It's funny how a simple project can gain momentum and grow well beyond what the makers intended. When the owners of Accutronix, Dan Molnar and Randall Whisenant, decided to build a bike to show off the custom billet parts their company is known for making, that's the path the project took. Forward controls, triple-trees, and risers are just some of the company's products, but motors, frames, and transmissions aren't. Dan and Randall came up with a basic idea of what they wanted, then ordered most of the parts for the project. But tragedy struck before the build could get under way. Sadly, Randall fell ill and later passed away.
The project was moved to the back burner until the 2002 Laughlin River Run when Dan got to talking with MGS Custom Bikes owner Mike Stafford about doing a project with Accutronix parts. Dan had felt a renewed desire to see this bike completed, but he needed an experienced builder to make sure it was everything he and Randall had envisioned. By conversation's end, Mike had agreed to take on the project. A week later, Dan and Mike worked out the complete look and concept of the bike over the phone. Dan was pretty flexible as far as the sheetmetal was concerned, but insisted that the exhaust pipes exit on either side of the frame.
Mike put the Xtreme rigid frame Dan had shipped him on the lift to get started. Dan had ordered it with 38 degrees of rake in the neck and 2 inches of stretch in the down tubes. He liked the look of Harley's Deuce frontend, but since this was going to be a long chopper, Mike added 10-inch-over tubes to the Deuce lowers, and finished the frontend with Accutronix trees raked out to 7 degrees. A set of Exile wheels let the chassis roll; both the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear use Avon rubber for traction, but the 230 rear tire really beefs up the view from the back. Dan really wanted to show off the rear wheel spokes, so a drive-side rear brake setup from RC Components came into play to keep the right side of the wheel ultra clean. It's matched by an RC caliper over a Wilwood rotor at the front wheel.
The bike had a great set of brakes for stopping, but no means for going, so Mike hefted a 113ci S&S motor that Dan had ordered into the frame to give the chopper big power. Now, a 113 is no weenie when it comes to making torque and ponies, but Pure Steel Motorcycles had ported the heads and added Headquarters valves for even more power. The motor gets its air and fuel from a Super G carb with a Hog's Breath air cleaner, and torches the mixture with a Dyna ignition. Although the motor was built elsewhere, Mike's creative abilities came into play when it came to cutting and welding the exhaust pipes. Take a good, hard gander at the rear pipe which curves precisely around the JIMS five-speed transmission and exits just behind the BDL primary drive.
Mike achieved what Dan had wanted for the pipes, and while the creative juices were still flowing, he dove into the sheetmetal phase. Wild-looking, pointed, stretched oil tanks are some of Mike's signature pieces, so naturally one found itself holding oil on the Accutronix chopper. Dan had given him a Fat Katz front fender, but it fell to Mike to cut, weld, and grind the pointed rear skin for the back tire. He also took Dan's one-piece Independence gas tank and stretched it to flow into the backbone of the frame. Dan had some definite ideas about the paint scheme and turned to Joe at Paintworx for the House of Kolor Prizmatique Green, gold, and frost color scheme that adds flair to the frame and sheetmetal.