Bikernet East, Zebra Report 8/17/2000:
ZEBRA CRUSHES BANDIT! ARRIVES FIRST IN STURGIS!

Despite overwhelming odds, such as a rev limiter installed secretly byBandit (later ripped out and thrown in the ditch), heavy rain on the eastcoast, phony tags (fuck the Florida DMV), a bleeding gas tank (Bandit issuspected here as well), hail in Atlanta, deer in Kentucky, troopers inIllinois, and a host of other hurdles, as well as a distance over 500 mileslonger than Bandit’s short hop from L.A., Special Agent Zebra rode like anoutlaw and arrived four beers and three Jack and Cokes ahead of Bandit andhad the promised Jack on ice awaiting the West Coast slowpokes. Kudos tothe Doctor of Throttle, Special Agent Zebra.

And in answer to West Coast Chopper’s Jesse James’ question, “Should weconsider Special Agent Zebra a real biker now?”, we at Bikernet.com have ourown questions- how’d that Winnebago ride? Is it a rigid? As Bandit oncesaid, time will tell and shit will smell.

The Great Northern Steamer made the trip up and back, wracking up around-trip total of 6,002 miles on the virgin odometer. Zebra sustained onefried starter motor, two gas tank leaks, one missing kickstand (tore it offon a low left-hand sweeper in Georgia) and a pull-start behind bro andsister Tommy and Mary Ann Mills of Kittanning, PA. Zebra says, “many thanksfor the yank. Got home fine.”

While the Zebra was forced to ride the final 1,300 miles without stoppingor even getting off due to the fried starter motor and missing kickstand, hearrived relatively unscuffed, save for a wracked back and a bit of fatigueinduced delirium.

The actual ChopOff vote, was a washout, since Bandit apparently moved thevote at the last minute to a secret location, garnering every vote.

Stay tuned for the full story, after we wake Zebra up and get him on thekeyboard.

Big Lucy, reporting for Special Agent Zebra, recovering
Bikernet.com East, Miami

Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/11/2000:
Working with Eddie Trotta of Thunder Cycles in Ft. Lauderdale, I’mputting the finishing touches on the Great Northern Steamer, my entry intothe Bikernet ChopOff 2000. We can’t say what the secret changes are thatwe’re making, as we would tip off Bandit and the crew on the West Coast.But suffice to say, they’ll be good. – Zebra

Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/15/2000:
In the race to the finish line, I’ve sent out the tanks and rearfender,which Eddie Trotta and his sheetmetal gurus recut and redrilled (theyweren’t satisfied with the fit we got over the rear tire at Bikernet).Eddie Meeks at Hardly Civilized is doing the paint and artwork wasprovided by our own Ink Dink, Jon Towle. Eddie and his men at Thunder Cycles havechecked and double checked, tweaked and poked our geometry. Break-in isscheduled to start ASAP. Tanks and fender should be back and ready tobolt on in three days. Eddie Meeks is fast and Eddie Trotta is even faster.

The goal is to get a few thousand miles on the horse prior to blast off fromMiami Beach, about as far from Sturgis as you can get. Nobody likessurprises and we’re working hard to eliminate as many as possible. Banditis closing fast and the race is narrowing. It may actually come down to avote after all.

Special Agent Zebra
Bikernet.com East
Miami Beach

Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/24/2000:

In a dark twist of fate, I have fallen behind the dreaded Bandit in ourSturgis 2000 ChopOff, as we near the blast off point. Paint has taken threedays longer than expected and we’ve yet to get even one break-in mile on theGreat Northern Steamer. Eddie Trotta and his boys at Thunder Cycle Designswill be pushing hard to get sheet metal in place, final tail lights wiredand get the big mother RevTech on the asphalt and start the painstakingbreak-in process. Eddie and his boys like to run a bike no more than onemile, bring it back in, check and measure everything, take it back out andrun it two and so on. After they’ve done this several times, they run thebike 25-30, and repeat. You can see how this helps avoid ruining anythingwhich might be slightly off alignment or loose. It’s a good process, but ittakes time, which is something we’re getting damned short on. Bandit hasbeen jeering over the phone daily about how well his scoot is running,although he’s had some clutch difficulties which he’s trying to iron outwith Wrench and the Bikernet West garage gang.

