The Innovation
It seems that we will never be able to get our heads above water, we, the collective staff of HOT BIKE think aloud. Among writing all the pages (you read here each month), photographing the tech articles and feature bikes, and running off to motorcycle events scattered around the country, it leaves us very little time to do much else. And we’re the same group of guys who put out our sister publication Street Chopper every other month. All of a sudden, we get caught up and someone says something like “Ya know, it’s been awhile since we built a bike, how ’bout we get one started?” That’s all the prodding we need and reply, “Yeah we’re busy, but this sounds like fun, let’s do it.” Next thing we know, Howard’s on the phone and in no time parts begin arriving.
Our latest project is designed to be a bit of a departure from what we normally do here. Usually the first and foremost item on our list is speed, second is speed, and third is — you guessed it — speed.
On this bike, speed would take a back seat to style. It was decided that a RevTech 88-inch polished motor would be the perfect mill. The modest displacement would provide plenty of power to its sibling — a complete RevTech five-speed transmission.
Next, we needed to find a good-looking Softail-style frame, but one with a twist. We wanted to build on a rubber-mount Softail-style frame. Our search landed us at Gambler Motorcycle Company of Hendersonville, Tennessee. One of the frames Gambler builds is (what the company calls) the Innovation — or in more technical terms, the G-2000 series rubber-mount wide-drive Softail.
The Innovation is chock-full of standard features which helps point the project in the direction we want it to go. A low Softail-style seating position is maintained while the Innovation shocks give a ride quality one would expect from an external shock bike. Also way up on our list is the vibration isolation that comes from Gambler’s G-6000 rubber-mount system.
With styling concerns a priority, we contacted Perse Performance to see how they could help us out with some front suspension. They came right back at us with one of these Fat Hexed Long-Sleeved chromed frontends. The Perse Unit looks great coupled to the Gambler frame, and it boasts engineering and manufacturing features that make it one of the best performing units available.
Read along as we get to hang out with Charlie Lentz and Dave Donato at Lifestyle Custom Cycles in Anaheim, California, and begin building Project Gambler.
SOURCES
Lifestyle Cycles
1534 N. State College
Anaheim, CA 92806
(714) 490-0155
Gambler Motorcycle Company
128 Volunteer Dr.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
(615) 826-7777
www.gamblermotorcycles.com
Perse Performance
(303) 761-1383
www.perseperformance.com
RevTech
Contact your local Custom Chrome dealer