Wink's 124

If you have been reading this magazine in order, you already know about our HOT BIKE/S&S 124vfi Ultimate Shootout. For those of you who didn't read our Speed Shift column yet, a quick summary is in order. We teamed up with S&S to have five 124 fuel-injected motors built to exacting specifications and shipped to five builders across the country. Along with the motor, we sent a rule book -- an outline of the three challenges the bike will have to compete in and a guarantee of the bike being displayed in the S&S booth all year long at every big show.

Wink Eller, the Wink in Wink's Performance in Temecula, California, has raced more motorcycles than most people have seen. However, Wink never had to build a race bike around a motor that he couldn't mess with. According to the rules, Wink has to make all the extra power he can by creating the optimum map for the fuel injection and the pipes he designed for the bike, along with building the best chassis for both drag racing and riding the streets. Hey, we said the project would be fun, but we didn't say how much fun it would be!

Wink had his bike ready first and for that distinction, he gets to be in the biggest issue of HOT BIKE this year. As stated earlier, the motor for Wink's sinister creation is a sealed-at-the-factory S&S 124ci evo-style with its Variable Fuel Injection unit in place. The polished beauty is enhanced by S&S velocity stacks covered with K&N filters and a one-off pipe built by SuperTrapp just for this project. Baker helped Wink out by creating a close-ratio gearset to complement his chain final drive decision. Connecting the motor to the trans is a BDL chain primary drive in black H-D covers.

When he sat down to design this bike, Wink knew it would be a magazine machine as well as a competitive tool, so he skipped his normal rubber-mount desire and went with an Xtreme Cycle Design Softail-style chassis. To keep the bike as compact as the rules allow, Wink had Xtreme build it with 2 inches of backbone stretch and 36 degrees of rake. Suspension comes from a race-bred front fork from Storz/Ceriani dropped 2 inches in the triple-trees and lowered Works Performance shocks out back.

Rolling the chassis around the shop was made possible by a pair of black anodized Performance Machine wheels. Up front, a 21x3-inch is covered in a Metzeler 120/70 and is stopped by a PM caliper and rotor setup. Out back, Wink decided on getting as much rubber down as possible, so he used an 18x8.5 with a 240/40 Metzeler and, of course, more PM brake components.

The sheetmetal was decided on quickly. Wink paid a visit to Russ Wernimont, explained what he was doing, and left a little while later with two fender blanks and a one-piece gas tank. After a few days of mounting and dismounting, scribing, and finally cutting, Wink had the fenders matched to the bike as well as the Xtreme oil tank matched to the frame. Satisfied with the bike's profile, he called on Graphics Unlimited to apply the glossy black and blue pinstriping. Orange County Powdercoating took care of the black powder pieces, and Big Chris at Orange County Plating did his part as well.

To get the mostly black bike road ready, Wink started by mounting a spare FXD headlamp on it, added H-D risers, K&N Super bars, and Autometer gauges. Performance Machine hand controls and mid controls by Wink help with staying on course. Rear illumination is courtesy of Mr. Wernimont and a seat by Bitch'n Rich let Wink take his first ride.

The advantage Wink has over all of his competitors who will appear on these pages in the next couple issues is huge. Wink has two months to tune his bike before it gets to Daytona, at which point it will stay with the S&S truck until sometime in mid-to-late June when the bikes come off the show circuit and go racing. We don't want to say Wink is going to win, but he sure seems to have an edge right now!