We previously featured David’s two-wheeled V8 Choppers bike (check archives for January 6, 2012) and that was one hairy ride, but in retrospect, that bike only made 520hp (In case you’re wondering, I’m not very tough at all and that “only made 520hp” was said totally tongue-in-cheek as 520hp is something to be feared, but enjoyed at the same time.). Now, a month later, I got a call from David who was passing through lovely El Paso once again and he wanted to know if Mark Barnett and I were interested in riding his 875hp trike. Sorry, I just have to use that over-the-top horsepower rating as much as I can because it’s not an everyday happening. Just saying “875hp” makes me laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing. Well needless to say, you know what my answer was and there will be a riding report tomorrow.
In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on David’s little three-wheeler. Like all the bikes and trikes from Miami, Oklahoma-based V8 Choppers (www.v8choppers.com), it’s impeccably finished with style and design details you have to really check out in person. There isn’t an area or piece anywhere on the trike that doesn’t look like it wasn’t seriously thought about and executed perfectly. For instance, the delicate frame-loop around the distributor is simply gorgeous. Just sitting there, it has an approachable, but slightly ominous presence that caused an instant crowd of onlookers in Barnett Harley-Davidson’s parking lot to shake their heads in disbelief and awe while quietly muttering to themselves. If you own one of these, you better be ready to answer a multitude of questions whenever you park it.
It should be no surprise that the star of this three-wheeled show is the Dart engine. Now in case you’re not familiar with Dart engines from hot rods and drag racing, this is not the clattery slant six of Dodge Dart fame, but a 434” purpose-built V8 that owes nothing to Detroit but the basic design parameters. The carbon fiber valves covers tell the whole story in a nutshell with 600hp emblazoned right on them and for his Mr. Hyde-side, David added a 275hp shot of nitrous. “Dart played an enormous role in the power department. Richard Maskin who owns Dart oversaw the process all the way through the dyne,” said David. “The racing Powerglide with Trans Brake was made by Hughes Transmissions in Phoenix, Arizona.”
Backing up all this output is a hearty nine-inch Ford rear end with a drag-friendly four-link suspension setup that makes images like the lead photo possible. “Most trikes are not very good at doing burnouts nor do they run well at the strip. This bike was built to set an example of what could be accomplished with a trike,” said David. “It has run a 10-flat at 144mph quarter-mile at Tulsa Raceway with the rear wheels spinning off the line and does beautiful rolling burnouts. Doing these things without compromising style or fit and finish was part of the goal.”
David’s a real proud papa when it comes to his trike and his admiration for V8 Choppers. He’s not directly affiliated with them business-wise in any way, just a repeat, very happy customer like any of the V8 Choppers owners I’ve spoken with. V8 Choppers likes to refer to their customers as “family” and so do their customers. So much so that David is expecting a new V8 Choppers family member as we speak, a lightweight 600hp with a 200hp NOS setup trike that they built in only two freakin’ weeks. David casually said to me, “Perhaps I can find a way to bring it by in the future.”
Stay tuned for more trike insanity, but in the meantime here’s a cool V8 video to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV6-GzE1hA8&feature=autoplay&list=PL74042D58DC4325D1&lf=results_video&playnext=2