It’s not every day you see a dragon, and it’s not every day you see a bike like Dragon Low, this reptilian Softail built by John Wargo, owner of The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois. With its scales and serpentine curves that grab attention (and the imagination), this bike has a lot in common with its legendary namesake. You can thank John for that, and Dragon Low’s co-owner Kenny Watts.

“We had built a bike for Kenny a few years ago,” John said. “Kenny, unfortunately, had gotten into a motorcycle accident with somebody who wrecked his other bike. So he came in and asked if there was any way we could build him something else, more of a show bike instead of a street bike. So we came up with some ideas.” Knowing that Kenny has an interest in dragons, John set to work designing a show bike Kenny would be proud of. “He likes dragons and stuff like that, so I sketched some stuff up and threw some ideas at him, and from there we designed the bike you see here,” John said. “Medieval feel is the best way I could describe it. It’s got a lot of sharp angles and a very medieval feel to the whole thing.”

For the build, John began with the 113” S&S motor from Kenny’s old bike. “We were able to salvage the motor from the bike that he’d wrecked, so we used that one and basically built the bike around it,” he said.

The attention paid to Dragon Low’s theme is evident in every aspect of its fabrication, from the custom lower chin spoiler with HID headlights (resembling the flared nostrils of a dragon) hidden behind the front wheel, to the jagged scales of the gas tank and front and rear fenders. “We did everything from front to back; the fab work, the bodywork, the paintwork,” John explained. “We bought the gas tank and heavily modified it to make it look that way. We built the rear fender from scratch, to make it match what we did to the tank. The only thing we didn’t do on that bike was upholster the seat. The seat was done by Twin City Upholstery (www.twincityupholstery.com) in Bloomington, Illinois. It’s actually real alligator skin, so it has that real alligator scale effect, which kind of goes with the whole dragon feel.”

John chose Performance Machine wheels and Avon tires for his dragon; 120mm for the front, 300mm for the rear. “That’s a traditional size we use on most of the choppers we build,” he said. “I like the wide, big back wheel and the tall, skinny front wheel. It’s more of a look kind of thing for me.” His favorite part of Dragon Low? “It’s probably a tie between all the sheetmetal work that we did and the paintwork,” he said. “I really like all the airbrushed dragons I did on it, ‘cuz that’s probably my main business, airbrush work.” Kenny takes the bike to shows and has won five Best of Show titles with it. Though it’s not a daily rider, he did take it to Daytona Bike Week to cruise around.

To capture this dragon on film, John called on professional photographer Doug Mitchel. “He’s real good, and a super nice guy,” John said. “He shot the bike in a studio he has in Peoria [IL]. To contact Doug about photographing your bike, send him an email at dougmitchel@yahoo.com.

To see more of the creative, and often amazing, paintjobs John has done on bikes, cars, trucks, and even a special “How-To” section on John’s flame jobs and much more, visit The Custom Shop online at www.customshop.org or pick up the phone and give him a call at 815-796-2772.