It’s almost universally recognized that “the birth of the American biker” occurred during the infamous Gypsy Tour in Hollister, California, during the Fourth of July weekend in 1947. Hollister ’47 seriously affected not only the motorcycle culture but the entirety of American society as well. (See the history piece by Bill Hayes in Special Reports.)

It still does.

From that point on, vicarious living, fear, envy, and a myriad of other emotions and reactions set the biker culture well apart from the mainstream.

Several motorcycle clubs were at the epicenter of the Hollister event. But the most visible club was the Boozefighters, led by the charismatic “Wino Willie” Forkner, a man who was to become a legend.

In 2005, “Arizona Thumper,” a well-respected custom bike builder, built a tribute bike to Wino Willie and presented it to Bill Hayes, the Boozefighters’ National Press & Publicity Officer.

Wino founded the Boozefighters in 1946; he passed away in 1997. Thumper designed Willie’s tribute bike to have stylistic touches from each of the six decades in which Wino had such an influence upon the biker culture. The bike has the “bobber” touches from the ’40s: details like no front fender; a rigid frame; ’40s-style floorboards; and a fringed seat, to name a few. The heavyweight “chopper” years of the ’50s and ’60s are represented with features like the apes; the upswept fish tails; the small Sporty tank; the guardless chain drive; and the raked front end. The bike even connects with the weird world that surrounded Harley’s AMF years of the ’70s: its Shovelhead is from a 1970 FL.

During the ’80s, the Boozefighters began to expand eastward, becoming a national entity. Willie appeared at events, always happy to talk about the history of the club and his own wild adventures. While having an essentially old school look, the Wino Willie tribute bike ties in the ’80s and ’90s in many ways: At “the factory” in Milwaukee, the ’80s brought the end of the Shovelhead and the beginning of the five-speed tranny; the Willie bike has both. Other bits of “modern” flavor include the wide-belt open primary; the wide rear tire and fender; and the 21-inch front wheel.

The bike is painted green, of course, in keeping with the Boozefighters’ colors. The graphics include a portrait of Wino on the rear fender, with the Hollister “skyline” in the background; “Hollister 1947” on the oil tank; and “The Original Wild Ones” on the gas tank, honoring the nickname that has been associated with the Boozefighters ever since the classic Marlon Brando film, “The Wild One,” was released in 1953.

One other important thing: The Wino Willie Tribute Bike isn’t a “trailer queen.” It was built to ride and it’s ridden regularly. Wino definitely would have wanted it that way.

BUILDER
Arizona Thumper
Thumper’s Customs
Prescott Valley, AZ

OWNER
Bill Hayes
Boozefighters MC

GENERAL
Year/Make: 1970 Harley-Davidson
Model: Old School
Assembly time: 3 months

ENGINE
Year: 1970
Ignition: Crane
Displacement: 74 c.i.
Lower End: Reverend Moe
Balancing: Harley-Davidson
Pistons: Harley-Davidson
Heads: STD
Cam: Stock
Carburetor: S&S E
Air Cleaner: S&S
Pipes: V-Twin

TRANSMISSION
Harley Davidson: 1999 5-speed
Modifications: stock gears
Belt Drive: 3-inch BDL

PAINTING
Painter: Thumper
Color: Organic Green
Type: House of Kolor

FRAME
Year: 2005
Type: Player/Rigid
Builder: Thumper
Rake: 32 degrees
Stretch: None
Shocks: None

ACCESSORIES
Bars: 18 inch apes/Thumper
Handlebar Controls: V-Twin
Fenders: Thumper
Headlight: King Bee/Thumper
Tail Light: 1955 mantle clock bell/Thumper
Speedo: None
Dash: None
Rear Pegs: None
Electrics: Thumper
Gas Tank: King Sportster
Oil Tank: Harley Davidson/Thumper
Oil System: Harley Davidson
Seat: Hollywood/Thumper
Mirrors: Vintage round

FORKS
Type: 1970 Harley Davidson/Brutus
Extension: Stock

WHEELS & TIRES
Front: 21” w/ Speedmaster 300-21
Brake: 1970 Manual Drum
Rear: 18 Inch w/Avon Venom
Brake: CCI Disc

SPECIAL
Paint: Wino Willie figure and lettering in gold leaf/Thumper
License Plate Backing: Diamond Plate
Fender Trim: Diamond Plate
Marker Lights: 16 Gauge Shotgun Barrel
Belt Drive Trim Plate: Brass Engraved
Rear Axle Covers: Billet with Brass Engraved Plates

Baseball players have their stats based on their batting average and runs, basketball players have their average points per game, but when it comes to Formula One race car drivers, it seems to be simpler, a matter of wins. Taking a look at Michael Schumacher’s tally tells all: Born: 3/1/69. Nationality: German. Team: Ferrari. Wins: 91. World Championships: 7.

When winning means consistently driving at speeds in excess of 200 mph in a vehicle that tips the scales at about 1200 lb., you’ve gambling on the effects of gravity and Fate remaining on your side. It helps to have razor sharp reflexes and enough testosterone to float an aircraft carrier.

Formula One aka FI, while eclipsed by IRL, Champcars and NASCAR in the United States, is still larger than all three put together when you factor in money spent on the exotic race cars as well as worldwide TV audiences. For example, Ferrari's racing budget in 1999 was estimated at $240,000,000 while estimates of global TV audiences are 300 million per race. In other words, for the rest of the world F1 is big time sports. And Michael Schumacher was at the very top of that food chain.

Formula One for those that don’t follow the exotic race car world is a worldof, well, formulas…state of the art engineering, “Terminator” level, eye-hand coordination, mental strategy…where a minute miscalculation can lead to an experience with severe blunt force trauma. The film archives are full of cars shredding themselves end over end, so the bottom line is he who makes the fewest mistakes wins at F1. Surviving is an adjunct of winning. And to turn over the steering wheel to the next in line, as Schumacher recently did as he stepped out of the factory Ferrari driver’s seat at the ripe age of 37, demonstrates both how relatively short one’s prime time as a participant in that rarified occupation and a testimony, in Schumacher’s case, to knowing how to win the final victory…taking the checkered flag and the check all the way to the bank and retirement.

It was this past October that the sport’s all-time most highly decorated veteran hung up his leathers so to speak. The place, Monza, Italy, and the event was the Corsa Clienti Finalli Mondialli, aka the World Final where owners of Ferrari’s get to launch their ex-factory race cars around the famous race track in the company of the pros with Schumacher in the spotlight. Joining in the celebration were some 50,000 fans, all wearing red of course and packing the stands to show their appreciation and to say good-bye to their hero, who at seven starting racing go carts and 30 years later, with ten as Ferrari’s lead driver, literally now a living legend.

