Choppers
Take the bike pictured for example, Danial claims, “That bike could be done and is done everyday by builders around the world for about $8,500. I’ve seen them pulled off for $6,500 when they rattle can ‘em ― that’s including the engine, gas in the tank, twist the throttle and go.” Well that cost part of the equation Danial’s stating sounds pretty damn good for a cool bar hopper bike you really can call your own, that’s well within the range of XL MSRP pricing.
But there’s still the problem of maybe this is all just a bit over your head mechanically, but Red Barron Choppers has a way around that. “We teach classes, we teach welding, we teach any facet of building a bike, If you want to learn how to fabricate, if you want to learn the nuts and bolts of service, we’re rounding out roughly ten classes we teach and we’re very flexible. We have one called ‘Chopper Class’ where we basically build this bike [pictured feature bike] in three days. If you ship your motor in, we can have everything else sitting right here ready to go. Under our instructor’s tutelage you can start on Friday morning and Sunday night, twist the key and you’ve got yourself a mocked-up bike.”
Danial’s more than aware that not everybody’s a total wrench and takes that into consideration when speaking with a potential student. “No two people are alike, but everybody wants to have a certain level of participation. What kills a project fast for most homebuilders is when people hit a level they’re not comfortable with. If we can get them past that, they’re going to have a finished bike. For instance, some people are scared to death of electronics, so we can do whatever you don’t want to do or we can teach you how to do it. We get you to a point where we can set you free and you can finish it. We’re basically an education company that builds motorcycles.”
One of the first things Danial does is try to find out what you are looking for in a custom bike. “I’m available five or six days a week, call on the mainline [515-834-2655] and just ask for Barron. Usually people want what fits within their paycheck, so we have a real talk about what your end goal is ― what do you want to have when you’re done laying money on the table and what do you want to ride off on. We have 40 different base models that we use. We do pretty much everything ala carte to fit your budget form a basic frame to a finished bike, any level you want to start or stop.”
As far as the actual classes go, Danial said, “We try and hold it to under six people in a class. I really want you touching the bike. I don’t want to stand there and just tell you, ‘Blah, blah, blah.’ Unless you get your hands on it, you don’t really feel like you built it. You can also stop up here and build one of our bikes to learn how to do it even if you don’t have the money to buy a whole bike at the moment. You can learn how to build a bike first and maybe buy one of our frames and go home with the education to build it.”
In case you run into problems after with your previously mocked-up bike is back from paint or powdercoating, you’re not alone. “If you do get stuck, we’re not just gonna hope it all works out, we want you to finish. We’ll always work with you whether it’s advice doing something or actually doing something for you so you can finish. Whatever you want or need, we’re going to work to make your dreams a reality,” said Danial.
Now, to give you an example of what can be done at Red Barron’s classes, take a look at the feature bike that’s powered by a ’97 Buell Cyclone engine. No surprise there as 95% of the Red Barron builds feature Sportster-based engines said Danial adding, “I would dare say we are probably the largest Sportster frame manufacturer in the world. We do insane amounts of them.” Red Barron’s Nemesis 200 frame with a 40-degree rake and a 6” stretch forms the basis of this build. “I have guys that race sprint cars looking at my frames and they’re like, ‘Good God, these are better built than my sprint car.’ They’re extremely well gusseted and they’re rigid as hell, but they only weigh about 50 pounds. You couple that with a Sportster engine with a low center of gravity and you got yourself a bike you can really lean over, but they also ride extremely well,” said Danial. “Our bikes ride a lot smoother than most because you’re down in front of the rear tire, not on top. If you need a bit more comfort, you can step up to our gel seat which is on this bike. If you want to go even further, we have an air bag seat, the same one Kenworth uses under the seats of their big rigs.”
There are a lot of bespoke parts for not only this build, but for all the Red Barron bikes that are listed as DHC (Danial Howe Creations) parts. Take the DHC Wide Glide style forks and triple trees or the 60 spoke laced wheels or the 13-gauge steel fenders and more. Red Barron obviously can teach you how to build a bike without having to scour the countryside to find stuff that fits, it’s all right there at Red Barron according to Danial. If you do go home from one of their classes with just a frame, you can always order parts as your wallet allows.
“I personally believe that a design should grab you emotionally. We design things that tug at your heartstrings, beg you to want to be on it,” said Danial. “If you have a dream to be on two wheels, we want to put you there no matter what your dollar figure is.”
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