Willie’s Chopper Time Show at Tropical Tattoo

Bike Week March 10, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Award Choices

This is a tough one. We all have dreams, but dreams take resources. And of course, your resources need resources. Our Bikernet, 5-Ball Racing dream is to build the first streamlined trike, the Salt Torpedo. Several companies recognized the concept and stepped up, including JIMS machine, Paughco, MetalSport, Carl’s Speed Shop and BDL. We got moving.

Hell, Dennis Manning, who is working on his first book about Salt Flat Racing, saw the light and helped initiate a trike class through the European sanctioning body, FIM. “If you’re building a trike, we better have a class,” Dennis said.

Another company stepped up, Lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston, Texas, to help us mate the Paughco engine carriage to a dragster front end. Unfortunately, the one-man talented band, Kent Weeks, was forced to move his shop, and he couldn’t deliver on the frame. We had to adjust our thinking, look for more resources, shift gears and get the juices flowing again.

While reshaping a set of beautiful Victory bags, Kent helped to organize all of our components. Then a brother suggested, “Ship them to LA. We’ll haul ass to Carson City and deliver them to the Paughco Wonderland,” said Kelly Dube.

I called Rick Krost of US Choppers, who I introduced to Ron Paugh. He worked with Paughco for five years on his Board Track frame line. Now, the Paughco team builds his tanks, frames, you name it. It’s amazing what Ron Paugh’s team is capable of, and Rick’s always looking for an excuse to jam north to the Paughco facility and discuss new ideas.

We peeled out early on a Sunday morning and rolled comfortably into Carson City, Nevada. It’s a helluva road, U.S. 395 weaving along the base of the snow-covered Cathedral Range of mountains through small towns, like Mammoth and Bishop, with 30 mph limits. We stopped in Bishop for some amazing barbecued chili in a baked potato.

Prior to the northern run, I spoke to Ron briefly and he wanted me to talk to Steve Massicotte, the wizard of shop projects and product development. It’s always interesting when you talk to someone about your dream. You’re animated and exuberant and sometimes the other person looks at you strange, like, “What the fuck are you talking about?” These guys understand trikes, and sometimes old guys get the Belly Tank notion. Tying the two together is often a problem.

They’ve been at it for 40-plus years and have the equipment to draw 10-inch deep gas tanks. “We ship two springers a week,” Ron said, as we wandered through his shop discussing various products and chopper history.

At every turn, there stood a jig for a tank or component from 25-30 years ago, and he can still make everything he did when his dad helped kick off the company. “He was the master. He could build anything, including brass headlight buckets and rings.”

“At 5:30 AM sharp on every work day for the last 40-plus years, I head for the Paughco facility with a smile on my face,” Ron said. “Simply put, because I love this industry and consider myself one of the luckiest people alive for being fortunate enough to have been part of it from the beginning.”

As we wandered around the shop, we stumbled across massive machines and the abilities to build anything right. “Having grown up in the San Fernando Valley, the custom bike and car culture had a great impact on me during my rebellious youth,” Ron said. “In 1964, I bought a 1946 Knuckle basket for $150.00 and built my first Bobber. It was my daily transportation to high school and really set the stage for my lifelong involvement with choppers.

“In 1968, at the request of the southland’s premier chopper shop, my father’s manufacturing company crafted what is recognized as the first custom part made specifically for the chopper market. That part was a replacement tin inner primary for Pan and Knuckleheads. Once other shops caught wind that we were capable of producing such a specialized product, requests for other parts flooded our office.”

Fortunately, Ron is also a trike believer and for years developed systems to hook trike sections to almost any bike. This is his latest feat. They built a Billy Bike replica in a trike configuration in less than 60 days. They do trikes, so he understood our desire to build a trike streamliner. He gets it. But he still didn’t share my vision.

It wasn’t until I handed Ron the Atomic Bob original drawing/painting at lunch that he said, “Is this what we’re working on?” Suddenly, he was inspired.

I was also moved to feel some Salt Torpedo movement under my feet. We unloaded the parts with Steve Massicotte and Kyle, another Paughco team member, fab genius, in the back of the shop in a very private room about the size of a two-car garage and started to kick around ideas.

