HILL;BILLY RACER

Once the chassis was assembled, and sitting on the work bench, you could already see it was to become a rather cool bike. Fabian came up with the idea of using the project for the Biker Build Off at the Bad Salzuflen custom show, but in order to be in with a chance, he wanted to give it a real paint job. Alex wasn’t keen, and that was when the decision was made to build two bikes. For the Biker Build Off he did a bike that was to be called ‘Deep Throat’, and for his buddy he did this bike - the Hillbilly Racer.

The name of the bike explains the look: Hillbilly Racer describes someone who lives in the mountains; avoids people and society; dresses simply; drinks whisky; talks straight; and rides an uncompromising bike for fun (given the exhausts made for this bike, you could also say that he likes shooting too, as that’s what it sounds like). Due to the age of the frame, there’re no noise restrictions so it’s basically two tucked-in straight-through tubes with flared ends… you can probably imagine what it sounds like!

The refurbished Shovelhead engine was stroked to 1,600cc (98cui), and is kicker-only (no such thing as an electric starter on a bike like this!), and the rocker boxes are of custom design from Chopper Culture (as well as front and rear lights), and there’s a Barnet lock-up clutch, modified engine covers, a belt primary conversion, and a number of olde-worlde brass accents. The clutch’s been converted to internal twist action, just like the throttle, as part of the very clever ’bars – segmented sheets of metal’ve been welded together for a kind o’ leaf-spring look that’s very different indeed. They’re wired internally too, and kept ultra-clean by having the front brake actuated by a control valve with the rear brake via the right foot pedal. Talking of the foot-rest hangers/pedals/’pegs, there’s something special about these too – they’re made from brass and aluminum, and fabricated together in one part. After they’d been milled with 3-D grooves (to match the grips), ’pegs made of solid brass were installed, and the same design is mirrored in the one-off kicker too. If you’re looking for production-line parts, you’re going to struggle – almost everything is individually designed and carefully handcrafted, including the open belt-drive; the front n’ rear calipers; the discs; the pushrod covers; the camshaft covers; the primary cover;the speedometer housing; and a lot of other parts (the spark-plug caps, for example) are genuinely hand-made.

Sebastian Attenberger from Traditional Motors, who also worked on the Deep Throat bike, did most of the sheet metal parts, but he didn’t simply remake that bike’s body once again. No, the tank’s bigger, the oil tank’s integral with the rear ’guard, and the seat’s a work of art in itself – it’s a leaf-spring affair that moves freely when riding to give Alex’s arse a little comfort (not much, granted, but a little), and can be locked when parked. It doesn’t look comfortable at all, but he swears it cradles his bum perfectly, smooths out the bumps, and is no problem on long rides.

The raw, unpainted style of the bike’s a mix of bare-bones old steel, and milled high tech components, and is a stunning blend of old n’ new – just the sort of thing a hillbilly’d run: big motor, loud ’pipes, basic chassis, no frills, no tarty finish, minimal comfort. Pass that ’shine jug, Deke, afore ye get too hammered t’ ride that there Harley!

ENGINE:

H-D Shovelhead engine (Chopper Culture brass cylinder head covers, Müller Motorcycle AG pushrod covers/ magneto-style camshaft cover/alloy/brass kicker shaft/primary cover, Barnett Skorpion lockup clutch, Traditional Motors exhaust/oil lines), 1952 H-D wishbone frame, 130/60 R 23 Avon Cobra tyres, TTS Motorcycles 3.5x23” Big Spoke wheels, Müller Motorcycle AG full floating front disc/4-piston caliper/ leaf-spring handlebars/ internal throttle/ twist clutch/grips/ foot-rests, aftermarket springers, Traditional Motors fuel tank/oil tank/rear ‘guard/seat, Müller Motorcycle AG sprocket-disc, Chopper Culture headlight/ tail-light, Motogadget indicators

FINISH:

Bare metal

ENGINEERING:

Müller Motorcycle AG (www.m-motorcycle.de)