Donkey Punch

When a person has finally reached the point in his or her life where a one-off custom bike becomes an option, there are a few builders that are known for spending the time and effort worth top dollar. Matt Hotch's HotMatch Custom Cycles in Fullerton, California, is one of those places. Matt builds each bike with his own two hands, literally. He has other employees, but no one other than him ever touch the bikes he builds because of his exacting standards and meticulous detail. As the sole builder of each bike, he spends a lot of time with each one, and he feels they develop their own personalities; so, he names each bike before it reaches the customer. Donkey Punch is the name affectionately given to this particular bike.

Donkey Punch started out as a HotMatch '03 frame with 51 degrees of rake in the steering neck, 4 inches in the downtubes, and 3 inches added to the backbone. The frame is connected to a HotMatch swingarm with Works Performance adjustable air shocks that can raise and lower the bike at the touch of a button. In the front, Matt bolted on a set of Perse forks built 22 inches over that are kept in place by a set of Perse 7-degree triple-trees, giving the bike 58 inches of total rake. Above the triple-trees he fabbed a set of wide bars with built-in risers with hidden brake, clutch, and throttle lines. PM Hooligan wheels ride at either end: a 21-inch front and an 18x8.5-inch in the rear, each wrapped in Metzeler tires. Stopping power is provided by a six-piston differential bore caliper squeezing a PM Hooligan rotor in the front, and in the back, a drive-side four-piston PM caliper manipulates another Hooligan rotor hidden behind a Hooligan pulley.

A beautiful, fully polished Patrick Racing 125ci engine was the only motor Matt felt belonged inside this HotMatch frame. A big Mikuni 48mm carburetor was bolted to the polished intake manifold, while a Crane Hi-4 ignition provides more-than-adequate spark. Matt completed the motor installation with a set of HotMatch radial turn-out exhaust pipes. A custom-geared Baker six-speed transmission with a polished case was secured to the frame behind the 125, while a Billet 4-U 3-inch open belt primary and Barnett clutch transfer power between the two.

Especially known for clean builds and sanitary, hidden lines, Matt went to work drilling the frame and routing the controls from the PM hand controls. The sheetmetal soon followed with a long, tire-hugging front fender and a slick gas tank with a HotMatch gas cap that flows into the seat area and oil tank and right into the rear fender with internal struts that sit so close to the tire that it only allows enough room for the tire to expand at high speeds. When the sheetmetal was finished, it, along with the frame, was sent over to Damon's for generous coats of black ice pearl, metalflake red, and silver leaf accent.

Once the painted parts were back in the HotMatch shop, Matt got to work bolting on the final accessories. A Lazer Star headlight was secured to the frontend and a Billet 4-U taillight/license plate bracket was attached to the backing of the primary. Accutronix pegs were bolted to the frame with PM foot controls. Finally, a custom bull-hide leather seat by Bitch'n Rich, with hidden switches built in, was flawlessly fit to the frame.

Matt always has a hard time letting his creations go, and during the seven-month build, he and his crew were especially fond of Donkey Punch. But in the end, Matt and Crew have to eat -- Donkey Punch went home with a guy named Marc who lives in Colorado. Not to worry though, there will always be another bike to build...