We all have looked at the same piece of art and not seen the same thing as the next guy. Some art is abstract, and then there are things that people just want to call art. When you cross a metalworking artist with a bike builder, you never know how it will turn out. Lynn Demiurge of Sedona, Arizona, is just that guy: a passionate artist with a good eye for both art and motorcycles. He has been in love with the look of the old '50s-style bikes, but very rarely has seen anything that was worth buying. So he made up his mind to build one for himself, and do it the only way he knew how: with a metal artist's twist.
Lynn had some free time between art shows, so he went to work putting his next masterpiece on the road. The bike was to have a few cool things from the past, like a Springer frontend, big dirt tires, a peanut gas tank, and Bobber styling.The motor and trans were the easiest things to plan - he ordered an 80ci Evo motor from Ultima with a high lift cam and ignition from Crane. Lynn bolted on an S&S Super E carburetor and air cleaner, and being the metalworker that he is, Lynn made his own exhaust. It was made to look like the old Indy racecars from the '50s, with a true 2-in-1 with a custom heat shield and a flared-out tip. The transmission for the bike was an H-D five-speed with the same finish as the motor, a wrinkle black paint, and a chrome top and side cover to add some contrast to the finish. Relaying the power from the motor to the trans is a BDL clutch and 3-inch primary beltdrive with an O-ring chain final drive to the rear wheel. Once the power train was in order, the framework was the next thing for Lynn to work on.
He ordered an '04 Santee gooseneck rigid frame with 38 degrees of rake in the neck. Because Lynn was looking to have a low stance on this bike, he kept the stock downtubes but welded in 3 extra inches to the backbone. Adding to the low frame, Lynn went with a replica panhead Springer from CCI with an extra 2 inches to push the front tire out a bit. Since the frame is rigid, the only thing Lynn could do for a smooth ride was place hardened springs under the seat. Next, the wheels were added, Lynn had seen a set of 16x5-inch spoke wheels from DNA, and added a set of Coker flat sidewall tires, as well as GMA brakes at both ends of the bike.
The time eventually came to really show off the metalwork talent that Lynn is known for: the sheetmetal. The front fender was hand-rolled and shaped to top the tire, and acted as a brace. The rear fender started out from Chica, but soon had a shape of its own. Lynn trimmed the outside edges and the rear to a point. He then welded a sissybar/strut that followed the same shape as the fender.
After molding all the welds invisible and seamless, Lynn covered the frame and fenders in a custom jet-black mix that Lynn wants to keep secret. On the gas tank, he used a die grinder and brushed the metal in a swirl pattern. Then, he added black paint in just the right spots to highlight the shape. He also used a red pinstripe along the edge of the paint.
As soon as the paint was dry, Lynn went to work getting this bike on the road. He started by placing the motor and trans in the frame, bolting the frontend to the neck, and sliding the wheel through the frame and frontend. Handlebars from Chrome Works, a headlight from CCI, and hand controls from GMA finished the frontend. On the back end, Chrome Horse supplied the foot controls, pegs, and taillight. Lynn wired the bike and hid as much as he could through the frame. The final details, included a Paughco toolbox and a custom seat from Zoom in which Lynn took a solo seat pan from an old Army H-D 45 bike he found at a swapmeet.
This piece of art was finally ready to hit the road. With the many wide-open roads in Sedona, Arizona, it was easy for him to go out to find new inspiration.