reupholstered in leather by Jason at Bike Seat Pro. It
turned up beautifully and, again, it’s a one-off.
“Now, one of the first things that people notice
about the bike is the exhaust system, each pipe
curving around before running parallel and flicking
out just in front of my right foot. I designed the
exhausts, but they were handmade in Poland by
Wojtek Spyra who does some amazing work. If
you ever worry about commissioning work from
abroad, then don’t—not only did Wojtek turn out
some brilliant workmanship, but the exhausts bolted
straight on.
“The tank was also an aftermarket component
which, like the mudguard, I rubbed down to the
desired finish with Wet & Dry and then had clear
coated by Image Car & Commercials to protect
from rust. The frame was powder coated in black
by Warren at Bristol Motorcycle Powdercoating
(top man and I highly recommend him!). I’m not a
big fan of chrome so I had the cam cover and some
other parts stripped so they could be polished to a
reasonable level—not too much, just tidy. Many of
the nuts and bolts were changed, using stainless steel
replacements where possible.
“In keeping with the vintage theme I used very
basic bicycle-like levers, which the bespoke wiring
loom, made with cloth covered wire for the right
look, involves just the bare essentials and nothing
more. Finally, the tank decals were made up by
Sheila Lester who is a very patient lady indeed! I had
three or four different sets made so that I could mock
them up and choose the one that I liked best.
“It hasn’t been an easy build, to be honest, although
I had a lot of help and advice with the engine from
Phil at Fatboyz, plus from several Ironhead forums
on the internet. But the bike has turned out as good,
if not better, than I expected—and I’m also pretty
competent at working on an Ironhead engine now!
The highest compliment is that the bike gets a lot
of lovely comments from the USA. I build bikes to
please myself, but it’s a bonus if other people like
them, too...”“I BUILD BIKES TO PLEASE MYSELF,
BUT IT’S A BONUS IF OTHER
PEOPLE LIKE THEM, TOO...”
http://www.100-biker.co.uk | issue 250 | 100% Biker | 19