Jason likes staring down a gauntlet; he likes problem solving and deliberately presenting himself with a complicated obstacle to overcome. “I used to build these vehicles that were really difficult to use, just because I needed a challenge,” he says. “Like, I’d build an 800hp really small car. You’d go 160 miles an hour in it and, it being very small, it was very temperamental. About 90 percent of the time it would be pointing toward the guardrail. Then I’d do something stupid like put a five-speed transmission in it, which changes everything. Once I’d get everything fixed on it and it was working great, I’d have to sell it because I wasn’t interested anymore. I felt like, if everything’s good it’s basically boring now and I have to sell it.”
For Orange Crush, Jason and his crew wanted to come up with something unusual but that flowed and works well. Frames are a specialty of Speed and Custom Cycles, and the raked out 48-degree, single-downtube frame doesn’t disappoint. Beefy curved tubing flows down to the radically dropped seat meeting a swingarm that makes you look twice to see it’s not a rigid. All beautiful styling elements, but hidden inside his Whiplash frame are plenty of engineering feats that contribute to the success of this unique ride.
“We have a patent-pending on the frame design,” says Jason. At rest, the frame sits on the ground, but when it’s raised off the ground an automatic manual safety comes on, and you have to override that safety to be able to park again. What this means to the rider is that if you were to lose air going down the road, you wouldn’t crash because of it. This equation is something that Jason has been working on for quite a while. “When I was working on it I was thinking, `Man, this is like revision number 2003.’ The design of the frame we patented is where the swingarm pivots between the motor and the transmission, so it’s got like a 3-foot long swingarm on it.”
In true mad scientist fashion, Jason skillfully and politely ducks out of giving away too many details about his modifications. But, being a nice guy, he does give a little. “The airbag is actually under the transmission, and the safetys are actually built into that air system,” he says of his invention. “From the rear, you can actually see a shock absorber, and that controls the ride-quality of the bike.” Discussion of the shock’s origins doesn’t go far either, but he will say it is something of his own invention at this point, since he has modified it so heavily. All of this secrecy will be ending soon though, as Jason has recently struck a deal with Pirate Motor Sports of Lyman, Wyoming, to produce this masterpiece for sale to an appreciative audience.
The front suspension didn’t get shortchanged in this creation with an American Suspension springer that’s been converted to hidden hydraulic operation enabling a super clean look that gives you no idea how it would ever work (see sidebar). The luscious Metal Motor Sports’ LUSSO wheels look like they were borrowed straight from a Ferrari Enzo and Performance Machine brakes delivers the goods as usual with high-tech looks to match the wheels.
Powering this futuristic ode to the past is a Panhead-style engine that Jason assembled from a select conglomeration of parts until he had an over-the-top 131” power plant. The STD cases encase a Truett & Osborn flywheel with JIMS rods pushing JE pistons up and down through the Hyperformance cylinders. The STD heads get their mixture from a DaVinci/S&S Super G carb drawing air through a velocity stack that matches the SCC designed pipes from Stainless Creations with nothing blocking the entrance or exits of TwinTech induced internal combustion. The tasty RMD billet primary showcases the Barnett Scorpion clutch spinning on the JIMS RSD 6-speed.
Sheetmetal consists of only a tank and fender, but nothing on this bike is just simple. The gas tank IS the bodywork and ties all the elements together. “When you build something, it’s always a building upon something you’ve done in the past,” he says. “We took a tank I’d designed for something else and modified it to make it look correct for this bike, and the frame tube design is a flowing design I’ve been working on for the past year. It’s a combination of trying to use things that fill the spaces in a beautiful way.” Can’t find the oil tank? Well you’d have to get into the primary because that’s where it’s hidden in SCC “Hide and Seek” fashion. The FatKatz fender is not ashamed to be one and totally wraps itself around the fat 300mm Metzeler and provides a seat back area to keep the rider in place under power.
