Taber makes it sound so simple, but it takes a brave, talented, or crazy individual (or any combo) to execute a radical design like this to completion. Making it even nuttier is that it’s not just a static demonstration of what Nash can do with metal, but this bike spends the better portion of it’s time being ridden. The fresh-out-of-high-school original owner, Austin Hunziker, rode it down to Southern California from Vancouver, Washington, where he hooked up with Taber for a across country to Georgia and then up to North Carolina. “He rode that bike the whole way which is a feat unto itself,” said Taber. “A guy in Texas, Damon Tompkins, owns it now and he actually rides the bike about 30-40 miles every day back and forth to work. It handles really well. It’s a real stable bike with a low center of gravity.” The almost ground-level seat (“It’s maybe 16- or 17-inches?”) kept the cg low even with 6’5” Austin on board and might have won a limbo contest were it not for the 24” NMC Gimp Hangers. “It fits him, when I rode it, I was hanging on,” said Taber laughing.

Trying to wrap my mind around the frame design of this cross-country tourer, Taber explained, “It was kinda crazy figuring out where the neck sits and having to cut the front end down short enough so it all worked was a little tricky. I spent a lotta time just standing there kinda looking at it and figuring out where it needed to be before the first cut. There was a lot of time put into that bike, probably more than a lot of them I’ve built.”

Not all the time was into the frame as checking out the details of the tank shows otherwise. “I knew I wanted to do a split tank and I didn’t want to run an oil tank below so I chopped it and made the oil tank out of that,” said Taber. “The gas caps are just big industrial bolts that I cut short and machined the insides out to lighten them up a little bit.” Or the way-cool handshifter/clutch setup that Taber says “really works and it’s real comfortable too when you’re shifting.”

Diehard Shovel fans will be pleased to know that Taber left the “only 10,000 miles” bottom end alone, rebuilt the top end, and “never had a lick of problems with that engine and it’s still going with 40,000 to 50,000 miles on it by now.”

Nash Motorcycle Company’s version of a “touring bike” breaks every touring bike “rule” there is and for that I’m glad. I’m sure conversations between Taber and Austin at rest stops were much more interesting than typical tourers I meet discussing how accurate their GPS worked or what their gas mileage was. I bet that fifty years from now Taber and Austin will still remember every mile of their trip and laugh about each one.

On just about any other custom you might see other than AWOL, the first thing that would probably catch your eye is Nash Motorcycle Company’s towering Gimp Hangers. Made in-house in sizes ranging from 14” to 20”, they’re available in 7/8” or 1” tubing and finished in black, chrome, copper, or copper plating. “We actually sell quite a few of the Gimp Hangers. Those are like the first part we ever came out with,” said Taber Nash. “I just do everything in-house other than chroming and powdercoating, that way we can keep our eye on the quality of ‘em and make sure whatever we send out is top of the line. We’re able to keep the price down and sell more of ‘em.” Actually, these are only one of the fourteen different handlebars NMC offers, so there’s got to be something for anybody.

Not only is there a wide selection of handlebars, but NMC can also supply them with their internal Sticky throttle already installed. “The Sticky throttle part of it makes it so it’s got like a cruise control. When you’re riding cross-country, you want to rest that right arm a while. This one does it and still keeps the clean look,” said Taber. “It’s pretty simple, the end cap has a nylon round-stock material that pushes on the inside body of the throttle and causes it to drag. It’s got a set screw on the end you can loosen or tighten depending on how much you want it to drag or you can take it out and it’ll snap back like a regular throttle.”

Be sure to check out all the wicked-cool NMC stuff at www.nashmotorcycles.com or call 360-693-4225 for more info.

Even though each build Nash Motorcycle Company does is entirely different, you can recognize a Nash build immediately. The Vancouver, Washington-based company just has its own special touch that separates their bikes from other shops with a look that makes you want keep walking around an NMC bike until you take in every small detail. Maybe what makes their bikes special has to do with their different take on how to run a business. “Me and my two brothers started the business in 2003. I’m the owner now. My older brother Trent’s gone on to do other things, but my younger brother Teddy is still here,” said Taber Nash. “I’m really family oriented, my wife does all the bookkeeping. An old family friend Marlin does our marketing and sales and actually Austin who owned the AWOL bike still works here. We try and keep it closed in on the family thing and keep it going.”

NMC keeps itself super busy with prolific builds and an unbelievable number of parts on offer. “We have plenty of bike builds that we’re doing, not making a whole lot of money on the bikes, we use them to promote our business and promote our products. We concentrate on parts and we found the more product we added to our parts line keeps increasing the sales. Every week or two we try to have a new part,” said Taber. “Our leather’s been going great. We’ve been doing it for about a year-and-a-half and it’s been better than I ever thought it would be. We take pride in it ‘cause we do it in-house and can have control over it.”

Taber isn’t exaggerating one bit about this as I get an email at least once a week with some cool new NMC product. Check out NMC’s website full of bikes and parts galore at www.nashmotorcycle.com or call 360-693-4225 for more info.

 

SPECIFICATIONS
Owner: Damon Tompkins Year/Make: 2006 AWOL Fabrication/Assembly: Nash Motorcycle Company Build Time: 3-months Engine: 1974 H-D Shovelhead Cases/Flywheel/Rods: H-D Pistons/Cylinders/Heads: H-D Cam: H-D Ignition: Crane Hi-4 Dual Fire Carb: S&S Super E Pipes: NMC Air Cleaner: Goodson Transmission: 1974 HD 4-speed/kick-only Primary: H-D Open Chain Drive Clutch: H-D Frame: NMC Rake: 38-degrees Stretch: Hunchback Fork: NMC Wheels: 16″ 40-spoke H-D Front Tire: Sport Bike Rear Tire: Vintage Front brakes: H-D Rear Brakes: H-D Fuel Tanks: NMC Oil Tank: NMC Fenders: NMC Handlebars: 24″ Gimp Hangers by NMC		Risers: Slugger Risers by NMC Headlight: Old Taillight: Old Hand Controls: NMC internal throttle Foot Controls: NMC Electrical: Centech Wiring Chroming: Masic Industries Painter: Jeff Richards Color: Gray Graphics: Paul Cameau Polishing: Masic Industries Molding: Jeff Richards Seat: NMC Special thanks to: Austin Hunziker for making this possible