When you picture guys with tattoos, you may think of old sailors, street gangsters, and bikers; but what do you think of when that guy works at a tattoo shop? He is covered with ink and doing his job making good money showing off his talent. Then add the biker element into the mix, and you have everything outlaw. Tim Hendricks and Tristan Hara of Costa Mesa, California, work at a tattoo shop called True Tattoo located in Los Angeles, have a multitude of tattoos, and ride Harleys - everything your mom warned you about. The two have put in a lot of time working on these bikes, and it has paid off for them.
For Tristan, his blue shovel is a collaboration of Harley and any aftermarket parts he could get his hands on. He bought an '84 FXST that was just that: a stock bike that was in need of a lot of work. He began by pulling the motor from the bike and sending it out to Chica Custom Cycles in Huntington Beach, California. The motor was torn down and everything was gone through - the cases and flywheels were good, so a new set of H-D rods and pistons were slid back into the re-worked H-D cylinders. The heads were given some love by replacing the valves and shaping the ports. With a fresh motor in hand, Tristan bolted on an S&S Super E carb and a new set of custom exhaust pipes from Chica. Next, the stock H-D four-speed ratchet top trans was given a little refreshing with new gears, gaskets, and clutches.
With the motor out of the bike, Tristan sent the frame out to be sandblasted and painted, but found that it was badly damaged. This gave him the excuse to buy a new frame; besides, he wanted a rigid anyway. A Mid-USA rigid with 36 degrees of rake at the neck and no added stretch was placed up on the lift for the build. Tristan started with a new rear fender and struts from Chica, as well as a new peanut gas tank from CCI. After all the trim work was done, it was sent out to John "Candy" Edwards for a blue basecoat with eye-grabbing graphics and slim pinstriping. Then, it was shipped back out just as fast as it was sent in so that it could be placed back onto the bike.
This bike was back on the road in just two days. To make this happen, the stock frontend was bolted onto the neck of the frame and the 21-inch spoke H-D wheel with the original drum brake was placed through the lower legs. Up top, handlebars from Chica were set up to hold CCI hand controls and a small mirror. Next, the rear fender was placed on the rear of the bike along with a new 16-inch CCI wheel and a rebuilt H-D caliper and CCI rotor. To hold oil for this bike, a chromed bag from the swapmeet with a wine cork for a plug was put in place. After all the wiring was done, with the help of Tim Hendricks, the last thing to top this backstreet runner was an original Bate solo seat. By the time Tristan had his bike ready for the open roads of Costa Mesa, Tim was well on his way to having his bike ready to ride next to Tristan's.
Tim found his bike while he was out one day when and came across a diamond in the rough for sale: a '79 four-speed shovelhead. He made a killer deal on the bike due to the fact that the motor was shot and needed to be re-built, but that was just what he was looking for: something to build, not just buy.