This long and low custom, Blown Bayou, built by David Perry, owner of Chopper One in Destin, Florida, presents a different vision using parts that are normally found on all motorcycles. “I wanted to take part in the Florida Biker Build-Off competition. Later I saw that the majority of participants were famous custom builders. I knew I had to build a unique motorcycle with many unique elements,” said David. And his creation is truly abundant with technical innovations, the most interesting being the braking system, located in the wheels’ interior. After about two months of work, his efforts were successful and that which was only a dream became a reality. “I had an idea of an internal braking system in my mind for a long time and I thought it was time to make it. Together with a friend, we tried different variations and finally we were able to build two prototype wheels that worked perfectly. After that we started building the bike,” said David. Here’s what David came up with: the wheel is formed out of three components held together by bolts and has the rotor mounted in the center of the hub. The brake line is in the interior wheel axle and feeds the caliper mounted on the same axle. David decided to add a spinner on the right side of the rear wheel. “The spinner on the rear wheel makes it easier to access the braking system. This way it’s easier to fix any possible defects. If I wouldn’t have been pressed for time, I would have done the same thing to the front wheel,” said David. All of this represented a lot of hard work to make something so normally visible seemingly disappear.

The brake system was not the only thing to take long days of hard work, but the softtail Nasty Boy Motorcycle Company frame, modified by the Chopper One team, as well. From the downtube to the backbone, nothing was left untouched. David fabbed the sheetmetal to flow with the frame design. The downtube becomes bodywork, the swingarm becomes swoopy, and he produced a tank and fenders that are substantial enough to be seen and provide a platform to have the House of Kolor TruBlue/Orion Silver/ black paint sprayed by Bruce Koch of Koch Designs really stand out, especially the tribal graphics. The tribalized Killer Choppers oil tank jumps right in and looks right at home. The alligator insert seat by Danny Gray sports the tribal motif also. Not too many American custom builders fancy the V-Rod, but David knows a good thing when he sees one and took a V-Rod headlight, painted it black, and it fits in well with his design.

Power choice may not initially seem too out of the ordinary with the choice of a 95” Twin Cam B engine, but the addition of a Magna Charger supercharger completely changes the situation. Besides the increase in horsepower by more than 50%, the blower increases the amount of the torque substantially and provides a much quicker response at lower RPM. The diamond-cut cylinders add a bit of bling while helping to cool the engine because of additional surface area at the fins’ end while the cylinder heads are topped with Panhead-style covers. As far as other features go, chrome is not by far the dominating one, replaced by the racing-inspired black color. As a matter of fact, the only parts chromed are the supercharger, the primary, the transmission, the sprocket, and the exhaust shields built by Chopper One. Looking at the Metzeler tires, the Performance Machine hand and foot controls, and the Perse fork, I think these were all good choices. I could not let the handlebar go without commenting on it as well. The guys at Chopper One didn’t think that buying one from a catalog would be suitable for a project such as this, so they built their own. The curved and straight lines are braided together in harmony and have hidden control cables, giving a clean look. The only thing visible is the Pro-Cy speedometer, a useful gauge if you think about the 145 HP generated by the engine and how easy it would be to break any speed limits. Yeah, it’s handy if you don’t want to involuntarily contribute to the public coffers.

A chopper of this caliber is expected to receive a good measure of recognition and understanding, but things don’t always turn out as expected. “Many people don’t see the technical innovations of this chopper, such as the wheels and the braking system. I noticed this as I participated in various shows, but the ones who really know what they are looking at, were completely amazed. I heard questions like, ‘How were you able to do that?’ Unfortunately, very few have the knowledge and the eyes to notice unique things,” said David. Even though the reactions were not always the ones David expected, it still remains an achievement in construction and design. The braking system designed by David and the team from Chopper One announces a new direction in which custom builders are fast moving: the transformation of the usual into the unusual by means of unconventional technical solutions and . . . there isn’t much that can stop this!