I was concerned about my size and my ability to fit in this puppy. We eyed the original Paughco touring bike frame and I explained how the rear tire would cut through the bottom of the belly tank to meet the surface of salt. We determined that I could fit if I cut off my feet and could fold myself into the shape of a Pretzel. Actually I was cool, but we needed to find a steering box.

Kyle asked about the pipe bends Kent had mandrel-bent in Houston and I started to take notes. We needed a sketch from Kent, and a steering box.

“We never did get a steering box,” Kent said. “I was hoping to get a little help on that once the frame was roughed out, so I never made a final choice, I was looking at dragster parts, though.”

“I have a folder heading out to you with MSDS sheets for the materials, along with some other paperwork, so I’ll put a basic sketch together for the tubing and send it along,” Kent added. “The bends are for a dragster style five-point roll cage (basically the center tube goes from under the driver’s seat, connects to the back bone of the bike frame and comes around overhead and is the center rib for the roll cage). It was done in two parts and still needs a sleeve made for the weld joint.”

“I have a very good friend up here, Darrel, who owns a Knucklehead and built several rail chassis,” Steve added in the shop. “He raced quite a bit in the ‘60s.
He came by and looked at the project and is excited to help…really good guy and one of the best fab guys you will ever meet.”

Kyle immediately analyzed the front dragster axle while Ron gave us a tour of the shop. They are selling more frames than ever.

I reached out to Kent about his sketches.

“I don’t have the project drawn out in blueprints or anything. As I mentioned, it takes about as much time to put it on paper as it does to just start in with a little old fashioned prototype fabrication,” said Kent Weeks, “but I did whip up a basic sketch help share the idea. It’s a fairly basic design really, a dragster frame with a Road King frame for the drive section.”

Steve mentioned his friend who builds dragsters, and even though the dimensions will be completely different, maybe he can do the front section with a few mods to his fixture and pass it back to the Paughco team to join the two together. Otherwise, he can just build some fixtures and perhaps go from scratch as I was going to do.

“There is a hot rod book I am sending with your paperwork,” Kent continued. “It has some basic dragster frame designs laid out in case Steve goes from scratch. I felt that if it looked like something the officials were used to seeing, it might just help it get approved to run without scrutinizing troubles, haha!”

Meanwhile back with Ron and Paughco history: “Time was when it was just a bunch of young rebels armed with hacksaws, torches and spray paint, cutting, chopping, bobbing and stripping. In those early days, you didn’t dare ride anything but a rigid and electric starters were taboo. Being able to light your engine within a specified number of kicks was pretty much how we measured your cool factor and relationship with your bike.”

Speaking of old and new times, they’ve developed a low cost, mostly powder-coated springer, which is still Paughco strong. “We need to keep safe springers on the market to combat the dangerous ones.”

There you have it. The flames are screaming at the sky. I’m in touch with Bill Woods, and Bikernet is a sponsor of the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials. It sure would be a joy to see the Salt Torpedo make a pass or two on the Salt Flats in 2016. Hang on for the next report.

Paughco

JIMS Machine

Lucky Devil Metal Works

Wire Plus

MetalSport

Biker’s Choice

This story is about two young upstarts in the motorcycle industry. They didn’t stumble into each other until the evil Bikernet.com web site tossed them together in a Port of Los Angeles ghetto, but we can’t go there.

Actually, Imogen, who runs the Great Frog wild skull jewelry outlet on Melrose in Hollywood, was first discovered by the esteemed Bikernet Feature photographer, Markus Cuff, while looking cute at a Born Free Show. Her slender form and dramatic tattoos attracted his attention.

“I need to shoot you for Tattoo Magazine,” Markus spouted to Imogen, a Born Free 2 girl.

“Sorry, I don’t do that,” Imogen replied humbly. “I’m not a model.”

Since that fateful day in the dust and blistering sun at the outdoor California park bobber show, Imogen has glistened on the cover of Tattoo magazine, on the cover of Dice Magazine, a model for Sailor Jerry Rum, featured in a recent Harley-Davidson apparel catalogs, twice shot for 5-Ball Racing Leathers, Cycle Source magazine, and recently she blasted across the country on a new Harley, with four other girls and Lana MacNaughton.

