The Frankenbike
Big Wheel Baggers have been all the rage now for over a decade. But some of these guys are putting upwards of a hundred grand in them with all the fancy paint, one-off 30” wheels, and audio systems on board that can seriously rival any audiophile’s home set up.
Rat rods and bikes have been equally popular for some time as well. As opposed to the aforementioned big wheelers, these vehicles typically sport raw metal patina finishes and usually lack many creature comforts, including stereo systems. The only music one needs in one of these rides is the unmuffled sound of your exhaust note being emitted from straight pipes.
I’m a fan of both. Guys that pour on a ten foot deep candy paint job or use twenty pounds of thick metal flake have always got my attention. But the guy with a rusted ‘29 sitting on airbags and dragging it across the surface of the boulevard is an awesome sight too.
From the love of both of these genre’s is how the Frankenbike came to be. That, and the fact that I just don’t have the dollars to invest heavily in one style or the other. So I started out with a perfectly good Road Glide, took all of the long haul comfort out of it by installing air ride in the front and rear, and hung a hundred pounds of hand fabricated panels on it to drag the profile out a little longer than she once was. These were then treated to a home made rust solution to give them a weathered patina finish. Anything left over that was to receive paint was sprayed in John Deere black or a lime green hue from Hyundai.
The engine has been mildly bumped up to handle the increased weight. It got an Andrews cam, Wiseco forged 10.5:1 pistons with a ten over bore, and a larger Mikuni carb on a Screamin’ Eagle manifold. I kicked the neck out a few degrees to accept the 23” laced front wheel, threw on a set of 12” apes, and added a few adornments throughout just for the more observant bike night patron.
So what does this all have to do with Scrape’s Garage and why am I going on about something like this? Because this project was basically the spring board that got me to where I am today. I’ve never claimed to be a bona fide bike builder. And I really have no plans on making a career out of it. But I plan to continue to manufacture items for motorcycles like our axle spikes. And if the right situation arises, I may have no problem taking a stab at building something for the right customer. Or if you like what you see, buy this very bike and we can save each other some time. Feel free to contact me directly and I’ll entertain any serious offers.
For now, the bike is going to be a rolling display piece of some of the things we do. And if allowed by the individual venues, I’ll be bringing it along to the assorted craft fairs and shows that we will be attending. Stop by and have a gander or take a picture with the kids.