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It takes a fertile imagination to see something other than a clunky looking metric version of a cruiser like the 1981 Kawasaki 440 LTD that this was based on and it’s no surprise that Jason’s answer to why he did this. “I’ve always been one to go against the grain. I wanted to build something that somebody could take around the United States and you would never see another one like it,” said Jason. “The value of a dollar means a lot to me and I wanted a custom chopper that somebody could get into under $10,000. This one gives people a chance to look at something and get a visual idea of something different, maybe use some of the design on theirs.”

The type and brand of bike is not that important as most of those old metric bikes got put away for reasons that possibly just a new battery or carb cleaning can cure and this one was no different. “This one I had in my barn and what I liked about it was that if I was going to shrink it and make a little bobber, the engine was small,” said Jason. “What I also liked about this engine was it had a six-speed which changes the whole dynamics of the bike. You put a little 440cc engine in it and with the six-speed transmission you can get an extra 30mph out of it.”

Jason’s approach to the build was different too as he wanted to strip this bike to the bare essentials and I mean the bare essentials. “The thing was to catch peoples’ eyes and to make people think and look at some of the small intricate things. On most bikes you’ve always got a tank on top and I wanted this to be open, something different. We wanted them to ask, ‘Where is it? Where’s the gas tank?’” he said. “Most people think the gas tank under the seat is the oil tank, they ask, ‘Is the gas in the frame?’ You get all kinds of questions.” This interest is backed up by Barnett’s Magazine’s East Coast Editor, Jack Cofano, who took these pictures and was amazed at how this bike was a huge attention getter at Myrtle Beach this year. Jack said it was constantly surrounded by people asking questions.

The approach Jason took to making the bike even smaller in its final configuration was unusual in a world used to longer, lower, and wider. “I like cutting into frames. I cut the back end from the engine cradle back and shrunk it and made a new subframe. I shortened the length of the swingarm around two-inches bringing the rear tire closer to the center of the frame instead of stretching it,” said Jason. “We added two teeth to the back sprocket and got a shorter belt. Personally, I was glad this was a belt drive as you don’t have oil flipping up on you like a chain.” That would be very correct sir on a bike with nary a semblance of fenders to which Jason replied with a laugh, “I’m not a fender guy. Maybe I just haven’t had the right rock shoot up and hit me in the head. I wanted to just open up the tires, everybody hides the tires. Again, we just wanted everybody to see working parts. You get to see the nakedness of a bike.”

With no rear fender to mount, Jason grabbed some tubing and made a new seat perch and more importantly, made a frame to hang his new gas tank from which might just seem familiar. “It kinda was a freak accident. I was trying to think of what would fit under there and we have fire extinguishers at the shop and I grabbed one and it fit under there really good,” said Jason. “Originally I made it round on both ends, but it just looked plain, just a round cylinder. I put it back together as it originally was and it just added something to it. You knew what it was.” With the tank mounted below the carbs, Jason now needed a fuel pump and came up with a clean way to supply fuel. “We looked around at electric pumps, but they were so big,” he said. “Some four-wheelers use a vacuum-operated diaphragm fuel pump that’s very small and it’s not necessary to use a return line for unused fuel like a high-pressure electric pump. It’s a very simple on-demand system.”

One of the most arresting styling points are the bright red handlebars jutting forward and low. “I was going to do a set of drag bars, but I just started bending tubing. A lot of people ask me if I just flipped a set of handlebars over, it almost looks like we did. Actually I was thinking about the old board track racers, kinda going in that direction,” he said adding. “Everybody thinks you’re sitting café style and really you’re not. You’re sitting in almost the same position as the stock bike. It looks more radical than when you’re on it, it’s deceiving.”

By now you’ve noticed the hand shifter (if you missed that tall drink of water, you better not be riding) with a hand-clutch lever mounted right onto it and the mid-controls or rather, the lack of mid controls. Them’s just pegs my man, Jason simply removed the rear brake system completely. “I wanted it to look like a pedal bike where your pegs are your pegs and everything else you did with your hands,” he said. “The shifter worked out great.”

Capping off the build is a paintjob done in-house at Crazy Jack. “The red paint has candy in it so in the light it just glistens and the pinstriping was all hand done by me,” said Jason. “I ride it with an old bubble helmet on and I try to make it fun. You ride it past somebody and here you are with this 1970s’ helmet and Old School goggles on this little bike that looks awkward and you know they go back home and that’s what they talk about. I’ll bet money.”

In case you’re a non-believer that this is a real road rider, Jason said,” I’ve had it up to about 120-125 and it’s rock solid. She’s light, maneuverable, and you can lean her all the way down on your knee if you want to. When people see me on the road, their facial expression, the open mouth, it’s like they’ve seen a ghost. Dumbfounded might be the best way to describe it. It’s a game changer. Probably not the sexiest, but it’s different and unique and affordable.”

Crazy Jack Industries Custom Cycles does a lot more than just build one-off customs with a complete service facility that works on Harleys and metric rides. If you’d like to get in touch with them, call 989-777-8180 or email crazyjackcustomcycles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/crazyjackcustomsycles to get a taste of what they’re about.