Non V-Twins
I first saw this bike last year at the Charlotte Easyriders Show and then again last year at the Smoke Out in Rockingham, North Carolina. My first chopper was a BSA Lightning so it’s no surprise I fell in love with the bike. Since it hadn’t been featured in a magazine, I felt that it was overdue to be showcased. The bike has done well in competition. It was a winner at Smoke Out X and 14th overall at the 2010 AMD World Championship as well as winning the 2010 Carlisle Mid-Atlantic Builder’s Challenge. Not too shabby.
Originally this bike started out as a cheap beater that they were going to rattle-can black with a hardtail frame. That didn’t last long as one thing led to another and the finished product is what you see here.
It all started with a friend of Shane’s giving him an oil-in-frame ‘71 Triumph that he brought to Jeremy’s shop, LC Fabrications in Grottoes, Virginia, to modify it into a hardtail. Since it was a slow time of the year for Jeremy, he figured if Shane was supplying the cash he could supply the fabrication. Everything went along smoothly although Jeremy said, ‘It’s almost harder to modify a stock frame than to just build one from scratch.” They wanted to radically shorten the stock hydraulic front end to lower the bike, but it was going to be such a problem that Jeremy decided that he could would fabricate a custom girder front end instead. It’s funny how one problem can turn into a totally different solution and the resulting girder ended up becoming a very cool aspect of the bike. Good decision.
With the frame now sitting nice and low and sporting a welded and smoothed hardtail that looks like it’s always been there, they couldn’t come up with a fuel tank that would look good on such a skinny bike so they decided to integrate the fuel tank into the backbone that was originally the oil tank. To replace the oil tank Shane made one from a 5” exhaust elbow. They also integrated a foot clutch and jockey shifter that Shane had always wanted to ride and said he would never go any other way from now on. He figured that if he was going to learn how to ride this way he better do it on his own bike instead of thrashing someone else’s ride. Personally I have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time so I don’t think I’ll be foot clutching and jockey shifting in this lifetime.
Now all they needed was an engine to power this bad boy and they started with a ‘71 BSA engine they had hanging around, but after tearing it apart it was just too much of a basket case to bother with. Luckily they found a 1967 BSA Thunderbolt A65 in a yard sale, rebuilt it, added a 34mm Mikuni VM series carburetor with a Clay Cobb manifold and they were good to go. Being that the bike only weighs around 250 pounds that was all the power this little rocket needed.
I asked Shane how the bike rode and he said it was a blast to ride and quicker than all get out. The only downside he could think of was the braking since it had no front brake and a Honda CR250 rear dirt bike brake. With the Maxxis dual-sport tires mounted on Warp 9 dirtbike rims front and rear, I don’t imagine you would want to take this bike cross-country, but for a bar hopper it would be the cat’s meow. Hell, you could even take it off-road and have a blast with it.
We love the idea of budget bikes here at Barnett’s. It gives the up and coming bike builders a chance to fine-tune their craft at a price that won’t break the bank. With the economy the way it is, it’s just not feasible for someone just starting out to invest tens of thousands of dollars of their own money on the chance that you can recoup your investment. On that note I would like to add that Shane should have no problem selling this stunning bike at a price that should make everyone involved happy so that he can try his hand at another build.
Up Close: Joe Hunt Magneto
During WWII a young airplane mechanic named Joe Hunt became aware of the advantages of using a magneto on combat airplanes. Completely self-contained, the magneto made its own electricity and carried its own internal coil. Bolt it on, hook up the plug wires and go flying. There were also a lot less parts to be shot off. Joe soon figured out how to adapt magnetos to race cars and starting with Johnny Parsons Sr.’s Indy 500 win in 1950, Joe’s magnetos became standard circle track equipment. In 1960 Joe turned his genius to motorcycles and adapted the Fairbanks Morris magneto for use in Harley-Davidson motorcycles and later for British bikes in 1962.
A magneto was a great part to use on this build since magnetos require no battery or generator while making sparks that get hotter as the engine turns faster. In this instance the new Joe Hunt magneto made specifically for the A65 BSA engine increases the performance, reliability, and looks.
Installation is relatively straightforward. Simply remove the stock cover and points plate and install the Joe Hunt polished side cover. Outside mounting of the magneto makes for easy on-the-spot timing. The stock electrical system can be retained for street or removed for competition. A magneto is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. With a Joe Hunt magneto, you get the personal attention of manager Roger Gleeson and chief technician Steve Friederich. As far as this bike is concerned, Shane Ramey says it runs like a rabbit and that the bike starts on the first or second kick ― except when people are watching. I think we all know what that’s like.
For more info visit www.huntmagnetos.com or call 916-635-5387.
Builder: Jeremy Cupp and Shane Ramey
Since this was collaboration between friends it’s only fair to include both in the builder sidebar. Jeremy Cupp supplied the shop and the fabrication and Shane Ramey helped on the assembly. Jeremy is the gentleman with the shiny noggin and Shane has the ZZ Top beard. I guess that is the simplest way to tell them apart. Sorry guys.
At an early age, Jeremy admired his granddad who was a welder and real hardass. Once he learned welding, Jeremy started working at a fabrication shop after the usual stint of bagging groceries. Later he got involved with rock crawlers, those Mad Max-looking vehicles that can climb over just about anything, fabricating frames and suspension for those vehicles. If you’ve ever seen them in action, you know you need welds that can withstand just about anything. Having kids that he would take along with him, he felt it was a little too dangerous for the young-uns to be around something that could roll over at any time. It was time for a life adjustment.
Since he had been riding motorcycles as soon as he got his license he said, “Shoot I’ve been fabricating all these years and it can’t be that much different building a bike.” He had always wanted a Harley, but couldn’t afford one so he picked up a basket Sportster motor, built a bike and this first attempt ended up being featured in Street Chopper.
Currently, Jeremy is in the process of building a ‘73 Commando, a ‘69 Atlas Scrambler, and a special Ironhead project. I haven’t forgotten about you Shane. He’s building a ‘75 Shovelhead that I can’t wait to see.
For more info on LC Fabrications, check out their web site at www.lcfabrications.com.
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