The Green Devil Returns

That's green, but why?

I caught a break here. I was able to interview the owner, Tom Eilek, and the builder Jon Fox, from The Shop in Minneapolis. Hell, they tried to pass me off to a guy who wants to shoot an ex-Easyriders model with the bike, but they never brought up the color scheme. More good fortune befell me when I found out the bike had a history. It originally belonged to a famous custom painter, Mallard Teal's buddy, Charlie.

The story takes place on the back streets of blue-collar Minneapolis and the Rice district of St. Paul. Racing through a community of saw mills and wheat mills from the 1850s, Charlie slipped and went down on the cold concrete and was no more. Mallard Teal inherited his tight classic scooter and rolled it into a corner of his shop in 1965.

I tried to ask about the green, but Jon passed the phone off to Tom. When I tried to ask Tom, he tried to grab a photographer off the street and give him the phone.

I did some research on Minneapolis, since that name is on the strange end of the title spectrum. The first name selected by the county commissioners in October 1852, was Albion. However, it proved unpopular. Other names considered but discarded for the young community included All Saints, Lowell, Brooklyn, Addiseville, and Winona. The name Minnehapolis was selected by popular acclaim following schoolmaster Charles Hoag's proposal to the editor of the St. Anthony Express, George D. Bowman. The name came from a derivative of laughing waters, “Minnehaha,” and the Greek suffix for city, “polis,” or city of the falls. Bowman published the name in the paper on November 5, 1852 and in the November 12th issue, it was given favorable review. The 'h' was dropped early on; the literal meaning is “city of waters.”

The Minnesota Territorial Legislature authorized Minneapolis in 1856 as a town. In 1858, the town government was organized. Then in 1866 under a legislative act, the city of Minneapolis was incorporated.

Hell, we used green on the Assalt Weapan and set a record. Does that mean we've got the balls to ignore the devil's creed?

I couldn't find out much about St. Paul on the edge of the Mississippi, except the town's folk are still pissed off about a building. The Ryan Hotel in downtown was originally located at Robert Street North and 6th Street. Built in 1882, the hotel was demolished in 1962 (remember the song, “They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot?”). A parking lot replaced the hotel until the Minnesota Mutual Life home office was built on the site in 1981. Currently, the Minnesota Historical Society is active in saving the history of Saint Paul. Unfortunately, they couldn't save this great hotel.

Jack Lilly's famous Crocker was green. What does that say?

“I'll take it, If you ever want to sell it,” Tom said about Charlie's Panhead. Mallard, attached to his brother's memory, didn't want to let it go, but time crept past. Cobwebs build up around the classic Paughco springer and frame, and Mallard ultimately decided to close his shop, clean out the corners and retire to his home studio.

“I was there at just the right moment,” Tom said. “He was moving out of his shop.” Tom took the bike home, stripped it down and hauled it to Jon Fox at the shop for refurbishing. “It had a rat's nest in the carburetor,” he said.

“We didn't want to change much,” Tom added. They switched out the Paughco frame for a Kraft Tech to encompass a 180 tire. “We took a stock 45-inch rear fender widened it two inches, but left the hinge in place.” The hinge is faux, because they wanted to avoid chipping paint, so the sheet metal was welded underneath.

TBear shot this green flake demon at the Smoke Out West. It didn't break his camera.

They purposely let the fender ride a tad off center. “They weren't perfect,” Tom said, “so we let it ride like nostalgic fenders did.” Tom is a retired truck driver whose dad was a dispatcher and didn't drink or smoke.

Even our Salt Shaker Bonneville bike from 2006 had a tad of Green in her.

“My first bike was a '63 XLCH,” Tom said. “My dad oversaw the paint job and had it painted with gangsters, machine guns and a guy giving the finger to the gas cap. I could never figure it out. It was a bastard to start because of the magneto and kick only. My dad let me hang onto the car door until I could pop the clutch in third gear and let her rip.”

Tom spent three years in Vietnam, 11 years as a cop and 30 years behind the big wheel. He's 56 and won't ride anything but rigids. “They fit me. I also have a Sucker Punch Sally bike by Donny Loos.”

The Booze Fighters in 1947 thought green was cool.