He had been there, done that, seven times in fact. Nothing much surprised him anymore…you’d think.However Schumacher was in for a surprise, and it wasn’t on the race track. Several of his friends had conspired to present him with a “going away” gift that didn’t require a checkered flag. Knowing that Schumacher was also a big bike fan, having several in his garage back home in Switzerland, they came up with a plan thanks to a Ferrari owner in the Los Angeles area who suggested, hey, why not build him a one-off, very cool, Bobber custom. And of course paint it Ferrari red. He knew just the place…the Garage Company, home of vintage and classic bikes as well as the shop’s unique line of retro-bobbers.

Dubbed the “MS Bobber” aka “Speed Boy Special” the bike seen here was built from the ground up in just 22 days after Yoshi, the Garage Company’s honcho, got the word about the project.

Based around a 1981 80-inch Shovelhead, the rebuilt engine features S&S rods, KB pistons, Rowe valves, Sifton cam and Crane Lifters, all fed from a classic “peanut” gas tank via an S&S E carb and treated to what the Garage Co. calls a “natural finish.” Details include a vintage H-D 6-inch air cleaner for easy breathing.

The Shovel shifts gears through a matching 1981 H-D 4-speed gearbox benefiting from a Primo clutch/primary drive combo while the whole drivetrain is embedded in a 1981 H-D hardtail frame with a 33-degree rake.

Matching engine, tranny and frame keeps the nostalgia factor at full throttle as does the replica springer frontend teamed with a set of vintage triple trees.

It’s a Bobber, so 16-inch doughnuts are a must front and rear, and classic Firestones at that. Drum brakes are there if you feel like slowing down.

In the fit and finish department, the bike wasn’t just painted Ferrari red in commemoration of Schumacher’s ten years with the manufacturer, but specifically 2006 factory F1 red, the job handed over to Jim’s Cycle Painting with special graphics created by Bob Iverson. While the Bobber is a nonchromer, it does sport some nickel plated goodies courtesy of Supreme Plating.

They say greatness is in the details and the MS Bobber has a list of them including oil tank and antique hand controls, Autometer gauge,CCI headlight, solo seat by Back Drop USA and the Garage Company’s own take on handlebars, license mount and LED taillight.

The MS Bobber was unveiled to a totally surprised Schumacher at the Saturday night dinner celebrations at the Monza track. According to Yoshi, Garage Company owner, who had flown over to Italy with the bike, when Schumacher first caught sight of the bike, his face’s expression just said, “Wow!”

He also immediately wanted to ride his new bike, but it was Yoshi who offered his much experienced kicking leg to fire up the beefed up Shovelhead. With it burbling happily, Schumacher jumped onto the saddle and proceeded to blast down the pit lane. “When he came back on the bike,” says Yoshi, “he had this big, big grin.”

The grin was even bigger when Schumacher’s many close friends, Yoshi and Ferrari company honchos gathered round him and his new Speed BoyBobber for that Kodak moment. It was a fond farewell indeed.

The Garage Company

The story began long, long ago and far, far away… as in the early 1970s and in Japan where a young dental appliance engineer, Yoshinobu “Yoshi” Kosaka, was starting to surround himself with all kinds of motorcycles. He didn’t just collect them, he raced them as well. Then about 20 years ago he migrated to one of motorcycling’s most fertile grounds, Southern California. While he took a major cut in pay as result, he still trolled for vintage bikes at swap meets, junkyards, and the classifieds. It was a time when the oil/gasoline crisis conspired to lower prices on old bikes and so Yoshi took what money he could save and invested in metal. It would prove to be money well spent.

By 1986 he was racing in ARHMA events (earning a national title in 1993 in Formula 250), and a year later married Kyoko, his high school sweetheart. When she noticed his bikes were spilling out into their front yard, she came home with a key to small building where he could enjoy his hobby.

At this point Yoshi’s “hobby“ had gone a little bonkers…like 150 bikes. His weekends were spent wrenching and organizing his growing parts collection. People started dropping in, bikes started to get swapped. Since he didn’t really want to sell his stuff, Yoshi and Kyoko instead printed up some Garage Company t-shirts for the visitors. They sold out. It was the handwriting on the wall so to speak and a business was born, including an eventual move to a new 5400 sq. ft. shop.

While originally a source for vintage British, European, American and Japanese vintage, classic and collectible motorcycles and parts, the Garage Company also focuses on Old School customs, a look they call Retro-Bobber. Yoshi and the Garage Company crew began building custom bikes about five years ago and now have more than 30, each one distinctly different, spread across the country, coast to coast, and now in Italy to boot.

In addition to their hi-end customs as seen here with the Schumacher special, the Garage Co. offers basic classic bobbers for around the $10-12,000. That’s a complete bike with a whole lot of personality and rideability.

Every year, usually in April, The Garage Company puts on an enthusiast oriented event called the Corsa MotoClassica that takes place at the famous Willow Springs Racetrack in the high desert north of L.A. Racers on all models and sizes of bike show up for the racing, swap meet and classic bike show.

The shop itself looks more like a museum will all kinds of very cool old bikes on the showroom floor plus several tons of vintage apparel, parts, accessories, clothing, books, decals, you name it, it’s your one-stop shopping for vintage cool.

The Garage Company is located at 13211 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. For more info call 1 800- 393-3766 or check out their web site www.garagecompany.com.

Unbelievable but true. Two build-off competitions in one year. Yes Zeel was a participant in the 5th season of the Discovery Channel Biker Build Off. The engineers at Zeel took part in a trike build off against CC Trikes of Texas. The voting took place at the ROT bike rally in Austin,Texas.

Zeel Design is the first international builder to be filmed for a Discovery Biker Build Off in their shop in Canada. The show aired on the Discovery Channel in the US on October 16th, 2006. For those of you with Discovery Canada, the air date was Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.

The Bobster also finished 2nd behind our own Bulldog Bike at the 2007 Toronto Supershow.

In addition, the Bobster finished first at the Daytona 2007 Speedway show, first at Rat's Hole show (best Trike) and was chosen to represent Rat's Hole at the Essen Motor Show in Germany this fall.

Zeel Design News:

Zeel Design wins big at the North American International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW 2007

St-Pie, Quebec (January 9, 2007) — It was a great beginning of a new year for Zeel Design at the North American International Supershow in Toronto, from January 5-7, 2007.

