Bobbers
I try to catch myself before I start up the blabbing “back in my day” machine, but sometimes it just goes on without me. And so it does. Back in my day, Ironhead Sportsters ruled the tarmac of America with ground-pounding power, vibration only a “real man” would endure, and simple, big-cube technology straight from a tractor. None of this mattered, though, after twisting the throttle to the stop and feeling like the gates of hell had been opened as the torque and light weight combined to produce a feeling similar to the sheer terror of hanging on to a runaway roller coaster. Who cared what a quarter-mile time slip said? The feeling of wham-bam instant power that would never stop was intoxicating. The AQG Stupida Ironhead built by prolific Italian builder, Aldo Querio Gianetto, returns to those thrilling days of yesteryear with a stripped-down hot rod Sportster that looks like a crazed thrill ride I’d pony up for.
This is not one of the most complicated builds Aldo’s done, but sometimes complexity can kill the purity of design and the feeling it’s supposed to bestow. The frame is a stocker, but the use of a Zodiac springer painted to match the frame makes it look as one. Twin rear shocks are not on most designer’s lists as a style attribute. Aldo not only embraces them for their real-world riding practicality, but uses the chrome showiness against the frame’s stove-black finish as a brazen mechanical focal point to throw in the faces of naysayers. Over-the-top-blue Fat Boy solid wheels lend a 50s hubcap-less hot rod-look while the retro twin-stripe tires could probably hypnotize unwary onlookers like those whirling black and white hypnotic wheels of 1950s TV shows. I’m sure Aldo was laughing the first time he saw public reaction to them as he seems to have fun with his builds. Anybody who names their bike Stupida (yeah, it’s an Italian word, but I’m sure you can figure it out) has got to have a good sense of humor.
The last-year Ironhead was treated to a complete rebuild with a host of S&S internals and stock H-D parts for reliability. Something you don’t see everyday, an S&S Super B carb sucking Italian air through a velocity stack feeds those ferrous heads and adds its voice to the opera of deep mechanical clatter and the AQG-made straight-back, 2-into-1 header-wrapped exhaust. Stupida is probably one of the few things in Italy that could drown out The Three Tenors at full bellow. Its stock 1985 H-D 4-speed was not the most pleasant unit and was not shifted as much as used to occasionally change the rear axle ratio as needed. Here it is as important for braking as for speed as Aldo chose to use a rear disc brake only and made sure you couldn’t help but notice that huge aqua-blue Ferris wheel up front by not hiding it behind some silly braking system.
The AQG Bubble fuel tank looks like it hopped on for a ride and is almost cartoon-like with its nutty nozzle and groovy paint and graphics Aldo sprayed on. A heavy flake purple base has bright yellow and red flames just dancing all over the place oblivious to the usual blown back by speed look. It’s just a fun tank and the bike’s name on the side reinforces it. The purple Zodiac headlight is whimsically mounted and its rear counterpart sits high and at attention like it’s saying, “Yeah, I’m a taillight, what the hell did you think I was? Now leave me alone, I got work to do.”
Aldo’s most-unusual seat with the giant hole in it and the aluminum oil tank were deliciously covered in beautiful leather by Wild Hog of Reggio Emilia, Italy. AQG’s drop-style bars with old-style Zodiac grips don’t exactly provide a laid-back cruiser position, but come in handy when you pull the pin on this Ironhead grenade.
Yeah, you’re right. It’s not a cross-country tourer or even an everyday rider, but Stupida looks like stupid fun to me and fun is something you can never have enough of.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #63, August 2008.
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Bike Name: | Stupida |
| Owner: | Aldo Querio Gianetto (AQG) |
| Year/Make: | 1985 Sportster |
| Fabrication/ Assembly: | AQG/H-D |
| Build time: | One month |
| Engine: | 1985 61″ Ironhead Sportster |
| Cases: | H-D |
| Flywheels: | S&S |
| Rods/Pistons: | S&S |
| Cylinders/ Heads: | H-D |
| Cam: | H-D |
| Ignition: | Dyna |
| Carb: | S&S Super B |
| Pipes: | AQG |
| Air Cleaner: | S&S velocity stack |
| Transmission: | 4-speed H-D |
| Primary/ Clutch: | Stock H-D |
| Frame: | Stock 1985 Sportster |
| Forks: | Zodiac springer |
| Rear Suspension: | H-D |
| Wheels: | H-D Fat Boy |
| Tires: | FL-style |
| Rear Brake: | H-D |
| Fuel Tank: | AQG Bubble |
| Oil Tank: | AQG aluminum/leather |
| Handlebars: | AQG |
| Headlight: | Zodiac 3″ |
| Taillight: | Miller replica |
| Hand Controls: | AQG |
| Grips: | Zodiac (old style) |
| Foot Controls: | Stock H-D |
| Electrical: | AQG |
| Painter: | AQG |
| Graphics: | AQG |
| Seat: | Wild Hog |
| Special thanks to: | Mauro and Barbara of Wild Hog |