The flared three and a half gallon gas tank is one of the most striking features on this ground up custom. “The end results of the gas tank were somewhat of an accident. My initial design and intentions were to construct and produce something totally different. After a lot of sweat and labor, it was finally finished. I liked the design and decided to go with it for this custom bike,” said Rich Mauro, founder and co-owner of RPM Choppers based in upstate Newburgh, New York.
Rich has a passion for old Buicks and wanted to incorporate some of his obsession with them into his latest custom. The three oval-shaped portholes seen on each side of the tank were actually taken from an old Buick. The famous Ventiports were a GM styling touch first used in 1949 to designate models within the Buick range and were front fender mounted, but that just wouldn’t work in this case, so the gas tank it is.
The bike’s name gives you an idea of the color scheme, but all the components are not just purple. If you just happened to be standing on a corner and noticed the bike’s front end peeking out from behind a building, you could easily assume that the entire color of the bike is a bright lime green. But as it pulled out into the road, you couldn’t help but notice the purple base coat of the frame and bodywork. Justin Barnes of JB Grafix did the paintwork and graphics and needs no introduction to the custom motorcycle world. He’s responsible for the spectacular paintwork on some of the world’s most beautiful customs.
It took RPM Choppers approximately one month of intense labor and brain-storming to totally finish the Flying Purple Mother Sucker project. The power train consists of a 135 horsepower, 120” Ultima engine and a 6-speed Ultima LSD transmission with a BDL primary. “We understand that anything that is mechanical and man-made can break or malfunction, but we want our custom-built bikes to be as reliable as possible for our customers. We build bikes that run just as good as they look. At RPM Choppers we believe that a ground up custom-built bike is not worth having if it’s not mechanically sound. The parts we build here in-house are made of the finest materials and we use only the best aftermarket parts available on our machines. Sometimes the best aftermarket parts cost more, but it pays off in the long run with customer satisfaction,” said Rich.
The Flying Purple Mother Sucker custom bike is a one-of-a-kind bike from RPM Choppers, not only because of its design and style, but also because RPM never builds two identical models of any of their ground-up custom-made bikes. Now, their ground-up bikes ease into the $60,000 price range and they are well worth the money, but they also build a line of bikes they call, Low-Dough choppers. Even though these production bikes may show some similarities, they are available with more than 100 options so you are bound to make your own, your own. Another one of their goals is to build these Low-Dough bikes with a hand-fabricated design and finish that’s affordable for the average working man and woman with prices starting at $16,995.
I’ve done coverage on a great many motorcycles and I can quickly recognize the ones that I wouldn’t give two cents for. That’s because I know that even though they look great, they would perform poorly in the real world. How many times have you attended a major motorcycle event and observed the number of broken down customs, especially during a parade or organized ride? I’ve been to many events where I see an interesting custom bike and try to arrange an immediate photo shoot with riding shots, and the builder quickly replies, “Oh, the brakes are not complete yet,” or “the gas lines are not hooked up,” or some type of lame excuse as to why the bike is unable to be ridden. So we end up having to trailer it to the shooting location and skipping the riding part of the photo session.
RPM Choppers build their bikes to run and they run good. It’s refreshing to see a builder who spends as much time ensuring that all of the bikes that leave their shop are completely reliable and not just built for looks. For more information about RPM Choppers, visit their website at www.rpmcustomchoppers.com or call 845-561-2045.
Builder: Rich Mauro, RPM Choppers
Rich Mauro started RPM Choppers a little over four years ago after building tanks, handlebars, and other motorcycle parts for friends. It didn’t take long before word got around and the demand for his custom parts persuaded Rich to start his own custom shop. If you took him to the local hospital and checked his DNA, I’m sure you would find that building custom motorcycles runs thick in his arteries. Yep, he’s one of those builders with natural talent and mechanical skills.
Rich and his right-hand man, Buck Ketcham, work seven days a week and strive to build the best quality, reasonably priced production bikes possible. “I know that we build great custom motorcycles and I will challenge any bike builder in the Hudson River Valley area to a biker build-off, and I guarantee that we will win,” said Rich. During his spare time, Rich enjoys BMX biking and playing the guitar.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #53, Jan-Feb 2007.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
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Bike Name: | Flying Purple Mother Sucker |
Owner: | Rich Mauro |
Year / Make: | 2006 RPM Custom |
Fabrication: | RPM |
Assembly: | RPM |
Build time: | 30-days |
Engine: | 120″ Ultima |
Cases: | Ultima |
Flywheels: | Ultima |
Rods: | Ultima |
Pistons: | Ultima |
Cylinders: | Ultima |
Heads: | Ultima |
Cam: | Ultima |
Ignition: | Hunt Magneto |
Carb: | Ultima |
Pipes: | RPM |
Air Cleaner: | RPM |
Transmission: | 2006 Ultima 6-speed |
Primary: | BDL |
Frame: | Carolina Customs |
Rake: | 41-degrees |
Stretch: | 5″ |
Forks: | Jeri’s Springer Tribal |
Front Wheel: | 21 x 3.25 Southern Motorcycle Works |
Rear Wheel: | 18 x 8.5 Southern Motorcycle Works |
Front Tire: | 90/90 x 21 Avon |
Rear Tire: | 250 x 18 Avon |
Front Brakes: | PM |
Rear Brakes: | Exile Sprotor |
Fuel Tank: | RPM |
Oil Tank: | RPM |
Fenders: | RPM |
Handlebars: | RPM |
Headlight: | V-Twin |
Taillight: | V-Twin |
Hand Controls: | PM |
Foot Controls: | Accutronix |
Painter: | Justin Barnes/ JB Grafix |
Color: | Purple/ green |
Graphics: | JB Grafix |
Seat: | Keith’s Custom Seats |