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Feature Bikes

Ticket To Ride

Article By: Paul Wideman

Photos By: Jeff Cochran

Originally Published In The July 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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For the readers that do not know Chris personally, or may have never had a chance to speak with him, Chris is a very artistic soul. His art rears its head in many forms: be it this very magazine, music, drawing and painting, or even assembling a string of words together that should certainly be considered poetry, Chris always has his hands and head in art. Over the years, as Cycle Source grew bigger and bigger, and running a monthly biker mag was more than just a way to pass the time between running a bike shop and bouncing at titty bars, Chris saw his “free” time dwindle. Shortly he saw the titty bar gigs dry up and soon he closed the doors to his shop. Suddenly everything was very real, and his heart and soul was fully dedicated to putting out a great magazine every month, each month better than the last. This obviously leaves little time for family and household, let alone working in the garage, so damn near each bike was sold, saving only the Black Pearl. All that was left were a few parts, a Shovel motor, and a lot of shelved desire. During these 15 years that Chris has put each waking second into Cycle Source, his thoughts of all things twowheeled have turned and evolved and broadened. However, one bike has stuck in his mind this entire time. As a kid, Chris bought every single motorcycle model Revell offered. His favorites were always the crazy long bikes; the more radical the better. He had at least 15 of them displayed on his dresser, each painted and modified to suit his adolescent creativity. It was these models that served as great influence for the bike you see before you, their essence, as Chris puts it, “burned into my head.”

In 2009, while putting together the Indian Larry tribute issue, Chris was in talks with Jason and Ron of Paughco about advertising. Chris expressed his great admiration for the quality and style Paughco has offered all these years, and he was asked by the Paughco folks why he hadn’t built anything using their parts. This brought to the surface the fact that Chris was no longer associated with custom bike building, other than putting out a magazine that showcases such. A huge fire was lit, and Chris immediately started gathering parts. The idea was to show that a killer chop could be built almost entirely from the Paughco catalog. As development for the new Cycle Source Bike Building Basics book was in its infant stages, Chris knew this would be a great opportunity to learn and teach at the same time, all the while creating some great material for the new book. Looking back on those killer models screaming through Chris’ memory, he knew he wanted this build to be radical. He instantly thought about how great it would be to hook a Sugar Bear Springer up to his new Paughco frame. But he paused for a moment, knowing that his chopper riding skills might be a bit rusty, after all these years on the Pearl, and abbreviated stints on friends’ short chops. The last thing he wanted to do was slide down the highway on his new scoot, 24” over Sugar Bear Springer and all, due to inexperience with a long bike. But opting to run a +10” Sugar Bear Springer was sacrilege in Chris’ eyes, and could not do that man justice. So, a Paughco unit was chosen instead. The Bear Springer will be saved for the next build. After this was decided, Chris got back in touch with the Paughco crew, and they saved Chris’ ass (his words, not mine) relative to frame geometry and chassis design. Soon the chassis showed up, along with sheet metal and gobs of other chopper goodies, straight from Paughco.

As soon as the frame was on Chris’ table, he wanted to try shop a thousand times, but had never tried himself: leading. All those years of watching him lead panels, but never paying attention had Chris very intrigued. Unfortunately, he never learned the skill, so he called on the Eastwood Company for tutorials, as well as product. Chris studied the literature, and watched a couple videos. Out to the shop he went, ready to fill, shape, and file. On the very first attempt it went so well, he was amazed, until he saw a sliver of an edge popping up along a frame rail. As he slid a razor blade under the edge to see what had happened, the entire chunk of lead popped off and landed on the floor. Damn, must a missed a step! Back to the videos, and yes, sure enough, an entire step was missed, preventing the lead from properly adhering to the base metal. The second time is a charm, as they say, and this was the case, as evidenced by the beautifully molded and sculpted bodywork. While Chris was perfecting his leading skills, he couldn’t help thinking about all the time spent with his dad, and all the lessons learned. He felt as though he was given a special visit from the old man. He compared the new tools he had bought to the very simple and well worn tools his dad had used. He gained an appreciation for the skill his dad had, skill that no tool kit or instructional video will ever buy.

