It is only 10 o’clock in the morning!!! All I heard as I answered the phone was “Does the Girls of Bikernet mean anything to you?” Why yes I am a contributor to that fine Internet publication, I managed to choke out.
DAMN Telemarketers, I have got to enroll in that “Do Not Call” list! Who the hell is up at the ungodly hour anyway? I do admit that comment got me pondering my current options; OK, so I was supposed to send something back in February. But come on, the big guy shot down my first lady, the bike was always on-line, as the Devil is always ready & willing! So what to do next?
Sure I had recently taken a job drinking Patron tequila and groping beautiful women (see gentlemen’s club manager), but those hotties are worse then feral cats when I walk in the room… but wait, a tall, sexy woman is still hanging at her locker. Hi there, I’m a “professional photographer” want to let me take your picture? Once they flushed the mace from my eyes I was back on her track, I mean come on, she’s got this Cowgirl thing going on!
Since it seemed that my keen wit and charm were not working, I went for plan B! Hi there, let me buy you a drink… once she came to, it was too late. I had hauled this lovely lady off to the devil’s workshop otherwise known as Lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston, Texas. Still I got lip (took the mace away), “If you wanted to see me naked you just had to hang out in the DJ booth while I was getting ready” she spouted!
Yeah, yea, yea, look I just want you to come in the other room and sit on something. (Note for future, this girl has a hell of a quick right cross, oh yea and duck!) Once I finally got her to gaze upon this fine ride she was more then ready.
You see the bike before you was built by Lucky Devil Metal Works in Houston, Texas as the official entry for the Lone Star Biker Bash held back in September of ‘04. Kent and LDMW were one of 18 builders throughout the nation chosen to compete in the Big Texas Build Off. Rules were the bike had to be original, never before seen, and oh yeah, it had to be finished in six weeks from acceptance of the challenge. Sure this might seem easy when compared to some of these 10-day deals you see on TV, however when you have multiple customers’ bikes being transformed and a deadline as well, the trick becomes when do you build it?
Once the decision to compete was made, the devil, aka Kent Weeks began to form a plan. While Kent hails originally form the Bay Area, the bike would be built in honor of his new home and the Texas Fireball began to take shape. The frame is custom built by the Devil himself, notice the Texas stretch on the custom front tube with Texas shape water jetted into it. The rake for the Texas Fireball is a whopping 51 degrees! Yep that’s what I said, 45 degrees in the frame and six more in the trees for that extra touch and light handling. The RST trees are matched up to 16-inch over CCI tubes, with custom sliders from Maximum Metal Works with a single side mount Lucky Devil Fender. And she handles the wicked Houston streets like a dream!
The powertrain for this beast comes from a slightly molested and polished 96-inch S&S motor connected to an RSD 6-Speed trans from Primo with a BDL 3-inch open belt drive with the oil filter mount. All of this goes rolling about town on EGO Tripp wheels and Avon rubber with a 21×90/90 up front and 250X40/r18 in the rear. PM 4-piston calipers handle the stopping duties, while PM master cylinders work with the custom built Lucky Devil foot controls.
The Texas theme is repeated throughout the bike from the grips and pegs, to the Texas shaped foot controls. Hey Devil, where did you get that idea? The theme is then continued in the sprocket, as well as the one-off brake rotors, that were hand polished by our friend Bradley Da Polisher whom we lost in 2004. And if that were not enough Texas, for you then gaze upon, the Six Gun Shifter and Texas saddle.
You really have to sit back gaze upon this bike a time or two to take in all the little extras. Like the internal throttle is routed through the custom built LDMW bars and frame exiting out the bottom of the solid mounted fuel tank, the stainless steel front brake line, custom motor mount, custom Lucky Devil wheel spacers or the solid mounted license plate bracket and taillight make this is one very clean machine.
The only item that concerned me during this bike’s transformation was the Devil’s color choice. It’s gonna be bass boat red metalflake! WTF! But as you can see it was the perfect choice, and boy howdy does she sparkle in the afternoon light!
Now some of you may be reading this and checking out the images accompanying it and saying, “Hey these are not the same pictures, something’s different!” OK, you caught me, these pictures were not all shot at the same time, you see the bike itself was photographed for a publication last year.
It was during a brief, but dark and tumultuous few months in this publication’s history, when anarchy and debauchery roamed the corridors and some Senior Editor heathen allowed women to once again be viewed in conjunction with fine rides. Unfortunately the heathen placed these photos in the wrong folder or was using them as a coaster for his Jack Daniels; nonetheless they were lost to the masses until now!
