Ultra Customs
Owned by Jay Burnham, Freakshow Choppers pride themselves on their unique sheet metal fabrication abilities. In order to show off their extensive skills, Jay thought it best to start with a frame that would force them to think up new twists on the essential parts of a bike that are noticeably different from conventional shapes and placement of those motorcycle vital pieces.
The origins of this bike lay in the custom frame that defies traditional motorcycle support structures. Back in 2006, Rick Fairless developed an exotic frame that caught Jay’s eye. Jay loved the frame, but had his own ideas on how to make it work for his particular needs. After a lengthy conversation about a few tweaks, some crazy ideas, and degree of rake, Rick had the frame built to Jay’s dimensions. Blurring the lines between sheet metal coverings and frame, there are many features that are inconspicuous. “Instead of standard bottom frame rails, I had Strokers of Dallas build a second set of frame rails in a loop. The added rail loop is airtight and acts as an air reservoir for the front and rear air suspension that is directly fed by the hidden, on-board compressor,” Jay said. Other, obviously unconventional items, like the bike’s curvy backbone, raise the eyebrows of builders and the average Joe alike. The backbone is basically a curved six-inch pipe that is divided into four sections. The front section houses the electronics like the junction box and ignition coils. The second compartment holds a little over four gallons of gas, the third section houses a hidden mono-shock attached to the swing-arm, and the last cavity holds four quarts of oil. Jay and the Freakshow guys further redesigned and lengthened the swing arm four- inches, moved the pivot point, changed the shock angle, and frenched-in amber LED turn signals at the tips of the rear end of the swing arm. The adjustable air suspension rear mono-shock by Tricky was combined with an inverted American Suspension front end with 5-degree raked, smooth top triple-trees and built six-inches over stock. The front-end features a variable ride height boasting five and a half inches of travel. The front and rear air reservoirs are fed by a 200psi air-compressor hidden in the chin spoiler. There’s no kickstand on the bike, but it rests solidly on the ground when the air is released from the air-shocks, lowering it onto the ground with three rubber stops mounted to the bottom of the frame, two in the front and one in the center of the rear. Just above the rear fender and positioned behind the rear rocker cover, attached to the downward slope of the backbone, is the seat. Added detail was incorporated into the seat’s housing with a Radiantz LED flexible strip taillight.
The arching frame and Freakshow full coverage fenders complement each other and, at the same time, are three distinct parts. Almost 180-degrees of fender covers the big 160mm Avon tire in the front and over 180-degrees of fender wrap the Avon 300mm wide tire in the rear. Pickard Painkiller three-spoke wheels were sent to Freakshow’s shop machined, but unfinished. An 18×10.5” wheel was fit to the curved swing arm and a plump 18×5.5” was secured to the front end. Then they were powdercoated silver to match the intended colors of the rest of the bike followed by extensive airbrushing. No unsightly rotor mounts found on either wheel hub here, Jay used 360 Brakes at both ends of the bike.
It was important to Jay that the motor attempt to rival the looks of the striking metal fabrication, he wanted it to draw attention as well. He bought a polished 120” Ultima with diamond cut fins and added twin, dual Weber carburetors. The carbs are attached to the ends of long, forward-facing intake runners with four velocity stacks prepared to scoop air into the big-inch motor. A Crane HI-4 ignition system was installed along with a black SuperTrapp exhaust that they ordered out of the CCI catalog and features chrome heat shields that rival the looks of a custom designed pipe. An Accessories Unlimited right-side- drive transmission was fit to the frame rails with a BDL TF2000 three and one-eighth inch-wide open belt drive and a Chesapeake Performance billet aluminum tribal outer cover.
It was important that the bike’s paint harmonize with its radical design. Shot by Ron Bissonette, the silver basecoat was perfect for the massive amount of planned airbrushing. Skillfully and painstakingly wielding an airbrush gun, Mike Garipey shot the incredibly detailed graphics. Looking at the bike from any angle reveals layers of details, with tribal graphic pin-stripping hovering over an army of ghostly alien skulls connected with organic conduit. Mike lost count of his time spent on the bike after 160 hours of work.
