2005 Chica Custom Cycles Shovelhead - The Fang

When Alan Burke came to Chica Custom Cycles (CCC) in Huntington Beach, Califor-nia, for a bike, he wanted a long chopper with some old-school styling and points, points, and more points. What he got was much more than that: Fang-a long chopper that also combines modern reliability with a perfect fit to his frame. Burke wanted some traditional styling in the form of a spring-seat Springer frontend, sissy bar, and a shovelhead V-Twin mill. He talked the project over with the staff at CCC, and they took some measurements to make sure the motorcycle would fit him.

They took those calculations and applied them toward making a chassis with both a tailor-made fit and the long chopper style Alan wanted. The CCC crew bent the tubing into a gooseneck rigid frame with 40 degrees of rake, 6 inches of stretch up and 4 more out, and then placed mounts for the foot controls and seat where they would best fit Alan's body. After that, one of Chica's own Springer front-ends was mounted to the neck of Fang's skeleton. Then Performance Machine wheels with matching rotors and brakes were installed (if nothing else, Alan would have plenty of stopping power for braking and would look good while doing it).

If the frame provided fit and style, then the motor gave Alan's chopper a classic look and dependability. It's an S&S 93-inch crate shovel that gives the bike much more bang than an old Harley shovelhead motor would, and it doesn't puke oil the way old motors from that era are known to do on occasion. Once it was put it into the frame, the engine was connected to a "6-into-4" transmission for smooth riding with the illusion of a four-speed tranny. After that, the guys at Chica's added in their own tapered air cleaner and a set of pipes that hug the bottom right-side framerail to provide an uncluttered view of the motor and trans.

Early on we said this chopper's name was Fang, and if you haven't already guessed, part of that has to do with the sheetmetal. Both the oil and fuel tanks have a sharp, pointed look to them, as does the sissy bar on the rear fender, the footpegs, and the mounting bracket for the headlight. Not only that, but when the crew at Chica's turned the bike over to Buck Wild for black paint and gold-leaf highlights, they followed up by having Bob Iverson lay down pointed red pinstriping throughout the chopper's surfaces for color and to accentuate the tanks' pointed appearance. Once it all came back for final assembly, the CCC crew added a set of their own curved Z-bars with Performance Machine controls at hand and foot level, then got to work on the lighting and topped Fang off with a spring seat.

When Alan saw his finished chopper, he was ecstatic. Fang had elegant lines that flowed together beautifully, and the motor's shiny finish was a nice offset to the bike's darker surfaces. The bike the crew at Chica gave him was everything he'd asked for, and it fit him just right.