Terry Lee from Peoria, Arizona, had a dream in the late '60s of making his living building custom motorcycles. Unfortunately, the custom bike market was not where it is today, and he couldn't afford to live that way at the time. Eventually, he chose another line of work. 30 years later, he picked up a copy of STREET CHOPPER magazine, and it rekindled his passion for building customs. This time around, he wanted to build something that would satisfy his urges from the past, while incorporating styling cues and the technology of today.
The chopper he had in mind was low and long, a shape that would make other bike owners green with envy. Terry started out with an '01 Rolling Thunder 230 Softail frame with a 5-inch stretch in the backbone and a 40-degree neck. Bolted to the neck is a set of 5-degree RC Components triple trees, and 6-inch over Perewitz forks with Race Tech internals. Attached to the swingarm is a Legend Air suspension system that not only provides excellent cushioning, but also slams the bike to the ground when he's not riding.
A new frame needs to be mobilized, so the next items on Terry's build list were wheels. Performance Machine has some quality components, and Terry liked the Trinity's style, so he picked up a 21-incher for the front with a matching rotor and four-piston caliper. In the rear, he mounted a 15-inch trinity with a GMA pulley/rotor combination and a GMA four-piston caliper.
Terry had envisioned his bike with a big-inch motor, so he called up T.P. Engineering and ordered a 107-incher. When the motor arrived, he added Edelbrock heads, a Crane cam, a Hi-4 ignition system, Martin Brothers' exhaust pipes, and a beefy looking Patrick Racing dual 42mm Mikuni setup. Relaying power to the Baker six-speed transmission is a Primo Brute III closed primary with a Rivera pro clutch.
With the motor in the frame, Terry went to town on the sheetmetal. He bought fenders from W.C.C. and modified them so much, they don't even resemble the original pieces. It looked like the struts flowed from the fender, and the Rolling Thunder oil bag was stretched to match the contours of the frame. The Independent fuel tank was stretched as well and flows into the seat area, while the front fender was shaped with wicked curves that show how custom the bike really is.
After spending so much time with the sheetmetal, Terry knew he had to come up with a wild paint scheme to do all his hard work justice. First, he tore the bike apart and molded the frame and sheetmetal, before laying down generous coats of Pagan Candy gold. Once he was satisfied with the basecoat, he had a friend of his, named Tony, tattoo the bike with blue tribal graphics on everything except the frame.
After the paint dried, he was anxious to get the bike on the road, and he worked furiously to finish the final assembly and bolt on the accessories of the machine. Ness bars with built-in risers and Performance Machine hand controls were fastened to the triple trees above a Headwinds headlight. P.M. foot controls keep his feet off the ground and help him manage the bike's braking and gear shifting, while a High-End seat keeps him comfortable. Finally, a Paul Yaffe taillight indicates Terry's intentions while on the road.
Exhausted but excited, Terry wrenched on the last few bolts of his bike before taking it for its maiden run. The custom turned out to be worth the three-decade wait. He still hasn't been able to wipe the smile off his face. He was so happy with the way the bike turned out that he decided to try his hand at bike building again. His new shop is called Envy Cycle Creations.
SpecificationsGeneralOwner: Terry LeeYear/Make: '01/Pro-Street ChopperFabrication: Terry LeeAssembly: Terry LeeBuild Time: Eight months