Chassis Design 23-inch Wheeled Custom | Noticed Not Seen

Isn’t it funny how some people must announce it to everyone, every time they do something supposedly grandiose? How many of your Facebook friends report on everything they do, every second of the day. It seems these days a trip to the gym doesn’t count unless the world is notified first. At the young age of only 33 years old, Anthony Keeling, owner of Chassis Design Company, isn’t one of those individuals that seek validation of his work publicly. Instead he has the confidence and skills to stand behind his builds without shouting it from the rooftop. Anthony’s dual 23-inch wheeled custom is the perfect example of showing what ya got versus talking about what ya can do.

Anthony explains how he got his start, “Prior to having my own shop, I was working at Daytec from 1999 till 2003 building production frames for Big Dog Motorcycles, Exile Cycles, and American Iron Horse. I started Chassis Design Company in 2004. I specialize in aftermarket Harley frames, parts, and accessories. The core of any bike comes from the frame, and we have been averaging about 400 frames per year and love to build ones that are new challenges. We build the highest quality products in the industry and are 100 percent made in the USA.”

Board-tracker-inspired customs are nothing new and neither are 23-inch wheels. But to combine the two into a single motorcycle has the potential to look as bad as an awkward teenager if not done correctly. In order to keep the bike low and lean, Anthony first started with the frame. “I like the looks of board track bikes. I just wanted something different and unique. I wanted to make everything as small as I could while still using 23s. You can’t make a bike that small unless you custom-make the frame. If you had a regular front on it, the neck would actually stick out 4-5 inches higher. The tire now is almost the same height as the neck. I wanted it to look like big-ass wheels rolling down the street but also sit real low. When you’re standing next to it, it’s no taller than your hip. I also cut the wheels in house. I designed the wheels on Mastercam. It was a project for school. I had them lying around for about a year and a half. I wanted to build a bike around them. I was just getting everything in line.”

Thanks to the light weight of the bike with the big S&S motor, going fast wasn’t the problem. Slowing it all back down again proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Brembo is more known for racing motorcycles and doesn’t exactly make parts for these types of builds. Anthony knew he wanted to run a complete Brembo brake system for its superior quality and compactness. When it came time to mate a Brembo caliper with a sprotor, frankly it didn’t fit…at first. “I bought a PM sprotor and used just the sprocket part. Normally it’s for a 530 chain so I machined it down to fit a 520 chain so the Brembo caliper would slide over it.”

Not to take away from the bike and scream like Steve Marin in Three Amigos, “Look up here! Look up here! Look up here!” the paint was kept subtle and simple on the gas tank that was hand-formed by Dotson Design. “My buddy at Aggressive Design did the paint. I told him what colors I was going for and he made it happen. It’s subtle and classy and didn’t take away from the bike.”

With the bike finished in just under three months, it was time to show it to the world. For most builders that would mean loading it up in the back of a truck and heading to a show. Not for Anthony, instead he rode the bike to Laughlin to unveil it. “I had a crowd around it the whole time when I showed it at Laughlin. People were running up to it and taking pictures. It stood out.”

Unfortunately these photos are all that remain of the bike and not from it being crashed or stolen. You see, Anthony’s friend put the bike up on a website to drum up some business, and it not only sold once, but twice in a matter of hours. Immediately following this shoot, the bike was crated and shipped to South Africa to a private collector.

You probably won’t find Anthony and the crew from Chassis Design bragging and telling stories of how great this bike was now that it’s gone. Nah. That’s not their style. Instead, they will continue to pump out quality products with a few other projects popping up, as Anthony explains, “I’m building a sidecar bike right now.” This we can’t wait to see. HB

hot.bike@sorc.com