Built about 165 miles south of Daytona at Austin’s Stuart, Florida, shop called The Garage by Austin Weiss, this bike is about as clean as you can get and still be a show stunner.  Matter of fact, it’s raring to be a road stunner too by the looks of the bar end mirror that show judges would probably deduct points for, but only impresses me as Austin is apparently as real-world road paranoid as me as to what the kids (or Florida’s golden agers) are up to behind him.

Yeah it’s got some pretty damn big wheels, 26-inchers to be exact, front and rear, but they don’t look out of place or cartoony. “I like the way the Old School bikes looked with the big rims front and rear, so I wanted to build something I liked with an Old-School inspiration but still clean and NewSchool,” said Austin. Proportionally, they look correct to me and somehow they don’t look too modern for a board tracker although they obviously billet and are about as current as you can get. While I’m doling out some kudos, I do appreciate that Austin didn’t go style-silly as so many are with a return to rear-brakes-only relegating them to strictly show duty or rides for the fool hardy with today’s crappy drivers. The coolest bike in the world does not look cool planted into the side of an SUV because it couldn’t stop even if the SUV was a favorite of the late Malcolm Forbes, the Lamborghini LM 002.   

     Austin’s version of a board tracker doesn’t, to quote Captain James T. Kirk, “Boldly go where no man has gone before” but he does smooth out all the bumps along the way with a sense of taste and style that makes a strong, smooth statement from stem to stern. His hardtail frame is light, clean and does exactly what it has to with a springer that acts the period with a tidy, but modern design. Using a seat shock to cushion the ride is also worth a few more I.Q. points as far as I’m concerned too while it adds a bit of mechanical presence I don’t find out of character. Also piling on the points is the choice of a handlebar that might not be board track era perfect like a lot of board track builders feel they must do regardless of whether it’s comfortable or usable by anybody other than those infamous racers of days gone by. Besides, I really like the shape of the bars and the relation to the seat and foot controls looks like a joy to ride. Or, maybe the cleanliness of the bars with Austin’s own Streamline internal throttle and hidden brake line kits appeals to me.

   Where Austin definitely pulled a rabbit out of his hat, though, is not just his choice of a Knucklehead and not just because it’s a reliable and powerful replica Knucklehead engine. According to Austin, this is one only two 95” Knucks built by S&S Cycle in the world. I don’t honestly know if that’s the best way to go, but it sure is cool having one of two that exist. He did take an unexpected twist to finishing this Knuckle in black without the expected raw and polished look you usually see. His short, but sweet header wrapped exhaust is as modern as tomorrow in an old timey way and sounds the business in any era.

  Getting this baby ready for paint involved building the right tank, getting a rear fender to unobtrusively fit, finding the right headlight, and, finally, choosing a single-color paint scheme to accentuate the lines without interfering with their flow. Adding just the right amount of interest and zing is the steady and talented hand of pinstriper Chuck Llewellyn. “We have worked together on a ton of projects and it’s always good to see him,” said Austin. Pulling it together even more is the red diamond double-stitching on the seat that makes you wish you could immediately plant your ass there without arousing the owner’s ire before you had time to hit the starter button and make that Knuckle try to pull your pant’s leg into the big velocity stack sticking out its side. Actually, always ask first before jumping on somebody’s bike and trying to ride away. It’s just polite.

Summing up the project, Austin said, “The bike took about two months to build from start to finish. Everything went really smoothly, thanks to the guys in my crew. I’m really happy with the way it came out. I built the bike to go back to Daytona this year, and it did its job. We took home 1^st place for Special Custom at the Boardwalk Classic and second place in the Bobber class at the Rat’s Hole Show.”

  By the way, if you’d like a bike just like this, you’re in luck. This very bike is for sale on Austin’s web site http://www.garageinc.net/ and it’s your chance to get the best ride in Joyland without having to wait in a long line.