In past decades motorcycle building was a hands-on, experience-based type of profession that allowed one's talents to make him a cut above the rest. Most bike builders were creative motor heads, who were able to build a motor, mold a frame, pinstripe the bike, and complete the a work of art from beginning to end. Nowadays there are still builders who have these capabilities, but with the technology of today, a new style of bike building has emerged. Today's high-end shops have design teams, computer generated graphic art departments, paint departments, machine shops, and the ability to access any part imaginable at the touch of a button...a computer keyboard button that is.
Well, Jeff Young from Storm Lake, Iowa, didn't necessarily have a high-end shop at his fingertips, but he did have a computer and access to information highway. Being from a rural part of Iowa, Jeff took a stab at the internet and decided start building his dream bike.
Jeff took his time, talking with people on the internet, meeting new friends, and listening to people's successes and failures. Feeling comfortable with the style of bike he had envisioned, Jeff hooked up with a shop in California. Unfortunately the encounter with the California-based shop added one more check to the internet failure list. Little did this guy know, Jeff had 23 years of riding experience behind him and knows a thing or two about motorcycles.
Determined to build the bike he always wanted, Jeff continued to pursue his dream, taking another stab at the internet. In time, Jeff was hooked up with Jay from Phantom Cycles in Alaska. From then on it was smooth sailing. Jeff and Jay spent many a nights emailing one another back and forth, even communicating with one another on a more conventional level, the telephone. Jeff and Jay were able to create almost 75 percent of the motorcycle without even meeting face to face.
Soon thereafter, Jeff found himself cutting a check and mailing it off to Phantom Cycles. A few sleepless nights later, Jeff started receiving numerous packages in the mail and before he knew it, he had a basic roller all boxed up.
Jeff is from one of those areas that everyone kind of knows everyone. He was able to hook up with a close friend, Scott Pettit, owner of Cherokee Harley-Davidson, and continue with the progression of his new motorcycle.
Jeff and Jay worked with one another throughout the mock-up process, creating a kind of pointed theme for the bike. They started off with an '03 Kraft Tech wide-drive Softail. Dressing up the frame, they reworked a Phantom Cycles rear fender, matched it up a Fat Katz Vegas front fender, and chose a Villain fuel tank from West Coast Choppers, mounting it high on the frame. To add to the bike's attitude, they choose a 12-over Spyke inverted frontend. At the heart of the bike, a RevTech 100ci motor was bolted in, with a RevTech six-speed transmission to match. With the mock-up process complete, the bike was disassembled and sent off Curt Bacon of Bacon's Body Shop, where some passion purple flames were laid down on a tangerine and gold basecoat.
Nearly three months later, Jeff found himself at the end of his project with a head-turning custom motorcycle and a long list of stories to go along with it. Jeff added that the bike turned out better than he could have ever intended, referring to as one hell of a daily driver (Iowa weather permitting).
Not long after completing this project, friend and co-builder Scott Pettit and his wife Beth opened up a watering hole called The Old Panhead. Jeff relates it couldn't have worked out better for him because now he got some place to always ride to. In conclusion, Jeff would like to thank his wife Becky for putting up with him during the three-month project.