It’s going to be close. Will the Great Northern Steamer leave on time?Will Bandit and the Blue Goose make it from the western country? Will thetorrential Florida rains wash me off the interstate before I can even breakthe Georgia line? Will the searing Death Valley expanse fry Bandit’s enginebefore he can cross into the cool deserts of the north?

It all remains to be seen. Stay tuned as we race to the wire and ourlaunch date, this Saturday at 0-early hundred.

Special Agent Zebra
Bikernet East
Miami Beach

Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/25/2000:

EAST COAST BIKERS RALLY TO ZEBRA’S AID! RACE TO STURGIS HEATING UP FAST!

In an unexpected show of brotherhood, numerous East Coast bikershave rallied to underdog Special Agent Zebra’s aid in the savage Bikernet.comSturgis 2000 ChopOff. Offers of everything from places to bed down andhome-cooked meals to bullets to broads are pouring in all along the Zebra’sroute. Special Agent Zebra, working with minimal support and even fewerresources, has managed to stay neck and neck with the dreaded Bandit and hismassive phalanx of factory technicians and C.A.D.-assisted motorcycleassembly line at the sprawling Bikernet World Headquarters in San Pedro,California, just south of Los Angeles.It was beginning to look as if Special Agent Zebra was going to haveto run on bailing wire and luck, but with the outpouring of biker brotherhood fromliterally thousands of bikers all along the route, Zebra should have a roadpaved with flying panties, roses, fried chicken and cots all the way toSturgis.

Now if Zebra and Eddie Trotta can sweet talk the local DMV cuss intoallowing them to tag and bless entirely unsafe, illegal freak chopperrolling felony, AAA is dumb enough to insure the fuckin’ thing and somebodyis crazy enough to sell him some high-octane fuel, the race will be on. Amoment of silence to the DMV gods. (Actually, the backup plan is to slap aphony plate on the Great Northern Steamer and hope like hell the local fuzzin the lower 49 don’t read this.)

God bless America and may Bandit drive off into the Grand Canyon.

Big Lucy, filling in for Special Agent Zebra

Bikernet EastMiami Beach

-Just one of hundreds of e-mails pouring in from around the nation insupport of the goodly Zebra in his war against the repulsive bastard,Bandit-

Zebra,

_______________________

I am in Hermitage Tn. Just about 10 miles sw of downtown Nashville. Justoff major interstate cluster (figuratively) of 1-40 guick passage back toI-24. Would be glad to put up a fellow armed gypsy biker, Get you fed, bedand on you way. Would be honored to have you stay at my digs. You have mye-mail. phone is 615/883-6490 home/615/620-5266 work. Let me know your plansand I will make necessary arrangements.

I am sure that we can make it easy for you to fly through the middleTennessee area with no time lost to that scoundrel Bandit. If you read theoriginal message I am sure that you known that I would not hinder anyone’sprogress. I was pulling for the Bikernet East all the way. So just lay atease about that alms thing from the west.

Just a hole in the wall, where a good armed outlaw/gypsy can rest hisweary bones.

RH

Bikernet East, Zebra Report 7/27/2000:

Special Agent Zebra nabbed at Florida DMV!

In a henious turn of events yesterday, Special Agent Zebra was nearlyimprisoned at the Florida Deparment of Vehicles, while trying to registerthe barely legal Great Northern Steamer, Zebra’s entry into the dreadedBikernet ChopOff 2000 competition. Foul play is suspected as one of the MSO(manufactuerer’s statement of origin) was sent by Bandit from the West Coastand in fact was the offending document which led to a rush of State Troopersand much dark swearing and wrestling about.

Upon presentation of his special construction bike, Special Agent Zebra waspromptly informed that he was guilty of a felony in the third degree forattempting to register a motorcycle outside of the area in which he resides.

