Bill’s no stranger to custom Harleys having built a wicked cool Night Train custom, which he still owns, which had a fat front tire replacing the stock skinny hoop and that apparently set the stage for the design of this one. “I don’t want anything that someone else can just go out and buy. I want to be different. I liked the Exile fat tire look; Russell’s a bright guy. I think my bike has a similar look,” said Bill. The late famed builder and one-time owner of Downtown Harley-Davidson in Seattle, Washington, Russ Tom was a friend of Bill’s and had introduced him to a talented builder to help him with his first ground-up build, Downtown’s Brian Mitchell. Frame choice was very important as Bill had his design worked out in his head before any work ever started. “I just wanted a fat, dirt track-looking bike, nothing raked out,” said Bill. It’s not unusual for Brian to build his own frames, but when he saw the Carolina Customs rigid Bill had picked out, he said, “Lets get that.” The steep 28-degree rake was achieved by adding 2” to the top tube, but the downtube was one of Bill’s favorite features, “I really liked how it came down to that little point.” A set of stock length V-Rod forks was chosen to hang off the front, and they’re mounted in a set of Storz triple clamps that have no off-set. Brian is buddies with Steve Storz and had him send up a pair of unfinished trees, as Bill doesn’t like chrome and didn’t want to go through all the hassle of removing the hardened plating for the eventual finish he had in mind. All was not peaches and cream between those Wide Glide-width legs. “Originally I wanted to run a 200, but couldn’t get it to fit. We had to shave the inside of them to make a 180 tire fit,” said Bill. Still looks damn fat, though. A fender-less Performance Machine 18” Seville front wheel carries Dunlop rubber and a set of dual-disc four-piston PM brakes. Seems like Bill had some serious road burning in mind. Road burning would be easy with the choice of a Harley 103” Twin Cam A motor that Bill got from Brian by trading him one of his high-tech gazillion dollar mini-bikes straight across. Not the usual way to acquire a power plant, but if everyone was cool with that, so be it. Mike McNamara at DHD built the engine and Bill said, “He built a really reliable motor, he’s real conscientious.” The choice of an A motor is a little unusual in this time of aftermarket big-inch mills usually sitting between the frame rails, but horsepower is more than sufficient for this fairly light bike. As to how it works in the real world, “The only thing that really vibrates are my mirrors. With the 257 cams Mike used, it doesn’t really thump,” said Bill. The rest of the build consists of mainly raiding the Screamin’ Eagle catalog, except for a Daytona ignition and custom pipes by DHD. The exhaust started with a bazooka muffler from a tuner car that Bill got and finished with bits and pieces from a local muffler shop until they got it where they wanted. When asked to describe the sound it makes, Bill quietly said, “It’s a little loud,” and trailed off from there. BDL’s 3” open primary connects to an H-D 5-speed with a short, bent-back jockey shifter in charge of gear changes. “People ask me, ‘Why a jockey shift?’ and I tell them, ’Cause I want to.’ Yeah, it’s a challenge, but I don’t take the easy way ever,” said Bill. Power is finally delivered to the Dunlop 250-shod PM wheel by a belt. On something this simple it would appear there’d be chain final drive, but according to Bill, “I think of Harleys as air-cooled, pushrod, belt-drive twins.” So belt it is. The PM rear brake probably doesn’t see much use with the foot clutch, but it’s there if needed. The gas tank was controversial as Bill wasn’t crazy about it at first, but Brian kept modifying it until Bill was satisfied. A Carolina Customs oil tank caused no such uproar and one of their rear fenders was modified by DHD and the bodywork was done. As stated earlier, Bill’s a no-chrome guy. The frame was ceramic coated in an aluminum color along with the H-D headlight and a few other pieces while silver H-D satin finish is used elsewhere. Nothing sassy, just clean. John Dady of Blowsion in Sherwood, Oregon, shot the House of Kolor Burple paint over a chromed tank to give it depth, and also did the graphics. “The wheels were going to be blue, but didn’t match. I like the black better,” said Bill. Rich’s Upholstery in Seattle made that comfy looking seat. So after all this work and money spent, does Bill use it? “I ride it as much as I can, but if it’s wet (Seattle wet?), I can’t ride it with no front fender,” said Bill. Being the lone-wolf rogue that I know he is, I think he’d just go faster.   SPECIFICATIONS: Owner: Bill Baumgardner Year / Make: 2006 Rigid. Fabrication/ Assembly: Downtown Harley (DHD) Build time: One year Engine: 103″ H-D Twin Cam A Heads: Screamin’ Eagle CNC Ported Cam: Screamin’ Eagle 257’s Ignition: Daytona Carb: Screamin’ Eagle 51mm CV Pipes: DHD Air Cleaner: H-D Screamin’ Eagle Transmission: H-D 5-speed Jockey Primary: 3″ Open BDL Clutch: BDL Frame: Carolina Custom Rake: 28-degrees Stretch: 2″ in the top tube Fork: V-Rod 49mm/ Storz Clamps Additional rake in trees: Nope Wheels: PM Seville Front Tire: Dunlop 180/55/18 Rear Tire: Dunlop 250/40/18 Brakes: PM 4-piston Fuel Tank: DHD Oil Tank: DHD/ Carolina Custom Fenders: DHD/ Carolina Customs Handlebars: Flat track Risers: Storz Headlight: H-D Taillight: Joker Machine Hand Controls: H-D H-D Grips: Foot Controls: DHD Electrical: DHD Paint/ graphics: John Dady/ Blowsion Color: House of Kolors Burple over chrome Seat: Rich’s Upholstery Special thanks to: Russell Tom, He left this world too early. Susan Haas, Brian Mitchell, Mike Mac, Beth Patrick, Rick Tom, John Dady, and Jimmy.   This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #54, March-April 2007. Builder: Bill Baumgardner Builders come in all shapes, sizes, skill levels, and especially personalities. Bill Baumgardner is not your typical builder in that he’s not the guy who grabs some steel tubing and rearranges the molecules to start his build, but rather knows what he wants from a finished custom and works out beforehand how to get there. This is not as simple as it might seem to someone who hasn’t done a ground-up custom built through other people. I think Glenn Bartels encapsulated this idea the best in his Hot Rod Hawg feature in our last issue when he said, “Hey. I’m not a welder, but I know how to find a guy to do it.” Bill did the same and hooked up with some of the best talents available to make his dream a reality. It’s not that he didn’t get his hands dirty on this project. Working closely with Downtown Harley’s Brian Mitchell and Mike McNamara, he pitched in and did what he already knew mechanically and learned even more for future projects. Bill’s background of a long career in tool services at Boeing in Seattle working on planes from the old 727s to everything built since has given him a mechanical background to pull from. His two-wheeled interest started with bicycles as a kid and grew to seriously competing in motocross in the northwest. His two-stroke life changed to big V-twins after experiencing the pleasure of riding rental Harleys in Hawaii and finally smelling the roses, so to speak. He still finds time to give his garage full of dirt bikes, sportbikes, and twin Harley customs a good workout.