Billed as North America’s largest motorcycle show, the 31st edition proved to be especially rewarding for the young engineering firm in St-Pie, Quebec.

Zeel’s custom bike, Bulldog, won the Best of Show award and the Canada Cup at Supershow. Bulldog was Zeel’s entry in the 2006 International Biker Build-Off held in Daytona. The motorcycle also won awards for best engineering, best bodywork and best sheet metal in the ProBuilders category at the Toronto show.

And the second place winner was the Zeel Design’s trike, the Bobster, winner of the Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off 2006. Zeel was also runner-up for its Bobster kiosk at the show.

Zeel Design: Taking the Custombike World by Storm

“Custom engineering is an art form and never more so then when it’s breaking new ground” – American V, December 2005-January 2006

St-Pie, Québec – Zeel Design stunned visitors at the 2005 Rat’s Hole Show in Daytona with the super-radical “Phenom” Custom, and returned home to Canada, the “Best of Show” winner. It continued its winning ways in the summer of 2005 at the Canadian Biker Build Off.

“Phenom” was one of eight bikes chosen to represent the Rat's Hole Show in Essen, in the fall of 2005, and was a special guest at the 2005 Birmingham International Motorcycle Show in the . “Phenom” has been featured on the covers (or in major articles) of custom bike magazines around the world, in addition to major media outlets in .

Even Bigger in 2006, Zeel Design’s managing partners, engineers Benoit Marleau and Michael Long, did not rest on the success of the multi-award winning “Phenom”. The top designers and builders stormed ahead with their entry into the 2006 International Biker Build Off in Daytona in March, 2006. They competed with the “BullDog.”

In May, 2006, Zeel Design took part in a couple of TV shows for various networks including TSN, RDS, OLN and FOX SPORTS. They built a unigue chopper for one of North America 's most recognized Master Anglers, Henry Waszczuk. This high definition TV Special involving the bike called “Scales”, plus some additional video footage, will also be used as a pilot for a 13-week motorcycle series featuring Zeel Design and there's more!

In the summer, Zeel will be featured on the celebrity series called “Fins & Skins Classic Adventures” which airs on the same networks. This special was shot (in part) in the beautiful West Indies on the island called Nevis.

Filming also took place at the end of May for the fifth season of the “Biker Build-Off” on Discovery. It’s the first time a Canadian builder was featured. Zeel squared off against ex-WWF star, Craig Whitford, in a trike biker build-off.

And in the future, the company will have even more exposure — since it built the production vehicle for an upcoming film, Race to Mars.

Recently, the Zeel Design mechanical engineering team and staff moved into new headquarters in St-Pie, Québec . The 10,000 square-feet facility with its state of the art machinery is located near Sanair Racing.

And Benoit Marleau and Michael Long, the former Bombardier engineers, have been hired as consultants for a number of major manufacturers .

Zeel’s engineers and designers are becoming widely recognized as experts in swing arms and wheels and one-off prototypes for major corporations using high-tech computer solutions and CNC machining.

“If a custom bike is designed on a computer instead of being shaped by the hands of its builder, is it really a chopper? Well, take a look at this bike (Phenom), then decide. ‘We have a completely different way of doing things’, says Zeel Design’s Michael Long.

Yes, Mike, we can see that.” – American Iron, January 2006.

Zeel Design offers the following services to its clients:

Engineering — consulting and design
Computer drawing (3D and 2D)
Computer strength analysis (Finite element analysis)
Machining (traditional)
Machining CNC
Welding (MIG and TIG)
Fabrication and production
Mold and die making (aluminium, fiberglass, carbon fiber)
Bodywork and paint

For more information on Zeel Design:
www.zeeldesign.com

Contact:
Michael Long Mec.Eng.
Zeel Design Inc.
252 ch. St-Dominique
St-Pie, Quebec
Canada, J0H 1W0
tel: 450-772-5962
fax: 450-772-1048

By far, the best part of my job is flying and riding around the globe meeting new people and checking out some of the world's finest custom-built motorcycles. This June found me, for the third year in a row, on the judging panel for Twin Club M.C.'s Custom Bike Show in Norrtelje, Sweden. Twin Club M.C. has a 33-year history behind this event and in my humble opinion, it is by far one of the best shows in Europe.

As an affiliate show to American Motorcycle Dealer Magazine's World Championship of Custom Bike Building, the winner and his bike, in addition to a wide variety of prizes, receive an all expense paid trip to compete in the finals in Sturgis in August.

It's not uncommon for the five-member jury to disagree on the top bike at any given show. This year, Stellan Egeland of SESERVICE in Skogas, Sweden made it easy for us to all agree. Not only did he make it easy, we were all so blown away by the design and execution of his HULSTER 8-VALVE racer that it was a hands down unanimous slam-dunk—Best Of Show Winner.

SeService has for many years been building supercharged engines, going under the name Stellans Kompressormatning. Previously, SeService took second place in the European Championships in Mainz, Germany with their Esox Lucius bike so this show was not Stellans first time at the rodeo.

This year, Stellan's entry paid homage to the board and flat track racers of the 1920s. Sitting atop razor-thin 23-inch Mitas Speedway tires mounted on Eninco rims attached to a SeService hub was the hand fabricated Hulster frame and rigid racing front end. All the sheet metal was shaped in house out of aluminum and given its beige and cream paint job by Ray Hill.

The engine itself was a work of art. It is comprised of a modified 1943 Knucklehead lower end mated to a custom built, hand cast set of 4-valve top rockers, making it a true 8-valve 96 cubic inch racer. The engineering and design, let alone the manufacturing, of the top end is a wonder. An Andrews custom grind cam was chosen as well as a Morris Magneto, stock Knucklehead lifters and an Amal GP2 1 5/32-inch carb mated to SeService stainless steel pipes make this baby hum.

The builder's attention to detail is what we look for when judging bikes. Besides the overall look of the bike, the Devil is indeed in the details.

Stellan didn't disappoint us. Take a look at the chain driven alternator mounted on the right-side rear wheel, the pulley and cable clutch and the brake system mounted on the SeService made handlebars. It's not often that I get to see something fabricated like that.

Stellan and his crew deserved the attention of the crowd that flocked around his creation in Sweden, and this August, I'm sure the fans at Sturgis will also be impressed by his effort.

There will be bikes representing builders from all over the world at the Sturgis Show during Bike Week. We wish Stellan and all the other builders the best of luck in the competition. As for us, to borrow a line from Bob Dylan, we'll be, “On the road looking for another joint.”

