I can more than appreciate the horror of having this bike beat-down happen as it also happened to a good friend of mine except the latex paint addition was substituted with a subtle loosening of all the brake lines. After fixing all the bodywork damage over a winter, when he nailed his brakes on his first spring ride, brake fluid shot out everywhere followed by brake controls that no longer controlled anything. After having to lay it down to avoid being run over as the bike slid through a stop sign into traffic, he got to spend even more time honing up his bodywork and painting skills. And yes, there was an ex-wife involved here too.

   As you can clearly see, Russell was undaunted by the whole stupid bashing episode and he actually improved upon the original bike quite a bit so all was not lost. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves so let’s go back to the beginning. “I bought the bike in which the motor came from in 2007 prior to deploying to Fallujah, Iraq. It was a 2007 Harley-Davidson Street Bob,” said Russell. “About a year later I picked up a frame from Ultima and had it sitting in the shop for what seemed like forever.  So, that’s when we decided to tear the Street Bob down and start the build.”

 It’s pretty unusual to use a perfectly good, late-model Harley as an engine donor, but Russell had his reasons and said, “I have spent my whole life riding all these different bikes but none were ‘mine.’ I knew what I had to work with in terms of money and spare parts laying around the shop. I just always loved the old bare bones, drag look.  I built this bike to fit me and anyone shorter than me has a tough time even reaching the controls. She’s my girl, and I have a dumb story about every piece that’s on her.”

   Russell started work on the Ultima rigid frame with a good cleanup and prepping for the Twin Cam install. “First we had to cut all the mounts and tabs off and weld in all new ones and I cut two holes in the gusset because it was hideous looking,” he said. Next up was fitting the DNA springer so the various body pieces could be made and mounted at the correct locations. Oh, so that’s why they call this mocking up. “Then we built the gas tank that uses a Sportster fuel pump that is mounted on the underside to keep the tank streamlined and clean,” said Russell. With that done, we made the oil bag to hide all the electrical components. I used a piece of scrap fender which Kyle gave me that originally was a 300mm fender that I cut down to fit.”

   With those major pieces of  tin in place, Russell fabbed up a set of handlebars using two different sets of old bars that were hanging in the shop. Needing a place to sit, he took the not-easy way out and started from scratch. “I made the seat pan and tooled the leather pad on top for some added character.” I don’t know how much leatherwork this leatherneck previously did, but he certainly did a commendable job hand-tooling the covering. Although I would’ve shoved a set of back-saving Chopper Shox shocks  under the seatpan, Russell is apparently tough as nails and wouldn’t have it any other way. “She’s a little stiff, being that she’s a rigid and the seat pan is directly mounted to the frame and there are no rubber mounts. You can feel it when you run over a fly,” he said with laugh.  

  This bike doesn’t weigh a hell of a lot so the 96” Twin Cam donor engine was basically left alone other than a couple of neat additions. Ripping off the stock giant oval air cleaner setup and replacing it with a mechanically gorgeous Roland Sands Design velocity stack is like having a complete facial makeover in a single part change. Of course, the dual exhaust snaking all around the bike’s right side before dumping out through pipes that remind me of angry cobras. “Kyle and I made the exhaust. We were looking for something different so we added the back sweep to them for a little different look and wrapped them in titanium heat wrap.  Believe it or not, they make great hand warmers in the winter!” said Russell laughing. One other addition I really like is the super-sano and butch Rivera Primo belt drive. Chunky, simple, and satiny looks just right in a sea of overdone primaries. After removing the chain drive primary and replacing it with a belt, Russell did just the opposite on the final drive replacing it with a more mechanically-appropriate-looking chain drive.

  But, the biggest change, even though it’s not the most labor-intensive or expensive change, was that tidy little jockey shifter roaming around between the seat and the primary. That’s not only a visual change, but a complete commitment to changing your riding style. “Although I honestly love the entire bike, as far as one particular aspect that I really like it would have to be the jockey shift. After riding for so long then changing over to jockey shifting, it really makes you re-appreciate riding again,” said Russell before he broke out laughing again and added, “You know, little things like not stalling out every time you take off from a red light.”

  What I really appreciate about this bike is the unbelievably clean approach to paint. Most builders try a little too hard when it comes to making a paint scheme be the main focus of a build with a busy-bee of a paintjob needlessly clashing with the lines of a bike. Not here, as the subtle colors accentuate the flow of the bike and become a silent partner in its elegant, yet subtle beauty. “The paint we ordered through TPC Global, all three main colors are from House of Kolor.  I can’t remember the exact name of the silver, but the grey was called Orion Silver and the red is Brandywine,” said Russell. “As far as the actual painting goes, my dad, Ray Brandt from Crossroads Cycle Works, did all the paint and he also did all the pinstriping.” When I asked Russell for a bit more clarification about his dad’s shop he said, “Crossroads Cycle Works is a new shop that me and my dad are starting in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We are working on our website which should be up soon. For the time being, all contact is done via phone at 231-649-2827.”

  With the bike finished for the second time, I asked Russell were there any things he got out of this that he might not have appreciated before. “It’s all a learning experience and that’s why you have good friends. I would say the only truly frustrating thing is trying to properly re-lace rims. Especially while trying not to scratch them and then having to pay someone to go back and re-do it ‘cause you messed it up, said Russell with a laugh. “ But in all seriousness, I really couldn’t have done it without Kyle Ford from Southeastern Steel Choppers’ help. That’s also where I pretty much where I ordered all my parts. And of course, there’s my dad who I look forward to working with and I can’t forget thanking my old buddy Shoprag.”  

   With all of the drama and hard work out of the way, I had to ask what’s next for Russell. “For now, we will see what dumb ideas I come up with later down the road, but for now the design is exactly what I intended. I’m just going to ride. She’s my everyday scoot, I take her everywhere and love every minute I’m riding.”