2003 Softail Chopper - Old Flavour Chopper

As we go through life, it's nice to appreciate loved ones. Wouldn't it be nice to think of a way to pay back your father for everything he has done for you? Jim Bandelin lives in Canyon Lake, California, and had bikes in the past, but it had been a long time since he owned one. His son, Jim Jr., builds bike. Jim Jr. felt that it was time to build one for him.

Jim Jr. got his hands on a new 80ci satin-finish motor from Harley, and bolted on a new S&S Super E carb, a Spyke's ignition, and an exhaust from Hooker. Then, he pick up a Harley five-speed transmission and connected the two with a BDL 3-inch open beltdrive.

Next, he needed a place to put this powerplant, so he called Diamond Chassis and ordered a Softail-style chopper frame with 50 degrees of rake in the neck, 7 inches added to the downtubes, and 4 added to the backbone. Keeping with the feeling of the past, Jim Jr. called Denver Choppers for a retro Springer just like the one his dad had on his first bike. This time though, he went with a 25-over Springer, not a 40-over like the one on his first bike. Out back, a set of Billstein shocks were bolted to the swingarm to smooth out any of the road's bumps.

For wheels, the only thing that either Jim or Jim Jr. would even think about were spokes. A set of Denver's 60-spoke wheels were bolted to the bike - a 19-incher up front and a 16-incher for the rear. The rubber of choice was Metzler, with a 180 for the rear. When it came time to put brakes on none were used to keep the frontend looking clean. On the rear of the bike, a McCaas caliper and rotor were bolted on.

The sheetmetal was the next part of the build. Jim Jr. didn't need a front fender, but made a rear fender and supports from 12-gauge sheet and welded them to the swingarm. A Mustang gas tank from Paughco was mounted high on the backbone as an H-D oil bag found its way on this build. Everything was handed over to Tony Fabozzi, who covered the frame and sheetmetal in Kandy Apple Red from House of Kolors. Then, Dave from California Design, gold-leafed the graphics along the top of the tank to get the paint to pop.

Everything was shipped back out to Jim Jr. who got started on final assembly. He hit the CCI catalog hard, placing an order for hand controls, foot controls, and matching pegs. He also ordered a set of 4-inch risers and 10-up bars, topped with a CCI mirror and grips. All electrical work was that of Buster Crab, who did his best to hide as many of the wires as possible. Jim Jr. came across an old John Deere tractor seat that he had re-chromed and mounted on the frame along with two springs.

The bike was done and all Jim Jr. had to do was wait until Father's Day, but he couldn't. He phoned his dad and told him to come over for dinner, and when they walked out to the garage, Jim was shocked to see this clean chopper sitting there. The real shocker came when Jim Jr. handed him the keys!