Flying Low and Fast in South Florida

On the list of most bike happy U.S. states, Florida comes up second only to California for the number of registered motorcycles. A bunch of them flock around the West Palm Beach area. There’s massive interest in custom machines with a distinctive Sunshine State flavor. It’s expanding thanks in part to the activities of the local Vintage Iron Club as well as the unique machines conjured up by John Gatti at his Gatti’s Garage workshop located in Lake Worth, just a short putt from W. Palm.

John’s known for covering the full spectrum of American, European, and Japanese powered machines. They could be called bobbers, dragsters, street fighters, café racers and radical customs, but the better term would be “hybrids” since he mixes flavors and styles with a blender running on max creativity. Case in point, two very different bikes he built for married couple and 25-year veteran riders Tony and Lora Baccari.

Tony happens to be in the paint and body biz aka Cryptic Cycles and sprays many of the bikes for John including both his and his wife’s rides. Originally from north Long Island, he’s made Florida his own since 1978 which happens to be the official vintage of the custom 750 Kawasaki John fabricated and which Tony did all the frame molding and painting. It’s one of seven bikes he and his wife Lora ride including two Pro Streets and two custom Road Glides. Like we said, veteran riders.

Tony’s bike features a black base over which he sprayed a House of Kolor green metal flake while award winning artist Chuck Llewellyn in Cape Coral, FL handled the pinstriping. The bike’s frame is Kawi from the middle of the backbone to the rear end fabbed by John. As for the trick frontend, Tony says, “A few years ago on our way to a New Orleans bike show, I was looking through a bike mag and it featured this cool frontend on a trike, so I asked John to replicate it for my bike. It’s all solid tubes and carved from a solid block of metal. I molded it, and the rear springs came off the 750, the shackles CNC’d by John. I ride a lot of hardtails and this front end tracks straight and when you hit the bumps it doesn’t get squirrely.”

Now for maybe the single biggest eye magnet…the battery box that looks like a six pack Coors. John found them somewhere, one of only two he had ever seen. Made from aluminum, he thinks they were a company promo item used maybe for holding pretzels at a bar. In any case, they are way cool. The lid comes off and the battery and electrics are stowed within. John also made the leather seat with the star to match the star tattoo Tony carries.

Tony also wanted an Old School suicide shifter and John came up with the linkage while the skull shifter knob turned up at a swap meet. There’s also a handbrake for the rear Kawi transplanted brake. You might notice the kickstand is on the “opposite” side from normal, the move precipitated by the fuel cap placement. Says Tony, “I also did it because I just like to be different. Like I had planned to use apes but was sitting on the bike and just happened to grab hold of a set of drag bars and they felt and looked right. I painted them a Tuxedo black with some flake, a color they use on the new Ford pick-ups.”

Asked to compare the Kawi to his other customs, he says, “I would say this bike is compact fast. It lets me get into the corners and really play. You can throw it around pretty good. It’s a lot of fun and I end up just jumping on it and riding to work or wherever.” Tony tells us he’ll be taking it to the upcoming Octoberfest in Daytona for its official debut.

Switching to Lora’s bike, she says, “When I first met John Gatti he pulled up at a bike show on this cool rat bobber, and I wanted one. He started this one out ratty, but it then went beyond rat. It’s got that drag race/hill-climb look John likes. And since my drink is Red Headed Slut and I love skulls, I chose that artwork.” It was a group effort so to speak with Tony painting the base colors, Llewellyn the pinstriping on the frame, and Bones, who for years has painted for Eddie Trotta at Thunder Cycle, airbrushing the artwork.

Since it was a fairly radical departure from her other bikes, when asked if there was learning curve when she first got on it, Lora replies, “Yeah, for the first half mile down the street. My other bikes, like the Sportster with a fat 330 rear tire, feel heavier in the back, but this one feels heavier in the front.”

Again the frame is part Yamaha XS 400, the rest all custom, the 400 twin motor replanted very low to the ground with Tony adding his molding expertise and paint. Among the several custom pieces are the very trick handlebar levers, again hand-fabbed by John.

Says Lora, “I was on a bridge going to Daytona when these guys just stopped their truck, got out and came over to ask me where I got them. I told them my buddy made them, John Gatti. And people come up to me shaking their head, saying that long chain is going to break, but I’ve been riding for six years with it.” John also designed the forward controls and since Lora wanted something loud dug out an old megaphone he had been stowing away. Lora got the loud she wanted.

And like Tony’s leather seat, he hand-tooled one for Lora. He also split a vintage Honda tank and then left the welding mark raw like suture lines further adding to its character. Summing it up Lora says, “It’s loud, low and fun to ride.”

Both Tony and Lora have enjoyed thousands of miles on their Gatti bikes including adventures to Sturgis and are looking forward to many more flying low and fast in South Florida. With bikes with so much “curb appeal” plus their riders, it’s no wonder the cameras start snapping as soon as they appear–this rider/writer’s included. Big thanks to Tony, Lora and John for showing us their Florida Flyers.