Not only are Scott’s bikes interesting, but his whole approach to building and the detail work involved aren’t immediately noticeable until you get up close and start checking out the intricate work involved. His aesthetic is pure as hell, but he’s still got a sense of humor about the whole process and it shows in things like the embedded chicken man photo in the tank. Of all the motorcycles ever built anywhere over time, there can’t be another one with a detail like this. He’s got “the eye” and by that I mean the eye of an artist and he’s got the artisanal skills required to make this bike he calls Hat Trick museum worthy.

 

   Not surprisingly, he works alone but with his wife, Summer, and his three beloved kids as his in-house crew. Artists don’t tend to do well in a group setting and he has no one questioning his every move. He does what he does because that’s what he sees in his head and he has the skills and good taste to make it happen. Over the years he’s knocked out one stunning build after another using an eclectic style that defies time and trends. All of his builds are quietly exciting and worthy of the praise and awards he humbly collects.

 

   In case the engine in Scott’s build doesn’t look immediately familiar to you, it’s a 1959 Harley-Davidson Panhead bottom with a Shovelhead top end. Back in the day, this was not totally uncommon to do with a Panhead to get better top end breathing and better performance along with the improved oiling of the Shovelhead for more reliability. Plus it looks pretty damn cool too with the Panhead ribbed engine covers. There ain’t nothing wrong with cool if it doesn’t get in the way of a good, rideable motorcycle and that’s exactly the case here.

 

   Hat Trick’s rigid wishbone frame design not only looks period correct, but it’s probably finished nicer than it ever was even new. Harley RL springer forks look the biz in this setting and only add to the authentic feel of the whole build. Up front a Harley drum brake centers the laced 21-inch Akront high shouldered rims while out back another Akront, this time an 18-incher surrounds another drum brake. While I may not be the biggest fan of drum brakes after years and years of use, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them in the context here. They are lovely pieces of mechanical sculpture compared to the cold practicality of today’s superior disc brake systems. But, for this build, there really wasn’t any other choice and I doubt discs ever entered Scott’s mind even for a millisecond.

 

   On a build like this, what else can you use but a Sportster peanut tank? Even diehard fans of coffin-style tanks would have to agree with me on that one. It’s gotta be a Sporty and that’s it. Where Scott took this to a whole new level was the vintage-style framed chicken man photo he inlaid on the beautiful metal tank top inlay/overlay that looks so right for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on. It just does – even with the chicken guy.

The other body pieces like the rear fender and the horseshoe oil tank do what they have to do and don’t fight for you attention, rather they blend in and silently compliment the whole build.

 

   I can’t say the same about other pieces like the tall, ‘70s signature sissy bar or the parallel swept-up exhaust pipes which are a bit outrageous, but perfectly proportioned for the build and totally expected for a vintage-style chopper build or the Noise-built mini-apes. There is a bit of a continuing theme for these pieces as Scott has made a series of simply gorgeous rounded mounts to hold all of them in place. The exhaust hangers are to die for and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The combo of imagination and skill shows through in these small bits more than many a whole build I’ve seen. Love, love, love the little things.

 

   Scott’s good taste prevailed when it came time for paint and the person he chose to spray on the absolutely perfect gloss black pigment was none other than Sonny Boy Paint in Los Angeles. The filigree-style graphics are subtle, yet rich and don’t fight for attention, but comfortably compliment the pure Old Scholl mechanicals of the bike. There’s just enough to add a bit of vintage pizzazz to a beautiful metal canvas.

 

   As a point of pride, the finished bike won first place in the bobber/chopper class and best of show at the 2012 David Mann Chopperfest. If that isn’t about the best endorsement a builder with a penchant for Old School choppers can get, I don’t know what to say. It still looks spectacular today and will be spectacular for decades to come. Score one for the nice guy from Santa Ana.

 

For more info on Noise Cycles, visit http://noisecycles.com/ or check ‘em out on Facebook.