Hey, the web’s great and all, but print still has its merits especially when SuperUnknownMC tells how this build came about. “He (DownLow owner Jack Hunt) saw the blue 21 bike in the September issue [#69] and said, ‘Wow, gotta have one. What do I have to do to get one of those?’ He told me to find him a bike so I did.” What SuperUnknownMC found was a decent running ’89 Softail Standard that has its own story. “The seller asked me if I wanted to hear it running, I said no. I asked if it had a title, I looked at the numbers and said, ‘Good enough, here’s your money,” said a laughing SuperUnknownMC.
Dragging the bike back to his shop, SuperUnknownMC got to work. “I cut it in half, ripped it apart, and tore the motor out and sent it out to be redone. That’s why it didn’t matter whether it ran or not,” he said. “I had my buddy at Action Powdercoating polish up the jugs, cases, and cylinders and put it back together stock.”
That “cut it in half” thing refers to SuperUnknownMC’s drop-seat conversion. “I cut it right behind the transmission and put my 4” extension on the bottom, bend a new backbone, and make up some seat rails,” SuperUnknownMC said. He also machined up a 4” extension to the Softail shocks so they still have full travel. “It’s not like a lowered Softail where you’re losing the stroke of the shock, everything’s the same,” he said. “I ride a hardtail and when I got on the finished bike, I was in the lap of luxury.”
With the drop-seat mods done, SuperUnknownMC explained his design intentions, “I wanted to fatten it up, a short and stubby look.” A beefy 3”-shorter-than-stock Paughco shock/springer fork cradles a 21” Xtreme Machine Legend wheel. “I used the fattest 21” front rim I could as I wanted the big tire look without spending the money for a 23,” said SuperUnknownMC. Even though he was looking for a chunky look, he stayed with a fun-to-ride 180mm rear tire on a matching 18” Xtreme wheel as Jack planned to ride this bike as well as show it off. A no-screwing-around HHI 4-piston front brake with another HHI 4-piston sprocket brake setup out back reinforces the reality of needing premium stoppers in the real world of bad drivers.
SuperUnknownMC’s pretty handy with sheet metal and basically fabricated the swoopy fuel tank from “a cheap aftermarket Sportster tank,” he said. “I cut it in half, tapered it with a radius on the bottom and put some new mounts in it. I‘ve got a video on YouTube on how I did it.” SuperUnknownMC also made the seat pan and surrounding tinwork reminiscent of a Harley Rocker and had his own thoughts on that piece. “I don’t really care for that too much, that was the owner’s design,” he said. “It does have a Rocker look. Some people don’t mind it and others find it offensive.” Hey that’s the same extreme reaction the Rocker gets. After spraying on a black base coat, SuperUnknownMC tackled the silver flame graphics, but left it to his buddy, Eddie the Pinstriper Torres, to finish it off with pinstriping and the DownLow graphics.
Sometimes being a builder has additional benefits like a customer who insists you ride their bike a lot before delivery. “Jack said, ‘When I ride it, I just want to turn the key so the more you ride it and tweak it, the better off I am.’ He loves it and I like it too, but then I guess I would like it. It’s just enough custom for people to be impressed with it, but not frown upon it,” said SuperUnknownMC. “It’s a beautiful bike, the nicest one I’ve ever done.”
Up Close: Xtreme Machine Legends Wheels
Wheels are one of those things that can be a make it or break it move on any bike, stock or custom. It’s no surprise that wheels are an important styling element and everybody’s got their own idea what’s the correct wheel. Whether it’s a laced wheel or a mag-type wheel, you’ve literally got hundreds of choices out there to pick from. That only complicates the issue as personal factors like style can be tempered with cost, quality, and country of origin in the wheel-buying equation. SuperUnknownMC’s choice of Xtreme Machine’s Legend Bolted wheels for DownLow hits all the right buttons.
The Legend series features a clean design reminiscent of classic five-spoke musclecar designs like Cragar S/S and American Racing mags. Simple and tough, yet multi-dimensional in design and finish. The bolted/black aspect lends a mechanical feel and contrasts beautifully with the chromed spokes. The made-in-America Legend wheels are a tiny drop in the bucket of Xtreme’s lineup with more choices than you can shake a stick at if shaking sticks is your thing. If that’s not enough, Xtreme will work with you on a one-off design, but then you’ll naturally lose out on their reasonable prices for series wheels.
SuperUnknownMC explained his choice of wheels it in a nutshell, “When you look at it, really, the wheels really make it. They gave me a pretty good deal on those, they’re a bunch of very reasonable guys. I’ve paid a lot more for wheels that weren’t quite as nice and they really compliment the bike.”
Hey, we’re only scratching the surface of Xtreme’s vast lineup here so boogey on over to www.xtrememachineusa.com or call 217-291-0200 for more info.
Builder: SuperUnknownMC AKA Jim Shadler
So what’s all this SuperUnknownMC stuff about anyway? After two minutes talking to the builder formerly known as Jim Shadler, you get a good understanding that he’s a really funny guy with a driven work ethic that just has his own enjoyable take on life. Like many a comic book superhero he leads dual lives. During the day he works with his brother installing heavy equipment like auto lifts, but at night, he’s cutting, welding, and painting bikes while still finding time to make a bunch of YouTube videos showing how he spends his spare time.
Going back a few years with Jim, I can’t help but admire a guy who was not afraid to radically cut and chop a stock Harley when everybody else was interested in ground-up-only boutique builds. Chopping up and modifying a Harley was where this all began and where it’s gone back to today. Jim’s tried to stay ahead of the curve in an Old School way while he’s embraced the cyber technology of today with YouTube videos showing you how he does it. None of this is a big deal to him and he’s not foolish enough to think he’s going to be on Forbes wealthiest list, but he does take it seriously in a fun way. Frankly, he’ll never make that list because he’s always tried to make extremely affordable, but really good looking Harley customs for regular guys.
He’s even changed the name of his shop from South Shore Chop Shop to reflect his Internet persona. “SuperUnknownMC Inc. is the legit legal name of my shop now and yeah, I’m switching names too, it’s SuperUnknownMC now. Kinda ambiguous, but you know — Super!” he said laughing adding. “If I ever get really famous on YouTube, I’ll just have to change my name to SuperWellknownMC.”
Visit www.superunknownmc.com or call 631-281-3360 for more info on the unknown.
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