Sensing danger, Special Agent Zebra made an immediate attempt to abort themission when the DMV agent in charge, a savage cunt with one eye and titsmade from rotting gauze wrapped around cantelopes, called in the FloridaHighway Patrol. A hairy chase ensued as Special Agent Zebra put in somefast break-in miles and managed to give the rule-crazy cops the shake innorthern Miami.

“It’s going to be an outlaw run from here on out,” Zebra told Bandit overthe phone from an undisclosed location. “I’ll deal with you when I get toSturgis, you evil sonofabitch!” Zebra roared, as Bandit bawled with laughteron the other end of the line.

Turns out Bandit sent Zebra an engine MSO from a chopper he’d reportedstolen over ten years ago and then parted out. A dirty trick, consideringthe actual engine Zebra is running in the Great Northern Steamer is a brandnew, monster RevTech 88 given to the Zebra by our fine bros at CustomChrome.

Set up, wanted by the law and running underground now, Zebra is by far theunderdog in this dastardly competition.

It’s anyone’s guess if Zebra can move from one friendly club house to thenext under the cover of darkness as he makes his way along the undergroundbiker railroad to Sturgis, where he will even the score with Bandit.

Bandit, law abiding yuppie that he is will have the advantage, as heblissfully strolls along in broad daylight on his entirely legal cruiser,having worked closely- perhaps too closely (could Bandit be a cop?)- withthe local California Highway Patrol to get his motorcycle licensed.

Stay tuned as we continue to update you on the mad race to the Badlands.

Big Lucy, filling in for Special Agent Zebra

Just when you thought a project slipped off the lift, the paint arrived. Harold Pontarelli of H-D Performance, in Vacaville, California, made this puppy sing. It’s now mighty close to pavement miles. What started as a 1984 Mexican Police bike was transformed into a 1928 Shovelhead.

All the Compu-fire electrics possible were stashed on brackets built into the frame backbone, under the split halves, of the gas tanks. The finish on the frame, front end, brackets and wheel rims came from Custom Powder Coating in Dallas. The drive to finish the bike came from Lena, the lovely daughter of Rick Fairless, the owner of Strokers Dallas, formerly Easyriders of Dallas.

The magazine publisher determined that the 30-odd Easyriders stores around the country were not sending him enough bags of gold and pulled his name from their stores. Whatta shame, but Rick and many of the other store owners have bargained with supportive companies such as HOT BIKE and Big Dog. Some have chosen one of those names to stand behind, others, like Rick and Myron Larabbee, in Scottsdale, Arizona headed in their own directions. We’ll see what happens next.

This scooter is reminiscent of kits now being manufactured by Arlen Ness and Randy Simpson of Milwaukee Iron in Lynchburg, Virginia. Both of these talented builders are developing rolling chassis kits to house the driveline of your choice. Check with them if you have an engine and transmission around that’s dying for a nostalgic rejunivation.

This particular 1928 Shovelhead was built with scraps and components from as far away as England. Parts were ordered from sources that actually remanufacturer fenders, tanks and seats for old Harley restorations. Additional components were scavenged from a shop closing in Van Nuys, California, but the final creation, fabrication and assembly was handled by a couple of talented builders at Strokers in Dallas. JR started the project then escaped the country for four years, while Jim Stultz took over. Jim has since opened his own shop and JR returned to the fold for final assembly.

JR slicked the welds before anything was powdered or chromed and cut spacers for the rear 21-inch wheel. They ran into one problem with the battery box configuration. The battery wouldn’t fit. With some quick adjustments, a super strong Spyke gel battery slipped into place and kicked the scoot right off. The oil is housed in a portion of the gas tanks, so the box above the transmission handles only the battery and the ignition switch, with some wiring.

“When we build bikes,” JR said, “We completely mock them up before chrome and paint, but we don’t juice and start them. That creates too much of a mess to deal with before chrome and paint.” I rode through the final joining of parts with JR for tips that you could use. When the majority of the chrome and paint was in hand he began assembly. “First we had to send the wheels out to be relaced, trued and balanced,” JR explained. Since we went the extra mile to powdercoat the rims, the wheels had to be torn down, then re-assembled once the painted rims were returned. Note that the front 21 matches the 21 on the rear for that spindly, early look.