Accessories for the bike had to meet the shop’s exacting standards as well. Accutronix one-inch-under mounts and tribal levers made it easier for the rider to reach the foot controls with the extended frame and low seating position. Internally wired Custom Cycle Control handlebars with hidden hydraulic brake and clutch lines and an internal throttle maintain clean lines above the triple-trees. The custom headlight was pieced together from a bucket that they made with a bezel and lens from another headlight that Jay thought, “looked like the tear-drop headlight on an old Ford pick-up truck.”
Completely assembled, Jay had no trouble naming the bike. Otherworldly in appearance, the name Phantom seemed appropriate but he wasn’t satisfied. He decided to refer to the location of their shop, in Shawnigan Lake, and came-up with Phantom of the Lake. Still not happy, he thought about it some more during a vacation to Mexico and felt the name sounded more exotic and mysterious in Spanish. Thus, this Freakshow bike was christened Fantasma Del Lago.
Up Close: Radiantz LED Taillight
Radiantz’s LED lights are an easy sell for almost any vehicle. They’re relatively inexpensive, use less energy than incandescent bulbs, and are conveniently small. The company has pioneered the development of a whole line of products around the LED (light emitting diode) in an assortment of applications. According to Radiantz, ”LEDs use a tenth of the power required to light an incandescent bulb, are not susceptible to vibration, have a 100,000 continuous-hour lifespan, and run cooler and are physically smaller than incandescent bulbs.” They make a wide selection of replacement LED arrays for stock Harley bulbs, and because of their Lilliputian dimensions, are ideal for custom applications.
This version of the taillight is designed to fit to the contour of a rear fender (or the rear facing edge of Fantasma Del Lago’s seat). Essentially, it’s a strip of red LED lights encased in a D-shaped, flexible tube made of clear plastic, with double sided automotive tape fixed to the flat surface of the tube. The red LEDs come in either red or clear plastic — amber colored LEDs are also available. Measuring a third of a inch thick and a third of an inch wide, they’re easy to hide just about anywhere on a bike. Depending on the width of the fender, the LEDs run the width of the fender in a row. Their taillights come in an assortment of lengths, the higher the LED count the longer the strip, from five to 100. The strip can also be set with a dual-intensity circuit so the LEDs can act as a running or brake light. Unlike most aftermarket motorcycle parts, these taillights are remarkably affordable. Contact Radiantz at 541-469-7462 or visit www.radiantz.com.
Builder: Jay Burnham Freakshow Choppers
There’s probably a ratio that mathematically describes how riding seasons diminish the closer a person lives to the North Pole. Located on the Pacific side of Canada, in the slower-paced Shawnigan Lake area of British Columbia, Jay Burnham opened Freakshow Choppers in November of 2003. “I used to live in Victoria, B.C., but I got tired of living with the inconveniences of the big city. The town I live in now has less than 4,000 people, there’s no traffic and there’s more land between buildings. I’m just close enough to Victoria to get some business from the area without the hassle of living there,” Jay said.
Jay started building bikes by working on his own two-wheeled vehicles. He was tired of paying shops for work he thought he might be able to do for less than he was being charged — turned out he was right. After successfully executing heavy modifications to his own motorcycles, he gained the courage to try building a ground-up custom on his own. People began to notice his work and eventually they started to ask Jay to build bikes for them.
Over the years, Jay has learned what he excels at and what he has yet to master. They prefer to sell new motors and transmissions instead of rebuilding because there’s fewer headaches, no unexpected costs, and they can offer warranties. “The shop’s strength is custom fabrication, we leave motor building to other shops in B.C. We build about 10-12 one-off custom bikes a year plus a few kit bikes and a lot of Harley modifications. We service everything we sell through the shop and we make a few parts like fenders, gas tanks, and handlebars too,” Jay said. Just before this article was published, Jay called to inform us that Freakshow Choppers just became the Western Canadian dealer of Anarchy Motor Company’s production bike called the Disruptor, featuring a drop seat frame and single-sided swing arm.
Call 250-743-2405 or visit www.freakshowchoppers.com.
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