Ron is a guy with a clear vision of what a custom bike needs. First and foremost, it has to be fast, with a big, powerful motor. Also, each one has to possess the ability to comfortably carry the rider while allowing said rider to easily navigate and coax the motorcycle through whatever twists and turns the road has to throw at it. Two other attributes go to the core of what a Ron Simms motorcycle is all about: styling and reliability.
Ron's personal vision shines through loud and clear on all of the bikes he builds: low, wide, and stout-looking is the order of the day for the majority of the bikes that roll out from the shop (an occasional tall chopper would be the exception to the rule). Last of all, yet just as important, a Simms bike needs to be reliable. Ron prides himself on building a bike that not only he can count on, but his numerous customers can as well.
Dane's 280 Pro Street is the first bike he has built without any of Ron's input. Ron figured this one would be hands-off; it was time for Dane to sink or swim on his own. So did Dane build this bike solo? On the contrary. If there was one thing he'd learned over the years, it was to use all the tools and expertise at his disposal. With artistic freedom Dane could have gone wild and built anything that popped into his head, but the route he chose to follow was one that would retain the tradition of a Simms bike while at the same time separating itself by adding Dane's own flowing lines and smooth styling.
Beginning with one of the company's own 280 Softail-style frames, Dane began hand-picking nothing but top-quality components, including a Storz/Ceriani inverted frontend, Legend Air Ride rear suspension components, and Performance Machine wheels and brakes. The front dual discs are bolted to a set of Casinos, while an 18x8.5-inch Casino plays host to a right-side-drive pulley rotor assembly.
Dane's motor of choice was none other than a 131-inch Thug. The Thug is a unique piece available only through Simms. The Thug comes to life with contributions from the likes of STD; Chicago Joe (one of Ron's drag-race buddies...who actually lives in the Bay Area); and expertise from another father-and-son team, Paul and Jimmie Hannan of Hannan's Machine Shop, which is located just a stone's throw from Simms' 33,000-square-foot facility. Dane told us Paul's place has been around forever. Considering the years of expertise acquired by the Hannans, Ron makes sure that no one else even gets close to a set of Thug heads when it comes to porting and polishing. The resulting powerplant was assembled by Simms' top-notch in-house motorman, Mark Rosenthal, and puts out some serious numbers when it comes to both horsepower and torque. Past dyno pulls have the motor generating somewhere in the vicinity of 150 horsepower as well as 150 lb-ft of torque, providing the rider on-demand acceleration. Dane went with a Baker six-speed and a Rivera Pro clutch to get all the Thug's fury to the Metzeler tire on the rear of the bike.
A majority of the fabrication chores for the bike went to Simms veteran Ben Foroudian. The 30-something master metalsmith worked closely with Dane as he transformed ordinary sheetmetal into the flowing pieces that adorn the bike. Ben translated Dane's ideas into reality on such items as the one-time Sportster King tank and hidden-strut rear fender (which originated from a Russ Wernimont Designs blank), as well as a recessed seat pocket for the Corbin seat, close-fitting front fender, winged oilbag, and swingarm-mounted license-plate frame.
Most bikes rolling from Simms find their way past the spray gun of "Horst" for application of his unmistakable paint and graphics; this bike, however, would be an exception. Dane brought the raw metal pieces to the well-known Bay Area shop, Mike Taylor Designs, where Mike laid down some simple yet lustrous red metal flake he custom mixed from a sampling of House of Kolor paint cans he had around. With the red dry, Mike then went to work, adding pinstriping and a simple graphics scheme, prior to final assembly by David "Little Man" Calibozo.
By the time the bike was finished, Dane was pretty proud of his creation. It looked great; rode well; and appeared to have a long, reliable life ahead of it. As pleased as he was with the outcome, he had no idea what the old man was thinking. It had been more than a month and a half, and during that time the two had had no conversations about the bike. Dane waited anxiously as Ron surveyed the finished motorcycle. Nothing could prepare him for the words that finally came from Ron's mouth: "That's one of the best bikes to come out of here in years." Looks like this father-son business thing just might work out.