Both of these were neat tricks for the chassis but they weren't alone. Back in the 1960s, much as today, racers looked to cut bike weight wherever possible. One of the first casualties was the seat; since you were only going a quarter mile all you needed was a metal pan. Jason and Jeff wanted this to be a street ride too, though so that approach wasn't going to cut it. They compromised by cutting a `29 Ford headlight shell in half, then molded the pan into the bucket. It's not exactly a touring seat, but this isn't exactly a bagger, either. John and Mike at Roberti Customs finished the seat for the two brothers and under tight conditions. "It turned into our own Biker Build Off," Jeff joked. "We were finishing this bike when Russell called from Exile offering me a fabricator job in Cali. We had four days to pack up, get there, and have our bikes ready for Russell's 10th anniversary party." Roberti customs not only buffed, padded, and upholstered this bike's seat, they did it in a single day, without scratching the tail section's paint. What's more, they overnighted it to Metal Morphosis so they'd have a complete bike for the party.
A lot of custom work went into this bike but for the most part, the Tiedekens tried to use stock Sportster parts (or as close as they could get). What they couldn't find, they made, like the gas tank. They also created the bars and controls. Says Jeff, "Bar position was a problem. Old drag bars are meant for racing a short distance, not normal riding. We positioned them so you sit more upright instead of completely lying on the bike. It gives you a hunched, tough look when you're on the bike. You have to be in that position to control the back tire."
This also brings us to a big difference between strip and street: turning. Modern wide bike tires are made with a modicum of turning in mind. Drag tires? Not so much. "We kept the tire at 7-10 psi so you could turn with it. It's like sitting on a beach ball. You roll it in a turn," according to Jeff. "It's not good for the tire but then again, we're not putting much weight on it."
It took them two months to get the Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) bike finished but unfortunately you can't see it in person. Unless you're in Europe. Metal Morphosis gets a lot of interest from folks overseas and this machine made its way across the pond where its new owner tears up the road astride his beach ball.