If you’re looking for a true Frisco chop, where better to look than in the city it’s named after, lovely San Francisco, and who better to ask than Rob Valenzuela of 415 Choppers which is part of 415 Clothing Inc on 155 12th Street in the heart of ol’ San Fran. Needless to say, he’s no newcomer to riding and when asked how long and how many bikes he’s owned, he answered with a laugh and his tongue in his cheek, “I’ve been riding since returning from ‘Nam in 1968, so probably a couple thousand maybe. I’m a big FXR fan. I previously had an ’84 FXR bone stock.” He gave the right answer when asked to describe his feature bike. “That’s Frisco-style. You should have seen it when I got it. I looked at the bike initially and it had nice lines, but it had the wrong sh*t on there. It was a piece of sh*t!” said Rob. “It was a calendar bike at one time. It had old-style scallops and it was marbleized. It ran like sh*t and looked like sh*t and I hate scallops, they’re like cheap flames.” I think Rob made his point, but he explained a bit further what this “calendar bike” was like originally. “They had an old FXR tank on there and it was so high up you couldn’t read the gas gauge on it,” said Rob. “I ended up taking it all apart and starting over.”

The motor was rebuilt in-house at 415 and Rob said, “The motor was in pretty good condition. It’s a ’94 FXR motor with Delkron cases and it’s 96-inches. We ported and polished the heads and it’s got 2” Cycle Shack pipes with baffles on there right now and it runs really good. The guy that built the motor used to build drag bikes so I’ve had this thing up to like 135. Originally it had drag pipes on there and sounded like sh*t. If I get on it, it gets loud, but it’s pretty quiet.”

Next step was refurbishing the Canadian-made Tripoli FXR-style rubber mount frame. Even though it may look pretty wild with the tall neck, it’s actually got a 30-degree rake for agility. The H-D Wide Glide forks are 12”-over and are mounted in a set of triple trees that allow three different rake settings on the top trees’ fork tube mounting points. “It’s pretty slick,” said Rob. “It handles good right where it is now. I tried the other settings, but it takes too long to turn around. It looks kinda high up, but it actually works pretty good.” You learn something new every day.

Rolling stock consists of what Rob refers to as “premium stuff” and that consists of RC Components wheels covered in Metzeler’s finest with Performance Machine binders front and rear. He also has a set of cool Works Performance shocks sitting proudly out back and with all the adjustment they offer, he’s sitting pretty in corners and has a smooth ride doing it. “It really handles good and really handles good on the freeway too. The 180 on there, that’s it, the max you want to go,” he said. Rob did a smart move you don’t often see on customs by installing a side-mount steering damper along with a beefy fork brace (Frisco style!). Remember, he’s not afraid to twist the throttle ―“I’ve had this thing up to like 135.”

Sh*t canning the FXR tank and finalizing the bodywork, Rob said, “Me and Rudy [415’s owner] came up with the paint scheme. I came up with the fenders and he came up with the tank idea. I didn’t want a Sportster tank. I wanted a stretched-out one so it would cover the whole thing. A friend of mine, Don Ortiz, painted the bike and it’s really clean.”

The end result is not some shop prop built to only hang around and look good. “I ride this bike every day as it’s my only means of transportation. I’ve had it for about two years now and I ride it rain or shine,” said Rob. “I’ve put 15,000 miles on it so far. It came out really good, I’m surprised. But a lot of thought went into it. It just sh*ts and gits.”

For more info on 415 Clothing Inc. and their custom work, visit www.415clothing.com or call 415-255-8181.

SPECIFICATIONS
Name of bike: 1994 415 Choppers Owner: Rob Valenzula Year/Make: 1994 415 Choppers Fabrication: Rob Valenzula and friends Assembly: Rob Valenzula and friends Build time: 2 months Engine: 96″ H-D FXR Cases: Delkron Rods: H-D Pistons: H-D Cylinders: H-D Heads: H-D ported and polished Cam: Power House 565 Ignition: Dyna Carb: S&S Pipes: Cycle Shack 2″ exhaust with baffles Air Cleaner: S&S Transmission: 5-speed H-D Primary: H-D Clutch: H-D Frame: Tripoli Pro Street Rake: 30-degrees Stretch: 2″ Forks: H-D Fork length: 12″ over Additional rake in trees: D-Rake 2-degrees		Front wheel: 19″ RC Components Rear wheel: 18″ RC Components Front Tire: 19″ Metzeler Rear Tire: 18×180 Metzeler Front Brake: Performance Machine Rear Brake: Performance Machine Fuel Tank: Rob’s friend Oil Tank: Wrap around Fenders: Custom – Rob Valenzula Handlebars: Drag Bars Risers: 10″ Headlight: H-D Taillight: H-D Hand Controls: H-D chrome Foot Controls: FXR mids Painter: Don Ortiz Color: Black Graphics: Gray ghost flames Polishing: Rob Valenzula