Thanks to the lovely Marisa, who still wants to do some more shoots with the Texas Fireball, so keep an eye out for a possible part two? I attempted to purchase this machine soon after its completion, but the devil was not interested in my convenient monthly payment plan. And his offer was no better; I’m keeping my soul!
Till next time,
–RFR
The Devil's Spec Sheet
Owner: Lucky Devil
City/State: Houston Texas
Builder: Kent Weeks / Lucky Devil
company contact info:
Fabrication: Lucky Devil
Manufacturing:Mr.Devil, Spanky, Hunt&Hunt, Brent's grinding
Welding: Lucky Devil
Machining: Lucky Devil / Mike Stegmire
Engine
Year: 04
Make: S&S
Model: Supper Stock
Displacement: 96″
Builder or Rebuilder: S&S and molested my a local speed freak
Cases: S&S
Case finish: Polished
Carburetion: S&S shorty
Transmission
Year: 04
Make:Primo
Gear configuration: 6 Speed
Final drive: right side
Primary: BDL 3″ open Belt
Clutch: Hydro Foot clutch
Frame
Year:04
Make: Lucky Devil
Style or Model: Texas Firball
Stretch: Texas size
Rake: 45
Modifications: Texas inlays on the single down tube and manually machined and polished finial tips on the frame
Front End
Make: RST 6 degree trees, CCI supplied the tubes and maximum metal works made the custom sliders
Model: Fireball
Year:04
Length:16 over
Mods: single side front fender mount
Sheet metal
Tanks: Lucky Devil / Road hard
Fenders: lucky Devil / Road Hard
Oil tank: CCI
Other: Lucky Devil single side front fender mount
Paint
Sheet metal: custom fireball red bass boat metal flake
Molding: Mike @ Lucky Devil
Base coat: Mike / Jessie
Graphics: Jessie Calvan
Frame: same as skins
Molding: Mike Landburg
Base coat: Mike / Jessie
Graphics or art: True flames on front rocker box
Wheels
Front
Make: Ego Trip
Size: 21
Brake calipers: Performance machine
Brake rotor(s): Lucky Devil Texas rotrs
Tire: Avon
Rear
Make: Ego trip
Size: 18
Brake calipers: P.M.
Brake rotor: LD Texas rotor
Pulley: L.D. Texas rotor
Tire:Avon 250
Controls
Foot controls: Lucky Devil
Finish: Chrome
Master cylinder: P>M>
Brake lines: braided stainless
Handlebar controls: Lucky Devil / P.M. / Pat kennedy
Finish: Chrome and polished
Clutch Cable: Hydro foot clutch
Electrical
Ignition: Dyna 2000i
Ignition switch: I'll never tell
Coils: Dyna mini coil
Regulator: Spike
Charging: Spike
Wiring: Mr Devil
Harness: internal
Headlight: CCI 4.5
Taillight: Ness/ Lucky Devil Plate mount
Accessory lights: ????
Electrical accessories: No
Switches: ? what switches
Battery: Oddysey
What's Left
Seat: Lucky Devil / Joe Noack
Pipes: Lucky Devil
Mufflers: ? Naw
Exhaust finish: Chrome
Gas caps: Pop up
Handlebars: Lucky Devil
Grips: L.D. Texas
Pegs: L.D. Texas
Oil filter: yea it's Chrome
Oil cooler: where?
Oil lines: chromite
Fuel filter: ?
Fuel Lines: Clear
Throttle: Pat Kennedy internal
Throttle cables: Barnett
Fasteners: Chrome Gardner/Wescott
Specialty items: 45 pistol grip shifter
Comments:building this bike was made possible with help from several vendors, Friends, and locals who celebrated and offered support at our kick off party ( polish your pipes & Bosshamer's BBQ ). and lets not forget all the sweet Girls who roasted in the Hot Texas sun to wash our bikes, especially Cheryl, My sweet Mrs. Devil and kids who were all kind enough to put up with my shit and support me through some very long days and nights at the shop.
Thanks to Ronnie at Stage plan we were able to set up in style with our new Gas station display. and as a friend once told me, all I can say is thanks for letting me stand on all of your shoulders! I also want to give a special thanks to Bradley “Da Polisher” ( and the guys at Hands off polishing ) for all the fine polishing on this scoot, Rest in Peace Brother !
