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Next, they wanted to showcase their “Knuckle Dragger” forks which they do in fact sell to builders everywhere. I asked Steve what they rode like, and he answered, “They’re really plush, like a high end car suspension. They soak up everything.” He then gave me a new way of looking at them; he told me they were basically a monoshock suspension like off the old Yamaha YZ dirt bikes flipped and rotated 90 degrees. As an old ex-motocrosser, this made sense to me though I certainly didn’t pick up on it in advance. He said the dampening is good and there’s almost no stiction. Think of how much less rubber is touching metal in a single shock absorber seal vs. two telescopic fork seals, it is a big difference.

I then asked about his suspension seat, as I’m often wary of bikes with hardtail frames. “In the showroom, the seat doesn’t move much so you think it is going to give you a beating, but when you’re going down the road with all the correct forces at work, it is surprisingly comfortable,” he answered. To give this bike the proper “teens” racer look, 23” Renegade wheels with Avon tires were installed. You wouldn’t get the same look without these big wheels. The racers of a hundred years ago ran on 28’s I believe, so we’re gradually working our way back up there this century.

You can check out some other builds and Steve and Rick’s production bikes at www.lightningrodmotorcycles.com. We’ve featured their bikes a few times in our magazines and online. They aim for a high quality bike at a reasonable price, usually in a no-frills, stripped down bobber-style look. Overall, they both look like they’re still having fun, which is what custom bike building is all about. These have been rough times the last few years, and only the die-hards who can’t imagine doing anything else are still around.