Imogen, originally from New Zealand and related to the Great Frog in London, hadn’t experienced a number of states and was blown away while slicing through over 6000 miles and 19 states in 38 days on a modified Dyna Wide Glide by the HOG Magazine staff.

Here’s what the factory said about the ride:

Harley-Davidson celebrated 100 years of strong and confident women riders by supporting renowned photographer and motorcyclist Lana MacNaughton and the Highway Runaways Ride. Distinguished for her “Women’s Moto Exhibit,” MacNaughton lead four of her closest female friends, including Imogen, on a cross-country Harley-Davison motorcycle journey.

The four-week tour ended in San Francisco. The ride was inspired by the infamous Avis and Effie Hotchkiss ride in 1915, when the mother and daughter team became the first women to ride their Harley-Davidson across the U.S. Like the Hotchkiss ride 100 years ago, Harley-Davidson powered the Highway Runaways Ride.

“I wasn’t accustomed to a big bike,” Imogen said. The crew of girls jumped their new Harleys in Brooklyn and cut a concrete trail for the outskirts of the city. “I had to learn and acclimate to the big bike quickly while slicing through dense traffic.”

She discovered in a New York minute what a 6-speed Dyna loves to do. “It couldn’t wait to feel the freedom of the open road and 6th gear, which I loved.”

The bike builder Andrew Ursich is or could very well be a major member of the next line of serious United States custom bike builders. He has the touch, talent, and mechanical sense of detail and is about to have his second effort published in Cycle Source magazine.

Located on the backstreets of Long Beach in a shady industrial area scattered with small shops without signs, or faded marques and locked doors. Andrew’s shop was one of four in a line behind a tall locked metal gate wrapped with black sheet metal, so folks can’t see past the yard and into his roll-up metal door where his chopped and channeled ’59 Cadillac resides. Ultimately it will be a slammed El Camino/Caddy when he’s finished. Next to it sat this Sporty, a glistening jewel surrounded by Bondo dust, primer coated fenders, and gray shop equipment.

Andrew grew up in San Pedro. His dad, a machinist, and his mom worked in the office of a shipping company. Andrew was constantly surrounded by metal. He took a class at Wyotech, then a seminar in metal shaping by Gene Winfield and attended a dinner after the class. The next day Gene offered him a job as a shop intern. For two years he drove 100 miles out of the city, and spent the week sequestered in the Mojave Desert working on a ’49 Mercury chopping the top, learning fabrication, and metal shaping.

“Gene was a laid back boss,” Andrew said. “He told us what he wanted and let us go after the project.” Gene’s shop is located in the center of an old wrecking yard, surrounded with desert relics. After a couple of years Andrew was offered a Union gig at the Port of Long Beach with benefits and he jumped, but his desire to customize didn’t stop or even slow down. He towed his stripped classic Cadillac into his shop and went to work after hours.

But as you know too well, there’s an evil spirit surrounding every two-wheeled demon. It sucks in the unsuspecting average Joe who stumbles, unknowingly into the magnetic aura of the criminal bike builder. In this case a short stubby grinding and welding maniac, who lived under his MIG welder in the unmarked shop out front, surrounded by bobbers, chopped Sportys, frisco’d Yamahas, and ancient Shovelheads became the flashy lure.

No sooner did tall, clean-shaven Andrew move into his shop and start reworking the shapely ’59 Caddy body, when the sliding door to McQuiston’s custom cycles slid open on squeaky metal wheels and a passel of wild ape hanger maniacs screamed and snorted. With tall straight pipes shooting flames at the sky as they peeled into the cool Long Beach city night air.

It’s like the gypsy woman’s spell over an unsuspecting street urchin, turning his life suddenly upside down. Within a week Andrew purchased a basket case Sporty off the cracked and stained McQuiston concrete deck and a modified stock Paughco tail sectioned frame from his rusty iron shelves.

Slightly burnt out on the caddy project he shifted all of his free-time attention to his first bike build. Or was it the metal flake disease? “I thought it would go faster,” Andrew muttered. “I couldn’t stop.” He thought he’d build a quick classic chop, rattle-can the finish and go for a ride, but the engine contained a couple of brass elements and it caught Andrew’s attention. His Gene Winfield detailed learning surfaced and he started to build brass elements, with the help of Lowbrow. Some of the brass components came from Italy.

