If you’ve read any of the previous articles on SBC via Barnett’s Magazine Online like his Death or Glory Bonneville racer or his Evo-powered chop that is part of his invited Artistry in Iron entrants over the past three years, you’d expect some aspect of performance on the street or track as well as looking good. Obviously, taking a quick look at this exquisitely clean Sportster-engined bobber makes you wonder what it’s like to ride more than whether it’s a trophy queen of sorts and that’s exactly what Michael does with every build. They’re riders first and whatever second and that’s what makes them special to me whether it’s Bonneville or Bakersfield they’re intended for. To me anyway, motorcycles are made to be ridden or maybe I should say flogged as that’s what I enjoy doing. If somebody tells me “That’s cool” when I’m parked, I’m more embarrassed than complimented.
But, not everybody’s like me (and that’s really good) and how it looks parked is possibly just as or more important to them and that’s fine by me too. When you can get the best of both worlds in one bike like this cute little bobber, it just makes me want to wring it out on a desert road on a hot, sunny day, that’s a plus-plus in anybody’s book. It’s kinda like the old Certs Candy Breath Mint commercials that exclaimed, “Certs is two! Two! Two mints in one!” Invited show entrant to the prestigious Artistry in Iron Show and a worry-about-having-enough-gas-to-the-next-stop bike gives you the best of both worlds. You can’t ask for much more out of one bike.
Like all his builds, Michael takes an artistic as well as a talented mechanical artisan approach that isn’t deliberately trying for an Old School hot rod look. That’s what happens when Michael gets his whatever on and begins making the idea in his head a reality. You’ve heard it a million times before, but the devil is in the details and SBC builds are softly detailed to perfection. It’s as much an artistic approach as well as fine workmanship. There’s nothing so radical here you haven’t seen something like it before, but there’s simple perfection in how all the various elements relate to each other.
Somewhere there’s a 2003 Harley-Davidson XL 883 with a cavernous hole where the Evo engine used to live. That’s about all that got transplanted into a Paughco rigid frame that’s as seriously retro-Old School as you can get ─ Paughco’s been making chopper stuff since Old School was New School. Michael hung a chromed DNA springer off the nimble-handling raked head tube to keep things fun when the show’s over and it’s time to ride. No wheel flop or seriously under-steering into a corner is the result and that negates most raked-out choppers from qualifying as easy riders. Nothing’s wrong with either approach to custom bikes, it just depends whether you just want to cruise Daytona’s Main Street a coupla times or ride your heart out with no destination in mind.
No surprise then that there are no 30-inch billet wheels, just classy cool traditional stainless laced wheels with Pirelli tires in reasonable bobber sizes (80/90×21 front/140/90×16 rear) that say classic without uttering a word. Simple, clean and cool. Lyndall Brakes rotors combined with Performance machine calipers front and rear gives you all the braking you could ask for and then some. There’s nothing outrageous going on here, just good parts with good engineering and great build quality.
Like most 883 engines, it’s a short life before being punched out to a rather punchier 1200cc and this XL engine was no different. I doubt that Harley’s most reliable air-cooled engine needed any rebuild as it had only about 2,600 miles on it, but with new bigger pistons and additional cylinder capacity the old intake and exhaust tricks certainly upped the ante over a stock 1200. A little freer breathing and that wild over and under exhaust Michael fabbed up helps, but you probably don’t care as much as how the exhaust works. If I were a wise man, I’d just say, “Follow the pipes” and leave it at that. I am not a wise man, but that’s where I’m leaving and loving that roller coaster exhaust.
This bike also smacks of all the right Old School ingredients from the lovely 12-inch apes to the comfy sprung saddle to the forward controls. Nothing ostentatious, just the real thing that’ll work every time you hop on and they look good in their simple righteousness. Michael’s bodywork jumps on that bandwagon too with a perfectly- mounted dished fuel tank, a tire-hugging rear fender with just a bit of flip, and a simple cylindrical oil tank that just looks right as is. The flow on this bike comes from nothing jabbing you in the eye as you look from front to rear. Other than maybe the nutty-cool exhaust, there’s no “Hey look at me!” piece stopping eye movement and that’s a good thing. The whole comes together harmoniously.
Keeping this bobber a bit on the down low is a paintjob that’s executed well with a soft matte color scheme of reddish-maroonish-brownish base and a creamy ivory to offset it. The design itself couldn’t be simpler and couldn’t be better on a traditional bobber that doesn’t need a paintjob as its main attraction. The lines of the bike and the heritage those lines represent say it all. This is a traditional bobber made with traditional tools that doesn’t trade its values for a quick hop in the sack. This one’s a keeper and it’s still good in the sack. Can’t ask for much more.
By the way, this 2015 Artistry in Iron entrant is up for sale at 500 bucks under 20Gs. That’s a lot of bike and a lot of street cred at a pretty damn reasonable price. Check out South Bay Customs website http://www.southbaycustoms.net/ for more info or visit them on Facebook.