–TBear 2007

GENERAL

Fabrication:SESERVICE, SWEDEN
Year and Make:2007 SESERVICE
Model:HULSTER 8-VALVE
Assembly by:SESERVICE
Time:8 MONTHS -889 HOURS
Chroming:EXCELLENT + STOCKHOLM'S METALLSLIPERI

ENGINE

Year:1943/2007
Model:KNUCKLEHEAD BOTTOM END/ SESERVICE TOP
Rebuilder:SESERVICE
Ignition:MORRIS MAGNETO
Displacement:96 CU IN
Lower end:HARLEY '43 KNUCK
Pistons:SOS
Cases:HARLEY
Heads:SESERVICE 4-VALVE
Cams:ANDREWS CUSTOM GRIND
Lifters:STOCK
Carb:AMAL GP2 1-5/32-INCH
Air cleaner:STACKS
Pipes:SESERVICE STAINLESS STEEL

TRANSMISSION

Year:THIRTY-SOMETHING
Shifting:FOOT

PAINTING

Molding:RAY HILL
Painter:RAY HILL
Color:BEIGE AND CRÈME WHITE

FRAME

Year:2007
Builder:SESERVICE
Type:HULSTER
Rake:22-DEGREES
Stretch:NONE

ACCESSORIES

Bars:SESERVICE
Risers:SESERVICE
Fenders:SESERVICE
Headlight:LUCAS
Taillight:UNKNOWN
Speedo:NONE
Front Pegs:SESERVICE
Rear Pegs:NONE
Electrics:CHAIN DRIVEN ALTERNATOR OFF REAR WHEEL
Gas Tank:SESERVICE ALUMINUM
Oil Tank:SESERVICE ALUMINUM
Seat:BROOKS

FORKS

Type:SESERVICE RACING RIGID
Builder:SESERVICE

WHEELS

Front
Size:23-INCH VML
Hub:SESERVICE
Rim:ENINCO

Rear
Size:23-INCH VML
Hub:SESERVICE
Rim:ENINCO
Tires:MITAS SPEEDWAY
Brakes:UNKNOWN JAPANESE OFF-ROAD DRUM

Think about this: I’ve been writing bike features for 35 years, and it’s never boring. Once in a while an owner will say something like this, “Ya can’t mention my ex-wife. I don’t ride much, but we need to talk about all the cool parts I paid a guy to make for me.” That makes is tough. I send a couple of staff members over to the guy’s estate. We break in, drag him to a strip club and begin the indoctrination. By the end of the weekend, he’s cured and has a handful of fantastic stories to tell. Yeah, right.

Generally every owner/builder has a story packed with passion for the build, heart for the lifestyle and desire for the future. In each case the owner is a devout individual, who is cutting his way through life, usually against the grain and without consideration for upscale security issues and retirement. This is one of those cases. Jon Fox, from St. Paul, contacted Bikernet.com with his first sorta ground-up custom representing a new Minneapolis shop, called The Shop. At 32 years of age, he has a Masters in finance under his belt and several years experience at a Boston banking firm as a stock analyist. Hell, his folks wouldn’t let him ride as a kid. He was what we considered, in the ‘70s, a straight citizen. He was toast, destroyed and demoralized. Okay, I’m pushing the point. Then he met a girl.

”I loved motorcycles, but couldn’t ride as a kid,” Jon said. The girl rode a ’99 Sportster and encouraged him to ride. He bought a 2000 Sportster and felt the wind, the freedom, her tits and life began to change. Growing up his folks were academics, father a consultant and mother an elementary school teacher, but he liked messing with this hands. He built skateboard ramps and enjoyed fucking with tools. So, he decided to build a chopper and started to hang around Steve Stone’s shop outside Boston. “I want to build a gas tank,” he told Steve.

Steve pointed him to Dave, a welding instructor, then to a Fay Butler’s sheet metal seminar of metal shaping and metallurgy. “It was so much information,” Jon said. “I forgot more than I learned, but it got me started.” He quickly became disillusioned with the banking industry, excited by the prospects of building bikes, home sick for Minnesota and ditched by the broad with the new set of bolt-ons. There you have it. Another brother enters the fast-action fold of being a biker, hell bent for nights on the road, non-stop creativity and action.

He returned to the Minneapolis area and took up residence at The Shop between two major twin cities biker bars, the Joint and Donnie Smith’s Whiskey Junction, just off I-94, where there’s a party every night and an event every weekend. In fact, The Shop is having their grand opening this coming weekend (June 15-17th, 2007) with bands, Donnie, Mike and Christian with their Sucker Punch Rig and the Wall of Death.

Jon has been in the bike fabrication business for four years and although the 10,000 square-foot Shop, owned by Billy Wingert, works predominately on repairs, it’s Jon’s mission to build more ground-ups and expand fabrication abilities. The Shop contains machining capabilities, welding, service, Lance Goodmansen runs the parts area and they only lack a paint booth and powder coating facility.

This project began as an asset Billy acquired when he took over the business. It was a project for the Minnesota Vikings with high bars, long front end and a sky-high sissybar. “We basically stripped it down and started fresh,” Jon said. He built the bars, the tank, the pipes, the fender rail, top motormount, you name it. “It’s The Shop bike and it’s for sale,” Billy said. “Until it’s sold we’ll display it at Donnie’s show, local dealer shows and all the area’s ride-in shows.”

In the meantime he’s building two ground up Detroit Bros based choppers for a husband/wife team. “I continue to e-mail Fay for more schooling,” Jon said. “I can’t learn enough. We will continue to refine our skills and bring more fabricating abilities to The Shop.” There’s the metal flake and moonlight hook, the shape of a woman’s breast and the style of the perfect gas tank that drives good men over the brink. It’s those elements that push us to ride faster, build finer more creative bikes and test them with our lives at 100 mph on city streets. So what’s wrong with that? Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

–Bandit

Bikernet.com Extreme Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: The Shop
Bike Name: Wingnut
City/State: Minneapolis, MN

Builder: The Shop – Jon Fox, Steve Novotney, Billy Lachner
City/state: Minneapolis, MN
Company Info: The Shop, 815 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Web site: www.theshopmpls.com
Fabrication: The Shop, Jon Fox
Welding: The Shop, Jon Fox
Machining: The Shop, Jon Fox

