Baggers
Maybe this isn’t your idea of what touring is all about and you’re probably right about taking the time to smell the roses and all that blather, but it sure gets my palms sweaty. I’m sure it’s possible to wick this bike down and sniff those flowers, but having Hoover Dam absolute power like this at the mere twist of a throttle would be too corrupting for me to ignore.
Apparently having this sort of performance at his beck and call has not only influenced Robbie’s riding style, but all the other riders near his Osceola, Iowa, Harley dealership, Chipp’s Harley-Davidson Shop who never contest his unofficial top dog bagger status.
“Most locals know what it is, they don’t want any part of it,” said Robbie. “I’ve pegged the speedometer in a very short distance. I have no idea what it’d really run, faster than what I’d want to ride it I would imagine.”
It takes guts to grab a brand new bike off the showroom floor and rip out a zero mileage motor and replace it with an expensive big-inch mill and modify it from stem to stern. But coming from a family that’s been in the motorcycle business for over 30 years certainly does help. “In years past, Dad let me take a bike and dress it up, do what I want to it, ride it for a year, then sell it,” said Robbie. “The last one I did sold before I got to ride it.”
One look will tell you this isn’t just an engine swap, though. The stylish end result involves another member of the Chipp family who conveniently happens to own a motorcycle business with a finger right on the pulse of what’s happening in custom baggers. Robbie’s brother, Gary Chipp, is head honcho at Fat Baggers Inc. in Chariton, Iowa, which is well known for its quality fat tire conversions and custom bodywork for baggers. “If my brother has something new, a lot of times I’ll put it on my bikes just to get it out for people to see it,” said Robbie. Ah, brotherly love, ain’t it wonderful? Robbie chose a sensibly sized 200mm kit providing great looks and great handling. Leaving the frame dimensions stock, Robbie added 1” lower Progressive Suspension’s 440 shocks out back in place of the supplied air shocks and said, “I tried the lowered air shocks and hated the way they rode. I went to the 440 Progressives and love ‘em. They ride great.” FBI’s chromed fork legs with flush mount axle and fork end caps sit 1” lower to level things off.
The rolling stock of this show is a pair of Performance Machine’s then new black Judge Contrast Cut wheels that Robbie flat fell in love with, “I really liked them,” he said. “I think with the True-Track and 18” rear, 21” front with Metzeler ME880s on it, it handles as good as a stock bike, if not better.” All this is just frosting on the cake as it looks so much sportier with that 21” wheel nicely filling up fender space and Robbie’s choice of a single oversized 13” rotor grabbed by a PM 6-piston caliper showing off Roland Sands’ artistry from the uncluttered right side. As far as trading dual discs for a single stopper, Robbie said, “It’s actually better than stock brakes.”
If you’ve ever seen the 1965-74 Quinn-Martin TV show, The F.B.I., starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr. of 77 Sunset Strip fame, it always started with Lewis Erskine (Efrem) abruptly leaving F.B.I. headquarters and hopping into his Ford-supplied car of the year and burning off to an undisclosed destination. Now I think I know where he was always going, to Robbie’s shop with more FBI parts to install on this bike. FBI supplied the stretched gas tank, which fills in the lines nicely and flows into the seat. As for the seat itself, “It’s right out of Harley’s catalogue that I modified,” said Robbie. “I had to pull the cover loose in front and trim the seat pan and foam smaller and put the cover back on. It only took a couple of hours to get it to fit like I wanted it to.” Time to call in the big guns, spray guns that is. “My original idea called for flames laid over the stock vivid black, but the guys at Gunslinger Custom Paint called me back and said, ‘We need to do something different to make it stand out. What do you think of us waterspotting some blue pearl under it so it gives it a kind of bluish-purple look where the flames aren’t?” said Robbie. “I was more than happy when I got it back.”
So after all these mods, is it still a touring bike? “I wouldn’t be afraid to get on this thing and ride across the country on it,” said Robbie.
