So how did a wild creation like Finicky come about in the first place? Probably best to let Ron tell it in his own words: “I’ve always liked fins like when I was a hot rodder. I liked fins on my valve covers and fins here and fins there. I built a truck with fins on it, but I never have done a bike that had fins everywhere.” Well Ron, you can now take that off of the list of things to do. If you take a close look at this bike, even some of the fins have fins.
The project began at Ron’s Pontiac, Michigan, shop with a machined neck by his friends at MC-Precision in nearby Auburn Hills. This wild little piece of hour-glass-shaped art features a sphere in the middle and sets the tone for the rest of the wild frame design. Even though it looks like Ron channeled M.C. Escher for technical advice as tubes are running everywhere, the 34-degree-raked frame has modest dimensions that end up making a totally rideable motorcycle, not an unwieldy show-only machine. The twin-tube swingarm with dual Works Performance Shocks is a testament to that ride-ability also, instead of a rigid rear end. Very unexpected in such a wild design, but totally appreciated by Ron, who’s already put over 500 careful miles on this newly-minted machine in spite of its having to make the show circuit to trumpet his winning the House of Kolor 2008 Prestigious Painter award. To compliment the rear, up front a set of American Suspension’s Phantom inverted-forks makes Michigan’s winter-scarred potholes seem trivial. “It rides good. It’s so low, though, you gotta be careful if you’re coming into a driveway with a hump in it. You can’t just lean it ‘cause it’ll drag, but other than that, it rides great,” said Ron. Helping that cause is Ron’s choice of Metzeler’s 200/50×18 rear tire combined with a 130/60 x18 up front mounted on a set of Ego Tripp Sundance wheels. “I’ve never liked them fat tire bikes myself,” said Ron. “Appearance-wise, they look like an old hot rod with big slicks and skinny front tires. I understand the theory, but you know, there’s no more rubber touching the ground and it’s just more rotating weight. Every pound of rotating weight is equal to ten pounds of dead weight or something like that.” An American Suspension front brake and an Ego Tripp sproter haul these reasonably-sized tires to a stop.
It’s not a big surprise that he chose a Shovelhead for Finicky, but he’s not stuck in the past and went modern with an Accurate Engineering S&S 93” engine. Here’s one area where the “fins have fins” as stated earlier. “I extended the fins on the spark-plug side of the engine. I make cardboard patterns and I don’t have any CNC machines, I still do it the way I did back in the day, I cut them out on a bandsaw,” said Ron. “The inside of the fins is made to fit perfect, I Heliarc them on, and then I surface grind it on the outside to where I want it with a belt sander. It’s no big deal.” No big deal, but this did cause the engine to stick out more on the right and looking closely you see the frame is asymmetrical as it follows around to the back. “The engine is in perfect alignment with the neck and rear wheel. It (the frame) goes to the right of the rocker box giving the illusion of the fins being larger than they are,” said Ron. Nice engine touches are the gloss black cylinders and that wild bell-mouthed exhaust Ron made. “You know a Shovelhead’s got a rap, but this one is magnified with those bells on the back. It’s got a sound all of its own,” said Ron, sounding very pleased. The other significant engine mod is the Ron-designed, big-and-finned air cleaner hanging off the side.
Four gallons of gas are carried under the seat in a finned tank that’s definitely proud to be along for the ride. “I had these air cleaners, they had a nice shape with those old fins on ‘em and I was able to add fins where they already were,” said Ron. With a bit more work after that, he had his gas tank, done and done. Minimalist bodywork continues as the fenders are reproductions of early Triumph-style ribbed fenders with possibly the most intricate strut work ever.
It was time for Ron’s forte, the paint. There are at least ten basic colors blended throughout this bike making for even more where they meet. It’s amazing how somebody could win a HOK award with so little bodywork to showcase their work, but leave it to Ron to pull that off. “I’ve been painting forever, that’s how I started and I’ve got it down to a science, so to speak,” he said. “I use a touch-up gun and run it fairly rich where you’re getting a stream rather than a spray, but you can’t be dilly-dallying around. You get it to the point where it’s just about ready to run.”