Engine

Year: 2005
Make: Harley-Davidson
Model: Twin Cam A
Displacement: 95 cubic inches
Builder or Rebuilder: The Shop, Steve Novotney, Billy Lachner
Cases: S&S
Case finish: Wrinkle Black
Barrels: Harley-Davidson
Bore: 3 7/8″
Pistons: KB
Barrel finish: Wrinkle Black
Lower end: Harley-Davidson
Stroke: 4″
Rods: Harley-Davidson
Heads: Harley-Davidson, Steve Novotney porting
Head finish: Wrinkle Black
Valves and springs: S&S
Pushrods: S&S
Cams: S&S 585
Lifters: Harley-Davidson
Carburetion: S&S Super G
Air cleaner: Arlen Ness

Transmission

Year:2005
Make: Roadmax
Gear configuration: 6-speed
Final drive: Belt
Primary: Harley-Davidson
Clutch: Harley-Davidson

Frame

Year: 2005
Make: Dakota Thunder
Style or Model: Chopper
Stretch: 3″
Rake:40 degrees

Front End

Make: Pro One
Year: 2005
Length: 8″ over

Sheet metal

Tanks: The Shop, Jon Fox
Fenders: Dakota Thunder Blanks, Jon Fox modifications
Panels: Jon Fox
Oil tank: Dakota Thunder
Other: All other brackets hand built by The Shop, Jon Fox

Paint

Sheet metal: Tanner Howard Concepts (THC)
Molding: THC
Base coat: Pearl White with Burgundy Metal Flake, Silver Metal Flake outline and Gold pinstripping
Graphics: THC
Frame: THC
Molding: THC
Base coat: THC
Graphics or art: THC
Pinstriping: THC

Wheels

Front
Make: Black Bike
Size: 21×2.15
Brake calipers: GMA
Brake rotor(s): GMA
Tire: Avon Venom

Rear
Make: Black Bike
Size: 18×8.5
Brake calipers: GMA
Brake rotor: GMA
Pulley: GMA
Tire: Avon Venom

Controls

Foot controls: Supreme Legends
Finish: Chrome
Master cylinder: Supreme Legends
Brake lines: Goodrich
Handlebar controls: Arlen Ness
Finish: Chrome
Clutch Cable: Stainless
Brake Lines: Goodrich

Electrical

Ignition: Crane Hi4
Ignition switch: Toggle Switch
Coils: Crane
Regulator: Accel
Charging: Accel
Wiring: The Shop, Jon Fox, Steve Novotney, Billy Lachner
Harness: none
Headlight: Arlen Ness
Taillight: Lick's Custom Cycles
Accessory lights: none
Electrical accessories: none
Battery: Odyssey

What's Left

Seat: The Shop, Jon Fox, covered by Roberti Customs
Pipes:The Shop, Jon Fox
Mufflers: Nada
Exhaust finish: Black with Heat Wrap
Gas caps: NYC Choppers, Hot Rod Spinner
Handlebars: The Shop, Jon Fox
Grips: Arlen Ness
Pegs: Supreme Legends
Oil filter: Harley-Davidson
Oil cooler: nada
Fuel filter: Pingel
Throttle: Exile Cycles internal throttle
Throttle cables: Exile

The Shop
815 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55404
www.theshopmpls.com
612-333-0223

Bandit asked me to write this article. When it comes to stories involving relationships with the opposite sex he’s like a pussy-allergic kid tossed into a cat box. After five marriages he breaks out in hives. When Terry, the boss of Envy Cycle and Street Walker exhaust told Bandit about a show, his wife and 330 tire, it gave him chills. “It wasn’t that bad,” Terry explained. “I was at this industry show in Cincy and spotted the first 330 Avon. I kept going over to the Avon booth to check it out and abandoned my display. My wife, Dana, got fed up and bought the tire.

“Here, goddamnit,” she said rolling the tire into our Street Walker booth. “Build a bike around it.”

“That was during the height of the wide tire craze,” Terry said. “I was caught up in the fever, but not for long.” The tire sat around his shop for almost three years. “It wasn’t my style.”

He opened the cash register to his shop in 2002 and started fabricating and building bikes. He ordered a set of pipes for $1,200 and waited nine months for them to arrive. By the time the UPS delivery arrived, Terry started building his own exhaust systems, hence the name Street Walker Exhaust was founded. “I stock 500-600 sets of pipes, carry seven models and they’re on shelves ready for shipment.”

Dana surprised Terry one day with a set of wheel blanks. “It’s about time you started that 330 project,” she said.

“I didn’t like bikes that were overwhelmed by rear tires,” Terry said. He set up his frame jig and went to work building a bike that was long and narrow to offset the beach ball at the back. “Most fat tire bikes are thick and heavy. I started with a 2-inch chrome moly, single downtube then switched it out for inch and a half.” His frame fixture was challenged with 52 degrees in the neck and 11.5 feet over all stature.

“I always go back to ‘20s and ‘30s bikes for inspiration,” Terry said. “This time I added the look of long, stretched ‘70s scooters.” He studied Denver’s springers and Sugar Bear’s rocker philosophy. “I bought some old Denver’s springers and took them apart.” He built this front end with their construction techniques in mind. “It’s super narrow and I fastened the Envy bars to the back legs like clip-ons to keep the stature of the bike in line with the back bone of the gas tank. Since the rake was severe, I used Sugar Bear’s design criteria to alter the trail with the rockers.” He studied the availability of shocks. “I found Marvin Shaw, Nitrogen High Pressure shocks that can be goosed to 1500 pounds of pressure, although I’m currently running 25 pounds for the perfect ride.”

Again Dana pulled up to the shop with a load of sheet metal, and Terry was challenged to build the tanks. “They’re almost 46 inches long,” Terry said. With every part he fabs or modifies he is alert to product designs. “We worked with Duane Ballard on the Seat. He did a terrific job of making the skirt to fill the seat area, since it was so low.” But Terry was motivated to make a line of production seats for guys who don’t have the big bucks for a handtooled seats. Envy seats are a flat $499 for a classic solo in a couple of 1/8-inch thick seat-pan styles and seven leather patterns are available.

He worked with an Arizona saddle maker, Mike, to develop the stamps and learn the craft. Terry started working with bikes as a custom painter and kept learning the various aspects to building motorcycles. Lately he started building wild air cleaners using old Stromber 97 air scoops. “I like to scrounge for parts and make something work with what I find,” Terry said. He made this bike’s instrument cluster from a mud flap girl belt buckle. They’re expanding their line of products to include a single, pony express, saddlebag. Terry fabricates all his own oil and gas tanks. “This oil tank started off super small because of the lowered seat height,” Terry said, but it kept expanding until it held almost three quarts.”

