Bobbers
Probably just as well as The Love Machine was already taken by George Barris’ famous shag-carpeted custom van back in the ‘70s. Good choice then.
Rear suspension? Have the Detroit Bros. gone soft? “I called up Dave Kaye and said I wanted to do a Softail. He said, ‘It just so happens I’m ironing out the details of building a Softail.’ I flew to Detroit and we sat down and he drew up the chassis on a computer,” said Greg. “This is the prototype and the only one I know of.” The frame features a quick-handling 35-degree rake and a neat automotive serpentine belt tensioner Dave adapted to control chain slack as the Works Performance shock/swingarm goes through its motions. Greg fitted a narrow glide H-D fork sitting in a set of Bling’s Cycles trees. “Bill Dodge came through for me. I ordered them on a Wednesday and got them the next Tuesday,” said Greg.
When it came time to mount Metzeler’s ME880 tires, Greg returned to the Detroit Bros. for a pair of their Eliminate wheels. “They make a good product and they’re very reasonably priced. Being on a fixed budget, most wheels are out of my price range, ” said Greg. The polished-aluminum four-spokers fit the ‘60s hot rod look Greg was going for to a tee. By now, you’ve noticed the twin Brembo calipers mounted on a Fabricator Kevin bracket grabbing the rear rotor. Greg said, “ I saw that setup on the Detroit Bros. Molotov bike and I thought, wow dude, I’m buying that!”
Taxing those triple calipers is Ultima’s 120” El Bruto engine working its magic through a BDL primary and clutch on the way to Ultima’s LSD 6-speed tranny. The Vance & Hines RSD Trker two-into-one ends what the RSD Venturi air cleaner on a Mikuni started and both add a bit of right-side style while doing it. “I got talked into the 120 by my painter, the low end torque is stump pulling. I think maybe I went a touch big,” said Greg laughing.
Feeding liquid refreshments to the engine is a modified Sportster tank featuring a tube gas gauge mounted aft of the way-cool Crime Scene Choppers’ Speedster gas cap and a classic Mooneyes spun-aluminum oil tank with a twist. “I use parts that anybody can buy, but modify them. The Mooneyes tank mounted vertically is an example,” said Greg. After installing the Detroit Bros. ribbed fender, the lads from Metalrodika, Gary Buckley and Ryan Hovde, laid on the black paint and silver flames with pinstriping by ”the steve.”
As for that thickly-padded, but vintagely-stylish perch by Chris Theama, Greg said,” I’d rather have a comfy seat with style versus a sheet metal pan.” That’s just the way Greg rolls and you can’t hate a guy (or his bike) for that.
Builder: Greg Sefcik
With gas prices, the stock market, the national economy, and the custom motorcycle business facing a constant series of ups and downs, it’s perhaps fitting that Greg Sefcik’s main source of income comes from working for the Otis Elevator Company as a union elevator constructor. Obviously it’s a steady job as once you get people up there, you gotta get them back down. Being a certified welder doesn’t hurt a bit either when it comes to indulging in his passion of building custom motorcycles that are out of the norm. “I’ve built two Ducatis, a Triumph, but this is my first Big Twin,” said Greg. ”I’ve got about five bikes I want to do in my head right now. I really enjoy fabricating.”
It wasn’t always this way, though, as Greg said, “My dad was a carpenter and he pushed the woodworking thing on me. I couldn’t stand it. I hated carpentry. When I was 15, I started working with metal and have stuck with it ever since. I’ve always been into cars so I had to get good at working with motors.” His body of work, for a so-called “amateur,” impressed me tremendously and hopefully we’ll be featuring one of his Ducatis in an upcoming issue so you can experience his take on a non-traditional ground up custom.
Greg’s not some wealthy hobbyist-collector and builds his bikes to ride and enjoy. Interestingly, he said, “ I would really like to build a bike that wasn’t rideable at all, something that was just crazy over-the-top. I would love to build something that would be totally whacked out and took two years to build.”
As for now, he said, “Like everybody else, I’m kinda tightening the belt a little bit. I just enjoy fabricating and building bikes and I’ll continue to do it.” Got a project in mind? Email Greg at helterskelter608@hotmail.com.
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