Sometimes it takes years before that idea in the back of your head finally gels into the design, paint, and parts of which the sum total becomes the bike you want to build. Ty Mather had been building bikes in his garage for 13 years, and was always disappointed with the ones he cobbled together - they may have looked great, but they were always the result of a compromise in one form or another. Like many on a budget, he made due with what he could scrape together. It wasn't until Ty cameacross the right parts at the right price that the idea for a bike he really wanted to build could come to life. After Ty realized what he wanted, a year of hard work would pass before Ty opened the garage door, grinned, and let this smoking red beast out into the light.
Ty found the basis for his bike when he came upon a '75 four-speed FL frame. Ty bought the frame, and immediately added 6 inches of stretch to the downtubes. The neck was then raked to 40 degrees for an old-school chopper look. In the rear, Ty stretched the swingarm 3 more inches, and modified the axle mounts so he could adjust the axle enough to run three different-sized pulleys with the same belt. Ty wasn't sure which pulley size to run, what kind of motor he would be working with, or whether he would travel on the highway or be racing friends on the street.
Ty attached 18-inch-over H-D legs into 10-degree triple-trees, made by Machine & Design, and hoisted it all onto the frame neck. Next, he attached a 19-inch H-D rim covered with Avon rubber on the forks, and finished it off with an 11-1/2-inch H-D disc and H-D four-piston caliper. No front fender would be used, but a custom fork brace was installed.
Turning to the rear of his chopper, Ty lowered the swingarm by moving the upper suspension mounts forward on the bike. He then used Progressive shocks to stabilize the swingarm. Ty found a 16-inch spoked H-D rim to mount the Avon 140 to the swingarm. Matching the front, he used a stock H-D rotor and caliper to put more stop in his chop.
Knowing that he wanted gobs of power to make his beast roar down the road, Ty bought a friend's '80 FX that had an 114ci shovelhead in it. The shovelhead consists of S&S cases with Truett & Osborne flywheels and Supreme rods. Axtell jugs surround Arias pistons and STD heads with Manley valves top the whole thing. Ty finished the motor up with an S&S Super E carburetor and air cleaner, and a Crane ignition. After a failed search for '60s vintage Speedo's Flame Pipes, Ty spent a few days fabricating an exhaust with the hottest flamed tips he could beat into metal. He decided to tie his potent shovelhead to a 5-into-4 modified kicker tranny that had an electric start modification and came complete with a Sputhe case and Andrews gears. Ty knew he was on the right track when he found an old-style H-D chrome primary to cover the BDL clutch.
Ty went to Milwaukee Iron for a fender blank and cut it down to nest tightly over the rear tire. He welded and blended a well into the fender to mate perfectly with the solo-seat he had purchased from Le Pera. With a little catalog research, Ty found a classic teardrop tank from CCI that he installed low over the backbone of the bike. A Santee oil tank was then modified to fit under the seat.
Ty makes his living as a painter, so after tearing the mock-up apart, Ty laid PPG Prizmatique Red Pearl on the metal. After this, he would add 3-D flames to the tank, oil bag, and fender, and plenty of clearcoat to make the bike sparkle.
Ty designed and fabricated his own 1-1/4-inch Z-handlebars, and attached them with CCI 6-inch risers. He would complement the handlebars with BDL hand controls, a small CCI mirror, and a stock H-D headlight mounted to the triple-tree. CCI also provided the classic-look foot controls for the beast. Ty also installed a Pro-One oil cooler to keep the chopper cool.