Article By: Grizzly
Photos By: Floris Velthuis
Originally Published In The August 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
We would like to introduce our new European contributor, Grizzly from Holland. Besides writing and taking photos, the man loves to build bikes, too. We have already run 2 features by Grizzly, but have not formally introduced him to our readers. So, we decided to let him tell his own story of his latest creation (and cool as shit, by the way): War Hippy. I bought my first Easyriders’ magazine at the age of 17. It was in the late seventies and I was absolutely thrilled of what I saw in that mag. I hoped to be able to once own a chopper like the totally bitchin’ bikes featured. I started building with the help of friends. A Yamaha XS 650 was the base of my first chopper. A bike styled like the ones in Easyriders. When I look at it now, it was no show winner, but hey, I tried. I bought my first Harley, a Shovel Superglide with a stock frame, six inches over, at the age of 20. After a visit to Sweden, I was hooked on the choppers I saw over there. Back in Holland, I immediately took the Superglide apart and ordered a hardtail frame from England, since nobody was making them in Holland at the time. Then, after a winter of hard work, I owned my first hardtail chop. It had a lot of Swedish influences, but some American too. I never got to build a chopper like the ones I saw in my first Easyrider ‘cause I did not have the skills yet. Then the style became out of fashion and I started to associate it with lovey-dovey hippies. I did not like the “turn-my-othercheek” hippies. I was more into ‘f**k the world.’ But now, thirty years later, I finally created the bike I wanted to own when I was 17 years old. I made a shitload of parts by hand. It was a lot of fun to do. It made me feel like that seventeen-year-old kid I once was.
The name of the bike came from a story I heard from Goose, one of the charter members of the Outsiders MC of Portland, Oregon, who became my friend. He told me that in the early seventies there were a lot of hippy communes in his area. Him and his hardcore chopper riding club brothers used to visit those communes and took the drugs and women from the peace loving hippies. “It was fun man, these people did not try to stop us at all; they just sat there, smiling. One day, however, we tried to do the same at another commune when the hippies suddenly showed up with shotguns and started shooting at us before we even got off our bikes. We had to race the hell out not to get killed. After that we decided that there are ‘hippies’ and there are ‘warhippies,” said Goose. That name Warhippy sounded so good that yours truly decided to remember it for future use. Now when I finally was building a seventies bike, I did not want any association with the hippy scene and it was just perfect to give it the name Warhippy! I started out with an L&L frame; a frame that was custom made for me by this Dutch shop. Then I went looking for the right motor. I am no rich guy but own several choppers that I have built myself. This one however was going to be my wife’s bike. Therefore it had to be almost maintenance free. Instead of going for an old Ironhead or Pan, I decided a 1200 Evo Sporty would be the best option. The bike had to be ridden, ridden hard and far! We both make long trips in Europe and an Evo powered seventies long bike would just be the right thing to have for that purpose.
I live in Holland, Europe where I work for the Dutch magazine, Bigtwin . I write bike features, do test rides, write about clubs and also do how-to articles. The Warhippy became a how-to article. In a series of twelve parts, I showed the Bigtwin readers exactly how the Warhippy came to be. I worked with simple tools: a Mig welder, a grinder, a drill and not much else. I made a shitload of parts to keep cost low and because it is fun to do. I tried to show that almost everybody can do it. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist! Today, a lot of people have opinions about what is a real chopper and what’s not. I don’t care what everybody is saying. Wide tires, slim tires, as long as it does not look stock, I like it. I wanted a slim tire on this one because that’s what fitted the style best. I also made the Evo motor look different. I used Xzotic Panhead covers , chopped the valve cover, rounded the cylinders, made the CV look more classic and made old style pipes. I even bought a primary trim and changed the shape of that. Why? Because an older looking engine would fit the style better, and to me changing the look of things according to your own tastes or desires is what custom is all about. The Warhippy was painted by Royal Jack, a young talented Dutch artist. I chromed as much a s possible because that is what they did in the seventies as well. I also happen to just like chrome and it is just practical. This was not an expensive bike to build. Making your own parts makes it all affordable . I found a damaged Sportster, used its motor, brakes and all the little stuff like the ignition module and the regulator and the ignition-key. The rear wheel is actually the old stock front wheel and the 21 inch in front was laced to the stock hub. I was very lucky that one of my friends wanted to trade a Springer frontend for a mono-shock I had lying around. My girl loves the bike. It handles great! We will make some great trips together in the future and the bike will only become more beautiful while it gets older
War Hippy Tech Sheet
Owner: Grizzly & Els
City: Holland
Fabrication By: Grizzly
Year: 2012
Model: Sportster Chopper
Time: 1 1/2 Years
Value: Not For Sale
ENGINE
Year: 1996
Model: Sporty Evo
Builder: HD & Flathead Mick
Ignition: Points
Displacement: 1200
Pistons: 2 of Them
Heads: HD
Cam(s):
Carb: CV w/ Classic Cover
Air Cleaner: Knuckle Style w/ Cross by Grizzly
Exhaust: Grizzly
Primary: Tin Cover – Grizzly
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1996
Make: HD
Shifting: 5-Speed
FRAME
Year: 2010
Make: L&L Choppers – Opmeer, Holland –
Reworked by Grizzly
Rake: 38 Degrees
Stretch: 5”
FRONT END
Type: Narrow Springer
Builder: Unknown/Grizzly
Extension: 10” Over
WHEELS
Front Wheel: HD Spokes
Size: 21”
Tire: Speedmaster
Brakes: Sportster/Grizzly Bracket
Rear Wheel: Sportster Front
Size: 19”
Tire: Firestone
Brakes: Stock Sporty/Grizzly Bracket
PAINT
Painter: Royal Jack
Color: Purple & Magnetta
Type: Fine Flakes
Chroming: Gallvano Holland
Graphics: Royal Jack
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Tokyo Thug
Hand Controls: Tolle
Gas Tank(s): Wassel/Grizzly
Rear fender: Grizzly
Seat: Grizzly & Mila
Foot Controls: Speedking Speedclutch
Oil Tank: Grizzly
Taillight: Mini Warbird
Headlight: Swapmeet Special
Sissybar: Grizzly
Forkstops: Viking Kings-Chains by Olaf
Photographer: Floris Velthuis