Both brakes run through a proportioning valve under the oil bag. He likes to ride this bikes, but since he’s trying to keep this one pristine for the World Championship in Sturgis, he’s waiting patiently for his opportunity to test his metal against the desert roads surrounding Phoenix. Between his wife’s motivational purchases and his desire to form a line of products through his builds we hope to bring you a series of techs as the Street Walker by Envy line expands. Watch for more from Terry in the near future.

Bikernet.com Extreme Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: Envy Cycle Creations
Bike Name: Gold Digger
City/State: Peoria / Arizona

Builder: Envy Cycle Creations
City/state: Peoria / Arizona

Company Info:
Web site: www.envycyclecreations.com
Fabrication: Frames, Tanks, handlebars, springer front ends, fenders
Manufacturing: Manufacture Streetwalker Exhaust Systems
Welding: Tig, Mig, Gas,
Machining: Yes

Engine

Year: 2007
Make: S&S
Model: Sidewinder
Displacement: 111 C.I.
Builder or Rebuilder: S&S
Cases: S&S
Case finish: Polished
Barrels:S&S
Barrel finish: Polished
Lower end: S&S
Carburetion: S&S Super G
Air cleaner: Envy Cycle

Transmission 6 speed RSD

Year: 2007
Make: Trik Shift
Gear configuration:
Primary: BDL
Clutch: Granduer Auto Clutch

Frame

Year: 2007
Make: Envy Cycle, 330 RSD softtail chopper
Style or Model: RSD Slingshot Chopper
Stretch: 9 “
Rake: 52 degrees

Front End Envy Cycle

Make: Envy Cycle
Model: Ultra Skinny
Year: 2007
Length: 18 0ver
Mods: hi-pressure nitrogen shock

Sheet metal Envy Cycle

Tanks: Envy Cycle
Fenders: Envy Cycle
Oil tank: Envy Cycle

Paint Envy Cycle

Sheet metal: Envy Cycle
Molding: Envy Cycle
Base coat: Envy Cycle / House of Kolor Paint
Graphics: Tony Perez
Frame: Envy Cycle / House of Kolor Paint
Molding: Envy Cycle
Graphics or art: Tony Perez
Pinstriping: Tony Perez / Pinstriping by Tony

Wheels

Front
Size: 21”
Brake calipers:
Tire: Avon

Rear
Size: 17”
Brake calipers: Exile
Brake rotor: Exile
Tire: Avon 330

Controls

Foot controls: Envy Cycle
Finish: Brushed Satin
Handlebar controls: None
Clutch Cable:
Brake Lines
Shifting: Hand Shifter

Electrical

Ignition: Crane Hi-4 single fire
Ignition switch: Mud Flap Girl
Coils: Crane
Regulator: Compu-Fire
Charging: Compu-Fire
Wiring: Envy Cycle
Headlight: Envy Cycle
Taillight: Envy Cycle

What's Left

Seat: Envy Cycle
Pipes: Streetwalker RPGeez
Exhaust finish: Titanium Ceramic
Handlebars: Envy Cycle
Grips: Envy Cycle
Pegs: Mini Boards
Throttle: Internal

This is one of those mornings. My cursed mind is swimming with projects, options, calls, e-mails and to-dos. Fortunately I’m not in the middle of some mad romance and chasing women all over town. It’s the curse of the 21st century and our society. If the phone ain’t ringing, the e-mails are popping, the mail lady just left a stack of junk mail, the television is blaring, cell phone vibrating, the FAX machine is turning out crap or someone is banging on the door. It’s the information age or the hex on our time. Remember back about 25 years when the garage didn’t have a phone and Jimi Hendrix rocked while we worked in the shop.

Maybe someone stopped over with a six-pack and a doobie and we tinkered on our latest project until the wee hours, then rode to Denny’s for pancakes, or across town and crawled in her apartment window. Rick Montani, the builder of this bike, took me back to those times. He’s nearing my age, so we went through many similar life’s changes. He’s 54. He was the good guy, I went astray. He stuck with his family and slipped away from the torrid nights, brawls and bitches I encountered, but we’ll get to that.

He grew up near Indianapolis, Indiana, in Greenfield, and at 19 years old he bought his first motorcycle, a ’67 Triumph and fucked with it for a year, before he bought a ’63 Panhead, in ’72, and started over with the FL Duo Glide. At a young age he straddled the glide and hit it to the annual Lake Holiday Run. The classic Pan sported a tall metal-flake gold seat with a silver “S,” stitched in the center, for Sanford, the previous owner. “It was tuck and roll,” Rick said. But on that hot Indiana summer day on his way home, heading back into Indianapolis on Highway 65, he burnt up his generator. “A guy pulled over in a truck and we decided to tow the bike up to speed and see if it would start again.” He got rolling and dropped it into first gear. The rear tire locked up, he lost control, hit a highway sign and went down. Fortunately his dad and brother worked at a body shop.

In 1975 he slipped on the bonds of marriage and sold the Harley. For 15-20 years he flew low to the ground, only riding a couple of Jap bikes and building a ’49 Merc Pro Street. While taking his two kids to ballgames, I stood behind club houses and smoked weed, pretended to be married five times and drank too much whiskey. While he attended graduations and holiday celebrations I lived with another five women briefly and split lanes across Los Angeles to every cool party in the city.

But this lifestyle never quite leaves a man’s blood and in ’97 he bought a ’77 Super glide with a wide glide front end. “I took it to the ground and built a chop,” Rick said. He was back in the fold. His hair grew some and his beard returned but it was on the gray side. In 2000 he hooked it to Biketoberfest and was caught by Hank Young’s display. “I wanted to build a bobber and he had a rolling chassis, but he wouldn’t return customer calls, so I pursued the project on my own.”

Rick started with an old Triumph front wheel and a Dago Red notion. “The picture on back of the tank is my pop, Marshall, in full flight suit from 1943,” Rick said. “He flew a P47 Thunderbolt in WWII.He passed away in 1995, and this scoot is a tribute to his memory.He was a 5’2” Italian American. He loved the big band era and especially cheap red wine like “Chianti.” That’s how I came up with the name Dago Red.”

Rick finished powder coating and lacing the wheels, with the help of Buchanan’s, prior to buying the Paughco frame. It was the Christmas of 2004 when he snatched the stock configuration wishbone frame and a Susuki rear brake system and started to build this bike devoted to his dad.

Some eight months later he wandered into a friends garage and bought a ’77 bagger project never destined for completion. “It’s for sale,” his friend said. “I’ll never finish it.” Rick sold the roller and used the engine and trans in Dago Red. He handled the top end and a local shop rebuilt the lower-end. He bought a Mikuni carb on Ebay and dug up a car Stromberg carb air cleaner and modified it for the Mukini. He made the pipes. “The front one took a half hour,” Rick said, “and the rear took two hours.”

