulator: Cycle Electric
Charging: Cycle Electric
Starter: All Balls Racing
Wiring: Wire Plus
Harness: Wire Plus
Headlight: Brass Balls Performance / JW Speaker
Taillight: Joker Machine
Accessory lights: N/A
Electrical accessories: N/A
Switches: ISR
Battery: AnitGravity
What’s Left
Seat: Custom 2 level nickel-plated pan by Brass Balls Cycles with amazing leatherwork by HixDesign
Mirror(s): CRG Bar End mirrors
Gas caps: Machined billet aluminum
Handlebars: Moto Tracker Bars
Grips: Kustom Tech
Pegs: Brass Balls Cycles Machined Aluminum / knuled
Oil filter: yes
Oil cooler: N/A
Oil lines: GoodYear
Fuel filter: yes
Fuel Lines: S&S
Throttle: Joker Machine
Throttle cables: Motion Pro
Fasteners: Gardner Westcott
Specialty items:
For starters, the fuel tank & rear fender are machined from solid block 6061 billet aluminum. The sides of the oil tank are machined also.
The front brake is a hub brake system from Beringer Brakes, designed for small aircraft. Beringer has adapted it to be used with custom motorcycles. However, there is no standard bolt up fitment, so we had to figure out a way to make it all work together. Through prototyping on previous F3 Rocketeer’s we’ve developed mounting blocks that are machined to fit into the lower fork legs (which we also machine) to a perfect fitment. The result is a clean and mechanical looking brake system that work extremely well.
The seat is comprised of three seat pans. The top pan is covered in leather and bolts to the base which has a bottom pan that allows the Chopper Shox to travel through and are mounted to the top base pan.
The powertrain is my favorite combination. S&S shovel alt/gen style 93-inch H, motor. Baker primary and Primo Rivera 6-speed tranny. Given that this bike is one of our limited edition AMD world championship replicas, we machine that on the base plate of the motor with and the number in the series… in this case No. 7 of 15.–Dar
Comments:
This bike was commissioned by a special customer in Dubai, U.A E., where our dealer Cafe Rider is based.
Credits:
We are grateful for our customer, our dealer who does a great job representing Brass Balls Cycles, and our employees & vendors who collectively bring our bikes to life.–Dar
