I‘ve been a fan of Brass Balls Bobbers for some time now, mainly because of the man behind the name, Dar Holdsworth. Dar is a man of principals and he puts those principals at the front of all he does in business. Darwin Motorcycles’ mission statement is simple: Above average motorcycles for the average Joe. Their Diggers and Choppers have gained them national attention and multiple awards from the industry. While Dar has gone to great lengths to live up to the mantra of the company, by bringing a good quality product to the public at a more than reasonable price point, he has also gone over his bikes piece-by-piece, upgrading components to better quality, American made components. Additions like Baker Drivetrain transmissions and Wilwood brakes brakes have been compliments of the company with no increase in the cost, very uncommon in the motorcycle industry today and very admirable as well.
The Model 1S
From everything that I’ve stated above, you can understand why I wasn’t entirely surprised when I turned the corner at the Cincinnati V-Twin Expo and saw Dar standing with his latest creation, the Model 1. Here was a bike for the times man, in the spirit of Henry Ford himself, a single color, fully equipped manufactured motorcycle that had style and performance.
I was, however, quite shocked by the price tag of $15,995. I looked over the bike and pointed out an impressive list of features for myself and asked the question that many have since: How the hell can he make money on this bike at that price? But that’s where Dar has his principals in line; he wants to make a quality product and sell it at a fair price. He’s willing to do this at a reasonable profit, one that might be less than some but adequate in his mind for a time that our country needs a break. Rather than grab a box of parts from overseas and just throw them all together, he and his staff hand build each model with mostly American products, and for that, the Model 1 was a hit before I ever threw a leg over it.
The Model 1S By Design
It wasn’t until Sturgis this year that I would get my chance to ride a Model 1 and by that point Dar had decided to also offer it in a Softail version, the Model 1S. Other than the lack of a rigid, the bikes were identical and the price was only a grand more for the suspension version. Dar brought the bike out to the Broken Spoke just in time for me to go on the annual Source “Run to the Line” ride and I got to spend some good quality time with it. I looked it over; I was amazed how they managed to keep a sleek bobber-style in this machine while adhering to all the safety regulations that a manufacturer must comply with. As I sat on it I was impressed with hand controls that felt firm and strong, switches that operated precisely, you know, not the cheap catalogue kind. A small riser mounted speedo contained all the necessary instrument indicators that it needed and the overall look of the bike was a perfect fit with the no frills approach that many of the builders are taking in the custom world. Riding The Model 1S
So there’s no need to point out that I’m a big guy and this is a smaller motorcycle, but still I found the rider position to be comfortable. The optional seat, that has some killer padding, made it all the more comfortable but in general, the fit was much better than the circus bear feeling I get from some of the smaller bobber-style bikes.
I pulled ahead of the pack on our run to get a feel for how this thing would react. The D&D exhaust enhances the 80-inch H-D engine growl and the throttle response was smooth and strong due to tuned exhaust. It pulled through all the gears crisply and didn’t have that jerky power that came off or on in any part of the range; just smooth delivery throughout. Mild mannered is definitely the term I’d use here, and when coupled with the Baker Drivetrain and Tauer 2-inch belt drive primary, it was impeccable. The four piston Wilwood brakes are made from the same company that supplies NASCAR, so of course they were more than enough to stop the very light 1S.
The handling was well balanced and didn’t have flop or any awkward feeling under aggressive turning, indicating that the frame geometry was in good order. I will have to admit that I almost forgot several times that I was on a production model with turn signals and a neutral safety switch. It seemed just like any other garage built custom that I might have grabbed from the lot that weekend, so in that, Brass Balls gets an honorable mention in the cool department. You don’t want to have to get a bike and start taking things off of it just to make it cool and with the 1S you don’t have to. As a matter of fact, it even looked good with the mud that I covered it with from a night of riding back roads in Sturgis through the rain. The next morning, a simple hose job and all was good again. This is my kinda’ bike man: no hassles.