“I wanted to build another bike,” Rick said, who is now an Engine Failure Analyst for International trucks. He used a ’36 spare tire cover for his fenders and a Triumph gas tank. When the bike was finished he hauled it to the Easyriders Columbus mega-show and took 3rd place in the Speciality category within the Judged class. He putts it around town, but rode his ’98 Road King to Sturgis last year. “I’ve got a MIG welder,” Rick said of his building talents, “but I can stick stuff together better with bubble gum.” It took him just 16 month to complete the Dago Red.

–Bandit

Owner/Builder: Rick Montani, Greenfield, IN

Engine:

1974 1200cc Shovelhead Engine Fresh Complete Rebuild
.040” over Wiseco 9.5 to 1: compression pistons & rings
Andrews AB grind camshaft
Sifton Aluminum pushrods
Solid tappet inserts
Mikuni HSR42 Carb
Point ignition
BDL 3” Open Belt Drive & Clutch Assembly

Custom Exhaust Power Cones

Trans:

Matching 1974 4 speed Transmission also Fresh Rebuild
23-tooth front sprocket
49-tooth rear sprocket
High Strength Gold O-ring Chain

Frame:
Paughco Wishbone Rigid Frame All Stock No Stretch
All Extra Mounts Mig Welded by Certified Welder Faricator
Red Powder Coat

Wheels:

Front: 1971 Triumph Conical hub Dual Leading Shoes
Laced to 21” x 3.50 Rim both parts Powder Coated
Stainless spokes Installed by Buchanan Spoke & Rim
Avon Venom Tires Front & Rear

Rear: New HD Hub & 16” x 3.50 rim Also Powder Coat
Stainless spokes Installed by Buchanan Spoke & Rim
Suzuki GSXR650 Rear Caliper, Rotor, & Slave Cylinder
CNC machined Rotor Adapter Plate.
Custom made MC Fluid Reservoir
Custom Made Brake Anchor Links F & R
Custom Made Controls & Brass Pegs
Custom Made axles & spacers front & rear

Front End:

DNA 2 “ under Springer w/ fender brackets removed
Retro Headlight “Tripp Speedlite” from 30s era Packard with custom made mount
Custom Fabricated top tree for Dogbones.
Retro 3” Dogbone Risers
Custom fabricated handlebars with Retro Grips & Levers
Retro Red Leather Streamers

Sheet Metal:

Early Triumph Gas Tank modified for HD style Petcock
Ribbed Rear Fender is 1936 Ford Spare Tire Cover
Custom made Taillight & mounting brackets

All custom made parts were designed by Owner & manufactured by the owner with help from a few very good friends.

The tank & fender are painted to match red powdercoating on the frame, wheels, & oil tank. Lettering & striping was applied by John “Harv” Hysong of Indy

I first became aware of this bike’s existence one late afternoon in January of 2006. My good riding buddy, Jerry Gray, called on a Saturday morning asking if I would take a ride with him. I’ll ride anywhere, with almost anyone, at a drop of a hat; but when Jerry calls…I don’t even ask “where to?”.

We make arrangements to meet at our usual place, a bar on US 1 that is conveniently an equal distance between both our homes. A kind of midway concession we have found, where we can order up a soda, sandwich, listen to music; all outdoors on their deck overlooking the Indian River. The bar is known as the Red Fish Inn near Titusville, Florida.

As usual, I arrive early and Jerry arrives on time. We order up a couple of sodas, sandwiches…and a preamble of small talk. At some point Jerry tells me he wants to visit the new H-D dealership in Ormond.

You know the one: Daytona H-D.

Photo taken by our famed roving reporter, Rogue. I shamelessly stole this photo off another story here on Bikernet.

I hadn’t been there yet, and while I am not overly concerned with H-D dealerships, I did take notice of the grand opening and how large an area this place took up off the I-95 Interchange at the Ormond exit.

I was excited to take the plunge once again into what I fondly think of as “biker fantasy land.”

Jerry and I finished up our conversation, tipped our glasses to finish the libations, and strode out to our respective mounts waiting for us in the “bike only” portion of the parking lot. We straddled our mounts, fired up the engines, and turned our wheels out to the north bound lanes of US 1.

Classic David Mann painting which, I believe, gives a wonderful depiction of riding side by side in the Florida sunlight. Riding with someone you trust is an experience like no other.

Jerry and I had been riding together side by side for two years by that time, and had found we were very comfortable with each other’s riding habits. He watched my front wheel from the corner of his eye, and I watched his body language from the corner of mine. We knew instinctively what the other was up to…and our rides together were always stress free. Riding together was second nature and trusting the other’s safety and riding habits was something that never crossed our minds anymore.

The ride north to Daytona was uneventful, warm, and just plain joyous. I can’t stress how nice it is to ride abreast of someone you trust with your life…

Some pictures require no words.

We didn’t go directly to the H-D dealership, instead we took a few pit stops. Jerry loves to stop at the “No Name Bar” just south of Daytona. It’s a good place to swing your leg off the bike, stop in for a brew, strike up conversations with the other patrons and bar tenders, and just wash the road off for a few minutes…or hours. I do like that bar, it’s comfortable.

Another shot from Rogue. The man’s pictures are always good enough to be used over and over again.

By late afternoon, we arrive at the dealership and yes…I am impressed! Even though the other buildings such as JP Cycle, and Arlen Ness were still in construction, it‘s hard not to be awed by the three stories of motorcycles, parts, and accessories. Jerry leads me inside, heading directly for the stairs that would take us to the used motorcycles portion of the store. He hadn’t told me what he wanted, but knowing Jerry the way I do; I figured he was looking for his next project. You see, Jerry’s “hobby” (more like a passion,) is buying used stock H-D motorcycles, taking them home, and embellishing them with his own personal style. Once he has been working on it for around a year, he enters them into the assorted bike shows that go on in and around Daytona during spring and or October Bike Week. As a matter of fact, two years ago the stock bagger he bought and redressed in his own “image”, won first place at the NASA ride-in bike show for stock motorcycles.

His bikes consistently win when placed in the stock shows for their particular category.

