You bet it’s a beauty of an all-out, ground-up build for the Artistry In Iron Show a couple of years ago by Mark Shell and the crew at Bonneville Customs Inc. in Idaho Falls, Idaho. All I can think of after seeing this bike called Cherry Bomb is that Mark is a fan of the unique Japanese digger style and an admirer of Steam Punk. At least that’s the immediate feeling I get on checking out this fascinating build. It’s long and low and Steam Punk gleamy with just the right amount of bad ass added to the formula. Plus it’s got a big-inch Shovelhead although not of the genuine Harley-Davidson variety. 

   No sir, that 96-inch hot-to-trot Shovelhead sitting in that chromed and highly-polished engine bay is courtesy of Ultima and not an original, but who cares? It’s 96-inches of brand new Shovelhead motor that’s good to go whether it’s to the store for a pack of butts or straight into the hands of a go-fast mechanic with a flair for mechanical theatrics. Mark went for the mechanical theatrics on this build as you can plainly see or actually not see in that sea of flash and chrome reflecting light back from the engine bay like there were lasers mounted in there. 

   Matter of fact, it’s a little hard just to see the Shovelhead itself with all the whirling and swirling fuel and oil lines going about their business around the beautifully machined velocity stacks on the dual carb setup. Throw in those stunning exhaust pipes that go forward and around before heading back and cutting in between the 6-speed gearbox and rear fender before finally exiting out the left side through the chain final drive. Yes, through the chain final drive and shortly dumping the remnants of combustion out the brass cap end pieces. If there ever was such a thing as a Shovelhead Steam Punk/drag bike engine, this is it. Jules Verne would have loved it. 

  Other nice and Steam Punky-style engine bits are things like the huge vertical cylindrical oil tank mounted on the front downtube and the beehive-style oil filter mounted over the tranny. On the left side, there’s an industrial looking open belt primary along with a hand shifter with an integral clutch lever that looks like it should be on the bridge of Jules Verne’s Nautilus. I like the style and your use of it Bonneville Customs. 

   Adding to all the hard lined plumbing is the foot controls that operate both brakes separately through really cute dual master cylinders with contrasting brass bits. That machined brass thing also extends to the foot and pedal pegs too. All I can say is there is a hell of a lot of good stuff going on in both sides of the engine bay and anywhere else you look deeper into. The end result of all of this foot chicanery is that the beautiful curved separate handlebars connected by a curved thin rod couldn’t be cleaner. 

     Although the engine, transmission and all the custom ancillaries Bonneville Customs fabricated would be something to stare at and admire just for its blingfest loveliness, it was built for a bike show not an engine (or art) show. Yup, that meant it had to have a frame and all that jazz that goes with it. Mark got an absolutely awesome looking rigid frame from Malibu Motor Works in Westlake Village, California. The deliciously nickel-plated, large diameter main frame tubing sensuously curves its way to where it needs to be. 

    What spooks me a bit is how delicate looking the hardtail section is. I’m sure Mark and Malibu knows a hell of a lot more than me so I’ll just enjoy how it looks and safely assume all is well. There are a couple of other frame aspects I admire like the remote-mount coil-over shock seat setup. Man, that’s some beautiful design and execution work going on right there never mind the seat itself that is a conglomeration of two metals and that’s all I know. I’d still rather see a nicely padded saddle to go along with the seat shock. The other thing is that taillight on the right rear that looks more plantlike than DMV ready. It surprised me a bit at first, but then it grew on me and is a signature of the builder’s taste.

    Up front a gorgeous chromed springer fork is raked out somewhere in the 38-degree range enabling the springer to be pretty squat looking. The bike really sits low courtesy of the frame and the springer didn’t have to far to go to place the classic 19-inch laced wheel covered in vintage-style Firestone Deluxe Champion rubber. I absolutely love the look of this type of front wheel especially when it’s shadowed by a similar looking 18-inch rear wheel. It just looks balanced, aggressive and traditional at the same time. 

    I was checking out the stainless and chrome, front and rear, disc brakes when I noticed something that had nothing to do with the brakes. Checking the bike out in side view, I couldn’t help but notice that the thinner hardtail section tubing I mentioned earlier was actually in a nice proportion to the legs of the springer. Keeping that balance between the two ends of the bike and the beefy mainframe in the middle added just a bit more nickel-plated jewel to an already jewel-encrusted build. Good eye Bonneville Customs. It’s like every part has to be its own special entity and yet still has to work in complete harmony with every other piece of the build. 

   As you can see there’s a minimal amount of bodywork, but what there is gets even more important as it’s so easy to see all of it at once. The twin saddle tanks are the perfect amount of emotion and aggression while the way they’re hung (or slung?) brings on the Punk as well as the vintage actual man-made vibe. I don’t have a lot to say about the rear fender and that must mean it’s okay. True candy apple red was sprayed on by Blair Petersen of Creative Custom Motorcycle Paint in, where else, Idaho Falls. Great and convenient paintwork, what else can you ask for in a paintjob? Maybe for some LC Fabrications Tri-Bar gas caps to top it off? Done and done and one more for the oil tank too. 

   The end result is completely captivating and really fun to check out. There’s just so much going on everywhere and you can feel the heart and soul that went into it. If you had to somehow measure how much did and whether it was a successful build, I’d say the second place trophy that Bonneville Customs Inc won at the 2016 Artistry In Iron show in Las Vegas against a room full of great builders is enough validity for anybody. 

   For more info on Bonneville Customs Inc. check out http://www.bonnevillecustoms.com/ or visit them on Facebook.