Bobbers
Brothers Jason and Wayne Ahlquist are the principals behind Acme and have been turning out sweet rides along with a steadily growing parts business going on seven years with no end in sight. “This bike was built as a showcase for a lot of our new parts. It’s got our frame, triple trees, handlebars, risers, and our oil tank kit,” said Wayne. “Just about anything we make, we threw at this bike.”
The term “threw” just might be a bit of a misnomer as the finished piece shows a lot of thought and energy went into making a rideable custom that’ll have you looking deeper and deeper into its heart to see all the details.
Acme’s no-rake, no-stretch looptail frame features a lot more than a case of bling with details like a radial-mount rear brake and a finish that has to be seen up close to appreciate. “We intended to chrome it from the beginning. We pre-polished all the tubes and took a lot of time to make pretty welds. Any flaws are super magnified in chrome,” said Wayne. “It doesn’t have any dogleg in the back. All the tubes are dead straight so it’s a super, super skinny bike.”
Beefy 41mm forks with shaved Softail lowers hold a you-can’t-get-more–retro 21” Invader wheel matched by a 16-incher out back sporting a smart man’s 130mm Metzeler. Stupendous stopping power comes courtesy of a six-piston PM clamping a floating rotor up front while out back an unusual radial-mount four-piston caliper almost becomes part of the frame. “We’ve definitely got some technology going on there from the Brembo radial master cylinder to the nasty six-piston caliper to the radial-mount rear caliper. You just tap on it and you’re all set,” said Wayne.
Motivating this ride is a 93” S&S high-compression Shovelhead that’s a story unto itself. “I had a 93” Shovel in a previous bike, never had any problems, and I just really liked the motor. I found this one on eBay for a really good price,” said Wayne. Here’s the part that makes me get a bit jealous, it got a bit of cosmetic-only damage during shipping and the insurance payout was generous enough that he was able to take the Shovel to a whole ‘nuther level by having engraver Otto Carter (see Up Close sidebar) of Abilene, Texas, do his wizardry until it took on a museum-quality life of its own. Meanwhile, Wayne polished the heads and powdercoated the cylinders and fabbed up a 2-into-1 left-exit exhaust that enhances the mechanical-looking open-chain primary while leaving the right-side (including the BAKER DD5 tranny) uncluttered and engravingly gorgeous.
Minimalist tinwork is not an easy thing to pull off correctly. If you get it wrong, it really stands out like a sore thumb. Acme’s narrow Sporty-style tank sits high and proud, not just for style, but practicality too. “I wanted a traditional Frisco-look and to maintain as much fuel capacity as possible,” said Wayne. “I decide what style I’m after and try to stay true to that and just know when to say when.” After mocking up one of their fenders, it was off to paint. “With paint I’m wicked particular and so picky it’s not even funny,” Wayne said. The light candy blue flake paint with yellowish-green flames stands on its own and doesn’t fight for attention, but adds to the overall showpiece look he was going for. It’s somehow subtle, but with a bit ‘o bling at the same time. Nicely done.
Summing it up, Wayne said, “It’s a well-built bike and everything’s well-engineered, but the bike has almost that look like it’s almost going to fall apart. Everything on it’s real thin and skinny. I wanted to make sure it was something I could put some seat time on and be seen on it. It’s got a lot of power and it’s a quick, light bike with a great set of brakes. I set it up as a bike that really anybody could get on and ride.” On that note, next time I’m in Laconia, I’ll take you up on that “anybody could get on and ride” thing Wayne. Hey, I can be as “anybody” as anybody.
Up Close:Otto Carter Engraving
When Otto Carter’s website popped up, the first thing I saw on the home page headline is “Otto Carter” and directly underneath his name “Artist.” Funny how three little words can say it all. Punching up the web page buttons to check out his work was even more convincing. The first one entitled “Paintings” was a bit of a shock, but a totally pleasant surprise as Otto is an accomplished painter of people, places, and animals that I would be way more than glad to hang on my walls.
But the reason I was there was to find out more about the unbelievable engraving the Abilene, Texas-based artist did on Acme’s S&S Shovel and BAKER tranny. By now you’ve seen the work he did and if you’re not totally impressed (and possibly overwhelmed like me) by the deeply-engraved tiers of metal, well, just don’t tell me about it. Punching up the “Engraving” button was a good excuse to spend a lot of time perusing his stunning work he’s done on everything from guns to knives to motorcycle parts to jewelry and even golf clubs. Man-o-man, I spent a lot of time just staring and taking it all in. Beyond beautiful stuff.
Acme’s Wayne Ahlquist said, “Otto does phenomenal stuff, it’s just ridiculous. We were trying to do a clock works, kinda Steampunk look. I sketched out the design and I gave him some liberty and he definitely tweaked it and put his own flair on it.”
There’s engraving for engraving’s sake and then there’s artistry like you’ll find on Otto’s website. If you’re looking to set your bike apart or just enjoy and appreciate phenomenal work, check out www.ottocarter.com or give him a buzz at 325-529-3941.
Builder: Acme Choppers
Here’s yet another custom shop that seems to be weathering the economic storm with grace and after seeing Acme Choppers’ portfolio of work, it’s easy to understand why. Drool-inducing customs will do that. Having a line of in-house parts from frames to exquisite aluminum oil bags to elegant jockey shifter handles and everything in-between fills up any downtime in an area known for long winters. “My brother Jason and I opened up the business in 2005 building frames, springer front ends, and handlebars. We build a handful of bikes, but we focus on parts. Believe it or not, a lot of the bikes we build are British bikes,” said Wayne. “A lot of things are going that way just because of the budgets involved and the way the market’s been kinda drowned with V-twin stuff. The British stuff is really neat.”
Keeping the bro in brother, Wayne said, “My brother Jason needs to get equal billing. He’s just super meticulous with motors, fab work, and welding while I do more of the barbarian work, you know, metal beating and tube bending. Basically, though, we just split the duties.”
Handily, if and when parts and builds slow down, Acme has something else to fall back on. “We’re a full-service shop with techs that are all up on the Harley stuff. We’ll service any bike that rolls through the door. We keep a really clean and well-stocked shop,” said Wayne. “You’d be surprised where your customers come from. Guys that we serviced their ’72 Triumph Bonneville or Harley two years ago are in this year wanting us to build them a full-custom bike. We might have a guy getting his oil changed on his 2001 Road Glide and we give him the penny tour. If we impress these guys, it’s good advertising and when he’s at work, he’s talking us up and who knows who’s listening.”
For more info on Acme Choppers, visit www.acmechoppers.com or call 603-524-2263.
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