A kind of backward thinking was Jose Luccioni's philosophy when he built this bike, and it went along these principles: Unique is overrated, cheap is more expensive and ugly is pretty. And no, this Casselberry, Florida, native has not been exposed to too much sun. He simply dares to be different and takes it out on his bike builds. This chop was no exception, and, according to Jose, "It made a statement without saying a word." Sounds like more backward thinking.
Jose's predictions on how some people would react to his bike were more along the lines of straight-shoot thinking. "Before it was built, I knew it was going to be either the prettiest thing or the ugliest thing to people," Jose said. Either way, this didn't sway him through the build, because essentially anything that evokes some type of attention is just that-attention.
Some flashy paint or a neon light treatment was far from Jose's mind. He wanted people's attention just because of all the handmade parts on this chopper. "When most people first see the bike, they stand there looking puzzled," Jose said, "and then they start asking questions." Most people's curiosity usually revolves around the frontend and some trick items hidden on the bike. "I wanted to build an expensive bike, which meant having to get real creative in making parts." Making this chop for around 10 grand-with the only new parts being the frame, tranny, and tires-while everything else was handbuilt or used definitely took some creativity and alternative thinking.
Jose's path of alternatives started back in his kitchen, where he used to build bikes, until he started doing some pro bono work to learn the tricks of the trade from Joe Moine, owner of Moine Cycle Warehouse in Longwood, Florida. Joe not only loaned a spot in his shop to Jose for his bike-building projects, he also shared his shovelhead skills. It's no wonder Jose rebuilt a '78 shovel for this bike and then finished it off with a set of homemade wrapped pipes. The motor was secured in an '05 Carolina Custom frame, with 4 inches of stretch in the backbone and a neck raked to 38 degrees.