Gary’s first bike was a stripped down 1979 FLH Shovelhead that he bought in the very early Eighties — guess where he bought it — Barnett Harley- Davidson in El Paso, Texas. “I flew in from Los Angeles, spent the day at the dealership looking at bikes and couldn’t decide which bike I wanted so I thought it’d be a good idea to sleep on it. I was staying in town, and surprisingly they lent me a car for the night. I still can’t believe they just gave me a car, I guess they could tell I really wanted to get a bike. The next morning, I gave the car back and picked out that 79 FLH. Then I had them paint it, take some more of the doodads off it that I didn’t like, and ship it out to California for me. It was a great experience that I’ll never forget.”
He’s never been long without a bike since his visit to Barnett H-D, but a short while ago he was looking for a custom that he could really relate to, a bike that reflected his interests, and that he’d want to ride on a regular basis. He had visited Garage Company before, but didn’t realize that they built bikes until he saw one on their website. So he called Garage Company owner Yoshi Kosaka and his custom bike was begun. Slightly more modern than what he was originally looking for, Gary opted for 1981 H-D 80” Shovelhead because a Knuckle was way too expensive. It was an easy compromise to justify because Knuckleheads are somewhat small and underpowered by today’s standards and the later model Shovel came from the factory with a few extra cubes, a few more horsepower, and almost identical looks. The eighty-incher was hopped up with KB pistons, an S&S cam and Super E carburetor, and a Joe Hunt Magneto. There’s no high-speed cruising, 6-speed trans behind this Shovel, only a 4-speed Harley gearbox. This one is beautifully finished in the natural color of the aluminum casting, as it was when new throughout the Seventies and early Eighties.
The frame for the bike is a Chica gooseneck rigid with two-inches subtracted from the downtubes. Chica’s gooseneck frames use smaller-diameter tubing than other modern frames giving it a more nostalgic look. Adding to the nostalgia is the small tubing used for the handlebars, skinny rear fender struts and sissy-bar, the slender shifting rod, and blacked-out, smaller-diameter exhaust pipes (by today’s standards). A stock length H-D springer was bolted to the gooseneck that the Garage Company made into a roller with the addition of 16” spoke wheels. V-Twin retro-style hand-controls and taillight, with foot-controls from Drag Specialties, were used because they appear almost identical to H-D originals. An old coffin gas tank, octagonal oil tank, coffin-style carburetor cover, and 5” wide stubby rear fender all came from different indeterminate origins, but all the parts have been around long enough for a second or third rebirth on this custom bike.
The guys at Garage Company planned the colors of the bike well, with a classic black base coat, while the graphics were laid down by Skratch and Gary in traditional white and red. Other components of the bike were color-matched as well, including a red battery cover, white seat with red piping, red springs on the front-end, red rims coupled with vintage white-wall Coker tires, and it’s all topped off with a rather large brass skull with glowing red eye sockets. “That skull was actually the first part I bought for this bike. I found that big brass skull in an antique store and bought it because the salesman claimed it was something George Barris sold in the 50s. I wasn’t sure if I believed the salesman, but it was so cool looking, so I bought it anyway. Awhile later, I went to Barris’ new shop, he’s there a lot from what I hear, and I showed him the skull—he recognized it instantly. Apparently that salesman at the antique store was telling the truth,” Gary said.
Builder: Yoshi Kosaka
Yoshi Garage Company
Yoshi has spent his whole life in love with vintage machines. He loves the way they feel, smell, and look. His passion for antique metal created a problem for him back in the early 80s. He was living in crowded Tokyo, Japan, — space in that city was hard to come by and very expensive. He had been so successful at collecting old parts that he needed more room to restore, catalog, and stock his amassed treasures. He solved that problem by moving to Los Angeles, California. “Space is very limited in Tokyo; I wanted to expand my hobby. After I moved, I realized my new building was bigger, cheaper, and parts were easier to find. I can even get English and Japanese parts faster here than in the East — Japan has strict pollution laws and the government tries to get older, less efficient vehicles off the road. The U.S.A. has parts from everywhere! California is like heaven for people like me,” said Yoshi.