Andrew hand made the headlight bracket, then the fender struts, the inspection cover and the shift and brake linkages. His attention turned to making and modifying the sheet metal. He made the battery box, the ignition counsel, point cover, and modified the pipes from straight drags to upswept puppies.

He hand brass-braided all his lines and ran clear shrink tubing over them except for the ends, which are black strips of heated tubing. He hand made the bottom fender bracket and drilled all the lightening holes. Then he made the handlebars the coil cover and the kickstand. Heating and tacking solid 3/8-inch bar on his tank and rear fender edges, he created a unique design touch to his sheet metal.

He switched out the Sportster rocker boxes for 1959 jobs. “They are not as squared off,” Andrew said, “and the cast aluminum was not so porous so it took the chrome without pits.” As a final detail touch he brass plated the license plate frame then painted it black. While the paint was wet he wiped off the numbers.

“I’m fully into bike building now,” Andrew said and I noticed a fiery glint in his eyes. “I need to out-do myself with the next one, maybe a Pan or a Knuckle.” We are fortunate to bring you a couple of teaser shots from his next build, which will soon be featured in Cycle Source Magazine.

I started to back towards the door. The offshore wind kicked up and his steel roll-up door rattled a wild rhythmic call for the road.

I wanted to ask about the Brass Monkey name. Markus, our photographer mentioned a 1980s song by the Beastie Boys, and a redhead whispered something about a cocktail made with dark rum, vodka and orange juice. I needed to find that redhead.

Sources:

J&P

5-Ball Racing Leathers

Paughco

…. Rollin to the Bikernet, Global Headquarters, Wilmington, Ca.

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks….. for unlimited encouragement and more.
Keith R. Ball, www.bikernet.com, Brad, www.aerocharger.com, Kent Riches, www.airtech-streamlining.com, Chance Darling, www.barnettclutches.com, Alan Alvarez, www.daytona-twintec.com, Jimmie, www.horsepowerinc.net, Randy Torgeson, www.kingofcubes.com, Paul Kittrell, www.lyndallracingbrakes.com, Paul Thede, www.racetech.com, Reggie Sr. & Jr. www.rrcycle.com, Nitro Bill, www.stddevelopment.com, Guy Caputo, Tiger Racing, www.1st-to-the-finish-line.com, Steve Packer, www.turbodoc.com, Duncan Keller, www.yankeeengineuity.com ….

…. Patiently waiting for traction ????

But wait there’s more…. Brad Beach, Beach Racing… Rick Tedder, R/T Perfromance ….
Dr. Willie Lanham, Long Beach, CA. …. Fung Shui Master Pilot/Welder Toby, Long Beach, CA …. and all three ex-wives, three sons and their families.

2014 & 2015 …. Remarkable years in many ways.

…. 2014 ….Lands end with Sam Wheeler ….

2014 ….August …Destination Bonneville ….
Your 5-Ball Racing Team arrived on the salt prepared for the run of a lifetime. Suited up and rolled to the International Long Course, staged for the first ride on the salt with the Dan Thayer tuned, 124 inch twin cam Raycer. Yahoo, here comes the wind and rain. Returned to the pits on a Rocket and battened down the hatches for the night. The next morning at the drivers meeting it was announced …the track was closed for the day in anticipation of a dry, runnable course on the last day of the meet.

…. Passed Scrutinizing ….

Arrived the next morning at the crack of dawn ready to roll. The motorcycles on the long course were experiencing major traction issues (slippin and slidin), so ….made one of very few adult decisions …return home safe and sound.

2015 …. The infamous, elusive Bonneville was closed once again, due to weather issues.

…. Inspecting the Tarmac at The Ohio Mile ….

Sept. 24 … Thursday arrived in Wilmington, Ohio.
The long awaited Ohio Mile, last chance for a pass this year. Passed Tech ready for the pass of a lifetime. Once again the gusting wind scuttled any attempts at a safe run on a full fairing bike.

….2015 ….Windy Saturday on Ohio ….

Sunday morning checked out of my room, rolled to the tarmac and loaded the hot rod for a trip Northward to Dan Thayer’s, V Twin Fuel Injection in Corfu, New York. Dan ran two buckets of race fuel during a one week visit while dyno tuning, discovering a couple minor issue.

