The Ultimate Chopper...

If you're an avid reader of STREET CHOPPER, you may notice that some of the styling cues that grace this bike look somewhat familiar to you. If so, your jogged memory should take you back to the February '03 issue of STREET CHOPPER, when we featured another bike built by "Bones", a '46 Knucklehead trike he fashioned for his girlfriend, Michelle Nichols. At the time we bumped into Michelle, Bones was just around the corner, and the moment we laid our eyes on his beautiful '30 Harley-Davidson VL, we knew we just had to photograph it.

Unfortunately for Bones, a Las Vegas resident, this particular project began on a somber note. One of his longtime friends and riding buddies had died and left his prized possession, a chopper, to Bones. The bike sat for quite some time before he could get over the loss of his friend. When the time finally came to do something with the bike, Bones knew just what direction to take.

Wanting to make sure the memory of his late friend would live on for a long time, Bones would honor him by building what he considered to be the ultimate chopper: One that was short, had little rake, and expressed the style of the bikes that were rolling around the Bay Area in the '60s.

Bones pulled the motor and trans from his friend's chopper, and visualized how (with some major modifications) they might fit into a '30 H-D VL rigid frame. This was a frame Bones had been hanging on to for something special... and this project was that something. The marriage of these components would not come easily, but Bones was determined to shoehorn the 74-inch Pan into a space where once resided a Flathead that was there 20-years before.

With the 70-plus-year-old frame on his bench, Bones studied its lines, and, more importantly, the shape and dimensions of the engine mounts. He knew there would be lots of cutting, grinding, and welding to the frame, engine and tranny mounts, and gussets and brackets before the Pan would fit properly. By the time it was all said and done, Bones and his pal, Burt Montgomery, performed modifications to 16 different areas, including: reworking the trans mount, fabbing a new raised and bent backbone, new top motor mount, new chain adjusters, footboard support arms that find their way through the primary, and so on. With the frame ready to accept the dimensions of the newer powerplant, Bones moved on to making the bike ready for wheels.

Hanging from the neck is a chromed '36 vintage VL Springer front end. A custom built wheel for the front is comprised of an imported steel rim from England, a skinny 2-inch hub, and a set of custom cut spokes from Buchannon. This assembly is home to a 300/21 Avon Speedmaster tire. Out back is another English rim, H-D spokes, and a '40 mechanical drum brake and sprocket. The rear wheel is cushioned from the road with an Avon 500/16.

Three pieces comprise the sheetmetal package: a '60s vintage flat steel rear fender, a gas tank from a mid-'60s H-D 125 Hummer, and a chromed steel, cylindrical oil tank built by Bones and Burt.

It was now time for Bones to concentrate on rebuilding the powerplant his friend left him. The motor was torn down to its basics for a close examination. From there, Bones put the heart of his new machine back together with polished Harley cases, Truett & Osborn Torque Monster flywheels, Harley rods, and Wiseco Swain Tec coated pistons, which are right at home in a pair of Harley cylinders. Up top are a couple of '64 outside oiler H-D heads fit with Manley stainless steel valves, which communicate with the custom ground Andrews cam through four Sifton pushrods. Sealing the top of the heads from the environment are a set of polished, finned aluminum rocker box covers from Custom Cycle Engineering, which date back to the mid-'60s.

Carburetion for the Pan takes a twist with the use of an SU H6 gleaned from a Triumph TR3 (yes, a car), while the spark is handled by a 6-volt, three-brush M5 Morris magneto. One more apparent twist comes in the form of a set of custom bent exhaust pipes, which allow gasses to exit high above Bones' head through the spun steel trumpet tips supplied by Phoenix Metal Spinning.

Bones would also be reusing the four-speed H-D ratchet top trans and Phase Three enclosed belt primary left to him. After opening up the cases and freshening-up all the internal parts, the components were again sealed in cases and covers, polished and chromed by Shine Shop of Las Vegas.

Making sure everything fit properly before he painted the bike with the red, yellow, and orange paint with flames, Bones proceeded to install the final pieces of the puzzle. Among the myriad of parts is a Barnett throttle affixed to a set of custom bars built by Bones and Burt and modified Bates risers that sit above an original K&D headlight. Shining signals rearward is a single brass-plated taillight from a '30 Ford. Bones and Burt also collaborated on the wild sissybar, which is used to support the rear fender and the long exhaust pipes.

An original '50 Bates stitched leather seat, complete with newly chromed springs, gives Bones a place to rest his bones. Considering the clean bars, Bones signals his shifting intentions via the clutch pedal and hand shifter he modeled after the Lee units from the '50s. He uses his right foot to actuate the '30 H-D brake lever, and when he is done braking and shifting, he rests his feet on the original '30 VL footboards.

With the bike finished and the initial shakedown miles on it, Bones shed a tear or two. He had paid a great compliment and shown his late friend the utmost of respect.