Yes it is sir and it’s not because he’s found an untapped market or feels kids should have their own chopper to match dad’s or something. Nope, the story’s a lot simpler and kinda shows a soft(er) side to a hardcore guy. Actually it involves his son Axle Dodson who is around seven-years-old at this time and who’s already owned this highly modified 1999 Harley-Davidson Night Train for almost three years. Unfortunately Axle’s got a few years to go yet, but what a cool thing to have lying around in wait for his all-important license.

 

   There is a bit of a story behind the story on this bike as it belonged to a dear friend, Gary Finchum, who unfortunately passed and John got his beloved bike to hang onto. So, there are two sides to this build, one involving building it for his son and the other was modifying the Night Train in his buddy’s honor the way he would have liked to build it, but never got the chance. The end result is referred to as the Psycho Train and this is one train young Axle is definitely waiting to hop on board and ride.

 

   In case any of this seems remotely familiar to the very astute, Barnett’s Magazine Online featured this same Night Train in an article back in 2012, but in a very different version that involved a lot of yellow. Click here for a comparison of the yellow version. All the basics were there, but the final outcome you see here put this build in another league. Before it was a great everyday custom street rider and now it’s a great everyday street rider that’s capable of winning awards at shows.

 

  John originally began with Gary’s FXSTB that was basically stock for all intents and purposes and modified it the way Gary would have liked to if he had the dough to do it. Oh man, don’t we all know that story. The stock Softail frame dimensions were left alone and there’s nothing wrong with that. Mostly everything else was replaced, modified or at least touched by the gang at Gangster. For example, John kept the Wide Glide-style forks, but cleaned them up and machined ribs around the lower legs before coating them black again. Same goes for the Night Train’s rolling stock of a solid rear wheel and a laced front although he did replace the OEM front with a similar twisted-spoke wheel from Landmark Manufacturing in Oceanside, California. Out with the stock H-D brakes and in with a chromed Performance Machine four-piston setup up front and a beefy Brembo caliper in the rear. A tidy little upgrade that pays dividends in both looks and performance as well as street cred.

 

   In case you don’t remember, it wasn’t until 2000 that the Harley’s new Twin Cam B engine found a home in Softails so a tried and true, stock displacement Evo motor still powers this bike. Ripping the heart out of Gary’s bike and replacing it with something else would have been unforgiveable to John, but hot rodding it up like Gary would have liked was A-okay. It may be only 80-inches (81.64 to be exact), but there are so many choices of hot rod parts available to make that a moot point. There is a replacement for displacement when you do it right.

 

   John went the tried and true way of getting more power without jeopardizing the Evo’s inherent goodness. A hotter Woods cam in conjunction with an S&S Super E carb topped with free breathing air cleaner gets the goods lit by a Joe Hunt magneto setup before being unceremoniously dumped by a beautiful set of Gangster pipes that exit the left side. The stock wet primary was tossed in favor of an open belt drive that now delivers the goods to a BAKER 6-speed tranny replacing the Harley five-speeder. John did keep the final belt drive and there’s nothing wrong with that as it makes for easy maintenance and something to not have to think about. Twist and go. In this latest version, John upped the visual ante by removing the all-black and I mean all-black engine finish to a lovely show-polished eye grabber of an Evo.

 

   With the basics out of the way, John turned his attention to all the little important things that make this bike stand out. Again, he channeled Gary and modified a Sportster tank that sits up high and mighty and erases any connection to a Night Train in one fell swoop. A set of Gangster apes replaced the stockers and gave it some Gangster attitude that John’s famous for. Keeping the spirit of the original upswept rear fender, John changed things around enough that it looks like Harley should have made it this way or at least offered it as an option. This just looks so fresh and not as overdone as the stock duck bill.

 

   A very subtle thing I had to look close at was the foot controls that looked familiar for some reason, but I didn’t know why at first. Then it hit me, those are connecting rods repurposed into a tasty set of foot controls. Nice use of parts, I just hope they were Hemi connecting rods or something like that and not out of a slant six or something of that ilk. Knowing John, I’m going with high performance something. Another neat and practical touch is the Indian Larry-style remote filter that always looks good simply as a reminder of the cool, yet thoughtful stuff my Brooklyn-based motorcycle and life hero used to build into every one of his bikes. 

 

  I’m not a yellow freak, don’t hate it or love it, unless it’s done really right. This time around, John had the basic yellow paint replaced by the talented Chad McCraery of Copperhead Graphics in Cana, Virginia and what a change for the better. The House of Kolor metalflake red with silver flake graphics and black striping looks marvelous. The frosting on the cake and something little Axle will definitely appreciate looking down on when he finally come of riding age is the Psycho Train lettering with a gorgeous pin-up model showing how excited she is to be a part of the whole thing. Keep your eyes on the road Axle. A LePera seat modified with an insert by Cody Rogers gives axle a comfortable place to sit and stare at the tank.

 

   With the bike already on its second time around revision, I can only assume that there just might be some more mods as time goes by until license time. Probably not the best starter bike, but I doubt Axle will ever whine about that. In the meantime, John gets to honor his late friend who I’m sure is thrilled with what John’s done with his old bike by using it and making sure everything is up to snuff for Axle’s eventual use. Man, what a lucky kid.

 

  For info on Gangster Choppers, check out John’s website www.gangsterchoppers.com or visit Gangster’s Facebook page.