…. Tuning

Oct. 4, 2015 ….Sunday ….

…Dan Thayer tuning ….

Tuning was completed…Dan rolled the hot rod out of the shop… Time for a ride on a country back road. About a mile to the main road, a u-turn and returned to the shop. Managed a 2nd and 3rd gear pull before running out of road …we have a rocket ship.

…. Haulin ASS one more time ….

11/27… Friday….returned to Corfu, New York …. unhooked the trailer with the race bike safely secured . We discussed what to do for the 2016 race season. Hauled Ass early Friday evening and rolled south, destination Olive Branch, Mississippi.

Peeking into the future…. we will be tuned and ready to attack the tarmac at the Ohio Mile ….

Until then have a Merry Christmas and the Greatest New Years Ever ….

–Ray C. Wheeler
All Knowing Bikernet Performance Editor

NMA Editor’s Note: The NMA has a long tradition of calling out the AAA for its often contradictory or hypocritical stances on important motorists’ issues such as improperly set speed limits and the use of red-light cameras.

NMA Foundation Executive Director Jim Walker has often led the charge as he did recently with this letter to AAA Northeast. The letter below serves as a balanced critique of AAA’s recommendation for a red-light camera program in White Plains, New York. Note how Jim cuts through AAA’s rhetoric and uses the facts to dismantle the association’s arguments.

Dear Mr. Slatky,

Thanks for the paper on recommendations for a White Plains red-light camera program. It contains many of the generic principles that could establish a fair and transparent program aimed at producing safety improvements if cities adopted them, not a lucrative revenue stream. However it does not contain the specific mandates necessary to prevent using a program primarily for revenue rather than safety.

There are no absolute (“Shall” in traffic engineering terminology) requirements to:

Use yellow intervals in the ITE formula based on the actual 85th percentile approach speeds of free flowing traffic under good conditions.

Use perception/reaction times in the ITE formula longer than 1.0 seconds which is sufficient for only about half the drivers.

Use a minimum grace period for the reasonable tolerance principle mentioned (Virginia mandates 0.5 seconds by law).

Prevent ticketing the overwhelming majority of safe slow rolling right on red turns by safe drivers who endangered no one because they slowed enough to be sure there were no conflicting pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles as they made very low speed turns.

Do the engineering changes in advance that tend to drop violation rates by 60 percent to 90 percent before cameras can be considered.

Note that NHTSA research shows only 0.4 percent of crashes at signalized intersections also involve a right on red turn, and this percentage includes both drivers who made a full stop and those who did not. That research shows only 0.06 percent of all crashes with injuries or fatalities also involve a right-on-red-turn, and that tiny percentage also includes both drivers who made a full stop and those who did not.

Attached is an Excel chart showing the difference in using a 1.4 second perception/reaction time (PRT) in the ITE formula (or 1.0 plus a 0.4 second grace period). Since about 60 percent of all through movement violations occur in the first half-second, the 0.4 difference will tend to reduce violation rates by about 50 percent, as happened in 2013 when Florida made this mandate to use 1.4 for the PRT.

Posted speed limits at camera locations are often 7 to 10 mph lower than the actual 85th percentile approach speeds of free flowing traffic under good conditions which makes the yellow intervals another 0.5 to 0.7 seconds too short.

Cities and the camera companies know this, so timing yellows for the under-posted speed limits is a material part of their for-profit business plans. There are a lot of documented examples where cities added 1.0 seconds to yellow intervals (as Georgia mandated) and got 70 percent to 90 percent reductions in the violation rates. And, contrary to false claims by the camera companies, the violation reductions are permanent, the rates do not rebound as drivers get used to the longer yellow intervals.

The for-profit camera companies and most of their for-profit city business partners strongly resist “Shall” requirements to set adequate and fair yellow intervals because they drastically reduce the revenue, sometimes below the basic costs of using the cameras. And virtually no cities will use red-light cameras that lose money, when the total fines are lower than the costs of the cameras.

Cities could claim they followed the outline and the generic fairness principles in the paper, and still issue most tickets for split-second violations and safe slow rolling right-on-red-turns by safe drivers—none of which endangered anyone. The for-profit ticket camera companies and most of their for-profit city business partners will use any loopholes necessary to make and keep the cameras profitable above their typical costs of $4,000 to $5,000 per month per camera.