With a little money that he had saved from his move from Japan, Yoshi started doing what he does best, collecting and restoring parts. Three years passed by and, like a fat-guy at a buffet, California turned him into an antique- parts glutton. His new house was filled to the rafters with pieces of old vehicles and his wife couldn’t take it anymore. Yoshi’s wife must be an incredible woman, because she solved the over-stock issue by bringing him the keys to a little warehouse in Venice Beach to store his parts instead of divorce papers. Yoshi quickly capitalized on the new space and brought in over 100 motorcycles and enough parts to cover all the walls. Eventually, people started meandering in to his glorified garage looking for restored parts with cash in their hands. Realizing he could make a few bucks on the side, Garage Company officially opened its doors after moving to a storefront in downtown LA. He’s got so many parts in his current shop that he can’t imagine how difficult it would be to try moving it all again.
Obviously, Garage Company does more than just stock parts. They’ve also thrived building custom bikes and restoring old machines. There are literally hundreds of restored bikes at the shop on any given day; some have likened it to a museum. He’s got everything from Yamahas, Ducatis, BSAs, Nortons, Kawasakis and MV Agustas. Most of the bikes are for sale, but Yoshi says there are a few that he’d never part with, “My favorite bikes are from all over the world, and I could never sell my 1969 H-D KRTT side valve (1 of 7 built), 1973 MV Agusta 750 Sport, 1964 Triumph Bonneville 650, or my 1973 Ducati Supersport 750.”
Yoshi won’t work on anything built after the early ‘80s, but he will build any kind of bike, regardless of where the bike originated. For the last ten years, the majority of his business is from custom Harley-Davidson builds using vintage parts wherever possible. But, he’s still doing what he loves, looking for parts in a number of different swap-meets, flea markets, classified newspaper ads, plus old garages and boneyards.
If you’re into vintage parts and bikes, check out www.garagecompany.com or call Yoshi at 800-393-3766.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #57, September 2007.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Bike Name: | Drag XX |
Owner: | Gary Myrick |
Year / Make: | 1981 Harley-Davidson |
Fabrication/ assembly: | Garage Company |
Build time: | 12 weeks |
Engine: | 80″ Harley Shovelhead |
Cases: | Stock Harley |
Flywheels: | Stock Harley |
Rods: | Stock Harley |
Pistons: | KB Performance Pistons |
Cylinders: | Stock Harley |
Heads: | Stock Harley |
Cam: | S&S |
Ignition: | Joe Hunt Magneto |
Carb: | S&S Super E |
Pipes: | Garage Company |
Air Cleaner: | Old coffin-style |
Transmission: | 4-speed Harley |
Primary: | Primo 3″ open |
Clutch: | Primo |
Frame: | Chica Gooseneck |
Rake: | 37-degrees |
Stretch: | 2″ under |
Forks: | 74 H-D springer |
Fork length | (+or -) 0 |
Rear Suspension: | Rigid |
Wheels: | 16″ Wire wheel |
Tire: | Coker Tire Company |
Front Brakes: | Harley drum |
Rear Brake: | Airheart |
Fuel Tank: | Modified old coffin-style |
Oil Tank: | Old octagonal |
Fenders: | 5″ flat fender |
Handlebars: | Garage Company |
Risers: | Garage Company |
Sissy Bar: | Garage Company |
Headlight: | Custom Chrome Inc. |
Taillight: | V-Twin |
Hand Controls: | V-Twin |
Grips: | V-Twin |
Foot Controls: | Drag Specialties |
Electrical: | Garage Company |
Chroming: | Supreme Plating |
Painter/graphics: | SKRATCH & Gary Myrick |
Color: | Black/Red |
Polishing: | Supreme Plating |
Seat: | Back Drop, USA |