Actually, I think they would have been popular characters in any town as speaking with Bubba is just a blast. Here’s a guy who just loves building motorcycles and especially building motorcycles his way at his shop called Hayseed Cycles. He’s a guy who takes himself seriously but with a seriously great sense of humor. I’d love to have a beer with him, but I wouldn’t want to cross him and frankly, I don’t think there’d ever be a reason to cross him as he’s a straightforward nice guy. And so isn’t his choice of a realistically-without-trying-retro bike that Barnett’s lens-boy Jackie G. Cofano found at the recent Smoke Out. I say “realistically-without-trying-retro” because that’s the feeling I get where Bubba is in time without trying to be there. That’s exactly the way a motorcycle should look to him and that’s totally cool with me. Others try to capture that feeling, but it’s just a natural part of Bubba’s psyche.

“Me and Slim built the bike in two months. I wanted something traditional and bare bones. I like doing traditional style stuff and it’s a kick-only which keeps a lot of sombitches off my bike. Shit man, it’s a Shovelhead, my favorite bike ever, I ‘m just f*cking dig it,” said Bubba. “The build actually went pretty smooth which is not normally the case. We always end up changing a whole lot of shit, but the bike just seemed to flow as I was building it.”

Personally I don’t give a damn if you think a Road King is the only way to go or a bike like Bubba’s is just not your cup of tea, I just dare you not to check it out and then check it out some more. IF you’ve got the tiniest bit of custom motorcycle nostalgia running through your veins (and you must even if you’re riding a stock Road King instead of a Gold Wing) you gotta have some emotional connection with a Shovel like this. At some point in your motorcycle life (maybe it was 50-years ago) you had to get a yearning to own or at least ride something exactly like this even if it was just around the block. If you didn’t, you should have gotten or should immediately go out and get that Gold Wing as it’s a much better bike intellectually especially if you’re devoid of any internal combustion emotions.

Bubba explained how the build started. “Slim got in there and completely rebuilt the engine and brought it back to life as a now 80” Shovelhead with a Goodson air cleaner, custom-made pipes and it also has our signature Pabst Blue Ribbon oil filter. There’s a BDL 1” open-belt primary connected to a 2004 V-Twin 4-speed, ratchet top transmission. The custom twisted hand shifter has a shifter knob that is a 1932 Pabst Blue Ribbon draft beer pull tab and shifter linkage with a foot clutch. The foot pegs, custom twisted handlebars, motor mounts, fender struts, and custom-made battery box were also done in-house.”

The frame the Shovel sits in is a Kraft Tech Inc. rigid frame featuring a reasonable (i.e. fun and easy to ride) 30-degrees of rake with a total lack of stretch in the backbone to keep things zippy-quick and nimble on the road. Bubba scoured up an old shaved down FLH front end and placed a skinny 80-spoke 21” wheel and tire combo between the legs sans anything resembling brakes. The wide gaps downshifting between just four gears and the rear disc setup on the cool 16” twin-white stripe rear tire have provided all the stopping power Bubba’s needed. I know I’d never ask him if he felt he needed a second brake up front for any reason without expecting a smack to the side of my head (like hitting the side of an old B&W TV to clear up the picture) to straighten me out. If it was good enough for those old custom guys long before him, why should he be any different? And if you don’t think he actually rides it, he told me point blank, “I ride it every day. It rides and handles amazingly, just f*cking amazing!”

When it came to the minimalist bodywork, Bubba said, “The gas tank is a modified old BSA tank, re-tunneled in-house with a gas gauge in the tank. The oil tank was made in house and we found these kick ass brass keg markers and put them on the side for decoration. The rear fender is by Led Sled Customs, who are the best damn fender makers in the business. Thanks Pat [Patterson], you’re rad. The House of Kolor blue flake paint was done by Shane of Lucky Moto 7.” The blue metal flake is definitely cool, but it’s the sharp and stark use of white on the frame and bodywork striping (along with the black shading and gold and black pinstriping) that makes this such a likeable and believable time-warper.

Bubba’s built a lot of bikes, but there’s something really special about this one. No, it’s not the engine or the paint job or the killer Outlaw Custom seat or any single part that makes it especially memorable to him. He can always build another bike and at this time, that’s exactly what he’s doing and hopefully we’ll see it here soon. Nope I’ll let Bubba explain why this particular Shovel is so special, “It’s the last bike I built before my mother passed away so it’ll never be sold. It is done. It will never be changed or sold.”