The '65 Pan engine was built to 80 inches and recently dyno tuned for 71 horsepower. “She's quick,” Tom said. But just as I tried to ask about the dreaded green paint job, Tom had to split.

Bikernet Extreme Jon Fox Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner:Tom Eilek
Bike Name:Snot Monster 65
City/State:Lindstrom, MN

Builder:Jon Fox – The Shop
City/state:Minneapolis, MN
Company Info:The Shop
Address: 815 Cedar Ave S, MPLS, MN 55404
Phone:612-333-0223
Web site:www.theshopmpls.com
E-mail: theshopmpls@aol.com
Fabrication:Jon Fox
Manufacturing:
Welding:Jon Fox
Machining:Jon Fox

Engine

Year:1965
Make:Harley-Davidson
Model:Panhead FLH
Displacement:80 ci
Builder or Rebuilder:Billy Lachner (Mechanic from Hell)- The Shop
Cases:STD
Case finish:Natural
Barrels:Harley-Davidson
Bore:3 5/8
Pistons:Deutsche
Barrel finish:Black
Lower end:Harley-Davidson
Stroke:stock
Rods:Curtain rods
Heads:STD
Head finish:Natural
Valves and springs:S&S
Pushrods:Andrews
Cams:Andrews
Carburetion:S&S Super E
Air cleaner:Goodson (via Shamrock Fabrication)
Exhaust:Custom Fabbed – The Shop
Mufflers:nada

Transmission

Year:65 stock HD
Make:Harley-Davidson
Gear configuration:FL
Final drive:chain
Primary:Belt
Clutch:Primo

Frame

Year:2006
Make:Kraft-tech
Style or Model:rigid 180 rear
Stretch:nada
Rake:30 deg
Modifications:nada

Front End

Make:Paughco
Model:Springer
Year: 1971
Length:stock
Mods:chromed

Sheet metal

Tanks:3.5 gallon
Fenders:stock widened 45 hinged rear
Panels:nope
Oil tank:moon eyes

Some guys go bananas to protect that $5000 paint job. I don't blame them.

Paint

Sheet metal:Lenny Schwartz – Krazy Kolors
Molding:Krazy Kolors
Base coat:Lime Time Green
Graphics:Flames and Pinstripping by Lenny Schwartz @ Krazy Kolors
Type:
Frame:Krazy Kolors
Molding:Krazy Kolors
Base coat:Lime Time Green
Type:
Graphics or art:Pinstripping by Lenny Schwartz @ Krazy Kolors
Pinstriping:Lenny Schwartz – Krazy Kolors

Wheels

Front
Make:Spool Hub
Size:21×2.15
Brake calipers:Nope
Brake rotor(s):Nope
Tire:21 Avon Speedmaster

Rear
Make:Stock
Size:16×3.5
Brake calipers:PM
Brake rotor:Chrome
Pulley:Chrome
Tire:Avon Venom

Controls

Foot controls:Supreme Legends
Finish:Polished
Master cylinder:Supreme Legends
Brake lines:Goodrich
Handlebar controls:12″ Baby Apes
Clutch Cable:Goodrich

Electrical
Ignition switch:Nope
Coils:Round Chrome one
Wiring:Billy Lachner
Harness:custom
Headlight:5 3/4″
Taillight:Custom
Accessory lights:Nope
Electrical accessories:

What's Left

Seat:West Eagle Seat Pan, covering still in progress
Mirror(s): Mini round
Gas caps:pop-up flush mount
Handlebars:12″ mini apes
Grips:Black radial grips, Joker
Pegs:Supreme Legends
Oil filter:Chrome
Oil cooler:no
Oil lines:stainless steel braided
Fuel filter:Pingel
Fuel Lines:stainless steel braided
Throttle:Drag Spec cheapy
Throttle cables:Barnett Stainless

Credits: Tom Eilek for his “vision” and the daringness to build a dreaded Green bike. Billy Lackner for final assembly and putting together a clean looking bike. Lenny Schwartz from Krazy Kolors for adding some pinstripping after the fact. Billy Wingerd for providing us a sweet shop to do all this fun work!!!

Click on this banner to buy our Bonneville Adventure Book. Notice all the green. Can't be all bad.