Having the ability to take an idea and transfer it to raw steel is what makes a bike builder a step above most mere mortals. See, all of us can envision the perfect chopper and all the details that accompany it, but few of us have the necessary skills to bring that idea to life.
Gene Oglesby spent the last 35 years of his life building and painting custom cars that brought other people's dreams to life, and the past 15 years dreaming about the perfect chopper. About a year ago, he finally decided to take the plunge and get started by bringing a frame into his Alta Loma, California, garage.
Alone on a bench, the Diamond Chassis frame was not much of a chopper. To most who stopped by, the frame was just a bunch of tubes bent to stretch 6 inches up, 3 out, and meet at a neck set at 43 degrees. They only knew that after Gene told them, because as the frame sat alone on the bench, it was all he could tell them. He wasn't about to rush it after 15 years of dreaming: he was still formulating the perfect chopper in his head.
After three months of looking at the frame, Gene finally decided on a fork assembly and triple-trees. Once mounted, they didn't match the dream, so they went on sale. As soon as the fork was sold, another was purchased - same story, the same actions took place. At last, Gene had come up with the right combination: a Pro-One 10-inch-over, 41mm Wide Glide setup that rides in 5-degree trees. It was worth the wait, because seeing the forks in place inspired the wheel decision.
A pair of Beach City Wheels Villains would be perfect for Gene's bike. Up front, he went with a 21x2.15-inch wrapped up in a 90/90-series Avon that is stopped by a PM rotor - which matched the BCW almost perfectly - and a four-piston caliper. Out back, a big 18x8.5-inch BCW is covered in 250 mm worth of Avon, and an Exile Sprotor assembly does the slowing work.
The traction and stopping power he selected would be worthless without a driveline, so Gene turned to RPM in Anaheim, California, for some help. Starting with S&S cases and JIMS flywheels and rods, they began creating a 96ci hot rod. Ross pistons were fitted to S&S cylinders, and V-Thunder heads topped the assembly off. An Andrews cam, an S&S carb with a Joker Machine air cleaner, and a Spike ignition provided spark and fire, while MGS pipes did exhaust duty. To make the most of the hot motor, a Sharpeye six-speed transmission was placed behind it, with power fed to the gears by a BDL open beltdrive, protected by Joker covers.
Now the bike had a personality and was ready to be skinned. A Fat Katz front fender got things moving as Gene turned his years of body experience loose on making the metal hug the rubber. Next, he spent some time dropping the tunnel of the Diamond Chassis gas tank to create the perfect complementary line to the frame. The same can be said for the Diamond rear fender - it was worked until it became part of the matched set Gene was after. Finally, he mounted the Diamond oil bag before turning things over to his son, Gene Jr., for the blue blood-red paintwork.
It was a simple matter of installing the custom coil cover and wiring the bike to get ready to add the finishing components. After mounting a set of Joker Machine risers, Gene went through the same drama with handlebars as he did with the fork, but after three tries, he just made his own and mounted BDL hand controls to them. Down below, he kept things consistent with BDL forward controls. To light up the night, a Pro-One headlamp rode up front, and Gene built his own taillamp for the rear. The last thing to be built was a seat, which he did himself. It seemed a fitting conclusion to a 15-year dream. But as Gene found, he missed out on a lot by dreaming about the bike for all that time. Now all he wants to do is ride it around.
SpecificationsGeneralOwner: Gene OglesbyYear/Make: '03/Gene's Custom Fabrication: Gene's CustomAssembly: Gene's CustomBuild Time: One year