“A 900 lb. block of T6 aircraft grade aluminum. That’s right. I’m building a motorcycle.”
“A motorcycle?”
“Yeah, a motorcycle… out of a 900 lb. block of T6 aircraft grade aluminum.”
“A motorcycle, sir? … out of a 900 lb block of aluminum?”
(long, awkward, uncomfortable pause)
“How’s your credit, sir?”
“Excellent.”
“We’ll send one right over.”
This is just one snippet of the kind of bizarro conversations that the flies on the wall of Dreamcraft Studios’Ontario,CAworkshop are subjected to on a daily basis. And yet, to Larry Nagel and Paul Yang, ordering an elephantine cube of billet and CNC-machining 700 lbs of shavings off of it to produce a solid aluminum frame for their interpretation of a bi-wheeled “war machine of the future,” seemed like a perfectly rational business decision at the time. And in retrospect, while “rational” may be too strong a word, it sure did turn out to be one hell of a good idea!
Considering the amount of waaaaay outside-the-box thinking that went into Dreamcraft’s first uber-custom fever dream, Saga, Larry and Paul could have been excused for running out of, “Dayum, I ain’t never seen nuthin’ like that before” caliber ideas to explore in the design of their next concept bike. And yet Rapture is in no way a re-hash of a “signature look,” or anything less than a true one-off, no time or money spared exercise in future-is-now-ism.
Bold and angular, the battle wagon’s massive, blast-proof, 200 lb, billet frame perfectly outlines the Harley- Davidson Screaming Eagle 103 engine like a V-Twin cookie-cutter. Viewed from the front, the rider is tucked almost out of sight, belly to frame, behind a phalanx of geometric shapes meant to serve as first line of defense against the various and sordid flavors of intergalactic flak proffered by Zarthan the Mendefecant, Degblund of Conwellador, or any other deep space baddie masochistic enough to risk invoking your two-wheeled wrath. I’m not too sure about the functional propriety of relying upon twin, angular gas tanks to protect one’s face, but I’m sure that they must be crafted out of hand-mined unobtainium from Xenkothagus or some similarly impenetrable substance.
Nynquithian land mines are sniffed at like mere tar snakes by Rapture’s 150 series front tire, which is supported by a quartet of custom-made 2.5 inch inverted front forks. The chain-driven 300 series rear rubber is buffered by horizontally-mounted cantilevered shocks that allow the swingarm a full 4 inches of travel with which to clear the resultant blast craters. A flexible steel pipe runs Rapture’s exhaust gasses back to ceramic-coated exits on the swingarm, and while the rider’s flanks are left woefully unprotected, word has it that the Dreamcraft henchmen are hard at work molecular-engineering fuel additives that will cause a Golgotrak warrior’s third eye to perceive the bike in mirror image, thereby thwarting any attempt to lock Rapture into the crosshairs of his plasma thrower.
So there you have it. All the bleeding edge technology of the next millennium bundled up in the bike of tomorrow, ready to ride today. Oh and lest you have concerns about maintenance and repair costs, you’ll be pleased to know that Rapture comes fully backed by an industry-best 50,000 Henkythian lunar year / 10,000 Proctodoran penta-mile warranty. Hey, now how freakin’ kewl is that!
Up Close: H-D 103″ Screamin’ Eagle Engine
Offered in both standard or counterbalanced configurations, Harley-Davidson’s 103” Screamin’ Eagle motor is one that many custom builders should consider. The ‘A’ motor is used on the rubbermountHarleyofferings and the ‘B” motor is solidly mounted into Harley’s Screamin’ Eagle Fat Boy for 2006. The ‘B” produces loads of torque and can easily be hopped up to between 100 and 120 horsepower, the 100 hp figure being much easier on the wallet. What the rider gets is a high horsepower, good looking engine that doesn’t vibrate. Not only is riding comfort increased but also parts longevity. The whole bike will experience fewer problems with the decrease in vibration this motor offers. Priced competitively with other big motors at $6875, Harley-Davidson should be close to the top of any builder’s engine list.
Builder: Larry Nagel and Paul Yang
As if you needed any more convincing that the Dreamcraft Studios gang are well…different, check this out for a business model: after 40 years of building jet-powered drag cars that turn into giant robots and other similarly extravagant flights of moto-fancy, master engineer Larry Nagel gets a wild hair that he wants to start crafting hyper-exotic motorcycles, and commences his exhaustive global recruitment effort for a world-class design partner by posting a brief note on a bulletin board at nearby Art Center College of Design. He hits the jackpot when a ghostly voice inside Paul Yang’s head commands the mild-mannered visionary to answer the ad. The duo join forces and spend the next three years building two groundbreaking concept customs that they sell to one nameless, faceless, Japanese buyer who just tilts his head back, laughs mysteriously, and blows smoke rings whenever they ask him where all his money comes from.
No seriously folks, I couldn’t make stuff like this up. Oh, OK, so I made the smoke rings up, but the rest is genuine American motorcycle history in the making. Far from growing fat and happy with their success, you’ll be pleased to know that the Dreamcraft team are already hard at work on their third freakazoid creation, which will feature a scaled-down radial aeroplane engine as its powerplant. Difficult as it is to believe, considering the revolutionary footprints left behind by Saga and Rapture, Larry and Paul have personally re-assured me that the best and most bizarre of their dreamcrafts are still to come!
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Builder: | Larry Nagel |
Designer: | Paul Yang |
Year / Make: | Dreamcraft Studios Concept |
Build time: |
8 months |
Engine: |
Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle 103” |
Trail: | 5.9 inches |
Frame: |
Dreamcraft Prototype, one-piece, aircraft grade T-6 aluminum frame |
Rake: | 45 degrees |
Front Wheel: |
18×3.5” Dreamcraft concept |
Rear Wheel: |
18×10.5” Dreamcraft concept |
Front Tire: | 150/70VB18 Avon |
Rear Tire: |
300/35R18 Avon |
Wheelbase: | 85.75 in. |
Length: | 111.25 in. |
Width: | 40.1 in. |
Height: | 41.75 in. |
Seat Height: | 22 in. |
Dry Weight: | 780 in. |
Contact: |
Dreamcraft Studios, 909-673-1588, www.dreamcraftstudios.com |