2005 Softail Custom Chopper - Chop Shop

It can be hard for a bike builder to constantly come up with cool, innovative ideas with each new bike build. Whether it's looking for inspiration at the bottom of a coffee cup or waiting for the bulb to light up, some builders find creativity to be almost a full-time job. Often it takes a step back (or even a break from the work not-so-much-in-progress) to return refreshed and inspired. Big Al's Chop Shop owner Allen Bridges does this from time to time, and, as you can see here, inspiration was found.

Scott got to take advantage of the opposite side of the spectrum with the "Gold Digger" bike spread across these pages. Considering that his shop painted Candy Apple Red on Allen's past three bikes, this custom was changed up with HOK Pagan Gold and more skull graphics. The guys at Big Al's also changed up this chop from Spinal Tap by going with an '05 Softail Xtreme frame, a 113ci Patrick Racing motor with a set of handbuilt pipes, and no front fender for that chopper charm he's used to.

Allen's temporary getaways from his Clarksville, Arkansas-based shop are to the dragstrip-more precisely, every NHRA race around the country. After all, his enthusiasm comes from his background in both the mechanical and fabrication side of the drag-racing scene. Besides being an avid fan, Allen finds ideas for his builds on the racing circuit, and he meets people connected to the bike industry. In fact, both of the bikes featured here were painted by Airea 5150's owner, Scott Daugherty, whom Allen met at the drag races.

Allen's been into motorcycles as far back as he can remember. By his standards, being "into" doesn't mean just reading bike magazines (even for the pretty, half-naked girls), or letting a bike collect dust in a garage. "When you couldn't afford a real good bike, you scrapped something together, rode the crap out of it, and learned how to do work on it yourself," Allen recalled. This may explain why he's a stickler for building as many parts as he can.

While Allen takes care of the ownership and fabrication side of the shop, his one and only crewmember, Weldon Bradley, handles most of the mechanical and electrical work. Since its doors swung open five years ago, Big Al's Chop Shop has continued to grow as a two-man operation, and the pair doesn't appear to need any help. Both the guys are perfectionists and stay focused on what's in front of them. "There's a bike shop on every corner now," Allen said, "and the competition can get to you at times." He added, "Sure, sometimes I wonder about being in this industry, but when we finish a bike it changes everything."

Allen looks at each bike as if it were a piece of art, except "you don't just stare at it, you ride the hell out of it." Thank goodness for that, because art is a form of constant creativity, and we know Allen's view on that subject. We all need breaks from time to time.

The guys try to add a unique coolness to each of their bikes. Whether they build the motor, fabricate parts, or have Airea 5150 paint the hell out of it, no two rides are going to be the same. For example, take the blue "Spinal Tap" chopper featured here. Owner Eric Frampton let the shop have free rein over every design element. A few concepts that were important to the guys included cutting apart and stretching an '05 Xtreme rigid frame and building the 96-inch Evo-style motor. The motor is comprised of an assortment of high-performance parts. A Baker transmission feeds power to the rear wheel, while a BDL open-belt primary ties the motor to the tranny. The shop's custom-made Deuce forks complete the frontend, with a set of handmade handlebars steering the way. Once the gas and oil tanks were modified and the fenders fabricated, the metal went to Airea 5150 in Phoenix, Arizona, where HOK Oriental Blue and skull graphics were laid all over the bike. In case you're not familiar with Airea 5150, it's a House of Kolor pro shop run by Scott and his wife Karen since 1999. He and his team of artists paint more than 1,000 bikes a year, from single-color jobs to airbrush designs with candies, flakes, and pearls.