Up Close: Wide Tire Kit for H-D FLH series
Gary Chipp’s Fat Baggers Inc. claims the bragging rights to being the first company to bring wide tire kits for baggers to market for FLH series Harleys. ”He does larger tire kits than what I used, but the 200 kit is a bolt-on. The 240 and 300 kits require you to cut the frame. This is a true bolt-on with just a couple of things to grind here and there, no big deal,” said Robbie Chipp. “The hardest part is putting an offset shaft in the transmission. If this was done at a shop, you could finish the rest in your garage.” All this was done on an ‘06, but there’s even better news for owners of ‘07 and up baggers. “The ones for the ‘07 bikes are even easier, as there are no transmission modifications required. The ‘07 kit is a swingarm, fender, wheel, and tire and away you go. It’s a very simple bolt-on for the ‘07,” he said. The rear fender is not a fiberglass piece you bond to a shortened old one, but a stand alone piece that totally replaces the stock one and includes the filler pieces to the bags. “The rear fender is made so that it covers the frame and all the bracketry that hangs down and the fender struts, it’s made to go over the top and cover it up and give it a lot cleaner look,” said Robbie. “The fender on mine has a frenched-in taillight and license plate, that’s an option FBI has.” That’s not the only one, though, as kits can be had with a choice of black powdercoated or chromed swingarms, tire choice, and a huge selection of wheels. Check out www.fatbaggers.com for way more info.
Builder: Robbie chipp Chipp’s Harley-Davidon Shop
Jealousy isn’t a useful thing, but I couldn’t help but be jealous of kids who grew up in a family that was directly connected to the two-wheeled world. Having access to motorcycles at any age was something I could only dream of and believe me, I surely did. I always had my eyes open when I hung around dealerships or local scramble courses checking out what new bike the owner’s sons were riding while I was still waiting to get my first one. I’m sure it wasn’t all peaches and cream like I imagined, but it sure looked good to me.
Robbie Chipp runs Chipp’s Harley-Davidson Shop in Osceola, Iowa, which is an offshoot of the family H-D store, C&C Custom Cycles in Chariton, Iowa. “I grew up in the motorcycle business. My dad has owned motorcycle stores since I was born,” said Robbie. “I haven’t known anything but motorcycles since day one. If it had wheels, I was riding it.” Getting his own shop wasn’t a given and he had to earn it. “I spent every day I could in my dad’s shop,” he said. “He would put me to work doing whatever needed to be done when I was 14, uncrating and assembling bikes, changing tires, and striping down bikes that needed to be rebuilt.” So, I guess it wasn’t all peaches and cream. Running the shop has allowed him to play a little and he builds a different Harley-based custom every year to showcase products, his shop’s capabilities, and his own imagination. Luckily for him, his brother Gary owns Fat Baggers Inc. which brings a seemingly endless supply of tasty parts to the bike building party. Like I said, motorcycle families unfortunately make me jealous. Check out www.cc-cycle.com for more info.
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Owner: | Robbie Chipp |
| Year / Make: | 2006 Harley-Davidson FLHX |
| Fabrication: | Fat Baggers, Inc. |
| Assembly: | Chipp’s Harley-Davidson, Robbie Chipp |
| Build time: | 3 months |
| Engine: | JIMS120” |
| Cases: | JIMS |
| Flywheels: | JIMS |
| Rods: | JIMS |
| Pistons: | Hal’s Speed Shop |
| Cylinders: | JIMS-Diamond cut |
| Heads: | JIMS/Hal’s Speed Shop |
| Cam: | JIMS |
| Ignition: |
H-D/ Power Commander |
| Carb: | Horsepower Inc. 57mm throttle body |
| Pipes: | Rinehart Racing |
| Air Cleaner: | Horse Power Inc. |
| Transmission: | 5-speed H-D |
| Primary: | Harley-Davidson |
| Clutch: | H-D |
| Frame: | 2004 Dyna |
| Rake: | stock |
| Stretch: | stock |
| Forks: | Fat Baggers, Inc. |
| Rear Suspension: | Progressive 440 Shocks |
| Front Wheel: | 21×3.5 PM Judge Contrast Cut |
| Rear Wheel: | 18×5.5 PM Judge Contrast Cut |
| Front Tire: | 120/70 Metzeler ME880 |
| Rear Tire: | 200/55 Metzeler ME880 |
| Front Brake: | Performance Machine |
| Rear Brake: | Stock H-D |
| Fuel Tank: | Fat Baggers, Inc |
| Fenders: | FLHX front /Fat Baggers, Inc. rear |
| Handlebars/Risers: | Stock |
| Headlight: | Stock |
| Taillight: | Russ Wernimont Cat Eye |
| Hand Controls/Grips: | Harley-Davidson |
| Foot Controls: | H-D Billet Streamliner Boards and Pegs |
| Electrical: | Stock |
| Painter: | Gunslinger Custom Paint |
| Color: | Black with Blue Pearl |
| Seat: | Harley-Davidson Rally Runner modified |
| Special thanks to: | Dad, Gary and Fat Baggers, Inc., and Gunslinger. |