2003 Custom Chrome Nemesis Bike Kit - Reader Submission

We all live our lives with that thought of "One of these days..." whether it's something as simple as taking the family on that vacation you've been talking about, or finally going after that dream you've always had. With everything that's been going on in the world over the past couple of years, more and more people are coming to the realization that tragedy and sickness can strike at any time. "One of these days" has become "Today I will..."

Jerry Combs of Batavia, Ohio, is just one of those people who decided it was time to start living for today, and went after his dream. A little more than a year ago, Jerry was diagnosed with lung cancer and was told by his doctor that his time was short. Happily married and the father of four, Jerry had accomplished almost everything he wanted in his life except building himself a custom chopper. After discussing his lifelong dream with his wife, Karen, she told him to go for it, so he did.

Since this was the first ground-up bike he had ever built, Jerry figured the easiest way to go was to build a kit bike. So after thumbing through the Custom Chrome catalog, he came across the Nemesis bike kit and automatically knew that it was exactly what he wanted. When the pallet of parts arrived in front of his garage, Jerry wasted no time getting the bike mocked up.

First, the Santee frame with 3 inches of stretch in the backbone and 35 degrees of rake at the neck was secured to a workbench. Next, CCI triple-trees and 41mm fork tubes were bolted to the neck. Out back, a pair of Progressive Suspension shocks lowered 2 inches was mounted between the Santee swingarm and the frame. Getting the frame to look more like a motorcycle was made possible by adding a pair of CCI 40-spoke wheels. The 21-inch front and 18-inch rear were both stuffed inside Avon rubber, with the rear sporting a 180. All the braking duties for Jerry's ride were taken care of with CCI calipers and rotors.

The next task on Jerry's build schedule was to mount the motor and trans between the framerails. As soon as he had the 100ci RevTech polished mill secured to the frame, he added a Mikuni HSR42 carb, a Wimmer air cleaner, and Santee pipes. Transferring the motor's power to the rear wheel is a RevTech five-speed trans and clutch, and a CCI primary.

Since this was a complete bolt-together kit, mounting all the CCI sheetmetal to the bike was a rather simple task. Jerry liked how the front fender hugged the top of the tire, and how the rear fender was long enough to keep mud off his back but short enough to show off the rear 180. The stretched tank really accentuated the extended backbone. However, Jerry decided that in order to show off the broad surface of the top of the tank, he would use one of Kryakyn's screw-in, flush-mount gas caps. The last piece of sheetmetal to go on was the horseshoe-style oil tank.

Next, Jerry sent his frame and sheetmetal to Jeff Bankemper of Jeff Bankemper Custom Paint in Cincinnati. Jeff covered the sheetmetal with a white base, along with several layers of yellow and purple flames. To complement the white, the frame was hit with multiple coats of yellow. Jerry has a small gold-plating business that he runs in his spare time, so while Jeff was laying the color down, Jerry was hard at work with his gold-plating equipment, adding 24k gold accents to just about everything. With the help of his nephew, Jimmy, they painstakingly masked off each spoke in a spiral shape and hit them with strips of gold. When they were finished, they had accumulated more than 155 hours worth of gold-plating time.

With the painting and plating portion of the project finished, Jerry began the final assembly. Just above the front fender, he added a fork brace and then higher up on the frontend, he installed a set of CCI risers and buckhorn-style handlebars. The ends of the bars were treated to CCI hand controls and mirrors. Down below, Jerry added more CCI components in the form of forward controls and footpegs. To ensure that his oil would stay a moderate temperature in the summer heat, Jerry bolted a J&P oil cooler to the downtubes. Lighting was taken care of with a CCI headlight resting in between the triple-trees and a side-mount taillight/license mount bolted to the left of the axle.

After five months of hard work and dedication, all Jerry had to do was secure the seat to the frame and he was ready to ride. Before he jumped in the saddle, Jerry stood back to admire his accomplishment. As he looked over his new custom chopper, Jerry felt a deep sense of satisfaction and joy in his heart - he had finally achieved his life's dream.

All of us here at STREET CHOPPER wish Jerry the best of luck with his fight to stay healthy. He is an inspiration to us all to stop procrastinating and go after our dreams.

Specifications
General
Owner: Jerry Combs
Year/Make: '03/Custom Chrome Nemesis Kit
Fabrication: Owner
Assembly: Owner
Build Time: Five months

Engine
Size/Type: 100ci RevTech
Cases: RevTech
Flywheels: RevTech
Rods: RevTech
Pistons: RevTech
Cylinders: RevTech
Heads: RevTech
Cam: RevTech
Carb: Mikuni
Ignition: Crane
Pipes: Santee

Transmission
Year/Type: '03/RevTech
Case: RevTech
Gears: RevTech
Clutch: RevTech
Primary Drive: CCI

Frame/Suspension
Year/Type: '03/Santee D&D
Rake: 35 degrees
Stretch: 3 inches out
Swingarm: Santee
Rear Suspension: Progressive Suspension
Forks: CCI
Extension: None
Triple Trees: CCI