The custom orange blend was shot by SCC in a bright hue that needs no superfluous surface detailing to get its point across and allows the lines of the bike to speak for themselves. Shiny bits are kept to a minimum also. The painted SCC bars reach back to the rider and barely rise over the tank. PM hand and foot controls bring a bit of bling while doing their thing. The brushed/satin finish headlight sits comfortably on the springer and contrasts nicely with the colors around it. Michael’s Upholstery made the seat that slips into the small area reserved for it.
Firing up this bike seems like it would have a checklist like something made by NASA. Rear end pumped and locked. Front end, hydraulics pumped and good to go. Houston, I’m good to go.
With Jason at the controls, the future of Speed and Custom Cycles is as bright as a nova, but don’t count on these busy guys building too many complete bikes from the ground-up. “Our shop’s business is making frames and related components and we do not really very many completes a year,” says Jason. “We’d rather do 300 frames than one complete. That’s better for us.”
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #54, March-April 2007.
Builder: Jason Nieman
Speed & Custom Cycles
Jason Nieman has been taking apart cars and motorcycles since he was a little kid working alongside his dad in the garage. But his passion for designing motorcycles came from his talent as an artist. He left art school when it felt more like school than art, and moved on to designing and building high-end drag cars and, on the side, motorcycles. He’s owned Speed and Custom since 1994, adding “Cycles” to the title five years ago. Next up for Jason and his crew are several parts currently patent-pending, and a bagger in development with another shop, Pirate Motor Sports of Lyman, Wyoming. “I can’t say too much,” he says, “but it’s cool looking, longer, and it’s very, very comfortable.”
Jason and his wife, Margaret, have two sons, Oliver and Max, ages 18-months and three. With all he’s got on his plate at the moment, Jason still makes time to hang out with his dad Randy, the guy who showed him how to take things apart and put them together again, and Randy often accompanies Jason to bike shows. “I get calls after a bike show,” Jason says. “People tell me, `Man, this old guy I met was really enthusiastic about you and trying to sell me stuff.’ He just wants us to do well.”
For a better look at what Jason’s dad is so hepped-up about, check out Jason’s showroom at www.speedandcustomcycles.com, or call the shop at 715-342-9090.
SPECIFICATIONS: | |
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Owner: | Jason Nieman |
Year / Make: | 2006 Whiplash |
Fabrication/ Assembly: | Speed and Custom Cycles |
Build time: | 10-weeks |
Engine: | 131″ Panhead/ SCC |
Cases: | STD Development |
Flywheels: | Truett & Osborn 4 3/8 |
Rods: | JIMS |
Pistons: | JE |
Cylinders: | Hyperformance |
Heads: | STD Development |
Cam: | S&S |
Ignition: | TwinTech |
Carb: | DaVinci Performance/ S&S Super G |
Pipes: | Stainless Creations/ SCC Custom Design |
Air Cleaner: | S&S |
Transmission: | JIMS RSD 6-speed |
Primary: | RMD Billet |
Clutch: | Barnett Scorpion Lockup |
Frame: | SCC |
Rake: | 48-degrees |
Stretch: | 6″ |
Forks: | American Suspension/ SCC Hydraulic-Springer |
Rear Suspension: | Air Spring |
Wheels: | Metal Motor Sports LUSSO |
Front Tire: | Vee Rubber 120/70R23 |
Rear Tire: | Metzeler 300/35R18 |
Brakes: | Performance Machine |
Fuel Tank: | SCC |
Oil Tank: | SCC in primary |
Fenders: | FatKatz |
Handlebars: | SCC |
Headlight: | SCC |
Taillight: | SCC-Custom |
Hand and Foot Controls: | Performance Machine |
Chroming: | Dubois Chrome Service |
Painter: | SCC |
Color: | Custom blend orange |
Un-Polishing: | TJ |
Seat: | Michael’s Upholstery/ SCC |
Special thanks to: | Eric at Stabb Machine, Ladds Porting Service, Harold and OD at Furo Racing, and Rosholt Motorcycle Company |