Bobbers
“I did a lot of homework on all the parts for this bike before I bought anything. I kept searching around for months on the Internet and in magazines because I couldn’t afford to buy something I didn’t end up using,” said Steven. Like a lot of builds, it was a single part or in this case a pair that inspires the whole build and the type of motorcycle that results from that initial parts infatuation. “This bike started out with the rims and I built around the rims. When I saw these when they first came out, I loved ‘em,” he said. “Then they started selling the Contrast Cut version, I knew I had to get them. Roland [Sands] makes some beautiful stuff.” The Performance Machine Contrast Cut Gasser wheels became the focal point of what Steven refers to as a hot-rod-style of bike as opposed to the all-encompassing bobber classification. More chopped and fender-less Model A coupe with six Strombergs on an early 331 Hemi than a full-fendered ’32 fiberglass roadster with a new 350 Chevy.
Finding the right frame was next, something tight, aggressive, and good handling. This build was all about riding as this wasn’t some for-sale Iacona Custom Cycles spec bike, but Steven’s personal ride. “I wanted to get a West Coast CFL frame, but at the time there was a one-year waiting list and I didn’t feel like waiting,” he said. “This [Ultima] frame had the same dimensions as the CFL and it was available. And, the price was right.” Five bills got him right in the CFL ballpark and you can’t fault a boy for that. All wasn’t peaches and bolt-on cream, though, as Steven said, “I cut off the forward control mounts and boxed in the motor brace ‘cause it wasn’t really done well. Other than that, I just cut off all the brackets and tabs I didn’t need.”
Rooke Customs mid-glide triple trees hold a Harley 39mm fork angled at 34-degrees and provides handling this former road racer expects. That fork brace is no catalog item. “I made that from a BDL primary cover. I drew a design on paper and was able to get two pieces out of one cover. I drilled and tapped some round aluminum stock and bolted them together. It works,” Steve said. “With the forks, I’ve got Progressive springs and the right amount of pre-load along with Screamin’ Eagle heavyweight oil and hit it perfect.” The fork cradles the 21” front wheel sporting a 120mm Metzeler with a Brembo 4-piston brake controlled by Brembo’s radial master cylinder. “I like really good brakes. It gives you much more confidence when you ride,” he said. In back a 200mm Metzeler “fit the frame perfectly” with “no messing around with offset” and gets stopped by a PM 4-piston sprocket/rotor.
Steven’s Goldilocks (“just right”) engine is an ’05 Dyna 88”A chosen for reliability and adequate power. He cleaned it up with a compact Dyna 2000i ignition, black powdercoated cylinders and heads, and scuffing-up the rocker boxes for a more industrial look. After “remanufacturing” the pipes, Steven fabbed a speed-hole heat shield and topped it with ribbed tips for your aural pleasure. The BDL primary/Screamin’ Eagle 6-speed combo does what it has to time and time again. Budget money well spent.
Bodywork was minimal, but that makes it even more important to get correct. The Bling’s Cycles oil tank that Steven added domed ends to had a filler on the left which worked out well as you might have noticed his bike leans the other way on its right-side kickstand. The L.A. County Choprods’ Pinche gas tank was a bit of extravagance on Steven’s part, but had the look he wanted while the short fender is supported by a speed-holed bracket with a tidy centrally mounted taillight. Cycle-Delics did the paintjob that compliments the design rather than fighting for attention.
Steven’s bike proves that budget bikes don’t have to look like they were done on a budget. Imagination, hard work, and patience go a long way, even in tough economic times.
Up Close: Chopper Shox
Riding a rigid can be so much fun the way it seems to just instantly hook up when you gas it, but calling it a rigid can be an understatement when the seat you’re riding on is directly wrapped around the frame. Ouch and ouch again. The old-style spring saddles help a bit to isolate you from road shocks, but usually the springs ends up so compressed just sitting on it that it has minimal usefulness.
Enter stage left, the surprisingly comfy (and affordable) seat-shock setups by Chopper Shox.of Las Vegas, Nevada, like the one on Steven Iacona’s bike. This billet aluminum air shock is just one of the many setups Chopper Shox carries. Single or dual setups, air or spring, are available in polished, powdercoated, stainless, black nickel, copper, and for the blingalicious, 24 karat gold. Steven took it a step further with their builder’s kit, which besides including all the weld-on tabs you’ll need with the shock kit adds a pre-curved seat pan.
Steven didn’t have a rolling machine so he opted for their seat pan too. “It was a heavy-gauge pan. It was a nice shape and it really holds you into the bike with the high back on it,” he said.
“It works great, I put a couple of pounds of air in there and I get a nice ride out of it. The first time I rode this bike I felt like I was on a Softail. Actually, I think this thing rides better than a lowered Softail,” said Steven. “It was worth every penny and there’s no play in it. I swear by them, I’ll definitely use their shock again.”
Check out all the shock/seat setups at www.choppershox.com or call 702-683-5143 for info.
Builder: Steven Iacona Custom Cycles
Steven Iacona is just like most of us who live, breathe, and possibly eat motorcycles. He’s a regular guy with a full-time job, happily married to Teresa (who supports and encourages his two-wheeled activities in a way most of us could only wish), and has a couple of young kids, Marilena and Ciro, to provide for and nurture like the good dad he is. He’s no Village People Harley stereotype with all the doo-dads like you see way too often, just a guy trying to get by and prosper in a tough economy.
Like a lot of us, Steven keeps his cool by delving heavily into motorcycles as a way of relaxation and maintaining sanity. Building and customizing American V-twins keeps him busy and his imagination going full-bore He’s not a one-trick custom motorcycle pony, though, and has spent some serious time on asphalt race courses and still has a love for Ducatis. That time spent on a track has been directly imbued into his custom bikes with his penchant for insisting on having the best brakes, reasonable tire sizing, and frames that make a bike actually fun to ride. Speaking with him, you get a sense of Indian Larry sensibility when it comes to designing a ground-up custom. Nothing way out for the shocking sake of it, but a sensible choice of engine with a transmission capable of making straight-line runs fast and comfortable, mid-controls for the ease of standing up on when he encounters Brooklyn’s many pot holes, and a thinking man’s add-ons like an adjustable steering damper that keeps things cool when he does.
Steven’s not just a budget bike builder either and has a constant flow of different styles of bikes coming through Iacona Custom Cycles for personalization or rejuvenating. In the Brooklyn area and need some cool work done? Email Steven at ducste@aol.com.
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