Modified Stockers
The stock frame was put on the operating table to be raked (40-degrees) and stretched (7” out/-2” down) beyond recognition. “I cut the frame in half behind the transmission and put 3.5” behind the transmission, which allowed me to bring the seat behind the engine’s head and drop it a little bit,” said Jim. “I think it’s a nice look.” Leaving no stone unturned, the twin downtubes morphed into one. In order to fit a fatter 180mm rear tire, he replaced the swingarm with a wider Paughco unit that he opened up 1” more to allow brake clearance. Tweaking the new long and low look even more is a set of trees with an additional 5-degrees of rake that makes the beefy 63mm Ultima inverted fork get a little more horizontal. Jim’s choice of Xtreme Machine’s Twisted wheels are encased in Metzeler ME880s and stopped by a pair of 4-piston Ultima brakes.
With the chassis mods done, Jim’s attention turned to sheet metal. “ I would’ve used the stock H-D tanks, but I just couldn’t get them to work out,” he said. Instead, he got the itch to start from scratch with a tank that flows into the frame and becomes one with it after he added the seat/swingarm bodywork. He also hammered out an air dam that nicely shrouds the downtube juncture. All of that work was time consuming, but nothing compared to the fenders. Believe it or not, both were originally Heritage fenders. “The wrap-around fenders were my idea. About 100 hours into them, I regretted it. The rear fender had to be strong enough to ride a passenger and also come easily off the bike for servicing,” said Jim. “I wouldn’t volunteer to do that again.” After fabbing a set of bars, it was time for paint and as Gomer says, “Surprise, surprise,” this was done in-house. The House of Kolor purple and cobalt blue Jim sprayed showcases extensive graphics by Pinstriping by Eddie. Meanwhile, Kalin Motorcycle Seats in Oakville, Connecticut, topped off Jim’s seat pan in stingray with touches that show the closer you get.
Motorvation is courtesy of the re-built, re-armed, and polished 80” Evo. “I wanted it to be reliable, but a little extra punch doesn’t hurt. It’s got 10:1 pistons, headwork, and a mild cam along with the header-wrapped 2-into-1 bump it up to maybe 70hp,” said Jim.
Affliction is one total transformation that’ll never have the villagers grabbing their torches and storming the castle. “I can’t begin to describe how nice this bike is to ride,” said Jim.
Builder: Jim Shadler
The old saw, “What goes around comes around,” seems very apropos for where the custom motorcycle industry has found itself today. More and more builders are retrenching into smaller, more manageable shops and work schedules that resemble where the industry originally came from. More Harleys are being extensively customized instead of building a ground up bike from aftermarket or one-off parts. Luckily for Jim Shadler of South Shore Chop Shop, he was ahead of the curve and didn’t even know it. He’s been into chopping away at Harleys in his Farmingdale, New York, shop and is reaping the rewards of catering to owners of Milwaukee’s finest.
Jim explained how this came about and said, “The stock Softail is a great platform to start with and they’re so plentiful out there. It’s still registered and titled as a Harley and it’s not a no-name bike. How do you sell a no-name bike? Not easily. And, they’re no where near as reliable as a Harley in my opinion.”
Even though this is not his full-time occupation, South Shore Chop Shop does have a brick and mortar storefront he works out of. “I’ve been taking this seriously since January 2007, but it’s a full-time gig for me right now. I’m not foolish enough to think that I’ll put up a sign and people will come flying through the door right now.” Jim’s sticking to what he loves to do, build custom bikes, and only does service for bikes he’s built and a few friends “who sneak in.” Although, he’s ready to paint anything as long as it’s “a little creative.”
Got a Harley that needs some chopping? Jim’s website www.southshorechopshop.com has a nice selection of different styles of bikes he’s built and reading his philosophy of building is petty damn interesting too.
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