Many builders get ideas for future bikes at shows, sometimes from what other builders are doing, sometimes from an innovative part, and sometimes from a friend who happens to be the owner of Independent Cycle Inc. “I had used a couple of his frames in the past, but when I met Jesse Jurrens in Myrtle Beach he showed me his new three-inch, drop-neck LOWLIFE frame and talked me into getting one for myself,” Kenny said. A few weeks later Kenny had a crate on his doorstep filled with a LOWLIFE chassis kit. With a large portion of the necessary parts in his possession, but not much free time, he vowed to have the bike ready for Daytona Bike Week 2008.

Kenny’s Independent LOWLIFE chassis kit came with just about everything except a front end. The long and low frame sports a steering neck raked to 42-degrees with a backbone stretched five inches and a swing arm suspended from the frame by a Legend Air Suspensions system. Kenny used to build front ends for drag bikes and applied his knowledge to customs, specifically the front end on this bike. “I built an adjustable air suspension into the front end. It’s got about six inches of travel, but because of the extreme rake, combined with the rear suspension, only raises the bike a little over three inches off the ground,” Kenny said. Notice that the bike is inconspicuously missing a kickstand and is intended to rest its frame rails directly on the pavement, specifically on a pair of titanium button-head bolts located on either one.

The frame came with the wheels but they were hardly ready for the final assembly. Kenny had the raw aluminum wheels etched for 45 minutes to give them a satin look and then clear anodized them so the finish would last. He made a couple of open-belt-drive pulley covers designed to match the spoke design of the wheels and took them, and the front rotor carrier and pulley, through the same finishing process of etching and anodizing. The 23” front wheel fit with a Vee Rubber tire and the rear 18×10” was wrapped in a 280mm Metzeler. Kenny chose a four-piston K-Tech caliper for stopping power on the front wheel and hid the rear brake behind the hydraulic-clutch actuator using a Pro-Fab trans brake.

While he readied the chassis for tins and a driveline, he ordered up an Engenuity Motor, Mike Garrison built, 127” polished aluminum billet beauty. When it arrived at the shop, he fit the single-cam motor with a 48mm Mikuni carburetor, Daytona Twin Tec programmable ignition, and a custom exhaust pipe. Positioned behind the motor is a Baker OD6 right-side-drive transmission secured to the motor with an Independent open-belt primary that Kenny modified to house the motor’s oil filter. “I always design my exhaust systems with a big- radius bend that matches the curvature of the bottom of the gas tank — it’s one of my custom trademarks. I made this set exit from the left side of the bike because it’s a right-side drive and I feel it evens up the sides of the bike,” Kenny said.

As he requested, Kenny only ordered a gas tank with his chassis, the rest of the sheet metal he planned to design on his own. He cut out the entire bottom portion of the tank and backbone tunnel and reshaped the top portion by hand. He brought the line created by the tank gently sloping and contouring through to the seat and rear fender. He bought a pair of Fat Katz fender blanks for the bike, the front fender expressly designed for a 23” wheel that he shaped to fit as closely as possible. The rear fender is attached to the swing arm by internal struts with a pocket built into the top to fit the back of the seat when the bike’s suspension is fully compressed. Kenny mounted the seat area to the backbone and filled in the area under the seat with sheet metal.

Just before he painted the bike, Kenny had Tracey Weaver at Recovery Room Hot Rod make the seat. “Tracey stitched stainless-steel mesh into the back of the gray ultra-leather material. I’ve never seen another seat like it,” Kenny said. After the measurements had b een taken for the seat, Kenny shot the bike with a color from a Hot Wheels car, Mattel’s Antifreeze green, and topped it with silver-leaf tribal graphics outlined with gray pin striping. “The paint has ground-up particles of abalone shell in it. I love the way it turned out, but it was a real pain in the butt to paint it,” Kenny said.

He never kept track of how long it took him to build the bike because there was no one to bill for the hours except himself. He did finish the bike in time for Biketoberfest, and took first place in the radical custom class at the Boardwalk show and third place in the radical custom class at the Rat’s Hole show. But the trophies he was awarded aren’t what put a smile on his face. “You might notice the fixed passenger pegs located above the chain drive, they’re not just for looks. My girlfriend sits on the fender, but I wanted to make sure there was a place to put her feet,” Kenny said.