Kim Suter had no idea that a trip to Sturgis would totally change his life. He was your everyday kind of guy - he worked in the family business, but was in love with bikes and the world that surrounded them. His love of Harleys ultimately led him and his wife, Cheryl, to their first Sturgis rally back in 1986. Having never been there before, Kim and Cheryl arrived with lofty expectations of a custom bike mecca. When he got there, Kim felt a small measure of disappointment when he saw a sea of Harleys that, to his eye, were all the same except for paint, chrome doodads, and the amount of dirt on them. It was this small grain of disappointment that led to the pearl that is now KC Creations.
Fast forward 18 years to Kim and Cheryl's 10,000-square-foot building in Overland Park, Kansas, that's chock full of everything from a long line of maintenance bays, bike fabrication areas, and a parts department. In front, a sales floor is filled with cutting-edge bikes dressed in exquisite paint that all but beg to be ridden. Now when Kim shows up at a rally, he rides one of his own creations.
For Bikertoberfest, Kim decided that he wanted to take a new KCC Big Inch Bike 2-Lo Magnum with him so he would have something to ride around on while he was there. Kim and lead fabricator Paul Harper started with a Magnum frame that was raked to 40 degrees and came with a 5-inch backbone stretch and a single downtube which arcs gracefully to the neck. In back, they bolted on a KCC Softail swingarm and tied it in with a set of H-D chrome shocks. In front, Paul installed KCC 4-degree triple-trees with graceful curves that hold a pair of 4-inch-over MeanStreet 41mm forks. To complete the roller, Kim chose KCC 30 Caliber rims, and shod the wide 21-inch front with a 120 Metzeler and a 240 on the 18-inch rear. Next, KCC rotors were installed, with the rear using a drive-side rotor/pulley combo. To stop the bike, RC Components four-piston calipers were tucked around the rotors.
Knowing that there's no substitute for cubic inches, Kim chose a polished 124ci S&S motor to fill the frame. Kim completed the power package with Samson Big Guns Short Slasher pipes, an S&S carb and air cleaner, and a Crane Hi-4 ignition. To translate power into motion, he installed a Baker six-speed transmission and tied the two together with an enclosed chain primary.
Since KCC's Big Inch Bike line is a custom production line of bikes, choosing sheetmetal for the bike was fairly simple. In back, a KCC rear fender, complete with internal struts, was bolted on. Then, a KCC teardrop gas tank with a pop-up cap was positioned on the backbone. Below the seat, a KCC oil tank went in place, and in front, another KCC fender was mounted like a second skin on the tire.
Kim gave the bike a long look and liked what he saw, so Paul stripped the bike down and sent the sheetmetal over to KCC's painter, Scott Thomas. Scott started by molding every inch of the sheetmetal until it was perfectly smooth. He then loaded his sprayer and created a base color that fades from purple to black. After getting the look just right, Scott added two tones of gold graphics, and tied it all together with blue and purple pinstriping before he laid on many layers of clearcoat.
After the paint came out of the booth, Kim saw it and loved it, so he gave the go-ahead to finish the bike off. Paul got started by putting the sheetmetal back on and moving to the front, where he installed drag bars with built-in risers on top of the triple-tree. He then capped the bars with JayBrake hand controls and Ness mirrors. In the middle of all this, a Headwinds light was positioned on the triple-tree and a Dakota Digital gauge cluster wasmounted on the bars. Matching JayBrake foot controls were installed, and KCC footpegs, taillights, and turn signals were also mounted on the bike. A KCC license plate mount/derby cover was put in place. Finally, the bike was wired up and a Danny Gray seat was tucked onto the frame.