We believe AAA should actively and publicly oppose all red-light camera programs that do not make the engineering changes to prevent most inadvertent split-second violations, and to prevent ticketing slow rolling right-on-red-turns when the video evidence does not reveal a failure to yield the right-of-way or some other hazardous action.

But, so far, these requirements are not in the AAA position. AAA does not actively and publicly oppose most of the red-light camera programs that are run primarily for profits.

Regards,

–Jim Walker

It was hot in New York. And the wool Pendleton board shirts and a heavy jacket were overkill for the 60 degree December weather. It was even hotter in the Javits Convention Center because it was packed wall-to-wall with enthusiasts. 

MOD RETRO

FREESTYLE

The Bikes, Blues and BBQs rally in Fayetteville Arkansas was behind me now and the time spent with old friends there had been uncommonly good. But the chill of winter’s coming now occupied the northern regions and seemed to be moving steadily south—as was I.

Most often drifter life, at least as I know it, is filled with leisure, little stress, and an easy desire to follow the road to whatever adventure might next present itself. But today it was not so.

Just now I rode the southbound highways with bungee cords, rope, and duct tape holding the motorcycle’s trunk and saddlebag together. For, the damage caused by the Gold Wing that had rear-ended me in Pueblo Colorado had only been partially repaired at Randy’s farm in Kansas. But there still remained plenty of broken fiberglass and I guessed that would just have to wait.

But the Gold Wing rider’s insurance company had cut me a check for $3,000 and still let me keep the bike. Shortly after, a reader had sent photos of a low mileage 1991 FLHT he wanted $4,500 for. A replacement? No. Betsy and I had been together over 20 years and, for all the shared adventures, she’d become a very dear friend. I had no intention of letting her go. Still, being only three years newer, the proposed low mileage FL offered a lot of great parts and, after some thought, I’d called an entrepreneurial friend in Kansas to ask if he’d put up the rest of the money for this bike. He’d been bugging me to get a new one for years, and for him $1,500 was pocket change anyway. I’d pay it back in time. Meanwhile he’d have the bike and tittle as collateral. After looking over the photos I’d sent, he’d agreed, then had the new bike shipped to his home in Kansas. Maybe I’d see it in the coming summer.

Just now however, on that southbound Texas highway, it was another mechanical issue that occupied my thoughts. For some months the bike had been vibrating like a high voltage dildo, which was seriously affecting the pleasure of my ride. Damn, this bike and its problems were becoming a real pain lately.

I thought of the destination ahead…

It had been years ago I’d broken down in Beaumont Texas, showed up in the parking lot of Dale’s Bike Shop, and ended up sleeping in the back room for almost a month while Dale’d loaned me use of a lift to make repairs, and a loner motorcycle or the shop truck to get around with meanwhile. Although grumpy at times, inside Dale’s chest obviously beat the big heart of an old school biker. During my stay we’d become tight friends and over the years I’d revisited this shop many times. I valued Dale’s mechanical advice and had called to ask about the vibration problem. He’d said, “Sounds like the crank might have come out of true. Come by and we’ll check it.” So Dale’s Shop had become my next destination.

The shop sat pretty much as it always had along the small highway of what was mostly an industrial area. But closer inspection did reveal a few changes. Added to the full shop and dyno tuning machine that seemed always to have been here, Dale was also installing a full machine shop into one of the adjacent bays. Obviously he wished to delve more deeply into the realm of heavy engine work.

I entered the building to find Bryan, an HD mechanic for over 30 years and Dale’s only full time employee, sitting at a lift as he wrenched a red bagger. We’d known each other from previous visits and Bryan’s reception was warm. Next I ventured into the office to find Dale sitting at his computer—as usual. Although his greeting was more aloof, I knew this to be Dale’s way. He soon ventured outside to look my bike over. “It’s not locked,” I offered as he threw a leg over then took off down the road. Upon return Dale said, “Yup. She’s a shaker.”

I was told to make home in the guard shack/smoking room out back as usual, and quickly stowed my stuff there.

