Email your submissions to: Hot.Bike@sorc.com Or snail mail to: HB Reader’s Showcase 1733 Alton Parkway, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92606. Please include hi-res jpegs, your name, hometown, email, phone #, bike year/model, engine size, frame, wheels, sheetmetal, painter, custom accessories, and anything else interesting about your bike.
The Ol’ 45
Hey guys thought I’d send you a little something about my ride. When I had my first 45 back in the early ’70s, I thought that it would be nice to have a four-speed foot-shift transmission in it rather than the three-speed jockey shift (hated hand-shifting!). I figured I could mount a British trans in there to accomplish that but never got around to it, instead, I sold the 45 and built a Panhead chopper.
Two years ago I found too much spare time on my hands and decided to finally build that bike. Of course, the idea evolved a bit. I never cared much for the 45 frames and I liked the concept of a plunger-style frame so I looked around and found the frame from a ’49 Indian Scout. Some modifications let me stuff the 45 engine and late ’60s Norton four-speed trans that I found into the frame, but clearances were really tight. There was barely 1/4 inch between the fins on the rear head and the relocated rear frame downtube. I put a chain tensioner inside the primary cover to self-adjust the primary chain. I had to make a lot of linkages to cross over to the right-side footshift on the trans to the left side, and change it from one-up three-down to one-down three-up. I didn’t want a Springer fork and found a trashed BSA fork that, by changing the fork stem bearings, fit. I wanted alloy/mag wheels so I could use tubeless tires, so I found some Honda CBX wheels with a disc brake front and drum brake rear—no room for a disc back there. I had to spread the rear framerails open to accept the heavily modified wheel/sprocket carrier in between. The engine is 60-thou over with milled aluminum heads for better compression ratio. It also has a single-fire ignition system, 34mm Mikuni carb, two-brush 12-volt generator, and electronic regulator. It’s very reliable, I just flip the choke and it lights up with one kick. It’s very strong, torquey, quick, flickable, and (almost) just what I wanted 40 years ago.
Ken Koch
Pompano Beach, FL
Bike With Bite
Jim Davis from Lubbock, Texas, was really excited to show us his ’10 Fat Boy Lo. The bike’s had several mods done to it, some of which include a Shotgun Shock air ride system and a totally custom seat with alligator leather and wrapped in full quil ostrich. There are also matching fender and dash bibs and it also has real alligator teeth on it. Jim powdercoated the frontend and he painted a Heritage-style front fender to match.