Don’s idea of a perfect bike was one that wedded some of the luxuries of a modern stock motorcycle with the clean lines and simplicity of an old bobber. As the former owner of a 1954 Panhead, Don was quite familiar with the charms as well as the pitfalls involved with the old bikes. But as a promoter of custom bike shows, he also wanted something very special that he could ride with pride. So it had to be trick, too. The real trick was going to be how to fulfill all of these requirements without breaking the bank.
He kept his dream in his back pocket just waiting for the day he met the right builder for it. A chance meeting with Johnny Goodson at last year’s Bakersfield Thunder Run made it all come together. A former Navy machinist, Johnny had started out working for Titan Motorcycles, and had been a fabricator and builder of custom bikes for 20 years before finally going to work as head mechanic for Exile Cycles. He’d recently gone solo and opened Insane Custom Cycles out of a yearning to do his own stuff and branch out beyond the very narrow parameters of an Exile bike. As they spoke about what Don wanted in a bike, Johnny kept hitting all the right notes. It was a match made in heaven.
This is one of those detail-oriented customs that a true custom enthusiast will appreciate more than an innocent bystander. A casual observer would probably miss that fact that this bike is a chopper. Yup, with a 6” up and 4” out stretch, and a 40 degree 2” over front end, this rigid’s got all the credentials of your classic chopper. The difference is all in the tank. Instead of a Sportster-style tank riding high on the frame rails, this puppy has Insane’s version of a fat bob hugging the tops of the rockers. Johnny took the sides from a H-D Fat Bob tank, and created a very high-tunnel, one-piece, six-gallon fuel cell that gives the bike both range and a meaty look.
While it’s natural for a well-done custom to hide much of the control wires and cables, Johnny took it a step further with bars free of any sort of visible controls. Tapping his former colleagues at Exile, he routed both the throttle and clutch internally. Brakes are all handled through the classically-styled brake pedal, which applies both the front and rear, and is claimed to stop the 520 lb. bike on a dime. Johnny used nickel plating on most of the surfaces on the bike, to contrast with the raw aluminum and black powdercoat used on the other parts. After plating, all of the nickel parts were then abraded with Scotchbrite for a slightly sepia-toned appearance, which in turn gives an antique look to the metal.
Satisfying for Johnny is that he got to stretch his creativity a little farther than he could have done at Exile. The wide drag bars, 60-spoke wheels, and brushed nickel plating are all a departure from his work at Exile. Despite the fact that this is a rigid, there are many features that lend itself to the practical everyday ride Don was seeking. Complimenting the six-gallon tank, the ergonomics are laid out for long rides as well, with floorboards instead of your typical forward controls. Between the sprung saddle, plush front end, and Trik Shift 6-speed gearbox, the machine is well set-up for comfort on the long haul.
A mostly stock Harley-Davidson Evo powerplant right out of the P&A catalog was used to power the custom machine for a variety of reasons: Easy parts availability, reliability, and low price figured heavily in the equation. Aside from a few basic mods (Andrews Cam, Velo high flow air cleaner, handmade stepped drag pipes) to make the motor breathe properly it was left alone.
In the end the bike was brought in for under $30k, which made both Johnny and Don very happy. There is only one thing Johnny would change if he had it all to do over again: the belt drive. Besides the alignment headaches caused by it, Johnny is getting into the parts business, and his first product is a four-piston sprocket rotor which would have cleaned up the back end of the bike even more.
Builder: Johnny Goodson, Insane Custom Cycles
If you don’t know Johnny from the Speed Channel series Build or Bust (a weekly reality show where wannabe builders attempt to build a bike in 30 days with advice from pros like Johnny), you may know of him as the guy who did the dirty work of building high-profile bikes for Exile. Now he’s moved his home and business from Southern California’s San Fernando Valley to Glendale, Arizona, and branched out on his own under the name Insane Custom Cycles. Johnny often puts in 20-hour days, splitting his time between building just a few custom creations a year and contributing to the future of our sport by teaching at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute where he is the self-described “a-hole” who gives new mechanics in the H-D program their first taste of the trade. He makes sure to lay down the basics for his students, as he’s a firm believer that if you can’t work on a stock machine, you have no business building a custom one. His goal with Insane Custom Cycles is to create one-offs, so don’t call him asking for a carbon copy of this one. While Johnny concedes this is not the best business plan, he’s not in this for the money, it’s all about passion. To pay the bills he is beginning to build a lineup of innovative parts, starting with his four-piston sprocket brake. His next big project will be to design some affordable yet trick forward controls. Visit his website at www.insanecustomcycles.com or call him at 623-979-5874.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #50, September 2006.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Owner: | Don Birchfield |
Year / Make: | 2006 Insane Custom Cycles |
Fabrication: | Johnny Goodson |
Assembly: | Johnny Goodson |
Build time: | 2 months |
Engine: | H-D Evolution |
Cases: | H-D |
Flywheels: | H-D |
Rods: | H-D |
Pistons: | H-D |
Cylinders: | H-D |
Heads: | H-D |
Cam: | Andrews |
Ignition: | Crane Hi-4 |
Carb: | Keihin CV |
Pipes: | Johnny Goodson |
Air Cleaner: | Velo High-Flow |
Transmission: | 2006 Trik Shift 6-speed |
Primary: | H-D |
Frame: | 2006 Insane Custom Cycles |
Rake: | 40 |
Stretch: | 6″ up, 4″ out |
Forks: | 2″over SJP |
Rear Suspension: | none |
Front Wheel: | Black Bike 16×3.5 60-spoke |
Rear Wheel: | Black Bike 16×5.5 60-spoke |
Front Tire: | 130×16 Metzeler |
Rear Tire: | 200×16 Metzeler |
Front Brakes: | HHI |
Rear Brakes: | HHI |
Fuel Tank: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Oil Tank: | Ultima |
Fenders: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Handlebars: | Insane Custom Cycles Beach Bars |
Headlight: | Headwinds |
Taillight: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Hand Controls: | Exile Cycles Internal |
Foot Controls: | H-D |
Electrical: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Chroming: | (Nickel Plating) LA Specialties |
Paint: | Miguel’s Psycle Paint, (Powder Coat: Glendale Powder Coatings) |
Graphics: | Gold Leaf Masonic Symbol (Miguel’s) |
Polishing: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Molding: | Insane Custom Cycles |
Seat: | Pascal of Riff Raff Leatherworks |
For Sale? | No |
How much? | $30k (but don’t ask for the same bike!) |