On his own lift, the one I’d be using, sat the Shovelhead Dale’d been building from spare parts. The project had starting with an old, now rebuilt, transmission I’d left here years ago. The bike was still unfinished and I’d need to move it to clear room for my own bike.

By late afternoon I had Betsy’s primary apart to expose the engine’s main shaft, as well as the cam chest removed to expose the pinion shaft at its other side. Dale put a dial indicator (measuring tool) in place as I used a socket to spin the engine slowly . The pinion shaft was out by 9 thousandths. Not acceptable. Main shaft was the same. Although common to twin cam engines, this was the first I’d heard of such a thing happening to an evo; for these two bottom ends are built very differently. But this engine had seen over 330,000 miles, and at 205,000 it had presented the first bottom end problem I’d ever had. A friend then sold me this rebuilt crank at a good price. As to the man who’d rebuilt it, I’d never met him. So much for his work. Still, it had held true for 125,000 miles.

The cracking of Budweiser cans signified the day’s work was over. Only bullshit would prevail now. It was an old ritual, and on most days many stopped by for the late afternoon social gathering so common to this place.

I awoke in the guard shack and, after a short walk for coffee at the donut shop across the street, began the chore of pulling the motor from my bike. Once on the bench I’d tear it apart. Because I’m not a real mechanic, just a good shade-tree wrench, this job would take time.

By afternoon Dale pointed to one of his own bikes—a hot-rod FXR—and said, “That thing’s been sitting for a while. It needs a battery and the cobwebs blown out. Fix it and you can use it while you’re here.” I turned attention immediately to the FXR and had it running in an hour. For the rest of this week’s stay I’d bomb around town on my personal little 93 inch hot rod. What a gas.

Within a few days Betsy’s engine was in pieces and the crank sat on a truing stand. Further measurements revealed the flywheels to be out by 13 thousandths. Bad news. Although most of Dale’s new machine shop was in an adjacent bay, it was not yet fully functional and Dale did not true cranks here. In past he’d simply sent bottom ends out to Dark-Horse in Wisconsin. But that would take weeks. The local machinist was out with a medical problem, which eliminated my options for having this crank re-trued in town. A serious dilemma. Well, in the light of this engine being such high mileage anyway, I began to think of a replacement.

During this interval of contemplation Dale, always the profit minded businessman, put me to work with Bryan on customer bikes and I was glad for the opportunity to give something back.

By evenings I talked about this problem on facebook and, shockingly, some readers sent replies of “Where do you want us to send money?” To which I asked, “Why would you wanna do that?” I mean, I’d seen my share of such predicaments before and knew things would ultimately work themselves out. However, I soon received a call from a friend who asked, “How much do you get paid for your writing?” To which I answered, “Very little. I write mostly for the readers.” “Exactly,” she countered, “Now let them help you. They want too.” After that Dale set up a gofundme for any who wished to donate, and the money began to trickle in. I was amazed.

But time was running out…

It had been months ago I’d been contacted by “Everything Is Stories”. Mike Martinez, whose company produces audio documentaries, said he wished to do a piece on my drifting life. An exciting opportunity! A very cordial dude, he needed to set a date and place at which we could meet. We’d eventually settled on New Orleans and Mike had already bought plane tickets and booked rooms for his five associates. He could no longer cancel those flights—and I had an engine in pieces.

We were scheduled to hook up in two weeks.

As I weighed my options the thought of a gear-head buddy near New Orleans who had an evo engine sitting in his garage came to mind. I called him. Getting older and wanting for the comfort of a bagger to replace the home-built chopper with a 113” Ultima engine he’d been riding for years, Evan had purchased a wrecked 1995 FL then repaired it. After riding the bagger until its stock engine developed a bad oil leak at the base gaskets, he’d simply pulled the thing and shoved the Ultima engine in it’s place. I told Evan of my situation and asked if he wanted to sell the old evo. “Sure,” he said, “But all I can tell you is that it ran great when I pulled it, and leaked like a sieve. That’s all I know. How’s $1,200 sound?” I agreed. But he was still four hours away. I asked about shipping. “How about I bring it to you?” Evan said. Again I was shocked. From the first I’d begun hanging with bikers as a kid, the value they placed on friendship had always seemed far beyond the ordinary to me. I guess that’s not changed.

