With the sheetmetal taken care of, Greg turned his attention to adding some color to the rigid. He knew that he wanted the bike to be a solid blue with the only graphics being his Gateway Thunder logo on the rear fender, but he also wanted to throw some black in, so he decided to have the wheels as well as some other components black anodized. While that was being done, Charles Crews at Button Auto Body mixed up a special batch of Diamond Ice Blue for Don Vollmer to cover the frame and sheetmetal with. To really make the blue stand out, Don added several coats of Diamond Ice Pearl and then finished off the painting with a couple layers of clear.
When Greg and his crew got the parts back from paint, they immediately got to work on final assembly. They started by securing a set of K&N handlebars to the front of the bike with a set of Astech 7-inch risers. At the ends of the bars are P.M. hand controls, while down below, the rider's feet rest on Astech's forward controls. Lighting for the bike was made possible by a Headwinds headlight up front and an Astech sidemount license mount with a Tucker Rocky taillight. When it came to the handle for the jockey shift, Greg didn't just want any old handle, so he took a right-handed '70s Mopar pistol grip shifter and had it digitized so that it could be used with the left hand.
After six months of fabrication and assembly, the bike was finally considered complete when the original Pit Bull seat was secured to the frame. When Greg jumped on the bike for the first time, he immediately knew that this was one chopper that wouldn't be going back out on his showroom floor; he was going to take it straight home to his own garage - after a long test ride of course.
SpecificationsGeneralOwner: Greg KottmannYear/Make: '02/Special constructionFabrication: Gateway Thunder/Astech MachineAssembly: Gateway Thunder/Astech MachineBuild Time: Six months
EngineSize/Type: 107ci EvoCases: S&SFlywheels: S&SRods: S&SPistons: S&SCylinders: S&SHeads: S&SCam: S&SCarb: S&SIgnition: ThunderheartPipes: Joe Zwerlein/Vicious Cycle Fab
TransmissionYear/Type: '02/BakerCase: TP EngineeringGears: BakerClutch: Rivera/Astech MachinePrimary Drive: Chain
Frame/SuspensionYear/Type: '02/DaytecRake: 38-degreesStretch: 7 inches up 1-1/2 inches outSwingarm: NoneRear Suspension: NoneForks: Forking by FrankExtension: 9 inches overTriple-Trees: Astech Machine
Wheels, Tires, And BrakesWheelsFront: Astech MachineRear: Astech MachineTiresFront: AvonRear: Avon BrakesFront: P.M.Rear: P.M.
FinishMolding: Don VollmerPainter: Don VollmerColor: Diamond Ice Blue/Diamond Ice PearlGraphics: Don VollmerChrome Plating and Polishing: Arkansas JimPowdercoating: N/A
AccessoriesBars: K&NRisers: Astech MachineHand Controls: P.M.Headlight: HeadwindsTaillight: Tucker RockyGauges: NoneElectrical: Gateway ThunderFuel Tank(s): WCCDash: NoneOil Tank: Big Dog-Pit BullFront Fender: Big Dog-Pit bullRear Fender: Big Dog-Pit bullFender Struts: Astech MachinePegs: NessFoot Controls: Astech Machine.Seat: Corbin/Big Dog