KICK START ONLY II

Exile Cycles, located in Sun Valley, California, has a few rules about the bikes they build. Exile only builds bikes that are black and have kick-starters. Those rules have been posted on the walls of the shop for the seven years we have known Exile's owner, Russell Mitchell. The only time those rules are bent are times when a customer absolutely, positively, completely insists that it happen. And even then, Mitchell pitches to do it his way, right up until the bike is rolling out the front door...

When Chris Tondro wandered into Exile Cycles he thought the posted rules were pretty cool, but they didn't really apply to him because all he wanted was a frame. After a few hours of going over chassis options with Russell, Tondro came to realize he wasn't sure what he wanted. His original idea of a sleek little rigid with very old-school components went out the window when he saw Exile's fat rear tire kit. Confused and uncertain, Tondro left the shop with a promise of returning when he had made up his mind.

As Russell was opening the shop the next day, Tondro was in the parking lot waiting for him. He had reached a decision-he wanted Russell to build him a fat-tire bike. And, of course, it could be black with a kick-starter--all Tondro wanted was the bike done as soon as possible.

Russell took one of their Wide Rigid frames out of stock and sat it on a bench. The frame was set up with 35 degrees of rake and no stretch, perfect for the in-town blaster he planned to build. Up front, a pair of H-D fork legs were treated to black anodizing and a two inch reduction in travel before they were matched up to a set of Exile trees, also finished in black.

Knowing a bike looks better with wheels in place, Russell pulled a set of 21- and 15-inch wheels off the shelf. However, in accordance with the theme of the project, the only shiny parts on the wheels are the spokes--the rims and hubs are, naturally, finished in black. Adding black where it is needed is a 230 Avon rear tire and a complimenting Avon front tire. Russell had a four-piston Hawg Halter caliper and an Exile Cycles Sprocket caliper anodized black for Tondro's bike as well.

Turning to the metal work, a pair of Exile fenders designed to fit the Wide Rigid frame were pulled from the shelf, along with a slightly modified King Sporty tank from CCI. Russell went against the grain of the project and installed a polished aluminum Exile barrel oil tank in the chassis and decided the bike had enough bodywork.

It was time to make the bike run, so a basically stock, satin finished 80ci Evo was dropped in place. In fact, the only changes to the stock motor come from the addition of a Dyna ignition, S&S carb and a set of Exile Monster Drag Pipes. Just behind the Evo you will find a Harley transmission (with a kick-starter) that connects to a Primo three-inch belt drive. Just what every chopper really needs.

The plan was to get the bike up and running with a coat of black primer on everything for the break-in period, then the gloss black would be applied. Russell bolted a set stainless steel Exile fat bars, P.M. hand controls, black-anodized Exile foot controls, a billet headlight from the Exile shelves as well as an Exile taillight onto the bike, waiting only for the completion of the Exile/High End seat the next day.

The story takes a quick turn here. Tondro rode the bike for about 800 miles before returning it to Russell for the final finish. While the frame and fenders were being powdercoated by Andrews, Russell called to task us about shooting the bike for STREET CHOPPER. Jokingly, editor Kelly asked if Russell would add flames to the bike to break up the all black motif. Russell replied, "if it makes Howard happy, we will." And much to Tondro's surprise, when he picked up his completed bike, it was sporting a small touch of flame done by Miguel's Psycle Paint in Mesa, Arizona.

At last count, Russell, Tondro and Howard were all happy with the results.