Mike Campo started this bike with the plan to build something he could ride and still catch all the attention wherever he went. That’s a pretty tough order considering he is in one of the most talent-drenched motorcycle areas in the country,New York. Still, he has created something that catches your eye the second you see it.
The frame has been cut down to give it a gooseneck style. It is a prototype rigid frame designed by Mike and Empire Mfg. Mike describes the bike as a, “gooseneck style pro street bobber.” Now, I’m not really sure what that all means exactly, but it sounds incredible. Mike made the frame as clean as possible while still designing it around his own dimensions. The whole point of having a bike is being able to ride it, right?
Looking at the bike from a distance, it looks almost unfinished. You won’t see a battery, wiring, oil tank, or many other functional pieces needed on a running motorcycle. That is because Mike designed the gas tank to hide the “necessary evils” of the bike. The front shoulders of the gas tank have two piggy-backed batteries with fuses and the wiring in the middle. While this adds to the clean looking lines of the bike, it does have one negative side effect: a very small fuel capacity.
“I think I get 1 ½ gallons in there. It was less than I wanted, but I can still cruise for a few miles before filling up. Look at Eric Gorges, of Voodoo Choppers, he is famous for using one gallon gas tanks or less,” explains Mike. Style over function sometimes.
The number of parts Mike fabricated on this bike outnumbers the parts he bought. He designed, constructed, or modified the tank, fenders, exhaust, wheels, frame, forward controls, pegs, grips, bars, triple trees, front forks, seat, and jockey shift. Trying to bill someone for the hours needed to customize these parts would be nearly impossible. But hey, he didn’t build this bike for anyone else. This bike was built for him.
“This bike is as smooth as any Softail I have ever ridden, but much quicker. The jockey takes a little time to get used to, but the style can’t be beat.” Mike definitely feels this is the best bike he has ever worked on, but it’s not even close to what he eventually plans to build.
When asked about the name,Defiance, Mike chuckled and shared a story of how he was always known for being just ahead of the trends, or leaving them right as they got hot. He definitely designs to the beat of his own drummer and follows no one. This bike is just a beginning stage in the career of Mike Campo. Check the spec sheet and keep your ear to the street. I am sure this isn’t the last we will hear from this talented young builder or his bike,Defiance.
Up Close: H&L Performance
The personable, long-haired engine builder often seen delivering a giant, super shiny hand-built motor to the Teutuls just days before a life and death deadline is Joe Malloy of H & L Performance. Working out of Wallingford,CT, Joe was always close enough to run in and save the day if the boys blew one up on the dyno or forgot to put oil in it. Joe specializes in show quality, large displacement motors and counts among his many customers OCC, Jesse James, Eddie Trotta, and Hank Young. Starting with S&S cases, he adds his own machined-from-billet heads and cylinders and offers displacements of 113, 116, 119, 124, 127, and the monster 131 cubic incher used in Mike Campo’s bike featured here. There’s about a three week wait to get an H & L motor and you can catch Joe at his booth at Daytona and Myrtle beach regularly and sometimes Sturgis and Laconia. www.handlperformance.com.
Builder: Mike Campo
The new breed of builders who have emerged the past several years all seem to have one thing in common. Besides the fact they each build really sick motorcycles, each guy seems to be recognized by a single name. You have the Jesse’s, the Paul’s, Russell, Billy, Chica, Keino, Kendall, Eddie, Dave, Donnie, Arlen, Cory, and now you have Campo. The name should sound somewhat familiar, but you may still need both his names, Mike Campo. He is the young gun who has come out blazing with a new ride built the old way.
Born in El Paso, Texas and raised in New Mexico, Mike gravitated towards art and metal sculpture. Life has a way of moving us around, and Mike ended up living in New York. His wife, Dana, is now expecting their first child. The bike on these pages was the first bike he had built since going out on his own. Not wanting to be known as a “bike builder” only, Mike builds bikes after hours at night. He’s doing it the old school way, building bikes at night with his buddies. Hopefully we will see a few more bikes come from the talented hands of Mike Campo. Before we know it, the whole nation might actually feel he deserves to be in the talented list of builders named at the beginning of this article.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Year: | 2005 |
Build time: |
One Month |
Engine: | 131 ci H&L Performance (150hp) |
Transmission: | Baker 5-speed RSD |
Primary: |
BDL 3” with Centrifugal clutch by Grandeur |
Frame: | Campo/Empire designed prototype custom rigid |
Pipes: | Campo designed/ swap meet special |
Fenders: | Minimal, designed by Campo |
Tank: | Campo designed |
Wheels: |
Campo designed by Rowe Machine |
Rear Tire: |
280 Metzeler |
Controls: | Campo designed/Radu forward controls, peg, grips, and bars |
Triple Trees: | Campo modified by Racing Innovations |
Forks: | Campo modified Mean Street |
Jockey shift: | Campo Designed, handle by PM |
Paint: | Justin Barnes of JB Grafix |
Brakes: | HHI, inboard rear |
Seat: | Campo Designed seat by Jeffrey Phipps |
Special Features: |
Internal throttle, foot operated brake lever for front and rear brakes, hidden battery boxes, frame molded oil tank. |