From the Pages Of the July 2014 Issue of Cycle Source Magazine
Article By: Chris Callen
After his appearance on #BikerLive you might already know the name Nate Jacobs, but if not you can expect to hear more and more about him as the bikes he is building are sure to tear across the national scene. He has a keen eye for the details and a fantastic no bullshit attitude that puts function on the same plane as form, a value that he will not compromise on. We invited Nate to the Hillbilly Invitational this year with his latest build, Speedway Kay, knowing that he was bringing an outstanding entry and as the smoke cleared, the votes were tallied, and he took home the first place trophy. Nate has been riding motorcycles since around the time he was three years old. That’s an important part of this story since it was his grandfather who went and picked up the little hardtail Indian mini bike he’d cut his teeth on. His grandparents were both avid riders and loved old Indians and flat trackers and they were making sure to pass this passion along to Nate. Granddad called up his father and they got the bike ready for Nate and the rest is all downhill. Nate’s been addicted to motorcycles ever since. His dad played a roll in it just as much, raising Nate around the race tracks and every night they’d run the motorcycle drags last. Watching those high powered machines tear ass down the track only further engrained the love of bikes in his head. Years later Nate would graduate college with a degree in business Administration. He tried the corporate world thing for a bit but it just wasn’t a good fit and before long he found himself in the company of none other than Billy Lane. Billy was looking for someone to manage his shop and the two had been keeping in touch for some time when Lane asked him if he’d be interested. This was a great opportunity for Nate to escape corporate life and get back around the people he felt most at home with. He says that you can pick a real biker out of any crowd and regards them as some of the best people on the planet. During his time with Choppers Inc. Nate said that he got a real good look from behind the scenes at the motorcycle industry and knew that it was all he ever wanted to do. After getting Billy’s business in order he took a year off. In late 2009 he launched “Harlot Cycles” in Murfreesboro, TN. Nate claims that his motive was simple, he took that time to separate his name from Choppers Inc. He had watched so many people try to make something out of themselves by associating with Billy that he wanted to make damn sure he wasn’t riding on his coat tails. He has too much respect for Lane and if he was gonna make it in this business he wanted it to be on his own merit. When it came to building Speedway Kay, Nate was into the bobber scene pretty good and doing anything to make whatever money he could but always had the idea for a speedway inspired bike in the back of his head. He said that the real inspiration came from the AMD Championships in Sturgis one year when he saw some cats from Sweden that had built a bike called the Hulster 8 Valve. It was and still one of the coolest bikes he has ever seen.
So when the guys from #BikerLive approached him and asked him what he would build for the show, he knew exactly. It would be a bike with inspiration drawn from that 8 Valve, as well as vintage speedway bikes, but he’d get a chance to do some of the stuff he’d been waiting a long time to do. Nate’s signature are his gas tank and fender panels, which will always be a part of his builds but with this one he got a chance to really push the envelope. After all, it wasn’t a build for a customer, it was his bike and he could do anything he wanted. Nate did so much slip fitting of the joints on the frame that I actually sat and watched other builders marvel at the level of execution. The single leg springer would be the crowning achievement to Kay and even though Nate plays it down saying that he didn’t invent this type of front end, it is an outstanding piece of craftsmanship, not to be taken lightly. In the end, the TV show was just a smart marketing move for his business and the deeper reasoning that this would be his opportunity to show the world that there are guys like him out there that love to build shit like this and ride the hell out of it. It would also, and in a very proud and profound way, give him the chance to tip his hat to the folks that set him on the right path. You see, his grandmother’s name was Katherine, the Kay in Speedway Kay, and if you look on the front of the neck you’ll see the actual hat badge from his grandfather’s driving cap that he wore everyday until he retired from his charter bus service. They were both such a huge influence that Nate couldn’t imagine a better way to introduce himself to the world than to show everyone where he came from. Now, since the show aired there has been talk about whether or not Nate actually did work on this build in the given time frame and we talked about this a bit. Nate said that if not for the tireless and timely fashion that Darryl at Chromemasters took care of him it wouldn’t have been possible. There was only two and a half weeks worth of fab work in this bike, no sleep and it was finished the night before deadline but without that extra special attention from the plater, it would have not been possible. Another big push came from Wolfe Industries. James Cook and his team were on the spot with machine support for anything that was needed in a hurry or just to let Nate come in and get something done that he didn’t have the tools for. His team, Jenn Brown, Buck Howard, his folks and all of his friends of course, worked around the clock. Even with everything you see here he still said that half the stuff he wanted to do got left off due to the time constraints. Makes you wonder he’ll do without a deadline. As the winner of the BMR Hillbilly Invitational Nate was automatically qualified as an Artistry in Iron competitor for Las Vegas Bikefest this year. I’ve been let in on the plan he has for his entry into that show and brother, I gotta tell you it’s gonna blow your mind. Stay tuned as we will be sure to bring you more on that bike and this cat in an upcoming issue.
Speedway Kay Tech Sheet
Owner: Nate Jacobs, Harlot Cycles
City: Murfreesboro, TN
Fabrication By: Harlot Cycles
Year: 1974
Model: FLH
Value: $70k
Time: 4 1/2 weeks
ENGINE
Year: 1974
Model: FLH Shovelhead
Builder: Kevin Blane, Harlot Cycles
Ignition: Morris Magneto
Displacement: 93”
Pistons: S&S
Heads: S&S
Cam(s): Andres 2B
Carb: S&S Super E
Air Cleaner: FMA Velocity Stack
Exhaust: Harlot Cycles
Primary: Primo 2’ Open Belt
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1974
Make: Harley Davidson
Shifting: Jockey- 4-Speed Rachet Top
FRAME
Year: 2014
Make: Harlot Cycles Single Loop Race Frame
Rake: 30.2 Degrees
FORKS
Type: Single Leg Spring Fork
Builder: Harlot Cycles
Triple Trees: Harlot Cycles
WHEELS
Front Wheel: Excel
Size: 21”
Front Tire: Trials
Rear Wheel: Excel
Size: 18”
Rear Tire: Trials
Rear Brake: Performance Machine
PAINT
Painter: Buckwild Design Studio
Color: Custom Mix Blue and White
Type: HOK
Graphics: Gold Leaf and Pinstriping
Plating: Chromemasters
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Harlot Cycles
Hand Controls: Harlot Cycles
Gas Tank(s): Harlot Cycles
Rear fender: Harlot Cycles
Seat: Adam Croft
Foot Controls: Boosted Brads Chop Shop
Oil Tank: Harlot Cycles
Taillight: Doray
Photographer: Sean Bowie
Special Thanks: Chromemasters, Wolfe
Industrial, Jenn, Buck, Neal, and Poppa J