While in Daytona last year, Tim from Papa Clutch asked Chris if he would be interested in a second year Pan motor. At this point, Chris’ mind was racing, knowing that “this will be it.” After checking out what Tim had, a deal was made, and Chris walked away with basically cases and paper, but a rock solid foundation for the heart of his chop. Chris immediately told Roadside Marty about his score, and instead of just checking out the cases and parts, Marty went ahead and loaded the engine in his truck, telling Chris that only his dad, Shelton, could do him and the motor justice, and that he’d be in touch. Even though Chris barely had time to become acquainted with his first ever Pan, he was certain it was in the right hands. Around December last year, Chris was neck deep in the build, and called Marty to ask how the engine build was coming along. Marty said, “We’ve got all the parts ready to go, but Pops said if you’re gonna own a Pan, you gotta know about it, so get yer ass down here!” As you may have ascertained, Chris is a busy dude. Running a mag, writing a book, planning BMR, so on and so forth, constitutes a few full time jobs. But Chris did not hesitate one second, instead jumping in the car and shagging ass to FL.

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This was an opportunity of a lifetime in Chris’ eyes, and he took full advantage of it. Shelton’s shop is perfect in many ways, with everything to build a motor within arms reach. The first 3 1/2 days were spent prepping the parts, sizing, fitting, blasting and painting. In the morning, Marty would leave for work and Chris and Shelton would work away in the shop, quickly becoming great friends, learning about each other, and learning from each other. They would take a trip to visit Easy, a local graybeard that was always eager to lend a hand, and in Chris’ case, lend a derby cover. The locals all refer to Shelton as the “Godfather,” claiming he could just wave his wand over any motor, and it would be better than new. In the evening, Marty would return, and another set of skilled hands were applied to the build. With about a day and a half left, the engine started going together. All the best parts were used, and Shelton’s time tested skills and tricks were utilized. The resulting 61 cubic inch sweetheart is testament to Shelton’s experience, skill, and talent. Oh, and they got done about a half day early, so they treated the stock 4 speed to the same love, resulting in a smooth shifting, quiet gearbox.

One part the bike absolutely had to have was a spool hub from Warren Heir, of Jr’s Cycle Parts. And Chris knew that he had to lace the wheel. It was a test Chris imposed upon himself, his own rite of passage. In his old shop he had only laced one wheel, and that resulted in Chris buying the customer a new wheel. This time around he would not fly into the task blindly, instead drawing on Warren and Buchanan’s Spoke and Wheel for knowledge and advice. After Warren told Chris what to order from Buchanan’s, he called them and told them exactly what he needed. After a few tips, the spokes were in the mail. There were a few frustrating initial attempts, but soon the wheel was laced and true, running an arrow straight line. Or so he thought. While the bike was in our shop during our annual holiday party, Corbin, from the band Sixes, just happened to notice the pattern was just a hair off, and some nipples allowed threads to show, and others did not. Chris’ heart sank, and as Corbin explained that he had just gone through the same thing, he suggested calling Buchanan’s again. Chris did so, the proper pattern was explained, and the perfect spoolie you see here was the result. While in town for our party, Chris drew on the help of Lemme, Darren, Russ, and myself to do some of the fabwork. We relocated the tank, built the pipes, showed Chris how to use the shrinker and stretcher to adjust the radius of his fender, and introduced him to silicon bronze filler rod as he added the lip to the edge of the fender. It was amazing how quick the bike came together while it was here, as Chris never looked up, sleeping on the floor in Nic’s office a few nights. Lemme and Russ worked particularly late a couple nights, and sent Chris on his way around 1 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Chris made it home in time to eat, have a glass of wine, and pass out in the stuffing, face first. The next week was spent finalizing the mag, and as soon as he shipped it to the printer, he was off to Minnesota to visit Jeremy in the Relic paint booth. Jeremy laid down the killer leaf, candy, and flake; Chris could not have been happier. This paint job would have been right at home on one of his old Revell models!

