Heavy Duty - Issue 99

Chopperworks enhances the Harley Davidson® Softail® Motorcycle
The Real Teal

Story Doc | Pics Tower Photographics | Model Jacqui

This tarmac-tearing Softie runs stock rake in a stock H-D frame...

If instead of being Aussies, Jeff from Chopperworks and I were Seppo rappers, I'd high-five him, do the fancy hand-shake thingo and then say something like: "Hey man, you da bomb wit dem bikes ya all is buildin' lately bro," to which he'd reply: "Yo, it all gravity, man."

The translation, for those of you who don't ever watch hip hop videos, is that I've complimented him on the cool customs he's churning out in recent times - customs like the turbo V-Rod we featured last issue - and he's replied that it's all good.And a quick look over this tidy teal custom confirms that indeed it is all good. The bike is so clean and tidy, with seamless line from front to back - and for those reasons it's also easy to underestimate. But when you explore its many features and consider the individual components selected in creating this build, you have no option other than to it an overall rating of 'outstanding' when it comes to admiring its builder's pursuit of custom excellence.

High-end components adorn this ride. Let's start with that 124 cubic inch S&S engine, the beating heart of this beast. It transfers its massive torque through a 2in BDL primary belt and a BDL clutch to a 6-speed right-side-drive tranny, the grunt then passing down to the back wheel via a chain final drive. A 'G' series S&S carb does the air/fuel mixing while an S&S IST ignition provides the spark. After the journey through the 4in cylinders, the gases are blasted out though an RB Racing exhaust.

Ah, that exhaust - yeah baby. It's a 124 Challenge Pro Stock system, and what RB has to say about it on its website (under the section "The Search for Something besides Bullshit") is worth quoting: "... engines are engines and we love engines. Let the metal scream. Tyre spinning, 1450-deg F exhaust temps, headers glowing dull red, valves about ready to float, pushrods deflecting, poor primary drive about to twist sideways... the metal serves us, we don't bend to it. Someone has to be in charge. This isn't a "Park and Talk" game. Someone has to lose. Limits have to be found."

Now with such a herd of willing ponies ready to step out when the throttle is given a twist, helped in no small part by that trick exhaust, it's a good thing the rubber meeting the road is a 300 Avon, thus providing a decent contact patch to resist wheel spin and launch the bike forward in a blur of teal and silver. What was that? Was it a bird? Was it a plane?

Of course to get that fat hoop working well in a genuine Harley-Davidson Softail frame takes more than a little trick engineering, and this comes in the form of a Chopperworks 300 right-side-drive swingarm. And style-wise, isn't it a beauty? Up front and rightfully teamed with Australia's premier handlebar manufacturer, Burleigh Bars, we find the finest, cleanest and most impressively engineered handlebar controls in the known universe - the mega-clean, mega-trick units from Custom Cycle Control. CCC has a simple philosophy that states it doesn't make sense to build everything else as clean as possible and still have wires, cables and hoses hanging off the handlebars.

The CCC units feature dual internal throttle cables, a twist grip hi/lo beam switch, as on/off switch, a start button, left and right turn signal buttons, a horn button and a lever-activated brake switch. Both the brake and the clutch master cylinders are internal and all wires and hydraulic lines feed down through a hallow riser mount kit. I've run these on Stokin' Stroker for a couple of years now, and I reckon they're absolutely brilliant.

Sitting forward of the bars is a DNA headlight to light the way, while to see behind a pair of Badlands Saber mirrors are on active duty. In their own way, the Sabers are as clever in their own way as the CCC controls. Yes folks, these ain't the mirrors of grandad's Knucklehead, no sirree. The Saber mirrors are made from premium stainless steel, have nylon pivot assembly and feature an integrated digital speedo, odometer, trip meter, tachometer, neutral, hi-beam, low voltage and low oil warning light. A trick set of mirrors by any standard.

The forks are 63mm items from Mean Street with triple trees running five degrees of rake and 2in of stretch. And they bolt in to a stock 2001 Softail frame. Which kinda makes a mockery of needing radical aftermarket frames to create an impression. An SAS AirRide shock softens the ride as the Metal Motorsport wheels roll over the bumps. Metal Motorsport supplied the front rotor too, while the caliper is by Performance Machine and the line is by Russell Performance Machine Contour Series controls give the owner Ralf a place to rest his feet, change gear or apply the back brake, and they look bloody good in doing so. Or, to put it in hip hop speak: "It's all good gravy, baby."

And the rear brake is good gravy too, because it isn't cluttering up the rear wheel with a fat ugly rotor and a visually intrusive brake line. That's because it's a Jay-Brake 4 piston transmission brake, which is not only a nicely engineered piece of kit but one that works a treat too. PM supplied the rear master cylinder and Russell the clear-coated braided brake line.

Now in many ways the tinware makes this bike, shaped as it is and painted that sweet teal blue with graphics to accentuate those lovely lines - lines which flow from any angle. They're nice lines. Sweet lines. Organic lines. Lines of true eye candy, that soothe tired eyeballs the moment they're viewed. Russ Weirmont Designs supplied the front guard while the rear guard and the fuel tank are custom Chopperworks items. In fact all the tinware has been customised to some extent by Jeff and his team, and that also includes the seat.

Smooth-as-the-finest-silk paint was laid on by the painting maestros at Queensland Motorcycle Panel and Paint - work has frequently graced our pages across various top-shelf customs. And it was Dave and his team of elves in the Huntingdale Electroplaters lair who did their usual 100 per cent professional job of laying on the shiny stuff.

Jeff has pulled yet another proverbial rabbit out of his hat with this Softail, and HEAVY DUTY is very happy to feature it in our pages. Go Jeff. Go Chopperworks. And good on ya Ralf, ya lucky bastard!