It seems like choppers have always been and always will be on somebody’s wish list. There’s just something about the whole concept that makes people still lust after them even if they really don’t want one for practical reasons. They just have a spirit that brings out the inner outlaw in the nicest of people and they always make a statement to whomever sees them that you must be a badass of some sort if you ride one. A big wheel bagger might get more stares, but a chopper gets more respect. No matter what the trend is, some people will still go about fulfilling their dreams with the long, low and outrageous presence only a true chopper can provide.

 

   I’d venture to say that the owner and designer of this bad boy, Gary “Wiz” Beyerlein of Marvin, North Carolina, is just one of those guys. Barnett’s Magazine Online recently featured another of his bikes, a brass and black custom Sportster built by Jim Bortles of The Chopper Farm in Waxhaw, North Carolina, that was definitely a tasty twist on the Dark Sportsters of today. But, Wiz had something else brewing in his noggin and it was an itch that he needed to scratch so he turned again to Jim Bortles, not for a good old boy scratch, but for the real solution to his dilemma. Wiz wanted a modern chopper with a classic vein to it and Jim was the right man for the job.

 

   Jim’s been at this custom motorcycle thing for what seems like an eternity turning out show winning customs and more magazine covers and features than you could shake a proverbial stick at. I liken him a lot to AC/DC’s front man, Brian Johnson, whom Top Gear’s Jeremy Clark once asked, “Everybody knows the lead singers in all the big bands, but how do you manage to stay anonymous?” My guess is that Jim Bortles just loves what he does at The Chopper Farm and doesn’t give a damn about any of the peripheral bullshit that goes along with being a chopper celebrity. By the looks of this build and the many, many others I’ve seen, I’m totally okay with that and give him two thumbs up for doing what he does best ─ building custom motorcycles.

 

   From what I see, this bike Wiz calls Brutus has all the classic chopper elements of long and low with a fork reaching for the horizon (but not ridiculously so) and a killer Panhead all dressed up in basic black and chrome with extremely tasteful flame and (single) skull graphics by the ever-talented JoAan Bortles of Crazy Horse Painting. That’s a basic formula for chopper success if there ever was one and it’s the genesis of what a lot of chopper freaks have running around in their head as their dream bike. Most of us will keep dreaming while Jim and Wiz have made a dream into a reality.

 

    There’s a lot of old and a lot of new in the same bike, but it all works together. The custom hardtail frame is not just good looking, but features rideable geometry that old chopper riders could only fantasize about. Reasonably-sized modern rubber keeps the bike on the up and up while providing decent handling and braking compared to the old super skinny front tires and square-tread rears of days gone by. Real, usable disc brakes front and rear would shock the Old School foot draggers who usually relied on a rear drum only and unabashed faith to keep them from becoming a statistic. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but this is one modern avenue I’d go down out of respect for the bike if not me. No, it’d be the bike.

 

  Mention you own a Panhead to someone and you’ll immediately get their attention even if they’ve never ridden or even touched one. Just saying Panhead says it all and this bike does not disappoint in any way. The ’51 Harley Panhead has been re-built from the bottom up using all the best techniques and parts available along with a finish that’s not pimped out in any way. Tried and true hop up parts like a Sifton cam and an S&S carb give it the right spirit and sound while the substitution of a 5-speed tranny where there was once four makes it all the more likable and livable. Speaking of livable and likable, it also sports both kick and electric starting so Wiz can be cool when he wants to and practical when there’s nobody lurking about.

 

    So there you go chopper freaks, the combo of Wiz’ wishes, Jim’s fabrication skills and JoAnn’s artistry lays out a blue print that we’d all love to have in our garages. Maybe not as your only bike, but definitely the fun toy of your chopper dreams. Especially something that’s as beautifully clean and quietly outrageous as a bike like Brutus that’s a rolling representative of anything and everything Jim Bortles grows on The Chopper Farm. Hopefully this plants a seed in you to help me for once to be at the fore front of what’s happening tomorrow in the world of customs today.

 

For info on Jim Bortles and The Chopper Farm click on http://www.crazyhorsepainting.com/custombikes.shtml