The Root of All Evil

People work for it, people steal for it, people dream of winning it, people sell their bodies for it, folks killed for it, people sell their souls for it, and songs have been sung about it and in these days of legal thievery and corporate greed, the world spins on it ! You all know what I am talking about, MONEY! Money, the Root of All Evil, and the name of the bike you see before you.

I first met the owner of this bike, John Skeen, last summer at a local bike show where I was a judge. The first time I saw the bike I really thought it was a bitchin'. It was well done and heavily detailed, without being over the top. I was sketchy on the paint, though. I wanted more info on the bike, but I didn't see John again until the Easyriders show came to Charlotte in January.

I hooked up with John under the show lights and decided it was worthy of a feature on Bikernet. John told me the bike started out as a build to sell. It was meant to be a low budget bike. We've have all been there when the budget gets blown! There was also a tenuous business deal between builder and owner that went sour, as things sometimes do. Towards the end of the project the amount of money poured over that Kraft Tech frame and DNA springer started to wear on John.

“It turned into a Money Bucket,” John told me. That's when the name of the bike surfaced. There was nothing evil about the bike, aside from the costly build process. One thing just started leading to another. As I talked to John I could tell he is meticulous with details, kinda reminded me of myself.

The bike, “ROOT OF ALL EVIL” featured a flawless paint job showcasing every world currency symbol, 137 examples to be exact! The name of the bike revealed itself at a time when legal thievery and corporate greed ran rampant in America. This bike wasn't built to showcase how much money John expended but to reflect that from the beginning of time, money was the basis for everything wicked. In too many cases it's the “Root of All Evil!”

Remember, I told you how meticulous John was during the build? Well, when the bike was painted it was missing some of those 137 symbols for currency. You got it, it seems the painter over-looked one or two. He had to correct this problem and he did.

“I always wanted a “bobber” style bike,” John said. The stripped down bare bones style, no nonsense bike, and he succeeded.

Check the trick oil tank. It holds 4 quarts. It involves canisters mounted with hinges off of the battery box. John designed this oil tank and groused about the long hours it took to build it. Matter of fact, the first time I ever saw this bike, the first thing that caught my eye was the oil tank.

The Root of All Evil is based around an Ultima El Bruto 120 engine matched to an Ultima 6-speed tranny. The engine and tranny sit in a Kraft Tech rigid frame, stock rake and no stretch. Up front you will find a DNA Springer front end, stock length with 16-inch DNA front wheel, the rear sports a 16-inch DNA wheel also. Both wheels are wrapped in Avon Venom rubber.

The more you look at this bike, the more you see! In many instances, “The Root of All Evil” is well spent!

Bikernet.com Extreme Evil Tech Chart

Regular Stuff

Owner: John Skeen
Bike Name: Root of All Evil
City/State: Charlotte, NC

Builder: Owner/Sweat Speed Shop
City/state: Charlotte, NC
Fabrication: Owner/Sweat Speed Shop
Welding:Sweat Speed Shop
Machining: Sweat Speed Shop

Engine

Year:2009
Make: Ultima
Model: 120” El Bruto
Displacement:120”
Case finish: Natural
Carburetion: Mikuni
Air cleaner: Arlen Ness Big Sucker
Exhaust: Donnie Smith