The rake was kept down to a manageable 37 degrees and the stretch to 1.5 inches.  There was to be no steamroller-sized 300 series meat in the back.  In the name of road-worthiness, Campos deployed a 180mm tire instead.  I haven’t seen one of those in awhile.  Heck, Russell Mitchell puts bigger tires than that on the FRONT of his bikes! An 80ci. H-D 1994 Evo mill powers the FXR, tweaked with after-market pistons, carb and pushrods from S&S, and Jim’s valves and lifters.

Cosmetically, John says, “I did this bike very quickly.  I mainly focused on getting smooth lines.  I designed a tank and fenders and extended the swingarm.  The primary cover is a one-piece unit that is pretty unique looking.”  Steeply swept back handlebars went a long way towards accommodating Fred’s reach.  A Dakota digital gauge really adds to the bike’s clean look.  Campos is a true jack-of-all-trades, and had his hand in every aspect of the JC FXR’s construction, right down to the paint and seat.  “Fred’s last name is Starr, so we used a star theme.”  The black cherry bike got a metallic silver pearl shooting star emblazoned across its tank and another on its seat.  The versatile Campos told me, “I built this seat myself from the foam up.  In this case with a star made of stingray skin.”  The end result was a personalized rolling throne for a client in need of a custom fit.  Not too bad as far as reasons to live go.

Up Close: BUB Bad Dog Pipes

These short two-into-two megaphone style pipes are what put BUB Enterprises on the map. These performance oriented mufflers put out some good horsepower numbers when compared to many of the market’s offerings. If you’ve ever been to a flat track race, you know that all the v-twin racing four strokes used megaphone style cone exhausts, they put out the big hp numbers.  BUBs come with baffles to make them socially acceptable and are the hot ticket for smaller displacement motors.  For larger motors BUB makes Step-Muthers, which get the gases out of the bigger engines better. All BUB pipes come with thinner gaskets which deform less and are less likely to get squished into the path of the exhaust gases. BUB’s current offerings can be seen online and the progress of founder Dennis Manning’s Bonneville streamliner is covered there as well. Visit

BUB Enterprises on the web at www.bubent.com.

Builder: John Campos

John Campos began racing motocross in his native Portugal at the age of 10, beginning with 50cc, 85cc, and 125cc dirt bikes and eventually graduating to road racing Yamahas in Brazil. He learned to work on his own bikes and developed a skill set that grew to include welding and shaping as well as mechanical expertise.  John eventually moved to L.A. to build customs in 1990.  “Harleys are very popular but very expensive where I grew up.  Everybody wants one.  They are very unique, very personal.”  John’s first hog was a 1947 knucklehead that he cleaned up in his garage.  “It was very different, very classy and very dangerous for me since I wasn’t used to the shifter and brakes!  But now I think the most fun bikes to ride are customs.”  John loves classics and works on vintage cars as well as bikes, paying a lot of attention to the small details.  After doing a lot of shows the first three years to establish his name, John now boasts a 7,000 sq. ft. shop and showroom.  Most of his customers are walk-in visitors, as he is located right across from the massive Bartel’s H-D dealership in Marina Del Rey, CA.  John considers Yaffe, Ness and Bourget to be a few of the builders whom he respects as much for how they run their business as for their craftsmanship.

SPECIFICATIONS
Owner:	Fred Starr
Builder:	John Campos
Year/Make:	2005 Custom FXR
Build Time:	2 months
Assembler:	John Campos
Fabricator:	John Campos
Est. Value:	$28,000
Engine:	H-D 1994 80 ci. Evo
Valves:	JIM’s stainless
Pushrods:	S&S aluminum
Lifters:	JIM’s
Oil Pump:	S&S
Carburetor:	S&S
Air Cleaner:	V Stack custom JC
Ignition:	Dynatek
Exhaust:	BUBs Bad Dogs
Transmission:	1994 H-D 5-speed
Primary:	H-D custom JC
Clutch:	Primo dry
Frame:	Custom JC
Rake/Stretch:	37 degrees, 1.5”
Swingarm:	Custom JC
Shocks:	Fournales
Forks:	Boyd’s
Triple Trees:	HHI
Front Wheel:	JC / 16”
Front Brakes:	HHI
Rear Wheel:	JC / 16”
Rear Tire:	180×60 / 16”
Brakes:	HHI pulley brake
Painter:	JC/WW
Molding:	JC/WW
Graphics:	JC
Chrome:	Supreme Plating
Handlebar/Risers:	JC
Mirrors:	Arlen Ness
Headlight/Taillight:	JC
Turn Signals:	LED Lazer
Fuel Tanks:	JC
Oil Tank:	JC
Front/Rear Fenders:	JC
Gauges:	Dakota
Hand Controls:	Billet Concepts
Foot Controls:	JC
Pegs:	JC
Electrical:	JC
Seat:	JC