Two days later Evan showed up with my new engine stowed in the trunk of the little economy car he’d borrowed to augment the cost of fuel for his truck on this, for him, eight hour ride. I paid gladly from the slim funds in my pocket.

I began the process of pulling the new engine’s top end apart and installing new gaskets against the leaks that Evan had promised. Two days later the engine was installed and seemed to run exceptionally well.

For all the favors he’d done me over the years, I made a gift of Betsy’s old motor to Dale . Maybe he’d build another bike from it, as he seemed so fond of doing with the worn out parts I leave behind (remember the Shovelhead?).

By the following day I was again on the Louisiana back roads of a sunny day while en-route to the famous city of New Orleans. Little did I suspect the grand adventure that lay just ahead…

 

He can adjust fork travel by modifying the slider dampening and adjusting the weight and amount of fork oil used. He’s a master of carefully crafted details, and in many cases, his modifications improve functionality. “I’m anal and freaky about my bikes,” Jeff said. “They must work perfectly.” Many of his bikes are shipped overseas to Thailand, Israel, Europe, or Australia. They need to operate impeccably, so his customer reports are always glowing.

He recently moved to some acreage on the edge of interstate 74 near the Indiana border, into an A-frame with no neighbors for 8 miles to the left and none for 4 miles to the right. Behind him, his land runs into a forest bordering the highway. His shop is directly behind his house, and he often goes days without seeing anyone but the UPS man.

Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: JEFF COCHRAN

Bike Name: COMPANY CAR

Builder: JEFF COCHRAN

City/state: WEST HARRISON INDIANA

Company Info:

Address: 27662 VALLEY VISTA CT

Phone: 513-885-7433

Web site: WWW.SPEEDKINGRACING.COM

E-mail: OLDSCHOOLJEFF@AOL.COM

Fabrication: JEFF

Manufacturing:

Welding: JEFF

Engine

Year: 1976

Make: SHOVELHEAD

Model: FLH

Displacement: 74 CI

Builder or Rebuilder: DONNY LOOS

Cases: HARLEY

Case finish: BLAST

Barrels: STOCK

Bore: STOCK

Pistons: WEISCO

Barrel finish: BLACK

Lower end: HD

Stroke: STOCK

Rods: HD

Heads: HD

Head finish: BLAST

Cams: SIFTON

Lifters: SOLID

Carburetion: BENDIX

Air cleaner: AFTERMARKET

Exhaust: SPEEDKING

Transmission

Year: 1980

Make: HD

Primary: BELT

Clutch: STOCK/SPEEDKING

Final drive: CHAIN

Kicker: YES

 

 

Frame

Year: 1976

Builder: HARLEY/JEFF COCHRAN

Style or Model: SWINGARM

Stretch: STOCK

Rake: STOCK

Modifications: SPEEDKING DROPSEAT

Front End

Make: 39MM

Model: NARROW GLIDE

Year: LATE ’90S

Length: 3-UNDER

Mods:SHAVED 

Sheet metal

Tanks: WASSEL

Fenders: RWD

Oil tank: SPEEDKING

 

Paint

Sheet metal: GOLD

Molding: NONE

Base coat: Randy Darby

Graphics: STOCK EMBLEMS

Frame: POWDER COAT

Molding: NONE

Wheels

Front Make: AFTERMARKET

Size: 21X2.15-inch

Brake calipers: NONE

Brake rotor(s): NONE

Tire: SCORPION

Rear

Make: AFTERMARKET

Size: 18X5.5-inch

Brake calipers: WILWOOD/SPEEDKING

“RUSHHOUR RACING”

Brake rotor: POLISHED 11.5

Tire:PODIUM 

Finish: BLACK

Shifting: SPEEDKING “BIG RIG” JOCKEY

Kickstand: 2-inch UNDER

Electrical Ignition: POINTS

Ignition switch: TOGGLE

Coils: AFTERMARKET

Regulator: 32-AMP

Charging: 32-AMP

Starter: NONE

Wiring: JEFF COCHRAN

Headlight: 4.5

Taillight: AXLE MOUNT

Battery: ANTIGRAVITY

 

 

What’s Left

Seat: BLACK BULL NOSE

Mirror(s): 3-inch

Handlebars: Z BARS

Grips: AFTERMARKET

Oil filter: 3/4-16