The 45’s production run went from 1929 to 1973 before Harley pulled the plug on them so they weren’t exactly unpopular even if they weren’t glamorous like a Knucklehead or a Panhead. They were the workhorses of Harley’s lineup and probably the equivalent of a straight six in an older pickup. But, there are Flathead freaks today that adore this finned wonder like it was the next thing built after the wheel was invented and for them, a Flatty is the perfect engine for a retro chopper build.

 

   D.J. Jenkins and Jason Stritenberger, friends and business partners at Court House Custom in Washington Court House, Ohio, are vintage engine freaks preferring to build bikes with engines that were manufactured long before they were born. When the call came to build a bike for the recent Smoke Out Pro Builder class, a Harley 45 Flathead became the engine they built their bike around. Compared to a Knuckle or Pan, a Flathead is about as anciently retro as you can get.

 

   First up was making a chassis to cradle the Harley 45 and this is no big whoop for these two talented guys even though this frame was made from a combination of hard-to-work-with stainless and mild steel. The lines of the CHC frame are flowing and faultless and let the short-cylindered mill sit way low in the frame for an open airy look. The way they used the two metals gives the impression of a vintage cast lugged frame although with a bit of polished spice added. Throw in a bit of neck height for attitude as well as altitude and a reasonable, yet snazzy looking rake for the springer to hang off of and they had a platform to build around that will always be an eye catcher for decades to come. Classic choppers have a way of defying time.

 

   If you’re building a retro-styled chopper and vintage Invader wheels are too modern for you, you’ve got to fall back to good old spokes and that’s not a bad thing. A period-correct spool front hub laced to a 21-inch chromed steel rim wearing a straight-ribbed front tire is about as correct as you can get. Meanwhile the 19-inch rear wheel wearing what was once thought of as fat rubber was built accordingly, but with a disc brake added ‘cause the CHC boys are nobody’s fool. Actually, if there is one engine that can get away with only a rear brake it’s probably a Flathead as horsepower is in, ahem, short supply no matter what you do to them.

 

  But that’s not why you use a Flathead in a retro chopper. It just looks and sounds damn cool. D.J. and Jason really went a bit over the top on the looks of this 45 with a polished finish and beautiful engraving unlike anything Harley ever sent out the factory doors. Court House Custom has a lot of different talented people working there in the two bodies of D.J. and Jason. These guys can do most any aspect of a ground up build in-house like that wicked cool engraving. There’s a lot more than engraving and polishing that makes this bike’s power train über cool, it’s a very different, but kinda logical approach they took on the way to getting the Flatty’s awesome power to the rear wheel.

 

    If you’ve looked at Jack Cofano’s lovely photos closely you’ll see that the hand shifter is on the right side instead of the expected left and also that the transmission casing doesn’t look all that familiar. D.J. and Jason ratcheted things up a bit by tossing a 4-speed Norton transmission into the power party. Fed by a nicely skinny Norton open belt drive, the Brit transmission brings a bit of the “Why not?” thinking of ‘60s builders into a contemporary build. Using British bits on a Harley build is something that would never normally happen in modern Harley circles, but back in the day it might have been a logical way out for builders (for instance ─“It’s all I had lying around so I went with it”). Today? Maybe not so much. My reaction is that it’s just too damn cool.

 

   When it came time for knocking out some bodywork, there wasn’t a ton to do like a bagger has, but what little there is becomes even more important to design correctly. D.J. and Jason made the right choice on this one that features a rounded-edge, beautifully bulbous shape with a John Holmes filler neck capped in brass. The custom horseshoe-style oil tank also is capped in brass with copper lines running to and fro as necessary including the remote oil filter. In the true spirit of the ‘60s, a simple trailer-style fender was employed at the rear but don’t think of that as any kind of copout. You want to see some rear fender high style? Well then just take a look at those stunning stainless fender stays that loop away from their base on the axle lugs over the top of the fender in a beautiful ballet of metal. Achingly beautiful stuff going on here.

 

  Nothing denotes a retro-style chopper more than paint and D.J.  and Jason knew exactly who to call and it wasn’t Ghostbusters. Darren Williams of Liquid Illusions in Lees Summit, Missouri, has done a bang-up job painting other Court House bikes so it only made sense to let the master do his work on this bike. A simple glossy black base sports various ‘60s –style graphics that catches your eye, but doesn’t blind you with trying too hard. Just totally tasteful and captivating in a retro way. Yup, the CHC boys mad the right paint choice and the results speak for themselves.

 

  D.J. and Jason have built themselves one fine retro chopper that isn’t some sort of theme bike, but a real chopper built like they used to. There are a lot of irrepressibly neat touches throughout like the H-D fire extinguisher and the nutty cool handlebar-mounted mirror, but that’s the way builds were approached back in the day. For a couple of young guys, they got it going on when it comes to retro stuff and they know the most important thing of building a modern day custom with a retro vibe – when to stop. There’s nothing on here that doesn’t look right and there’s nothing on here that doesn’t look correct. Well except maybe the disc brake, but then I wouldn’t blame them on that as who the hell wants to depend on just a period-correct drum brake? Not me, so I totally give them a pass on that one. Otherwise, this retro chopper is muy perfecto.  

 

  For more info on Court House Custom, visit http://www.chcustom.com/main.htm or check out their Facebook page.