All I hope is this absolutely lovely Shovelhead chop straight from the historically slanted, yet modern mind of über builder, Rhett Holley, owner of the Butcher Chop in Dry Fork, Virginia. If this isn’t a pip and a tip of the hat to Old School without the least bit of forced effort, I don’t know what is. If you picture your vision of what choppers were like back in the day, this is probably as close to your vision (other than paint, you know what you want) of a class act Old Schooler as you’ll ever get.

    When it comes to modern retro, it’s all about the lines of the design and there’s a fabulous collection of them here that work beautifully with each other. Nothing’s too much and dare I say they look authentic without trying to be. It’s Rhett’s artistic sensibility and interpretation that keeps this looking like the best built barn find ever. That is if the barn find was hermetically sealed immediately after construction and squired away until it was opened 30+ years later. Even then it would have been an Old School homage of late ‘60s and ‘70s chops as the Shovelhead kinda dates it to a later time. But who the hell cares about all that, it’s just one hunk of burning Shovel love in a style that can almost make a diehard weep just a little bit.

    Rhett started out with a 1984 Harley FLHS which was kind of a stripped down tourer. The S didn’t stand for stripped down, but Sport, actually stripped-down is pretty much the sporting part of it. All I can assume was attaching sport to something was very different back in ’84, but it was a basic last-of-the-line Shovelhead FLH without saddle bags or windshield. Frankly, that’s a look I still love and wouldn’t mind emulating today on my own bike now that I think of it. Oops, sorry, a bit of daydreaming going on. Anyway, what Rhett started out with and what he ended up with are more like two different species of motorcycles than a strict transformation into a custom motorcycle. It’s kinda hard to see either one in the other so you just have to believe it’s there.

    The rigid frame is a concoction of not only tubing, but all the sexy Old School body pieces too. Everything’s been welded and molded into something resembling an Old School version of a monocoque strictly on the issue of style. Speaking of style, the tank speaks Frisco to me sitting up so high and proud. Actually, in so many ways the bike looks like something West Coast period correct with a bit more zoot. The whole front end works together from the chromed twin-springer to the 21-inch chrome spool front wheel up to the vertically-mounted dual headlights which don’t in the least way look like a bad ‘70s headlight cliché, but a perfectly attractive setup that just makes artistic sense. The curved bars organically spew out of the top with a surprisingly classy cross brace that makes a lot of sense as well as additionally attractive.

    A lot of action occurs at the aft end of this bike besides the final drive chain spinning merrily away. The only stopping action on board occurs here whether it be engine braking or actually stopping power courtesy of a safety-valve of a disc brake setup. The once-fat rear tire now deliciously tall in rubber, not wheel, vintage-style tire does 90% of the work here from power to stopping. If you were really good at wheelying, this would be all you’d need, but nobody’s that good so the front end carries the 10% and everyone should be happy as a proverbial clam with the setup as is.

     Shovelhead engines just get a little more more glamorous every day to my eye. I guess I just didn’t get it back when as I wasn’t all that crazy about them when they first appeared, but now, they look properly mechanical vintage in all the right ways. Thick fins on a slim case topped by those legendary rocker boxes means only one thing, there’s nothing that sounds and feels like Shovelhead except another Shovelhead. I don’t doubt that a modernized and correctly rebuilt Shovel would put a original Motor Company built one to shame on a performance, reliability and vibration level, but it’s still a bit of a bad ass’s ride in the scheme of things (especially in a rigid frame). Butcher Chop dolled this one up until it looked ready to enter a glamour contest more than a bike show. Other than the lovely black barrels, it’s a showcase of polishing and chrome until the cows came home. More expensive watch than end of an AMF-era engine.

   From the billet-roller kicker to the custom air cleaner to a set of pipes that are the very definition of chopper pipes if there ever was one, Rhett got it all right. I don’t think I’d enjoy being the queen on the muy perfecto, clean and cool King & Queen seat built by Jordan Dickinson AKA Pineapple Jay of Union Speed and Style in Monticello, Minnesota. With the end of the organ pipes just below ear level, there isn’t a set of ear plugs made that could keep a queen from hearing loss almost immediately and honestly, I think it’s probably the same for the rider too. Shovelheads like to blat a bit especially when they’re unfettered pipes and one good long ride might end up at the local Beltone store. It’s nutty cool and kinda nutty crazy all at the same time. I gotta admit that I do really like the looks of the pipes climbing right up alongside the seatback line, though. Tight and right Pineapple Jay.

     As usual, it’s all about the paint and Rhett turned to not only one of his favorite painters, Jason Hancock of 33 Kustom Kolor in Chatham, Virginia, for the paintjob that reeks, in a very good way, of the ‘70s. As far as I’m concerned, modern versions of retro styles beat the living crap out of the old stuff. The quality of paint, the delivery, and new techniques make any old paintjob look old. The flake in the purple paint is mind boggling catching light in a manner that’s like looking into the late Carl Sagan’s visionary vision of the Universe. Various shades of purple candy captured in metal flake silver striping gives substance to the melding of purples until there’s a distinct pattern of style embracing days long gone, Gone, but still cherished by a lot of us including kids too young to have experienced them. It’s a mechanical repast of a time that people will always enjoy after they get through getting lost in the paint.

    Rhett Holley built a hell of a retro-chop that should have a lot of bagger haters salivating just on its looks alone. But, as much as I absolutely adore this bike and would offer what’s left of my hearing to the aural gods just for a chance to ride it, this bike is no sillier than a radical custom bagger. It’s a show bike first with all the same attributes you hate about custom baggers like I mentioned at the beginning of this article ─ “how silly, useless, stupid and what a waste of time they are.” You know what, I guess it just depends on what you figure is the correct way to waste time. You just have to appreciate different tastes and as the late Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

For more info on Rhett Holley and Butcher Chop, find them on Facebook, Instagram or whatever, but don’t go looking for a website.