The day after Christmas, Chris was joined in his garage by Daniel Donely from Pandemonium, Zach Williams, and Matt Reel for final assembly. Final assembly proved to be more than just final, as they adjusted and readjusted many parts, such as the shifter handle, sissybar, pipes, and handlebars. Again, while the boys w e r e greasing, wiring, and torquing, Chris slid over to Albert’s, his old friend. Albert’s Chrome shop had recently shut down due to Albert’s health. But as Albert and Chris had spoken a few times about the new bike, Albert assured him that he wanted to fire up the old tanks one last time. As Chris and Albert talked, and polishing and plating was being performed, Chris had a lot of time to reflect on what this bike really meant to him. So many friends, old and new were excited to help him. He learned secrets from folks like Sheldon Davis that have spent a lifetime developing their craft. H e received gifts from new friends like Easy. Guys like Russ and Lemme sacrificed holiday time to help a brother get his new scoot on the road. Chris spent time with his old man, even though he was all by himself in the garage leading. And here was old Albert, happy as a lark heating up his tanks to make his buddy’s bike shiny, completely ignoring his own discomforts. As Chris described it, “It was a metaphysical journey; a visit with old friends, some long gone, all remembering, making jokes, telling stories, and making new memories. You never miss a beat with your old friends, no matter how long you’ve been away.”

Chris headed back to the garage where the boys were chipping away at final assembly. As he was putting his SU carb on, Chris noticed a few missing pieces. He called John at Primo Rivera, and after a quick chat, John asked that he ship the carb to him. Chris did so and a week later the carb was back in his hands, completely rebuilt. Chris cannot say thank you enough to John. In Chris’ words, the SU is “the perfect f**king carburetor.” He loves the jabs he gets from so many people that just do not understand this incredible carb, and he can kick start his bike quicker than most can hit their starter button. Since its completion, the bike has been all over the country, from Willie’s Tropical Tattoo in Daytona, to the Handy Lift display in Cincinnati, to winning “Best of Show” at the Columbus Invitational Easyriders’ Show. More importantly, the bike was an opportunity for Chris to learn about bike building, and himself. This is Chris’ first bike feature since the original issue, and it means a lot more than ego. During the entire interview, Chris stressed this bike was more about the people in his life, and his art, than himself. In Chris’ words, “I bought the ticket, I took the ride.”

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Ticket To Ride Tech Sheet

Owner: Chris Callen

City: Pittsburgh, PA

Fabrication By: Owner & Brothers

Year: 1949

Model: EL

Time: 90 Days

Value: 1/2 Relationship & 3/4 Happy Home

ENGINE

Year: 1949

Model: Panhead

Builder: Chris, Roadside & Shelton Davis

Ignition: Auto Advance Dist.

Displacement: 74ci

Pistons: Stock + 50

Heads: Stock / Shelton Davis

Cam(s): Lightning Gear

Carb: Skinner’s Union

Air Cleaner: Skinner’s Union

Exhaust: Chris / Flat Broke Customs

Primary: Hidden BDL

TRANSMISSION

Year: 1949

Make: Ratchet Top

Shifting: Slap Happy

FRAME

Year: 2012

Make: Paughco

Rake: 40 Degrees

Stretch: 2 1/4” Down – Zero Back

FRONT END

Type: Narrow Springer

Builder: Paughco

Extension: 12 Over + 3 Degrees

Triple Trees: Paughco

WHEELS

Front Wheel: Paughco / Warren Jr. Hub

Size: 21”

Tire: Metzeler

Brakes: Nope

Rear Wheel: Paughco

Size: 16”

Tire: Metzeler

Brakes: GMA

PAINT

Painter: Jeremy Pederson – Relic Customs

Color: Red Metal Flake

Type: House of Kolor

Molding: Led Soldering

Chroming: Albert’s Chrome

ACCESSORIES

Bars: Paughco / Callen Six Bends

Risers: Paughco 5” Dog Bones

Hand Controls: A Hokey Throttle Tube

Gas Tank(s): Paughco Wide Mustang

Front Fender: None

Rear Fender: Paughco / Callen / BKC

Seat: Drag Specialties

Foot Controls: Indian Larry Motorcycles

Oil Tank: Paughco

Taillight: Tail End Customs

Headlight: Pandemonium Choppers

Photographer: Jeff Cochran

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