One of the best features was the profile of the damn thing; it’s like a giant magnet. Everywhere I stopped, people were just drawn to the bike. And who can blame them. The picture taken below was shot from across the lot to show how cool this bike looks just parked. When you take it down the road, it only gets better.
So my final assessment of the Brass Balls Bobbers’ Model 1S is that it passes with flying colors. It has a great list of American made parts, a solid feel, smooth ride and a killer look. With a man like Dar behind this product, I’d be proud to have one in my garage and at the limited time price of $16,995, you might do well to park one in yours.
Brass Balls Bobbers & Choppers
401 S. Blackwelder Ave. – Oklahoma City, OK
www.brassballsbobbers.com
Jeff Cochran
www.speedkingphoto.com
The Model 1 is value priced but does not skimp on the premium components that keeps the rider ahead of the pack.
• Motor: H-D 80″ EVO natural finish
• Exhaust: Black ceramic coat D&D Performance Enterprises
• Primary: Tauer Machine Warlord belt drive
• Brakes: Wilwood performance 4 piston front and rear
• Hand controls: Excel
• Tires: Metzler ME 880’s (front 21″ x 90mm & rear 16″ x 150mm)
• Frame: BBB Digger frame 36 degrees, 0″ up, 0″ out
Engine
• Year: 2009
• Make: Harley-Davidson
• Model: EVO
• Displacement: 80 C.I.
• Carburetion: S&S E
• Air cleaner: S&S teardrop
• Exhaust: D&D Performance Enterprises
Transmission
• Year: 2009
• Make: BAKER Drivetrain
• Gear configuration: 5 speed
• Primary: Tauer Machine 2″ Warlord
• Clutch: Tauer Machine
• Frame
• Year: 2009
• Make: Brass Balls Bobber
• Style or Model: Standard
• Stretch: 0 up, 0 out
• Rake: 36 degrees
Front End
• Front end: 2009 Springer
• Length: 2″ under Standard
Sheet metal
• Tanks: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Fenders: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Oil tank: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
Finish
• Sheet metal: Model 1 Midnight Wrinkle Black
• Frame: Model 1 Gloss Black
Front Wheels
• Front: chrome 40 spoke
• Make: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Size: 21″ x 2.15″
• Brake calipers: Wilwood 4 piston
• Brake rotor(s): Wilwood Motorcycles/BBB
• Tire: Metzler ME 880 Marathon 21″ x 90MM
Rear Wheels
• Rear: chrome 40 spoke
• Make: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Size: 16-inch x 140mm
• Brake calipers: Wilwood 4 piston
• Brake rotor: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Tire: Metzler ME 880 Marathon 16″ x 150MM
Controls
• Forward controls: Excel Motorcycles/BBB
• Master cylinder: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Brake lines: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Handlebar controls: Excel
• Finish: Brushed
• Clutch Cable: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Brake Lines: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Shifting: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Kickstand: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
Electrical
• Ignition: Crane Hi-4
• Ignition switch: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Coils: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Regulator: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Charging: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Wiring: Wire Plus
• Harness: Wire Plus
• Headlight: Bobber style
• Taillight: Dual – 2-inch Rocket Lights
• Accessory lights: Signals
• Electrical accessories: horn
• Switches: yes
• Battery: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
Misc
• Seat: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Mirror(s): radius arm retro chrome
• Gas caps: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Handlebars: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Grips: Old school black rubber
• Pegs: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Oil filter: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Oil lines: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Fuel filter: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Fuel Lines: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Throttle: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Throttle cables: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
• Fasteners: Darwin Motorcycles/BBB
“The Brass Balls Bobber Model 1 is the very essence of our bikes, explained Dar Holdsworth,” Brass Balls Bobbers’ Bossman. “Built with no compromises, the Model 1 delivers outstanding performance using racebike quality components and inspired by the cool no nonsense bikes of old. This bike accelerates, turns and stops in a manner that rival performance cars.”–Dar Holdsworth
