Pimpin' ain't easy, even if you're pimping a cool custom chopper such as "The Outlaw" here.
Chad Pearson is its pimp, and he put this two-wheeled beauty out on the street to show the world his building skills; it sports a lot of one-off work from his shop, Pearson Customs in Prior Lake, Minnesota. His bike operation has been in business for a little over a year now, during which time he's gotten a lot of business making one-off parts. He's a third-generation machinist who's been customizing since he was 15. Chad started off with skateboards and snowboards, eventually making them for clients worldwide. At the ripe old age of 26, he gets a lot of surprised reactions from veteran bikers who are a little startled to see such good work coming from someone so young. Needless to say, he's justifiably proud of it and the rest of what he builds, be it by hand or CNC machine. In fact, there isn't much on here that he didn't make.
Many builders these days use crate motors, and Outlaw's engine falls into that category. It's a 113-inch Ultima with an S&S G carb and Pearson's own velocity stack and Samson exhaust. Chad used an Accessories Unlimited six-speed RSD that sends power to the rear wheel and its Avon 250 tire.
Since bobbers were the big thing at the time Outlaw was conceived, Chad went against that grain by going the long chopper route. He started off not with a chassis or some sheetmetal, but a jig. It took him six months to come up with the dimensions for it and to create his own frame jig, but once it was done he jumped in with both feet, cutting and welding the Outlaw's rigid skeleton. After that, the design in his head fell into place; he complemented the frame by fabricating long Springer legs. In fact, the frontend worked out so well he's made and sold eight more since then. A set of American Wire Wheels and Hawg Halters brakes later, the frame was ready to roll.
The rest of Outlaw worked out pretty well, too. What Chad wanted was a clean, simple machine that tells the world he's a serious professional, and precise execution is a great way to do that. To that end, Pearson made a long gas tank that's a perfect fit between the frame neck and the seat pan, as well as a short, simple fender for the back tire.
When it came time to finish Outlaw, Chad had painter Chris Hubbard zap the frame and bars with House of Kolor Galaxy Grey, while Midland Powder Coating baked the sheetmetal in matte black.
Since its creation, Outlaw's been a fine ambassador for Pearson. On top of that, he gives it a fair amount of road time, which brings us to his favorite part about Outlaw. It isn't the frame, or the bars, or the seat. What does he like most? "It hauls ass," he told us. Which is a good thing, especially while pimping on the highway.
Chad wants to extend his thanks to the posters at chopperweb.net and chopper builderhandbook.com, two forums where you can find him talking bikes. Their input gave him valuable insight into the custom bike world.