At the various rallies and events I’ve attended recently, I’ve noticed a trend towards dirt bike-inspired designs, somewhat in the bobber vein, giving the rough-hewn machines an even harder edge. In some cases it’s just attitude, while in the case of this TJP Customs creation, it’s just practical. Bryan Schimke’s shop is committed to building show-quality bikes that are equipped to handle the rigors of everyday riding.
Drawing upon his dirt bike past for the Model T, he selected the dirt bike-inspired parts as much for durability as a unique style. After all, if a set of bars or a wheel can survive the rigors of a 90-foot Supercross triple-jump, it can certainly handle cruising around town on a custom bike. You can’t buy R&D that demanding! Bryan sourced the front wheel and brake system from a Honda CRF450 motocrosser. The front wheel of the Model T (and the rotor) is actually the rear wheel of the CRF, selected for the 19” size that fit the bike properly. The caliper and master cylinder (and its patented brake hose routing) is actually off the front of the Honda, however. The bars were fabricated by Bryan in his shop, out of 3/4-inch solid aluminum bar, like 70s motocross bikes used to have. A ‘72 Honda SL125 donated the throttle assembly, while the grips are fresh off a roll of tennis grip tape. The single-riser and plate setup is a TPJ part, available to the public. The single connection from bar to trees totally changes the look to something akin to a bicycle . . . or one of Jesse Rooke’s bikes.
The beefy front end started life on a Suzuki Hayabusa before Bryan picked it up on eBay. The hot ticket back in the late 80’s-early 90’s was to get the inverted front end off of a wrecked GSX-R and have the trickest set of forks on your block. Now that inverted forks are fairly common, it’s a little less avant garde, but still an inexpensive way to add a completely different look to your bike . . . as long as you’re willing to machine some parts. Bryan had to make new neck cups for the frame to accommodate the metric front end.
With a legendarily strong Ford Model T axle as a backbone in its uniquely shaped frame, the theme of strength continues. It’s use is ironic, as the ‘T was the world’s first true mass-produced car, while this is TPJ’s most outrageous one-off custom. Luckily for Bryan, with over 10 million Model Ts produced over 20 years, the drop-forged vanadium steel axles are not that hard to find. Bryan had had a number of the ideas incorporated into the bike bouncing around in his head for years before finally piecing them all together on the ‘T. He had to sacrifice his normally clean style to go a little off the deep end with this bike, but he likes the way it all fits together.
The fuel and oil tanks were also fabricated by Bryan at TPJ. The gas tank is his interpretation of the classic coffin, with a more stealth fighter look to it, and a fifty-cent piece added to the cap for an accent. The oil tank is actually the strange protuberance that rises from the gas tank, and was designed to conjure images of the intake on an old hot rod. The steel braided lines flow from the rear of the gas tank to feed the engine its blood.
The rider’s perch is a dramatically lowered seat with a hydraulic shock incorporated for comfort. Feet are supported by TPJ’s own new burly and industrial-looking, mid-mount controls (which incorporate a Buell master cylinder), which are claimed to be strong enough “to jump up and down on.”
The contraption is powered by a Harley Evo crate motor, a powerplant swiftly becoming the Model T of bike engines. Other than a Crane HI-4 ignition (used to reduce bulk), the H-D motor was left alone (again, that whole rideability thing). Bryan did supply the window dressing for the mill with a custom timing cover, an open intake scoop, and a set of vibration-damped pipes, all fabbed in-house.
The tranny is another page out of the Frankenstein Recipe book with an H-D case, Rev Tech covers, JIMS gears and a BDL clutch. Bryan made the motor plate and used BDL pulleys for the 3” belt. The jockey shift is the brass throttle from a vintage tug boat.
Despite all of the one-off parts on this bike, everything except the mid-mounts and spacey oil tank were completed in a thirty-day span to get ready for a bike show. While not being taped for a TV show, it was Bryan’s own personal build-off. With the plethora of ideas he threw at the bike, it would be easy to screw up the composition as a whole, but I think he pulled it off. Pictures really don’t quite capture the essence of this machine. When I first spotted it at the LA Calendar Show, I walked around it three times trying to figure out what angle I should take a shot of it from. Each rotation, I’d see another few details that were put into the rig, and I knew I had to get it on these pages.
Builder: Bryan Schimke
TPJ Customs
Bryan Schimke has always worked with his hands. He was a decent mechanic by the age of 15, worked on friends’ dirt bikes, and even fabricated the occasional piece for a custom bike. When he was still a minor and under his parents’ roof, he wasn’t allowed to ride motorcycles. At 18, his parents finally cut him loose, and he got into Supermoto, street bikes, off-road, and motocross machines. With years of pent-up desire, he went at it from every angle… but his desire to build a custom was still out of reach.
He built his first ground-up at 22 using a West Coast Choppers CFL frame, which he still rides. Other than the frame, he pretty much fabricated everything and started up a successful business building choppers and modifying Harleys.
Over the past seven years he’s built eight ground-up bikes, and twice that number of highly modified stock bikes. Bryan has no preference between modifying Harleys or building his own, but does like the freedom of starting from scratch. You won’t see many CNC-machined parts, as Bryan likes to build stuff by hand to make a bike truly unique. TPJ’s main business is “blue-collar” bikes in the $20k range. Check out TPJ’s website at www.tpjcustoms.com or call Bryan at 209-339-7043.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #54, March-April 2007.
SPECIFICATIONS: | |
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Year/ Make: | ’06 TPJ Customs Model T |
Fabrication/ Assembly: | Bryan Schimke |
Build time: | 30 Days |
Engine: | 2005 H-D 80″ Evolution |
Ignition: | Crane HI-4 |
Carb: | Keihin 44mm CV |
Pipes: | TPJ fabricated |
Air Cleaner: | TPJ Velocity |
Transmission: | H-D/ JIMS Gears |
Primary: | BDL/ TPJ 3″ open belt |
Clutch: | BDL |
Frame: | TPJ Model T Rigid |
Rake/ Stretch: | 32.5-degrees/ 1.5″ |
Forks: | Suzuki Hayabusa/ 2″ under FLH |
Front Wheel: | DID 19×2.5 |
Rear Wheel: | TPJ 16×5.5 |
Front Tire: | Avon Gripster 110/80r19 |
Rear Tire: | Avon AM23 200/60b16 |
Front Brakes: | Honda CRF450 |
Rear Brakes: | H-D caliper/ Russell rotor |
Fuel/ Oil Tanks: | TPJ |
Fenders: | TPJ |
Handlebars: | TPJ |
Riser: | TPJ single riser |
Headlight: | H-D 5.75″ |
Taillight: | TPJ |
Hand Controls: | Honda CRF450 |
TPJ Mid Controls | Foot Controls: |
Painter: | Dominic Weatherford/ TPJ |
Color: | Metallic Blue/ Black and Grey |
Seat: | TPJ hydraulic |