2004 Trik Daddy's Tribute Chopper - Sympathy For The Devil

Friend"I can't get no satisfaction" is a Rolling Stones lyric that applies to many things in life. For Trik Daddy John at Trik Daddy's Custom Cycles in Brooksville, Florida, satisfaction meant building a chopper dedicated to one of the greatest rock bands of all time (hint: it's not Foghat).

The idea hit him a few years back. John has been a rider and a major Rolling Stones fan for a long time, so creating a tribute bike was a great way to combine both passions in one cool package. But it wasn't until recently that he found the time to make it happen.

John's design simmered inside his head for years, so when the time came, he knew what he wanted. The Stones came to fame in the 1960s, when, coincidentally, choppers were also getting notoriety. The two would be a great marriage of classics. He envisioned a long, low-slung bike with a high neck and flamboyant sheetmetal - a chopper as eye-grabbing as the band itself. But even though his ideas were firm in his mind, epiphanies and inspirations evoked during building that led to changes until it evolved into its current form.

The initial mock-up went pretty quick since John knew what parts he wanted. Maximum provided the frame and Trik Daddy fabbed fenders that ride low and mean just like John wanted. They created a gas tank with concave sides that would work great with the graphics in John's mind. Everything went together just great until paint time. His frustration mounted as he agonized over the paint for weeks. He even ordered 13 House of Kolor pigments, none of which made him happy. He tried, he tried, and he tried, but he couldn't get no satisfaction. It was enough to make a grown man cry. However, once you start him up, he never stops.

A solution presented itself on his morning drive to the shop one day when the Stones' "Paint It Black" hit the airwaves on the radio. Simply zapping it black wasn't good enough, however, since John already had an all-black bagger. But if not all-black, then black and what? Two days later while driving to the shop he got cut off by some yahoo and had to slam on the brakes. As he did, inspiration flew out from under the seat in the form of a black and white Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers CD case.

Once the great paint dilemma was solved, John turned it over to Tony at Soft Touch Studios for the final (and extremely important) touch: airbrushing the band into the sunken sides of the tank - one side depicting the group in 1962, the other from the present day. Building this bike was a longtime goal for John, and he wouldn't have gotten it done without the understanding of his wife Maria and son Johnny. Oh, and a little band of rockers from England who inspired him.