JR put the bike up with the front end, rear fender (it had tight clearances, so they mounted the fender before the wheel) rear wheel and front wheel, so it was a rolling chassis. Then the engine was installed (after the powder was shaved away from the mounting areas) and the transmission in that order. Before the driveline was tightened, he mounted the inner primary to insure proper alignment. Then the battery box was installed.

Next the electrical components were installed so that the wiring could be run between the gas tanks and hidden from view. Then the gas tanks/oil tank was installed on the backbone of the frame. Jim originally bent solid tubing oil lines, but they leaked some and tight bends were threatening oil flow. “I was concerned,” JR said, “Shovels and Pans need a lot of lubrication, quick. If I could, I’d pour the oil in through a big funnel. He was concerned about the myriad of hard bends and the small I.D. of the tubing. “I chose to use a larger diameter rubber tubing.”

Then JR mounted the brakes, which were both disc and mostly Performance Machine components. Final components followed including the primary drive, the handlebars, headlight and internal throttle to the S&S carb. Note the lack of controls on the bars.

“The engine fired off the first time,” JR said smiling. “We planned to Jet Hot coat the handmade exhaust pipes, but the boss, Rick Fairless, voted for chrome.” After the bike was fired and tested they yanked the pipes for dipping.

If you’ve read the previous installments, you caught the sixth wife threat looming over Bandit’s head. After five wives he has a deadly code, “No more wives”. So he drug his cowboy boots in a dire effort to stay out of Texas. He’s hoping his tactic worked, that the lovely Lena Fairless has grown and lost her desire to chain Bandit down one more time. She’s almost of age and being sought after by a line-up of young Dallas riders. Hopefully, one will sweep her off her dainty feet.

Bandit remains in California and awaits the arrival of the 1928 Shovelhead via a Truck from American Iron Horse, the custom bike manufacturer in Dallas. Then we’ll road test the scoot ourselves and take the photos needed for a full feature on Bikernet and in a bike magazine. Hopefully soon it will rumble down the old streets of San Pedro, its home.

–Wrench

Master builder and mechanic, Deacon, from Pro-Street in Oahu.

Bob Kay. from American Iron Horse. was a bro and shipped the retro Shovelhead. from Strokers in Dallas. to LifeStyle Cycles in Orange County, California along with a new batch of Dallas Choppers. It arrived the day before a handful of weary travelers stumbled into Los Angeles. on their way home, from Sturgis, Glen and Kerry Priddle were headed back to Australia after spending almost a month, with a dozen Aussies, roaming the mid west.

Deacon’s son Chase and the 1928 Shovelhead.

Deacon, his son Chase, and the son’s girl Amanda rode several thousand miles averaging 95 mph wherever they rode. Deacon and Chase are both master mechanics. The ol’ man’s shop, Pro-Street, is located on Oahu, (808) 236-0405 and he’s negotiating with Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. to build engines for Billy’s Discovery Channel Bikes. His son is working in Oregon, but as soon as he returns, he’s packin’ his shit and heading back to the islands.

JIMS machine rebuilt and detailed the engine. It was sharp and runs like a top.

Charging and checking battery connections.

Deacon checking the solenoid.

Deacon rolled into the Bikernet Headquarters just as the Shovel arrived and we attempted to fire the beast to life. I moved the seat forward, detailed the front end and charged the battery. But, even with a fresh battery, she wouldn’t engage. Deacon suspected the aftermarket solenoid. Seems the spacers and gaskets are too thick, just enough to prevent the solenoid from grabbing the shaft. I trimmed the gasket with an Exacto blade and Deacon ground the face of the spacer. Installed, it worked like a champ. We took it for a ride.

Los Angeles Harbor and our first roadtest.

First Deacon checked the connections and voltage at the solenoid. He also shorted across the leads with an Allen wrench to see if the circuit was operating properly.

The solenoid replaced after the gasket around the base was trimmed and the spacer, behind the unit, shaved. Worked perfectly.

Checkin’ the gears.

