Video by Gearhead, Inc.: http://www.youtube.com/user/machone351c
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GearheadInc
There are many talented builders in the American custom V-twin scene, but there are few that can tune a motor perfectly, and then competitively ride the bike themselves. Todd Silicato, owner of Todd¹s Cycle in Huntington Beach, California is one of them. Just before he opened his own shop, he was a pit crew member for a well known racer- and anyone who’s familiar with racing knows how important it is to get a racing machine to run perfect; it is a
tough job that requires a high-degree of precision. So, when it came to his own builds, he had the engine aspect down pat, but then there’s a style element that people want. A custom builder has to do things that people either haven’t seen before or put their own twist on a certain look.
As you can see from these photos, there’s not another dirt track bike that looks like this one (and it¹s 99% street legal!). Add to those factors that he actually races this bike (and usually places in the top three), and it’s easy to say that there are few builders out there as talented and active in any bike scene as Todd is.
This bike started out as an old 2001 Buell Lightning motor that he was able to pick up for a song. “I was happy to find a Buell motor because it’s more performance oriented than a Sportster, and I was planning on racing it from the moment I had the idea to build it,” Todd said. “This motor was also a good choice because of its compact nature, the track I planned to race it on is only a tenth of a mile long, so the extended driveline length of big-twin would be hard to turn quickly.” The condensed driveline components of the Buell motor were also perfect for racing, so he was able to leave the stock primary and transmission alone. Plus, he knew that the mill would
produce more than enough power, as most dirt trackers he’d be racing against are powered with single cylinders- there wasn’t much he’d have to do to the motor to smoke the competition when accelerating.
In order to keep the machine’s weight low, Todd never figured he’d need much in the way of rear suspension because dirt tracks are flat, and are graded before each event. He contacted Chassis Design for a rigid frame to house the Buell power-plant built with the strength to handle the rigors of racing. Then, he constructed a custom leading-link front-end to absorb what few bumps in the road he might encounter when the bike was ridden on the street. A pair of HDW 60-spoke wheels were attached to the chassis, with a 21-incher in the front and an 18” in the rear; both shod in Pirelli knobby tires.
A race bike doesn’t require much in the way of sheetmetal, and Todd kept it to the bare-minimum. A tiny gas tank was strapped to the top frame rail and small fenders were bolted over each tire to keep some of the dirt from flying all over him when on the track. With the sheetmetal finished and the essential components acquired and mocked up for fitment, Todd took the chassis and accoutrements to Color Zone for a healthy helping of flat-black and metal-flake gold. While those parts were in the process of being painted, he grabbed the rims, a bunch of the motor’s covers, and a number of the bike¹s accessories to red-anodize them. When the motor coverings combined with the chassis, he knew there’d be no bike like it at the track or just about anywhere else it might make an appearance.
Since he’s finished the bike, he’s raced it at every speedway event he can make it to, and he does well!
BIKE OWNER TODD SILICATO
SHOP NAME TODD’S CYCLE
SHOP PHONE 714-901-4516
SHOP WEBSITE www.toddscycle.com <http://www.toddscycle.com/>
YEAR/MAKE/MODEL CUSTOM 2010
FABRICATION
ASSEMBLY TODD¹S CYCLE
BUILD TIME 3 MONTHS
ENGINE
YEAR/MANUFACTURER H-D 2001
TYPE/SIZE BUELL LIGHTING 1200
BUILDER H-D
CASES H-D
CYLINDERS H-D
HEADS H-D
ROCKER BOXES H-D
AIR CLEANER TODD’S CYCLE MOTO INTAKE W/HOLEY COVER
EXHAUST T/C CUSTOM
TRANSMISSION
YEAR/MANUFACTURER/TYPE ‘01 H-D 5-spd STOCK-SPROCKET
CASE H-D
CLUTCH H-D
PRIMARY DRIVE H-D
FRAME
YEAR/MANUFACTURER 2010 CHASSIS DESIGN
RAKE 26 DEGREES
STRETCH 0
SUSPENSION
MANUFACTURER FRONT T/C & ALLOY ART SPEEDWAY/LEADING LINK
LENGTH
TRIPLE TREES T/C & ALLOY ART
MANUFACTURER REAR N/A
SWINGARM Rigid
WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES
MANUFACTURER FRONT/TYPE HDW 60 SPOKE
SIZE-HEIGHT/WIDTH 21X2.15
TIRE/SIZE PIRELLI
CALIPER ISR
ROTOR
MANUFACTURER REAR/TYPE HDW 60 SPOKE
SIZE-HEIGHT/WIDTH 18X4.25
TIRE/SIZE PIRELLI
CALIPER ISR
ROTOR
FINISH/PAINT
COLOR GOLD METAL FLAKE & FLAT BLACK
PAINTER COLOR ZONE
GRAPHICS COLOR ZONE
ACCESSORIES
FRONT FENDER T/C CUSTOM
REAR FENDER T/C CUSTOM
FENDER STRUTS
GAS TANK&CAP T/C
OIL TANK T/C
HANDLEBARS T/C MOTO LOW
HAND CONTROLS WORKS CONNECTION
FOOT CONTROLS H-D
FOOTPEGS T/C CUSTOM VICE PEGS RED ANODIZED
HEADLIGHT T/C MARTINI HEADLIGHT 4.5
TAILLIGHT T/C MARTINI TAILIGHT
LICENSE MOUNT T/C CUSTOM
SEAT T/C & AZTECA
