2005 Sinkhole Customs

The worst part about being a female bike builder like Ginger Nevil, co-owner of Sinkhole Customs in Atlanta, Georgia, is how so few people believe she's a builder until they see her wrenching with their own eyes. It doesn't help that she's also a good-looking girl-making her profession even more unbelievable for some people. You'd think they'd get the picture once they find out she that owns half the shop, or hear her talk motor combinations with an employee. Unfortunately, they don't.

Ginger started this particular build like most, with an idea and a design she hadn't tried before. She wanted to build a chopper, but she didn't want traditional coloring or typical handlebars. She started by procuring a frame, an '05 Kraftech rigid with a neck raked to 38 degrees, a 1-inch stretch in the backbone, and 4 inches added to the downtubes. An 8-inch-over Wide-Glide frontend with 5-degree raked triple-trees was secured to the steering neck, increasing the total rake to 43 degrees. Black Bike spoke wheels were bolted to the bike, coupled with an Exile caliper and rotor in the front and an Exile sprotor and caliper in the rear.

Once she had constructed a roller, Ginger concentrated on the driveline for the bike. She ordered a polished 107ci TP motor and whipped out some Scotchbrite pads and some elbow grease. After about half a day, she had created the desired appearance for the motor: a brushed look for some understated cool.

After hitting the case with the Scotchbrite pad just as she had on the motor, she attached a MidWest six-speed transmission with a polished case behind the motor. A 3-inch open beltdrive from BDL transfers power from the motor to the trans.

Ginger had a wild idea for the gas tank that would match a more commonly styled rear fender and barrel-style oil-tank. She made the gas tank by hand with a curvaceous top and concave sides. Then she heavily modified a rear fender blank and incorporated her own internal struts. The idea for the handlebars came from a sport bike, as they're a type of clip-on. The bars, along with all the mounts, were also custom-made.

When it came time for paint, she decided on powdercoating. The frame, headlight, air-cleaner cover, and the primary pulleys were powdercoated gold, and the rest of the bike was done in candy-red metalflake. The huge pile of candy-red powdercoated parts was bolted back onto the bike, and she added a sprung seat covered with red velvet. According to Ginger, "That seat gets felt up more than porn star!"

Recently, Sinkhole Customs received its manufacturing license, which means that all of the company's bikes, including this one, come with a certificate of title and a real VIN number. Also, insuring and financing a Sinkhole Custom is easier, as the company is listed in the NADA and KBB books. If there are any doubts about Ginger's abilities in a motorcycle shop, she encourages anyone to come by the shop and see for themselves-firsthand-that she's a real builder!