The little things in life have a funny habit of making their way into the bigger picture, especially when people least expect it. For Alex Mardikian, owner of Von Dutch Kustom Cycles in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the chopper spread across these pages is proof of it. This build started with a simple autograph on a ball cap.
Back in 2004 during Daytona Bike Week, Alex was showing off his new series of choppers. The line-up included "Cruel World," a tricked out rigid chop that seemed to grab a lot of people's attention at the show, especially Joel Carson's. After the aforementioned autographed ball cap, Joel began picking Alex's brain about every square inch of Cruel World's frame, including what type of bike could be built from its design. After some small talk, Joel thanked him for the info and promised he'd keep in contact.
Joel kept his word, and in fact, kept in touch with Alex for over a year before a decision was made to build a chopper that would incorporate a few of Joel's specifications-the rest would be a surprise. "It was funny at first because sometimes we didn't even talk about building a bike, then he'd throw ideas out in other conversations, or send pictures of pin-up girls and I'd wonder where he was going with all of it," Alex recalled.
When it comes to trust, Joel put complete faith into Alex's abilities, as Joel wouldn't see the bike until it was finished. "It was like blind faith," Alex said, "he never knew what he was getting, but believed it'd be exactly what he wanted in the end." Joel wanted a Softail design, so Alex started with his '05 Softail style chopper frame with 43 degrees of rake in the neck, 10 inches of upward stretch in the single downtube, and 5 inches added to the backbone. The frame is connected to a Von Dutch Kustom's swingarm with a built-in 26-inch fender, while the signals and license holder is integrated into the axle housing with signature billet covers. Suspension for the swingarm is handled by a Progressive Airtail system, modified by Von Dutch, while the air compressor hides in the oil bag. Joel liked the look of a springer, so Alex modified a narrow glide springer frontend from Denver's Choppers with integrated Von Dutch Flying Eye series handlebars and tree attachment.
Another must-have for Joel on the bike was the fleur-de-lis, a French styled design often found on jewelry, like Joel's rings. So Alex incorporated the fleur-de-lis into a lot of the bike's components, like the wheels and gas cap. "I wanted to do something special for Joel, so I got crazy with the sheetmetal," Alex said. The gas tank was shaped with a flared over and under tapering back and was finished off with a pin-up girl on top. The custom oval oil bag is trick too, with integrated control panel and air gauge. "There is so many hidden details, and metal's always a great place to start," Alex said.