Ron Simms has been doing the chopper thing for about as long as anyone we know, and after 30 or so years of doing anything, he found a need to change things. Most people build choppers based on the overall look of the bike, relegating the motor's output to second or third-rate status, depending on how cool the bike looks. Simms and his Bay Area Custom Cycles shop in Hayward, California, were itching to go the other way - build a chopper that looked cool but was really only there to give the motor a place to be.
Simms Mini Bike-Small In Size Big In Looks
While the Simms crew was building this bike, its owner Ron Perkins often stopped by with his son R.J. The guys were smitten by the youngster's passion for bikes and they wanted to do something to make him feel like one of the guys. Simms hit on the idea of building R.J. a bike when he saw a Suzuki JR-50 in the window of a local bike shop. He went in, bought it, and brought it back to the shop where the guys went crazy over it.
They pulled it apart, sent some pieces out for chrome, all while they were fabbing up some cool metal for the bike. Then they sent it to Horst for a scaled-down version of the paintwork he did on Perkins' bike. Horst, the comedian, had ghosted nude women all over Perkins' bike (because he knew it would get Perkins in trouble at home), and on R.J.'s tank is a copy of the Coppertone girl.
| GENERAL |
| OWNER | Ron Perkins |
| MAKE/YEAR | '01 Simms chopper |
| FABRICATION | Bay Area Custom Cycles |
| ASSEMBLY | Bay Area Custom Cycles |
| BUILD TIME | 3 months |
| ENGINE |
| SIZE/TYPE | 131ci Thug |
| CASES | Simms/STD |
| FLYWHEELS | JIMS |
| RODS | JIMS |
| PISTONS | J&E |
| CYLINDERS | Simms |
| HEADS | STD |
| CAM | Simms |
| CARB | S&S |
| IGNITION | Dyna |
| PIPES | WCC |
| TRANSMISSION |
| YEAR/TYPE | Baker six-speed |
| CASE | Baker |
| GEARS | Baker |
| CLUTCH | Barnett |
| PRIMARY DRIVE | Chain |
| FRAME/SUSPENSION |
| YEAR/TYPE | '01 Simms/Paughco |
| RAKE | 38 degrees |
| STRETCH | 4 inches up, 2 inches out |
| SWING ARM | Simms |
| REAR SUSPENSION | Legend Air |
| FORKS | Perse |
| EXTENSION | 4 inches |
| TRIPLE TREE | Simms |
| WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES |
| WHEELS |
| Front | 21-inch P.M. |
| Rear | 18-inch P.M. |
| TIRES |
| Front | Metzeler |
| Rear | Metzeler 240 |
| BRAKES |
| Front | Simms/P.M. |
| Rear | Simms/P.M. |
| FINISH |
| MOLDING | Horst |
| PAINTER | Horst |
| COLOR | Red |
| GRAPHICS | Horst |
| CHROME PLATING | Valley Plating |
| ACCESSORIES |
| BARS | Flanders |
| RISERS | Choppers Inc. |
| HAND CONTROLS | P.M. |
| HEADLIGHT | Simms |
| TAILLIGHT | Simms |
| GAUGES | None |
| ELECTRICAL | Bay Area Custom Cycles |
| FUEL TANK(S) | Simms |
| DASH | None |
| OIL TANK | Simms |
| FRONT FENDER | Wernimont |
| REAR FENDER | Wernimont |
| FENDER STRUTS | Built-in |
| PEGS | Simms |
| FOOT CONTROLS | Simms |
| SEAT | Corbin |