There are many more finned touches throughout the bike that you’ll enjoy discovering yourself, but like a movie, we’ve reached The End of this story or maybe it’s more appropriate to end like a foreign movie does with FIN.
Builder: Ron Finch
Finch’s Custom Styled Cycles
Like a lot of other motorcyclists, Ron Finch is headed to Milwaukee during Harley-Davidson’s 105th Anniversary celebration, but he’s going to do a little celebrating of his own while he’s there. “My latest accomplishment, you could say that I’m bragging, but, in another way I’m just talking, is that I’m going to be the feature artist in the Milwaukee Art Museum (www.mam.org) during the 105th Anniversary celebration. I’m showing from 10 to 12 bikes including some bikes I built in the ‘70s. I’m going to try and bring a hundred sculptures too,” said Ron.
Ron’s motorcycles have always leaned towards the arty side of life and his sculptures go full circle using fabrication, welding, and painting techniques gleaned from years in the custom business. “It’s kinda like therapy for me. It’s a thing where I can do whatever I want and don’t have to worry whether it’s straight on or if it lines up with anything like doing a motorcycle,” said Ron. “When I get done doing a sculpture, it’s a good feeling that I’ve accomplished something. People that just go along and sit on the couch watching TV and die, I just don’t understand their outlook. They don’t have any hobbies or do anything but go to work and come home and go to work and come home until they retire and two years later, they’re dead.”
Ron’s also sharing his art appreciation teaching a class of high-school students sculpture. “The school mascot is a dragon and we’re going to make a dragon to put in the courtyard of the school. I’ve done this before and it was really gratifying,” said Ron.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #64, September-October 2008.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Owner: | Ron Finch |
Year/Make: | 2008 Assembled |
Fabrication/ Assembly: | “Finchmen”/ Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Build time: | 8 months |
Engine: | Accurate Engineering S&S 93″ Shovelhead |
Cases: | S&S |
Rods/ Pistons: | S&S |
Cylinders/ Heads: | S&S |
Carb: | S&S |
Pipes: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Air Cleaner: | Designed by Finch/made by MC Machining |
Transmission: | BAKER 6-speed |
Primary: | Cover finned by Finch/Karata 3″ belt drive |
Clutch: | Barnett Tool & Eng. – Scorpion |
Frame: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Rake/Stretch: | 34-degrees/3″ |
Forks: | American Suspension Phantom |
Fork length: | -1″ |
Rear Suspension: | Custom built swing arm/ MC Precision finned axle covers |
Shocks: | Works Performance Products |
Front Wheel: | Ego Tripp 18 x 3.5 Sundance |
Rear Wheel: | Ego Tripp 18 x 5.5 Sundance |
Front Tire: | 130/60VRx18 Metzeler |
Rear Tire: | 200/50ZRx18 Metzeler |
Front Brake: | American Suspension |
Rear Brake: | Ego Tripp Sproter |
Fuel Tank: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Oil Tank: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Fenders: | English fenders cut down with added rod work |
Handlebars: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Risers: | Machined by MC Precision with fins |
Headlight: | P.I.A.A. |
Taillight: | Finch design/Evil Engineering |
Hand Controls: | Arlen Ness Retro |
Grips: | Aluminum, MC Precision |
Foot Controls: | Finch rod work |
Pegs: | Finch’s Custom Cycles |
Electrical: | Chuck Kehoe |
Powdercoating: | Dun Right QC Coatings |
Painter: | Ron Finch |
Color: | Blended Candies: Orion Silver, Galaxy Grey, Purple, Apple Red, Pagan Gold, Magenta, Tangerine, Oriental Blue, Teal, Ice White. |
Polishing: | Steve’s Aluminum Polishing (Juliustown, NJ) |
Molding: | Mike Linsky, Mark Mercer |
Seat: | Bob @ Leatherman, Katrinic (Flint, MI) |
Special thanks to: | Finchmen: Mike Cavender, Chuck Kehoe, Ed Timm, Mark Mercer, Mike Linsky, and Brad Collier. |