It was impossible to jam the suicide shifter into nuetral once the bike was running, even while rolling. Deacon and chase adjusted the clutch, and recommended a Rivera, old school, clutch pack to eliminate chatter and afford the rider smoother shifts. The clutch wobbled and was too tight to find neutral. They loosened the springs until only a thread showed past the adjustment nuts and the spring retainer ran true.

Can you see the cracks?

The Millermatic 175 hard at work.

Deacon built a bead then ground it smooth as a baby’s ass.

The tip installed, solid as a rock.

I developed padded fork stops and while running we noticed that the clean, handmade, Stroker’s pipe tip was rattling with only one bolt holding it. Upon removal we discovered that the area around the installation nut had already cracked and Deacon grabbed the Millermatic. He welded the cracks and nut for more strength. Then we discovered that the tip shelf was too small, so the pipe end had a tendency to vibrate. Deacon went back to the welder and built a bead around the outside, of the shelf, then ground it to fit. A much cleaner/tighter fit, and the pipe didn’t require an additional fastener.

Anybody know how old this cast bronze emblem is?

While in Hawaii at the first Choppers Only Show in Wakiki, I gave Deacon, the promoter, a handmade belt buckle for being a gracious host. He returned the favor with an old license plate doodad from the Antique Motorcycle Club. It was destined for the Shovelhead.

While testing the shifting, clutch and tranny, the gears seemed to bang harshly. We checked the oil level, which seemed precariously low. It wasn’t bad, but we drained the oil and replaced it with fresh Custom Chrome tranny lube.

The 1928 Shovel was ready to rock and so were we. Deacon and Glen broke out harmonicas and kicked off the blues. They sampled the Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew, Sin Wu barbecued and the party rolled on.

Deacon and Glen bringing down the Bikernet Garage.

One mo’ shot of Tullamore Dew.

Helluva night, sharp bike and times to always remember. The next day Deacon air-freighted his 2003 FLH to Oahu and grabbed a flight. His son and Amanda boarded their basket case Softail and rode north. Glen and Kerry hid out in Los Angeles and waited for their flight back to Australia, and we dusted off the headquarters and pretended to go back to work.

Stay tuned for the next adventure of the 1928 Shovelhead.

–Bandit

With Sturgis 2000 looming over Bandit’shead we’ve been firing away at the getting the job done. Bikernet Eastmachine was well out in front in the competition when we wheeled the Agent’slow slung Softail onto a slick Gold Rush semi and said goodbye as the rig,packed with Ultra machines, Big Dogs and customs from the west coast, headedeast. Eddie Trotta from Thunder Design was more than happy to have thebike unpacked in his shop in Fort Lauderdale, so he could point a fingerat Bandit’s creation for Agent Zebra and bust out laughing, “You expectto ride that to Sturgis?” he said rolling on the floor of his shop. Weweren’t discouraged and neither was Bandit as we strapped the road wingswheels, the Weerd Brothers Front end on the Daytec rigid and went to work.

This was no ordinary installation. First,time was a factor, second it’s no normal, stock carburetor swap. The 98-inchS&S motor offered taller cylinders and improper intake manifold fitment.The stock Super E S&S manifold was too big for the 42 mm polished MikuniCarburetor. Stock manifolds shove the carb out too far and aren’t wideenough for the tall S&S cylinders so a quick call was made to JamesSimonelli of S&S who rushed the correct manifold to Mikuni. Lee alsowanted to explore an American Iron Horse manifold available for their customswhich pull the carb in closer to the engine and “L.T.” or James Littleof American Iron Horse moved equally fast and the parts were in hand inone day. The next hurtle: The cables. A call went out to Xavier at BarnettCables who turned about a set of Mikuni compatible cables which are setup the same as stock H-D cables, but cut to Bryan’s specifications forthe job. They also arrived in time.

Bryan pointed out an adjustment on theleft side of the carb as you face it, a main jet air adjustment. He toldme to inform Bandit to turn it out a half turn in Denver for more compatiblerunning in altitudes. The bike immediately fired to life for the firsttime. Two weeks to go.

–Wrench