"The idea behind the gussets was to mimic the early build style where frames were braised together, which gave them an ornate quality," Charlie said.
However, instead of basically starting from scratch with a new frame, or tearing the existing frame apart to gusset it, Charlie sculpted some 1-1/2-inch round stock into gussets to fit at all the tube joints. The gussets were then cut in half and tigged back together to complete the look.
While I am personally not a fan of the stock Deuce sheetmetal, Charlie worked his magic to turn the gas tank and rear fender into much more appealing pieces. Since he was going to Frisco-mount the gas tank, exposing the ugly underside, Charlie reworked the tank so it would have a flat bottom and fabricated an access cover in place of the stock dash, so they would still be able to get to the fuel pump. The tank was then mounted with a Fat Katz flush-mount setup. At the backside the fender was shortened, then spliced down the center and rewelded so it was wider up front and tapered toward the rear. To help support the fender, a set of Ness fender struts was shortened and rounded.
The stock oil tank was ditched, and in its place Charlie welded up his own oil tank out of spun 16-gauge mild steel. The tank was actually made out of four identical bullet-shaped pieces. Two pieces were welded together to create the tank, while the other two pieces were cut into a star-shaped end cap. The stars were offset-welded to the ends of the oil tank. Charlie then went back and welded up the difference between the two surfaces; this technique gives the overall look of the oil tank more depth and definition. There are small details like this throughout the bike that keep admirers on their toes.
Getting back to the lowrider aspect of this Deuce, it wouldn't properly represent West Coast style if it weren't bagged to drag. Charlie has two patents on his Piggy Bagger air-ride setup that will pop the bike from dropped to ride height within one second. "I am fascinated by the kinetics of how things work. With my airbag system, I wanted it to pop up instantly. Just like lowriders want their cars to hop, that's practically what this system does." More lowrider influences include 120-spoke wheels (throw some gold on 'em, and you'd be rollin' Daytons), and let's not forget the candy paint and ol'-school flake.
Charlie designed the system with a pressure tank that is set up to compensate for Rafael's weight; with the tap of one button, the rear bounces up, and you're ready to go. If you've got a passenger, all you have to do is hold the button a little longer to add more air. The system is operated by one button mounted near the grip on the custom Z/ape-hanger bars. As an added safety feature to keep from accidentally dropping the rear while riding, the dump switch becomes inoperable at a predetermined speed.
The list of details that were put into this bike goes on and on, such as countersinking the bolts on the triple-trees, hand-bent copper hard lines, or modifying the Sharp Eye kicker to work with the hand clutch. Basically, the addition of the kicker setup made things so tight internally that it was nearly impossible to actuate the internal hand clutch. "We had to go in and machine the clutch ball ramp and make it longer and less steep by changing the leverage ratio- la the Mueller automotive setup," Charlie said.
For the time being, Rafael has the bike running the show circuit. Unfortunately, he got off to a rocky start. His truck and trailer were stolen from the casino parking lot while he was debuting the bike at the Big Twin West show, and they later found his rig stripped and stranded in the middle of the desert. Things quickly turned around, though, as the bike took First Place in its class in both the '07 SF Rod Custom and Motorcycle Show and the '07 Arlen Ness Show, where it won Promoter's Pick.