Eventually Mark succumbed to the Independent impresario's lobbying, and while the frame's geometry would stay "off the shelf," the crew at Soncy Road was already hard at work creating a laundry list of one-off bits for the candy-apple-red showstopper. First on the list was some unique rolling stock, with plans for running a first-of-its kind 23-inch front wheel and tire combination.
"There were only 20 of those tires in existence at the time," Mark said. "So we got two of those first 20 prototype tires from Metzeler."
With a prototype tire comes the need for a one-of-a-kind wheel, and for this Mark turned back to the crew at Independent, who milled two monster blocks of solid 6061-T6 aluminum into the five-star spokes seen here, along with a matching brake caliper and rotor out front. From there, Mark upped the trick factor with a hand-built cantilever frontend designed for both form and function, even if the function took a little bit of re-engineering.
"It worked a little too well," Mark said. "The first time we set the bike down on the ground, the shock completely collapsed. It was just too much for the one shock we used."
A stiffer shock was installed, and Mark finally had things up and rolling. Next, he turned his attention to an equally unique drivetrain. A call was put in to Mike Garrison at Enginuity Motor Company, and plans were drawn up for a 120ci all-billet powerplant with split rocker boxes, Enginuity's signature rounded cylinders, and a unique set of anodized covers. Mark added a one-off air cleaner and exhaust to keep the air circulating efficiently.