New York is a tough town. Tough on people, tough on careers, and really tough on choppers. Have you seen the city streets there? Potholes, manhole covers, and road construction make up more of the road surface than asphalt does. So when you plan on building a chopper, you better make it strong, and you better make it work.
Rick Gilston knew his new chopper needed to be a New York chopper, so he turned to Nick at New York Choppers to build him one. Makes sense doesn't it? The main concern for Rick, besides building it New York tough, was that it be fast enough to get away from anyone on the street - he wanted big power and big cubic inches.
First things first in a chopper build: a frame. Nick took one of his new single-downtube frames off the shelf and set it on the bench. It featured 40 degrees of rake and a 6-inch upward stretch. He added a Mean Street 10-inch-over fork assembly in 4-degree trees up front and a set of Legend Air shocks to the swingarm and decided it was time to build a bike.
Nick started by ordering a big 127ci motor that looked good and kicked out plenty of power from H&L Performance. Starting with a set of S&S Super Sidewinder cases, S&S wheels and rods topped with Ross racing pistons were added. Billet H&L cylinders were the next addition, followed by the company's own heads equipped with Black Diamond valves. The top end was completed with S&S roller rockers and boxes. Down below, an H&L cam, a DaVinci carb, a Dyna ignition, and NYC/Martin Brothers pipes were used.
Catching what the big 127 throws out is a Billet 4U primary drive that is as beefy as the motor. A Baker six-speed transmission, a right-side drive for even more fun, feeds a chain final drive to assure positive hookups when the throttle is used.
To roll the potent chopper around, Nick called on some help from Performance Machine and Metzeler. Up front, one of PM's new 21x3.5-inch wheels carries an equally new Metzeler 120 tire and six-piston caliper. Out back the 18x8.5-inch PM wears a 240 and a driveside conversion with a four-piston caliper.
Wrapping up the looks of this New York Chopper was a simple affair. A Fat Katz front fender blank was trimmed to house the big tire up front, and a Wernimont rear does the same. To hold fluids, an NYC fuel tank was positioned on the framerail and one of Nick's Maltese Cross oil bags found its way into the mix. Now it was time to call in Maro Chrome Plating to handle the frame and a few extra parts, while Visual Impact took care of the painted design.
With everything spread out in the back of the New York Choppers shop, it was commencement time for the project. CCI handlebars in NYC risers hold PM hand controls above a Headwinds headlamp up top. Below, more controls from PM hold Rick's feet, and out back, an NYC taillight marks his position. A Paul Cox seat was the perfect choice for this wild ride, and once installed, it was time to assure the bike's quality. Nick rode out to the middle of Manhattan to play dodge-the-car with some NYC cab drivers. As soon as he pulled back in the shop, he called Rick to tell him his New York Chopper was tough and ready to go.
SpecificationsGeneralOwner: Rick GilstonYear/Make: '04/NYC 240 Fabrication: NYC ChoppersAssembly: NYC ChoppersBuild Time: Six months
EngineSize/Type: 127ci H&LCases: S&SFlywheels: S&S
Rods: S&SPistons: RossCylinders: H&LHeads: H&LCam: H&LCarb: DaVinciIgnition: DynaPipes: NYC
TransmissionYear/Type: '04/Baker
Case: BakerGears: Six-speedClutch: PrimoPrimary Drive: Billet 4U
Frame/SuspensionYear/Type: '04/NYCRake: 40 degrees Stretch: 6 inches up Swingarm: NYCRear Suspension: Legend AirForks: Mean StreetExtension: 10 inchesTriple-Trees: Mean Street