With all the ups and downs the custom industry’s faced in the last decade, passion probably got a lot more builders through the tough times than sharp business savvy. I don’t think there was a builder out there after the crash of 2008 (and even before) that didn’t wonder if the party had come to a complete stop. But, a lot of them just hung in there doing what they do best and with things on a bit of an upswing, they’re back to hard work with a list of future builds making them happy they stayed the course. You can’t keep a good builder down.
A lot of that description fits Mr. Bill Dodge of Bling’s Cycles in Daytona Beach, Florida, to a tee. For a while there he was a motorcycle building vagabond after a long stint in charge of running the shop at West Coast Cycles. He changed coasts ending up in New Jersey before heading to Kentucky and then on to where he seems most comfortable, iconic Daytona Beach, Florida. Through all the moves he’s stayed productive with each and every build standing on its own and immediately recognizable as Bill’s work.
From what I think was his first published magazine article ever, Asbury Dirt, in Barnett’s Magazine to a steady slew of traditionally-influenced, bad boy customs with a hint of dirt thrown in, Bill’s always on our custom motorcycle radar and we’ve featured a lot of his bikes on Barnett’s Magazine Online over the years like his lovely Always Keep A Diamond In Your Mind Panhead. We’re big fans of Bill here as he was like a breath of fresh air when all there was to breathe were theme choppers or so it seemed. Knobby tires on a chopper? Why not? Vintage Harley engines instead of big-inch Ultima or RevTech engines? Yes please. Keeping it interestingly simple with a mechanical personality and style all its own? I gotta say Bill had his finger on the pulse of what was going on in a small segment of the industry that lately has exploded into a much bigger piece of the pie. Traditional, Old School, Retro, or whatever you choose to call it will always be cool regardless of what the current big trend like custom baggers today is.
Bill’s purple Panhead chop he built for the Pro Chop Off at this year’s Smoke Out 17 definitely has no sell-by date. It’s a pretty timeless piece with clean lines to die for and just the right amount of ‘60s/’70s touches to be a convincing piece of work. He’s got the ability to incorporate the feel of an old custom into his work more than just trying to replicate the past. Of course, he’s no bozo either and starting the build around a real Harley Panhead engine instead of just slapping some faux Panhead-style rocker covers on a Harley Twin Cam gives it street cred. Serious instant street cred without having to do more than saying, “It’s a Panhead.”
But, that’s not enough for the lad of many states who upped the ante by totally reconfiguring the legendary heads from drawing their air through a single carb with the intakes aiming towards each other inside the Vee itself. Check out Jack Cofano’s shots of the repositioned intakes now passing gas via their own carbs sticking straight out the left side. Bill’s dirt track background shows its hand again with the Uni Filter foam sock air cleaners that I’ve only seen on dirt bikes back in the day. It’s a cool, totally unexpected touch that I should have expected from Bill but didn’t because of my extreme lack of imagination.
Knowing Bill, this Panhead not only runs with the dual carbs, but runs well too. Beneath all the custom engine bright work and fine finishing, Bill still believes you should be able to ride the piss out of a motorcycle. Even if the engine’s old and hopped up and is a kick-only bike, if it’s a Bling’s Cycles build, it’s gonna be a runner. Not only is this Panhead going to have a lovely induction noise from the twin Mikuni carbs, but the short, yet curvaceously-stylish, ribbed header exhausts have gotta add their own tone to the lovely Panhead sound. Ratcheting up a gear is about as direct as you can get with the crystal knob hand shifter and foot clutch doing your bidding. It’s not something you hop on and master instantly, but when you get it right there’s not a much more satisfying accomplishment in motorcycling. Yup, right up there with successfully kicking a twin carb Panhead to life in front of a crowd.
That polished and chromed engine was deposited in a compact hardtail frame with its wishbone downtubes prominently displayed. It’s cool, clean and classic with what seems like minimal tubing involved in the construction. In some ways, the frame almost disappears with that lump of a blinged-out Panhead capturing your attention. I love the way the recessed Bates-style headlight is painted body color and peeks out through the narrow shaved fork tubes like its part of the frame. That’s cool stuff. Just below it, a classic 21-inch laced spool wheel hosts an Avon Speedmaster ribbed front tire that screams Old School without saying a word.
Out back an old Harley mag cleaned up so it looks like a vintage custom wheel of sorts sports a Bridgestone Spitfire 11R 130/90×16 tire with raised white lettering. Man, I haven’t seen one of these since the late ‘80s or so when raised white letters were going to be the nest thing in motorcycle tires. I was even more surprised when I saw you can still get ‘em new. The rear wheel carries the only emergency equipment on board with a four-piston caliper grabbing a big rotor that hopefully keeps the rider from white knuckling the plain black grips on the clean set of mini-apes.
To me, the whole left side is dominated by chains. Chains for the open primary engine/clutch/transmission connection and, from there, a final drive chain running a long way back to the rear sprocket. Like The Beatles sang, “Chains, my baby’s got me locked up in chains. . .” and the left side does look locked up in chains. Whether it’s smart or not, I’m with Bill and feel belts should only be for holding up pants. Regardless of the practicality of belts, the mechanical ruggedness of chains wins me over in the looks department every time. Plus today’s O-ring and X-ring chains are nothing like chains from back in the day.
Body-wise, there’s not a lot going on with only a fuel tank, oil tank and a bit of fender involved. But what there is is pretty cool stuff. I’m really not even sure how to describe the gas tank other than adventurously shapely. The way it’s almost drawn up to reach the gas cap peak looks like it was made from hand-pliable metal like a potter might do with clay, but that’s not the case here. It’s a wildly distinct shape that doesn’t have a clear shape in a traditional style. It stands alone on the frame yet is clearly part of the whole scheme. The oil tank sits right under the seat like a balloon that’s caught on a ceiling. There’s acres of air space below it that really gives an open feel to the mid-section of the bike. The polished (or chromed) side pieces on the tank almost make it disappear entirely. A small, but extremely nice touch.
For a rear fender, Bill repurposed one of the most controversial Harley fenders, the Softail-style flip-up fender. It serves as a seat platform as well as a metal object that fends off road debris from hitting the rider while adding its own bit of flair to the package. I got no bitches about its use here, but I know I would about that pretty, but painful looking two-tone seat that looks a bit like a King & Queen seat without the padding. At least there’s a provision for a passenger with tiny footpegs and that way cool sissy bar might allow the passenger to raise themselves up a bit from the “seat” to let blood flow to their legs again. There’s also that Sparto taillight sitting on the fender looking forlornly in need of a hit of Viagra. All cool bits of the past doing their best to look proper in modern times.
You’ve gotta be sure of yourself and your eye for getting the right shade of paint when you’re basically going to do a total monochrome purple paintjob and Bill’s again not afraid to get out of most people’s comfort zones with a bright, but beautiful hue of purple like this. Other than the small and attractive Bling’s Cycles logo on the top engine mounts, there’s not a graphic to be found anywhere. That’s confidence in the design and quality of the build that it doesn’t need anything more than a single coat of paint to stand out on its own. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that as Bill always has let his mechanical sculpture shine through his paintjobs to where he ends up with total harmony in his build. You gotta love a guy who builds classic chops behind a wall of purple and pulls it off. I’ve never ever wanted a purple bike, but this one just might change my mind.
For more info on Bill Dodge and Bling’s Cycles, visit http://www.blingscycles.com/
or find him on Facebook or whatever social media you chose.