Last year a customer, Scotty Blakely, approached Marty about a custom build using one of Snake Alley’s Saturday Night Special frames. The gentleman wanted a bike that wouldn’t be mistaken for stock, something with larger than standard dimensions while maintaining correct proportions. The problem was that he wasn’t able to justify spending 50-grand or more for a bike that only vaguely resembled a functional motorcycle. Marty had the solution, instead of building a full custom for the guy using expensive aftermarket parts that take time and effort to get them to work together properly, why not use parts that were designed and tested for and with each other? He kept the bike’s overall costs low by using all stock Harley components for the driveline. Scotty bought the 80” motor, 5-speed transmission, and Softail primary and brought it into the shop. First, Marty black powdercoated the driveline and bolted it back together with bright silver fasteners. With his years of experience working with the brand, he was able to fit the Harley parts together again quickly, saving the owner gobs of money in labor. A pair of ceramic coated three inch diameter drag pipes were made for the bike, drawing attention to the right side of the bike with their silver color on the black motor and trans. “I’ve heard many people say that three-inch wide exhaust pipes won’t work on an 80” motor, but I completely disagree. This bike isn’t the first to get a set, and it runs great — just ask the owner,” Marty said. A second blacked out air-cleaner cover was mounted to the left side of the motor to hide the ignition coils and create a more symmetrical look from one side to the other.

A stock-sized frame is hardly considered large, so to meet his customer’s stipulations Marty had some big ideas about the wheels. He bolted a Harley front end to the steering neck, lowered two-inches, and modified to hold a 180mm wide tire mounted on an RC Components wheel. The rear section of the frame was fitted with a Snake Alley wide tire swing arm kit spacious enough to house a super wide 280mm tire mounted on another RC wheel measuring 18” tall and 10” thick.

As mentioned earlier in the article, the shop holds fabrication work as their paramount concern and they take it very seriously. This bike received a one-off gas tank slung low enough on the frame’s backbone to almost touch the rocker boxes. They cut rear-facing louvers into the top of the tank, welded a rounded lip around the bottom, and topped it off with a pair of flush mount gas caps. Snake Alley also fabbed the rear fender; smoothing it into the frame with a pair of internal struts, an integrated lip that shrouds the rear seat area, and a set of louvers that complement the tank. Marty didn’t see the need for a front fender; but he did install a headlight nacelle that makes the front end appear larger. The last bit of tinwork required to finish the bike’s sheet metal was the oil bag, saving more time and money by using a stock Harley part. Marty finished the fab work by making a set of handlebars 1.625” thick with integrated risers and ends tapered down to one-inch that allow the installation of any domestic hand controls or grips.

Apparently, Scotty has a thing for dinosaurs, because he had Custom Air Brush Design paint a T-Rex head on either side of the oil tank over a black base coat by the guys at Snake Alley. At first glance it seems odd, but then when a person thinks about the bike, its huge wheels and tires, gargantuan exhaust pipes, extra meaty handlebars, and alligator skin seat— the bike does resemble a monster.