We first became aware of Steve’s work (which almost has to be seen in person to really understand and appreciate) back in the old printed Barnett’s Magazine days with I think his first feature article in a magazine. The bike we referred to as The Brooklyn Hot Rod was simply a lovely harmony of lines with a hot-rodded Harley-Davidson Twin Cam rigid bobber that got more and more interesting as we blew the photos up. It was like looking at the outside and inside of a Patek Philippe wrist watch at the same time, but better.
I did get to see Steve’s Brooklyn Hot Rod in person when he pulled up on it in Sturgis loaded with gear after a little ride from Brooklyn. And it was raining out too. This kinda blew my mind, but there was more mind blowing to come after he cleaned it up and entered it in a couple of shows and won. Steve doesn’t build static display pieces but wicked cool customs that also run like hell on the street. I don’t think Steve understood my befuddlement of how show bikes and real street bikes can’t be one and the same, but here was living proof. And, that’s when my man-crush on one the absolute nicest, intelligent, skilled and talented people I’ve ever met began. Of course, the pissa bike didn’t hurt either.
Steve’s aesthetic seems to be rooted more in the art of details throughout the bike that are ingenious ways of solving problems both mechanically and visually. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, but he’s sure into making it look, roll and run better. When I ran into his Triumph Bonneville Salt Flats Racer called Crusader at The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin (best show ever) last spring, once again I was amazed the closer and closer I got.
At first I thought it was unusual for Steve to customize a Triumph as all I had ever seen of his work was Harley-related, but there’s a good reason for everything. First and foremost, he just wanted to see what he could do with a Brit twin and he also used to road race a Ducati 916 before the kids arrived so high-performance is in his blood too. That same high performance blood is destined to take this lovely beast to over 300mph on the Salt Flats. Okay, I was kidding about the 300mph, but whatever there is in the bike, he’ll flog the last mph out of it and flog it some more just to make sure. And he’ll never stop smiling while he’s doing it.
To get the high-speed stability he was looking for, Steve stretched the David Bird/DB Fab frame a good four-inches while keeping the stance about as low as you can practically go for both the Salt Flats and the street. That whole back end of the frame has got the Iacona touch to it ─ clean and purposeful with a nice flow to the front. Short but beefy adjustable forks hang at the point of no return in a decidedly un-rakish fashion. That custom front wheel is not what you think and that’s why it’s so cool. I never would have known it was from a Harley Rocker now wearing a Sportster front brake, but I guess I don’t have that eye to see what something could be that isn’t. Out back, Steve had solid wheel machined by Precision Metal Fabricators in Brooklyn with slots and another Sportster brake modified to anchor that area.
The 1972 Triumph 650 engine (first year of the five-speed) got the old big bore kit and now displaces an additional 100ccs along with every other hot rod trick in the book. Dual 30mm Mikuni carbs wearing Dime City Cycles machined-finish velocity stacks mix up gas and air that gets lit by an always-cool Joe Hunt magneto. I just couldn’t have appreciated Steve’s take on a set of pipes until I saw them as they almost hide in plain sight. They’re subtly cool while being an elegant solution too. I only wish I was at the show when it was fired up like all the others just for the show goers enjoyment. I mean, how cool is a motorcycle show where you can actually hear the motors being run one-at-a-time? That’s Austin for you.
Bodywork and design is where Steve shines with everything being built from flat sheet into something special. Starting with the fenders, both front and rear, each was formed out of aluminum with strong and beautifully simple mounts. Like everything else, the finish is impeccable and accentuates the clean simplicity. Then there’s that lovely fuel tank that flows with the frame lines around it perfectly and sports a machined aluminum ribbed insert sunk into it just because it looks good. And, it does. The oil tank kinda mimics the rear fender shape and blends in nicely under the seat with an air of aerodynamics to it. The hand-formed tail section adds just the right amount of Salt Flat attitude while housing lots of things Steve doesn’t want you to see. It’s not that he doesn’t like you, he just hates loose ends especially visible ones.
All that bodywork is fine and good, but what about that Robot Chicken fairing up front you’re wondering? Unsurprisingly it was not what I thought it was either. Steve whipped up that little ditty with a thought to the Salt, but also to the problem of how to do it differently. The center section is made out of steel and the two perfectly formed pieces along the side of it are aluminum. I never would have guessed that was a modified and faired in Speed Dealer Custom LED headlight exiting stage left as it’s pretty unrecognizable to me as the original billet bobber piece it started out as. You might have also noticed that mesh-covered opening in the steel center section and that’s for the oil cooler mounted directly behind it. Oh, so that’s why it’s made of steel ─ makes sense now. Steve even made that cute windscreen that will be very appreciated at Bonneville I’m sure.
Finish and detail on a good design is what Steve’s all about and he didn’t disappoint me anywhere on the bike. From the Scotch Brited aluminum to the mods like the cutout primary or the eye-catching chain guard or the dual shock suspended seat he hits all the right motorcycle notes for me. Steve fabbed up the really rear set controls and along with a set of clip-ons off something or other that offers up a riding position more Bonneville than Brooklyn. That won’t stop him from tearing around Bensonhurst, though as he’s got a set of seat shocks under that solo saddle. Believe me, they work.
When it came time for paint, I was again not disappointed by the simplicity of it, but liked it because it didn’t fight for some sort of custom superiority. The strong blue shot by Shane Salisbury of Wetcoats Inc. unsurprisingly also in Brooklyn along with his tasty graphics compliment the lines and pieces of the bike. By the way, Shane also did the leather work on the seat so he’s no one-trick pony. Maybe it’s just me, but I like my paint simple so it doesn’t overshadow the mechanicals. I’m all about the mechanicalness of motorcycles since I kick started my first one.
So once again, Steve Iacona has made a challenge for himself and hit every note on the way to creating this knockout version of a Salt Flats racer. Imagination and ingenuity shines throughout the build. When you go in deep there’s a whole ‘nother world beneath the surface with tiny details you unfortunately have to see to understand. There’s nothing on here that isn’t needed, but there’s not a thing has hasn’t had a lot of thought and time put into it. Knowing Steve, I wouldn’t expect less and he always delivers. Plus he’s a wicked nice guy and he’s got a great smile.