Personally, I like this hard core Shovelhead a lot just as it sits, but I imagine Chris had some super-duper paintjob in mind that didn’t get done in time. If he had only built it on TV, there’d have been no problems. But I’m assuming this was built in the real world to be used in the real world and time and/or money just ran short. As I write this, Chris is probably just finishing off whatever paintjob he had in mind, but I’m kinda happy the way it is because it really showcases a Shovelhead engine with a hell of a lotta work.

    Anyway you look at it, a Shovelhead is about as Steampunk as a Harley has ever gotten. That even includes something like a beautiful 1928 Harley JDH twin that goes a bit more to Art Deco than Steampunk to me. The Shovelhead’s basic architecture has always been about unadulterated raw power with no excuses for any rough edges in appearance or riding qualities. You can feel every single horsepower that’s being made just about anywhere on the bike. What Chris has done is to take that engine, sass it up a bit both in appearance and power and framed it with bike bits all around it.

    Sassing it up is not the best way to describe things like those split rocker boxes that require careful cutting along with welding, plumbing and a lot of refinishing to make them look this good. Plus there’s all the nice, carefully bent copper oil lines adding a bit of punkness as well as those prominent brass push rod tubes for even more. Throw in some more brass bits all around the engine and it’s getting Steampunkier all the time. But it’s the dual multi-piece headers still showing their welds snaking all over the engine until they empty Snagglepuss-style, “Exit, stage left”, just under the seat. Just remember that brass kicker is there for a reason and if you’re a push button person, it’s a whole new experience. Kick starting a Shovelhead is about as Steampunky as you can get.

   Oh, can’t forget about that velocity-stacked carb sucking air loudly or the big open belt primary spinning away too. That’s some Steampunk shit too. Looking just under the carb,

those extremely high mid-mounts almost work as forward controls from the actual riding position which uses very little of the diamond-stitch seat itself. It does look cool though and cool always seems to win out in a hardcore custom like this. I mean, who doesn’t like cool?

    There’s nothing revolutionary about the design of the bike, it’s a tried and true Old School formula that’s worked for so many decades, why change it? It’s a tight and right rigid bobber that looks like fun with the agility that’s built into it. No big rake, no long forks, no steering head sitting feet higher or anything else that screws with the hot rod of a bobber it surely is. It’s easy to picture yourself just squirting around town and having a blast at every stoplight or listening to the Shovelhead echoing off buildings especially at night. Oh what fun. You do have to keep in mind that the whitewall tire rear wheel does most of the work from power to braking and that skinny whitewall, spool front wheel is basically along for the ride.

   Tinwork that looks vaguely familiar is a hallmark of any Old School-style ride and Chris doesn’t disappoint a bit. What I’d guess is a modified Wassell-style P-nut tank sits a bit back from the neck like it’s trying to get a better view of the road. The cylindrical oil tank is a no-brainer as they just look like they do and that’s Old School-classy enough as is. The simple and good looking round rear fender covers just enough to work and look good at the same time, but it does have some classy struts keeping it on the up and up. Nothing out of order here, just classically good looking bodywork that never gets old no matter how old it gets.

    But then we come to the all important paintwork that makes or breaks any custom bike. I get where Chris’ “Stupid White Paint” comment came from, but where it’s at in Jack Cofano’s photos really brings out the rest of the bike. You just can’t miss that beautiful Shovelhead engine standing out like nobody’s tomorrow. Nothing mechanical or nothing drafted in steel gets lost in a simple paintjob and unfortunately for Chris, it happens to be in stupid white. Hey, I’d ride that baby as is and like Crosby, Stills and Nash once sang, just “Love the one you’re with.”