Editor’s Note: The Bikernet staff supports the new series of Editor’s Choice bike shows created by Chris Callen of Cycle Source. They were created to give guys an opportunity to meet magazine editors and hopefully get their bikes featured in national magazines. Bikernet was one of the original supporters and the only Internet magazine in the mix. The Broken Spoke folks stepped up and have kindly sponsored this series of shows, even the competition at the Las Vegas Bike Fest in conjunction with the Artistry in Iron Show also sponsored by Cycle Source.
At Sturgis Bike Week, Rogue, our senior Bikernet correspondent and tech editor, was on hand at the Broken Spoke to pick the Bikernet Editor’s Choice recipient and handle the photographic duties.
“This is a good example of what a lot of the younger riders are riding,” said Rogue, “and this bike is ridden! Chris Callen, of Cycle Source and Vincent Stemp, of IronWorks, pointed it out to me, and I thought it would be a good one because if you look closely, there is a lot. I arrived just as the judging was going on and the crew was going over the bikes they had picked.
There you have it. I like to say, “I can’t leave anything alone.” I modify my toaster if given half a chance. Dan takes it to another level. He can’t stop modifying his motorcycle. Since Sturgis ’13 he has changed the length of his pipes twice and is looking for Triumph-styled megaphones to alter the tips again.
“I have no dog or a girlfriend,” said Dan, “but who the hell needs them anyway? My girlfriend is my bike. Takes me where I wanna go, and never complains about the things I buy for her.”
Dan started riding around 10 years of age, on his dad’s ’86 FXR. “Went to HOG rallies in Louisiana and some poker runs,” Dan said. “I was on the back when we
hit some pea gravel in a sharp left on a hill. Dad laid the FXR down, and I was dragged behind it as we slid along the road.” Dad had road rash but jumped up, dusted himself off and we rode it home, 1.5 hours away. “We sold the FXR.”
“Dad gave me his ‘89 Heritage Softail back in ’05, said Dan. “I eventually started to notice how cool Sporties were becoming.” Dan picked up the Asian Dan moniker on the streets of Denver. “I’m half white and half Vietnamese, and I had lots of riding pals named Dan, and several local band members. The Asian Dan title separated me from the masses and stuck.”
In August of ’08, Dan bought the ‘99 Sportster XLC 883 (custom). It came with a 21-inch front and a solid aluminum rear with extra chrome for the custom look (the model lasted from ’99 to ’09). “I started chopping it immediately,” Dan said, “making it my own.” Initially, he started off with rigid struts, and then since he lives in Denver, the natural choice would be to hang out with Irish Rich, one of the frame masters at Shamrock Fabrication or Irish Rich Custom Cycles and discuss the prospects.
Rich suggested the Led Sled tail section for fitment and strength. “Some 95 percent of my rigid Sportster mods include using the Led Sled tail,” said Irish Rich. “They are straight forward and strong.” Rich cut the backbone of the frame just behind the top motor mount and about center under the transmission. “It forms a good line from the next to the axle plates,” Rich said. “No hump. It eliminates almost half of the stock frame.”
The Led Sled unit comes with slugs welded into place. Rich plug-welded the slugs and seam-welded the mating surfaces. The tail section was manufactured with .120 wall thickness mild steel tubing.
[photo 429004]
Of course, Asian Dan is still making changes, and he recently ordered a set of 6-inch over tubes from Forking by Frank, against the Irish Rich recommendation, but what the hell?
This is me losing to Jay
It was close, but Jay won the final race. In ’11 Dan rode the 400-mile trek to Sturgis once more with pipes 2 feet longer than this version. “They hung in there fine,” Dan said, since most brothers know tall pipes and sissy bars, especially on rigids, don’t hang for long.
“Bullshit,” Rich said. “When he got back, I pointed out the cracks in the pipes.” Just recently, he saved the day with hose clamps and turnbuckles. “I have to admit,” Dan said, “the longer the pipes the more power I lose, but some of these puppies are louder when I let off the gas.”
Jay loses to me.
“At first, I called it the addiction,” Dan said, “because I was addicted to riding it, and it was all I thought about when off the bike.”
He trucked out to the west coast for the Born Free 5, and then rode all over Southern California. “My bars were made of stainless steel by a B. Wagner from Maryland,” Dan said. “They are very narrow lane splitters. They came in handy when I was in SoCal for Born Free fighting traffic.”
It’s a non-stop project. “I handled all the engraving myself,” said Dan. “I’m learning and started practicing on the bike. The stripes on the rear tire I saw on a dirty Shovel in Japan. It had car tires on it, like an old stock car racer. I just thought it looked mean. Plus it looks cool at 10 mph.”
Dan is going to buy a welder and teach himself to weld after work at his job making cardboard boxes at International Paper. He’s been on the job for ten years. “Thadius, the blacksmith helps with all my welding projects and mods to my pipes, like the Trumpet ends like Jack Nicholson rode in Rebel Rousers. Thadius also helped me with the bracket for my jockey shifter setup.”
(The round tubes on the clutch and brake puddles are a ride-to-Sturgis temporary fix, the adjustments are about maxed out.)
“I ride year-round in Denver,” Dan said. “If it’s not below 32 degrees in the sun, and the roads are clear, I’ll ride if only for an hour.” So, is this guy a biker or what?
Owner: Dan Townsend, aka Asian Dan
Bike name: Spacin’ Out
City/state: Arvada, Colorado
Builder: led sled/ Irish Rich/me/ Thadius the Blacksmith,etc
Fabrication: Irish Rich / Thadius the Blacksmith /me, etc
Welding: many different people, ha I need to get myself a welder!
Engine
Year:1999 XL Stock
Make: H-D
MODEL: XLC
Displacement: 883, now 1200
Builder: Thunderbird motorcycles did it
Air cleaner: cheap velocity stack
Kicker: I wish, haha
Frame
Make and model: H-D XLC
Rake: stock
Modifications: Led Sled hardtail added
By: Irish Rich
Front end
Model: Stock glide
Legs: maybe 6-over in the future
Other: Fork shrouds from LowBrow Customs
Wheels
Front
Make and size: H-D 21-inch
Front brake: H-D
Tire: Shinko Trials
Rear brake: H-D
Tire: Michelin modified
Controls
Mid controls: stock modified by Thadius
Hand controls: front brake master – street bike
Shifting: jockey
Foot clutch: the original forward control rear brake lever flipped backwards on left side
Accessories
Headlight: 10 watt high power LED x 2
Tail light: LED
Seat: Sturgis swapmeet
Engraving: By Owner
Gas Tanks: 2.2 painted by Mikey at Shitbird Customs
Handlebars: Stainless lane-splitters by B. Wagner in Maryland
Dan Townsend panda_8_6@yahoo.com
http://www.shamrockfabrication.com/
http://www.ledsledcustoms.com/