Our trip to the dealership proved to be a bit of a surprise. It seems he had his eye on one particular bike for almost six months, as he had seen it on the show room floor down at the New Syrmerna Beach store. He knew it had been transferred up to Daytona after the showrooms were finished, and once the store opened, he wanted to visit the bike again. We found it on the floor, tucked away into the southeast corner of the second floor showroom. It had a new bump on it…on the gas tank. The salesman revealed it had happened during transit from the southern dealership to the Daytona sales floor. No problem, we would remember that when the haggling started.

Jerry asked me to sit on the bike, which I did, and it felt real good to me! Here on the showroom floor was a 1999 Dyna with only 32,000 miles on it. We searched around looking for the price tag that was ever present on every bike on the floor, only to discover it was not present on this one. Up to now, Jerry was content to just visit the bike; look at it, and dream of the things he would do to personalize this bike. But the question of the price intrigued us both. I needed to know what they were asking for this bike, and Jerry needed to know (since he already knew the asking price from the previous dealership) if they would “haggle” on the list price to something he wanted to invest in. The hunt was on for a salesman.

Now why is it, when you walk into a used car or motorcycle place and your not really shopping, just window shopping, you can always count on being accosted by at least four sales persons before you have convinced them not to waste their time?

Salesman can really suck! It is rare to find one who talks without having an ulterior motif.

How is it…when you are actually looking for some pertinent information that may help you to decide if you’re going to buy a vehicle, there is no one, absolutely no one around that you can grab and ask? I was becoming frustrated, Jerry on the other hand was calm and more absolute to the idea of finding a salesperson and getting the answers he wanted. It’s nice to have someone with you who is the exact opposite of your own nature…it seems to bring out the worst of the one, and the best of the other! In our case, I was ready to tear the building down while Jerry was ready to prove just how resilient he could be to my frustrations, and set an example of patience winning over a stubborn mule. (I was the damn mule in this case!)

Mule, Jack-Ass, I think you get the picture.

To make a long story short,(too late), Jerry did find a salesman who didn’t know the asking price on the bike. The salesman went down to the sales office, got the price and returned to us on the second floor. The price was as Jerry suspected it would be, but he made a counter offer. The salesman then informed us the bike was there on consignment and he had no authorization from the owner to haggle over the price. Jerry insisted the owner be called and his counter offer made known. The owner was contacted and he accepted Jerry’s counter offer. The bike was Jerry’s some 90 minutes later.

It wasn’t until Jerry received the title in the mail a few weeks later that he discovered this bike was no ordinary Dyna…but an FXWG.

A limited edition Dyna…designed by Willie G. Hence the WG designation. The bike was a real steal!

The famed Willie G. with El Bandito at The Motor Company’s 100th.

A few weeks after Jerry had gotten the bike home, I received another call from him. He wanted to go riding again. It was then I informed him my bike was not running…and wouldn’t be running for a few more weeks. The man, being the consummate friend and biker he is, offered to loan me his FXWG for the afternoon ride! I tried to resist. I don’t like riding other people’s bikes…but I think it was evident by the weak excuses that I really wanted to ride this bike…I gave up the excuses and was at his house in a heart beat. I couldn’t resist the offer to ride a nice bike like this one. We left the driveway of his house together, side by side…and jumped on I-95 North to meet up with some friends at the Cabbage Patch. There was a pig roast going on and many of the people we both knew from a national website were gonna be there. We met up with them, had a few drinks and something to eat then we traveled to another local bar for more fun with friends. It was a real gas to ride this bike around Daytona and her outer reaches. I am one lucky gal to have such friends as Jerry. The day ended and we headed back to his house. Once there he tried to tell me his vision for this bike. I couldn’t grasp it. I am one of those people who don’t get a design until it is drawn out for me. I couldn’t visualize the color he wanted, the bike with the tanks he wanted, the mirrors, the new lights…I was just lost. I couldn’t see it down the road like he could.

This is how I get around truly gifted people as well. I am mostly “dazed and confused” just as the Mistress describes here.

But I have seen the work he has done on his other “projects” and that was enough for me to know…he had a vision for this one that would make it special.

It was a few weeks later that I took a job in Dothan Al. with Accurate Engineering. I didn’t see Jerry again until June at the build off party Barry Wardlaw threw for Gypsy upon the completion of her bike build for the Discovery Channel. I invited Jerry to come up and it was there he told me about meeting a couple who own a leather shop in Oak Hill. The shops name: Wind Walkers, and Jerry told me about his plan to have the stock seat recovered in gator hide. He was excited…and I guess I should have been, would have been, if I could only envision what the seat could, and would look like when done! Jerry told me of the advances he had made on the transformation of the bike. It wasn’t as exciting to me as it was to him…it sucks to have no imagination at all. It really does. It was enough to share Jerry’s enthusiasm and happiness. I know we have all known people like him…people who have vision and know what they want without ever seeing it except in the eye of their mind.

They can be so infectious with their enthusiasm that no matter how clueless you really are, your grinning from ear to ear…and you find yourself wallowing in their happiness! I like being around people like him.

In the year that followed the purchase of the FXWG, many things have happened; to us and also to the bike. By March of 2007, I hadn’t seen the bike in almost four months and in that time Jerry had really developed her.He changed out the risers and handlebars. He replaced the mirrors with a pair from Arlen Ness. The turn signals, from Kuryakyn, are very small LED’s, inset into the fender struts in the rear ,and across the upper forks in the front. They are almost invisible until they are in use. I have always felt that just sticking some posts on the bike that happened to have big lights in them was like remembering at the last minute to put a freaking diaper on your kid, so you use a t-shirt instead. I love the clean look of these turn signals!

The bike with a trophy hard earned.

The paint is House of Color burgundy over a silver metal flake, which gives the burgundy a deep rich and warming glow. The paint was applied by Bad Lands Customs out of Oak Hill, Florida. This paint job is beautiful. The flake paint below the primary color allows the hue of the burgundy to subtly change as the light striking it changes. The colors are rich and deep, giving the appearance of one being able to fall a long time before striking a surface if you were to “fall into” the paint!

The man and his creation.

Jerry has added a velocity stack made by Arlen Ness, polished rotors by V-Twin, a nicely laced 21” chrome diamond cut spoke front wheel by Street Thunder Motorcycles, a rear inset tail light by Arlen Ness, a 4.5 gallon gas tank by V-twin, the gas filler insert is Kuryakyn, and he has added a spoiler which he also got from Arlen Ness. Now couple all these together with the artistry of a master leather worker like Julie Pope from Wind Walkers and you have… “Gray’s Gator!”

I took a picture of this painting at Sturgis. It was painted by the famed motorcycle artist David Uhl. He is famous for his artwork capturing the essence of motorcycling. This one is called “the Enthusiast”.