Over the last few months we have been teasing you with some build-up articles on our Drag Specialties/Kendall Johnson sweepstakes bike. We gave you some glimpses of the rolling chassis and then the mock-up version of your new bike. Now, as you can see on the cover and these pages, your new bike is alive and running like the monster you would expect it to be.
In case you missed the February or March issues, let's get you up to speed on the project. Drag Specialties and Kendall Johnson, owner of HOT BIKE/STREET CHOPPER of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, (which happens to look really cool on a T-shirt, by the way) joined us to build a sweet bike based on parts available in the Fat Book -- Drag's catalog. The bike, as shown, is done and is ready to go to one of you. All you have to do is turn to page 179, fill out the entry card and see what happens -- certainly worth getting off the couch and heading to the mailbox, don't you think?
Our little project started off with Kendall opening a box stuffed full with a brand-new Daytec rigid frame. The significance of this rigid was that it was the very first one sent to Drag -- not even the in-house buyers had touched one yet! Geometry is set at 35 degrees of neck rake along with 2 inches of up and out stretch and room for a 240 out back. Another first was waiting in a box by the time the frame was unpacked -- a 3-inch-over chrome Springer from Paughco. Once both pieces were together, Kendall had a list of ideas for the rest of the bike.
He jumped on installing a set of Performance Machine Villain wheels at both ends. The 21-incher up front was wrapped in an 80/90 series Metzeler and the big 18x8.51-er out back wears 240 mm of Metzeler. Both wheels are stopped by GMA brakes, a drive-side conversion unit out back, and a front system for the Springer -- which was overnight-shipped the day before the photoshoot. Thanks GMA!
Now it was time to turn some attention to powering the sweepstakes bike. Drag Specialties somehow, someway, managed to convince S&S that this bike should run the very first fully-polished 124ci Super Sidewinder motor, so Kendall got to open yet another box full of a first. The only non-S&S parts around the motor are the Vance & Hines 2-into-2 crossovers and Dyna ignition. Backing up the ridiculously powerful motor is an incredibly slick-shifting Baker six-speed transmission, polished to match the S&S. Connecting the two is a 3-inch open beltdrive and clutch from Primo. The driveline is definitely up to the task that the 124 can kick down.
There was no doubt in Kendall's mind that this bike should get minimal metal on it. The rigid chassis was begging for as little as possible to keep it as fast as possible, so the first decision was to run no front fender. A one-piece gas tank from Drag Specialties was worked a bit at the rear to ensure the seat would fit as Kendall planned. The oil tank came from Daytec, and it was just about perfect as it was. All it needed was a couple of brackets to sit just slightly different. Out back, Kendall got a Fat Katz fender blank and went to town. The first step was to cut the blank to a shape that suited the rigid and then build internal struts to keep it as clean as the rest of the bike. A few days of molding time was invested in the project before everything was turned over to Copperhead Graphics for the brilliant paintwork.
As soon as everything was back together, the guys from High Rollers Cycle Seats dropped into HOT BIKE/STREET CHOPPER of Winston-Salem to craft a place for you to sit. After that, a set of Flanders bars, Drag Specialties risers, and Accutronix hand controls were blended together. Accutronix forward controls give your feet a place to ride and signal the Joker Machine taillight.
Once the Drag headlamp was wired, our Sweepstakes bike was ready to ride. Barry gave it a spin for the cover shot and then handed it off to Kendall for the tire smoker. When the smoke settled we asked him what he thought about the bike. His reply was simple, "If you don't win, you sure do want to build one. This thing is all kinds of fun!