103-Inch Frankenknuckle Survives

Randy Flores, the owner of this sharp, off-road bobber, classic hooked up with Bill Dodge after he left the west coast to open his own shop, Bling Cycles, in New Jersey (recently, he moved to Kentucky). He fell in love with one of Bill’s first project builds, but Bill wouldn’t let it go.

“Let me build you one,” Bill said, and the 4-month project began. Since then, he’s worked with Bill on a couple of bikes, one for his 23-year-old son, Randy, who works side-by-side with his dad as his security system installation company electrician.

All went well with his arrangement with Bill until 2007 and he was anxious to hook up with Bill in Sturgis or Daytona to pick up this 103-inch, kick-only Knucklehead. Sturgis slipped past, then Biketoberfest, and Randy was jonesing for his ride, so he grabbed a pal, Robert, and his two-week old Chevy 1-ton crew cab truck and hauled ass across the country.

“We were going to spend four days hanging out at Bling,” Randy said, “but it was November and the weather was shifting, so we grabbed our shit and peeled out.”

They hit some snow in the Pohatcong Mountains but slipped out of New Jersey on the 78 heading for Interstate 70 and Indianapolis. Just 40 miles east of the city, Randy spotted an accident ahead and started to brake.

Three bikes were strapped securely in the bed of his new pick-up. Ahead in the slippery weather, a sedan crossed the grassy medium and collided with an oncoming car, head on. The interstate was jammed with emergency vehicles as he slowed and a semi truck approached from the right lane. Then out of nowhere, another truck rear-ended Randy’s pickup at 70 mph. The truck driver in the next lane testified that the drunk driver, asleep at the wheel, never hit his brakes.

The tie-downs holding the bikes to the bed snapped and all three bikes shot against the flimsy gate of the bed, actually diminishing the impact on the cab. The airbags never deployed, so they were able to drive the crippled truck off the interstate and filed a report with the authorities. That night, they tried everything to find a drink to calm their nerves, but dry state laws kicked their butts and ultimately they limped home.

“The bikes were fine,” Randy said, although his trip partner broke both wrists, “but we were a mess. We just wanted a drink and a good night’s rest.”

Randy installs security systems in Inland Empire office buildings, Empire Alert Security, and his wife of 28 years, Kim, runs the office. He’s in the process of building her a ’71 Triumph Trophy, with the assistance of Todd and Dennis, at Todd’s Cycle in Orange County, California. He also has a Night Train worked over by Kirk Taylor and Bill Wall.

“We don’t trailer to shows, we ride them,” Randy said. “We even ride our bikes at the Costa Mesa’s California Speedway on H-D night at the flat tracks. I like to watch Todd race. He’s into it.”

Todd helped him convert his hard-kickin’ big-inch Knuck to an electric start, and I’m sure we’ll see another Randy project with plenty of Dennis and Todd components.

I’ll tell you a quick sidebar about Dennis, the sheet metal fabricator at Todd’s Cycle. His folks opened a restaurant in San Jose, some 370 miles from Huntington Beach, where the Todd’s Empire resides. Dennis jams north along the coast of California every weekend to help his family run their new eatery, then peels back to Orange County every Sunday night to take his place behind his plate steel desk with panelbeater sandbag and teardrop mallet to create killer gas tanks, form oil tanks, fenders, whatever, at Todd’s Cycle during the week.

That’s a serious work ethic. Hang on for more Randy projects in the near future.

–Bandit

Bikernet Extreme FrankenKnuckle Tech Chart

Owner: Randy Flores

City: Upland

State: Califa

Website: Alertsecuritysystems.com

E Mail: Randy@alertsecuritysystems.com

What kind of bike?

Make: Blings Cycles

Year: 2007

Model: FrankenKnuckle

Type: Dirt Bike

Fabrication: Bling’s Cycles

Time: 4 months

Assembly: Blings Cycles

Assembler: Bill Dodge

Value: Don’t Ask

Clutch: Hydraulic

ENGINE:

Type: Accurate Engineering / Knucklehead

Displacement: 103

Year: 2007

Horsepower: Not Enough

Heads: Flathead Power and Branch O’Keefe

Valves: Same

Pistons: J&E

Cylinders: Same

Camshaft: Same

Lifters: JIMS

Pushrods: JIMS

Carburetor/Injection: S&S Super E

Air Cleaner: Blings Stack

Transmission: Baker Six Into Four “Franken Tranny” (Their first one)

Ignition: Morris Magneto

Exhaust: Blings Cycles

Mufflers: Nope

Finish: Jet-Coat Flat Black

Frame:

Type: Bling’s Rigid Frame

Year: 2007

Builder: Bling’s

Stretch: None

Rake: 35 Degrees

Swing Arm: Nope

Shocks: None

Modifications: Yep

Forks:

Type: Blings Cycles

Year: 2007

Builder: Blings Cycles

Finish: Black

Triple Trees: Narrow Glide

Wheels

Front:

Rim: Honda Elsinore / Blings

Size: 23 x 1.75

Hub: Blings

Finish: Black

Fender: None

Tire: Bridgestone

Brake: None

Rear:

Rim: Found In The Back of The Shop

Size: 18 x 5.5

Brake: Brembo

Finish: Black

Fender: A Gift From My Son

Tire: Metzler

Small shit:

Handlebars: Pro Taper

Risers: Todd’s Cycles

Headlights: Hella

Taillights: F-U

Turn Signals F/R: None

Speedometer: Nope

Tachometer: Nope

Gauges: None

Seat: Blings Stainless

Oil Tank: Blings

Fuel Tank(s): Wassell Modified By Blings

Primary: Evil Engineering

Hand Controls: Brembo GP With Hand Control Rear Brake

Foot Controls: Mid Controls / Blings Cycles

Paint, Chrome, and other F/X’s:

Colors: Blingelberry Blue

Type: House of Kolors

Special Paint: Low Rider Panels

The Painter: French Kiss Kustoms

Chrome: None

Color: Black

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