Barnett’s Magazine Online’s lensman to the ladies, Jack Cofano, shot this lovely red Gangster Softail chopper hanging around John’s vendor area at last year’s Smoke Out and it’s been hanging around Barnett’s Picasa site ever since. Mr. Cofano brought back lots of Gangster bikes that we’ve since featured including John’s personal ride. But I’ve had a strange fondness for this chop as it looks like something I wouldn’t be afraid to ride and ride the living hell out of. It’s got all the essence of a chopper from stance to finished looks, but with a whiff of sensibility as part of the plan from the word ‘go.’

    So why do I think so highly of this nothing crazy red bike? I’ll tell you. First it’s a Softail that truly looks like a hardtail at first glance and that’s what they were supposed to be about. No there’s not a ton of suspension travel, but there is some in this lowered Softail and that’s a good thing for both control and a bit of comfort. Plus there’s no air suspension and all the crap you gotta hide and haul around. The sprung saddle with the flashiest piece on this bike, the tooled leather covering adds to the comfort level and the ability to hit the open road instead of just a bar run. The exposed frame is a spindly affair with lots of open space and easily worked on. John’s springer front end is still my chopper choice when it comes to longer front ends and it looks great, works great, and springers are simply cool. Ask anybody.

    Rolling stock consisting of spoked wheels still looks as good to me as the first time I saw spoked wheels. Why wire spoke wheels?  Some things you never tire of and some things make plain economic sense too. Plus there’s a sensible set of tires on them that makes it fun to ride a chop like this with tall, comfortable for a chopper sidewalls. And, they look like I think tires should look like ─ meaty and tough instead of a thin band of rubber stretched around a bazillion dollar billet wheel that’s tall for the sake of tall or wide for the sake of wide.

   Don’t think that John was making some kind of economy build here as everything he uses is top notch stuff. The Wilwood brakes on both front and rear are definitely good kit and make all the difference if you get caught in some unforeseeable situation. The engine and tranny are the same with a tune that makes for an engine that won’t leave you high and dry. This baby’s gonna get you there and back and that’s cool with me. My character’s already been enhanced by too many unplanned stops by the roadside in my past. Even that’s been taken into account with easy access to anything on board in case something decides it’s time to sh*t the bed so to speak. I may be odd, but I like my cables and wiring exposed and easy to adjust or work on. I’m sure I’m the odd guy out here as builders try and hide batteries, cables and wiring and I applaud them for their ingenious efforts, but I don’t like guessing what’s going on inside a tube or frame member ever since Superman asked for his X-ray vision back.

    The whole thing’s extremely street friendly and legal with a tiny, but useful speedo, twin mirrors, comfy rubber grips instead of sun-fired, third –degree burn billet grips, and a riding position that looks just about perfect for getting it on just like they used to in the proverbial old school days when guys built a chop and rode the hell out of it. Yup it’s the right amount of Gangster attitude without totally compromising control.

   I’m also way more than satisfied with the somewhat monotone red paintjob. Maybe it’s not chopper crazy like a lot of people seem to like, but it’s simple, manly, and attractive as a good red paintjob can be. A touch of graphics, just a small touch, gives it the personal identity any chopper needs without being garish. All in all, this is a nice real chopper that gets serious road time and isn’t that what it’s supposed to be all about? Gimmicks are great for show bikes, but choppers don’t need them and neither do I.

   For more info on what John Dodson and the Gangster crew are up to, click on http://www.gangsterchoppers.com/.