Mike wanted to keep the sheetmetal simple and did so by using a Sportster-style King Tank, small front fender, and a flat rear fender accented by an old-style, round sissy bar securely mounted to both the fender and frame. The oilbag does a good job of blending old and new by way of a 3-quart round tank with rear-facing wings designed to conceal the battery. Sitting above the battery is a cool-looking flat seat hinged at the front and suspended at the rear with a pair of hairpin coil springs. The bike comes complete with turn signals and all the necessary lighting to make sure you can see and be seen.
Mike told us he was looking to build a fun bike; well, he nailed it. Just jump on it and spin the starter, and the motor comes to life easily with a nice sound emanating from the pipes. Pick the bike up off the kickstand, and you quickly realize how light and balanced it is. The motor is deceivingly quiet due to the baffled exhaust pipes. As you let out the clutch, the bike responds in a smooth, quick fashion. Shifting through the gears brings the bike up to speed quickly. The solid-mounted motor and the rigid frame work well in combination with each other, allowing enough vibration through the frame to remind you that you're on a rigid; yet, when combined with the frontend, wheels, and tires, it's smooth enough that you sometimes forget there is no suspension on the back of the bike.
We've ridden a lot of rigids, and on this particular bike Mike has struck just the right balance between a smooth ride and the sensation of a rigid. Does this mean you can get your eyes up off the road? No way-the bobber still lets you know when you have traveled across hazards such as pot holes, pavement transitions, railroad tracks, and the like. That being said, the boys up in Bend worked out just the right combination of parts and dimensions to give the little bike a very good ride.
Ergonomically, the bike is laid out nicely. Once you're seated, the controls are in easy reach of both your hands and feet. The clutch feel is nice and light, and the Brembos do a good job of bringing the 500-lb bike to a stop. One problem we did come across was the seat, which works well at first, but in no time your backside has a tendency to slide back a bit. This causes the upturned back edge of the seat to create an uncomfortable sensation as it runs across your flesh. Mike told us that he is in the process of coming up with a new seat design to address this issue. In addition, the new piece will make checking the oil easier. About the only other thing we would like to see is some sort of cover on the diagnostics package, or possibly relocation of the unit. For a bike of this style, an electrical component containing LEDs should not be so prominent.
Bottom line, this is a blast to ride, has plenty of power, a great price, and a hell of a warranty. What more could you want?
Covington Cycle City Speedster
Jerry Covington's inspiration for the building of his Speedster model is twofold, and covers a long span of time. Years ago Jerry bought himself a '46 Knucklehead that was bobbed by one of the previous owners. After owning the bike for years, Jerry sold it to a friend. Once the bike was no longer part of his collection, Jerry realized just how much he missed it. As Jerry's fortune would have it, his friend gave him a call five years later and offered it back to him. Jerry jumped at the chance. That was in 2002 and coincided with a little project Jerry had come up with. He approached the guys in the fab shop and told them he would supply the parts for six of the guys in the shop and turn them loose so that each of them could build his own version of a bobber. Well, the guys teamed up and helped each other build the bikes. Each time one bike was finished, a customer would buy it right out from under them. That got Jerry thinking seriously about turning the idea into a production bike. The Speedster is the culmination of those efforts and one in a series of five different bikes in Covington's bobber line.