1999 Nash Cordano - The Coronado

The three brothers Nash who make up the Nash Motorcycle Company have been pounding out one-of-a-kind bikes with their own flare for almost a decade now. The Vancouver, Washington-built, bikes are mostly stripped-down and bare-bones Harley-powered choppers that a blue collar guy who wants something different can throw a leg over without having to visit the Dark Custom dealership.

The Coronado is one such creation. Built by Nash for a guy that goes by the single moniker of "Duncan," this bike started life as a '99 H-D Sportster. As you can see, this sweet little 1,200-powered rigid ride is light years from its original 883 variation.

Starting with the stock Sportster, Taber Nash took the bull by the horns and tore the bike completely apart and cleaned up all the parts he was going to use on the new bike. Taber then rebuilt the rundown engine and bumped it up to 1,200cc. He also rebuilt the transmission to factory specs to make sure the bike would be a strong runner. The OE Kehin CV carburetor was swapped out for an S&S Super E that was topped off with a custom-fricasseed Nash air filter.

Once the engine was ready to go, Taber hung the motor in a powdercoated metallic green 30-degree rake Paughco rigid frame with no stretch. To get the proper stance, the donor bike's Narrow Glide was cut down 2 inches and the fender mounts were shaved. A set of 19-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels that also came off the '99 Sportster were powdercoated semi-gloss black, then wrapped with 4.50-inch and 5.00-inch Coker/Firestone re-pop tires for that aggressive look.

To get the bike sounding as mean as it looked as well as to expel spent gasses, Taber made up some muffler-less shotgun-style pipes, then barbecue-blacked them.

Nash has a line of its own parts and this bike is outfitted with more than a few of them. The 6-inch Slugger risers, 12-inch Mini Gimp ape hangers, Slugger pegs, and Creepster fuel cap are all Nash offerings. Another item of note is the genius Juice Bag saddlebag, which holds the bike's battery, ignition switch, and wiring neatly out of sight.

As far as the sheetmetal goes, any self-respecting chopper possesses little to none. The Coronado only has a Nash-built stubby rear fender and a cut-up Sporty tank, which perfectly fit the bill. Both were left in their raw metallic state after they were fitted and Paul Comeau applied the green, yellow, and red graphics, which included the Nash mascot on the fender. The hand-pounded seat is also as skint as the rest of the bike and it resides on the backbone of the frame with no springs for a truly rigid ride.

With the skill that the Nash brothers have, the bike took only a few months to build. Since Duncan has owned it, he has been seen riding the piss out of it racking up miles all over the Northwest.

It seems that yet again the Nash boys have yanked apart an eyesore of a stock bike and chopped, cut, and rebuilt it as a bike that any guy worth his hightops and flannel would be proud to bomb down the streets on. Good job homies!