Article By: Jimmy Frizzell
Photos By: Chris Callen
Originally Published In The March 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
It’s a safe bet that at one time or another in your fiercely confusing formative years someone made it quite clear that a motorcycle was nothing more then a two wheeled death machine. In some devious turn of events that chariot of the devil’s delight would in someway or another lead to nothing more then trouble, delinquency, and the rumored one way ticket to the morgue. As your feeble little mind tried to wrap itself around such a profound lecture, your hands began to sweat your mouth grew drier, and in a brief moment of clarity you knew right then and there you had to get yourself god damn motorcycle. Still as you grew comfortable with the prospect of an adventurous adrenaline filled lifestyle packed solid with the music of the damned and questionable life choices nothing would ever prepare yourself for the first time your vision sockets set their gaze on a Knucklehead. The world would be a magical place if every time you shared a picture of an amazing bike the owner offered to sell it to you, and as luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened to Paul Posso of LSD Choppers. Paul had been drooling over Will Thomas’ Born Free 2 ‘69 shovel since the very first time he saw it. In the early weeks of 2014 he decided to proclaim his admiration for the two wheeled vixen by posting a picture taken by Scott Jones on the white elephant known as “Instagram”. Little did he know that this declaration of love would promote a response from its owner and soon lead him down the slippery slope of chopper obsession. Paul and Will quickly struck a deal for the bike minus the motor and Will was on the road from Seal Beach California to hand deliver Paul’s now roller to Jeremiah Armenta over at Love Cycles in Phoenix, Arizona.
As the time line would have it Jeremiah was already elbow deep in building a ‘47 Knuckle motor for Paul and the two knew that the rebuilt engine and the Born Free bike could quite possibly be a perfect marriage, with only one exception, Jeremiah wanted to ditch the shovel frame and go with an original unmolested 47 bullneck Knuck frame that he had hidden up his sleeve. Paul didn’t even consider any other option, there was no other choice to be made if his dream bike was to be a reality, his roller would need to be reduced to a pile of tins, wheels, and miscellaneous leftover parts and left to the fully capable hands of the puppet master lurking at Love Cycles. As Jeremiah continued on the build that would eventually last a full year, Paul kept his nose to the ground and began to seek out the rest of the parts necessary to complete their vision. He was able to track down Mikey at Squares Beware about a crusty old ’36 VL front end that he had in his collection and also was able to get his mitt on a ‘47 trans from Grant Paterson that would eventually have to be reconditioned over at Love. Jeremiah along with Chase of Cycle Zombies were able to paint the 47 frame to match the age and wear of the original metal and follow the antiqued theme of the build. Jeremiah recycled the narrowed oil bag and 19” starhub wheels from Will’s original bike while adding a custom 2 into 1 exhaust, custom suicide shifter and custom handmade bars and clamps to adapt the narrow risers from the boys at Visionary Cycle Products. Countless other one off parts had to be fabricated at Love in order to transition the lights and tins onto the Knuckle frame and VL front end.
What first attracted Paul to the original ‘69 shovel and what now is the main focal point of the 47 Knucklehead would unquestionably have to be the incredible split tanks masked in the ironically flawless patina. Kiyo over at Kiyo’s Garage built the tanks a long ways back out of Panhead gold. The right side is an original tank from a Pan Police bike while the left, adorned with original art from the famous Gen Love Ear Art, came from another Panhead of unknown year and origin. Both tanks were carefully narrowed and shortened to fit seamlessly and still carry just a bit more then your average peanut tank. In the grand scheme of things a year can pass in the blink of an eye, but when you’re waiting on the completion of your perfect dream Knucklehead and floating the financial weight a bike of this discipline can accrue, it can seem like an eternity, and as Paul fidgeted in his knickers his own LSD Choppers continued churning out product. In March of 2015 Paul was just finishing up a Panhead project to be entered into the Giddy Up Vintage Chopper Show in Texas when he found out Jeremiah had already decided that the Knucklehead was going to rear its ugly head a the show as well. The day before the show Mr. Love rolled into Spicewood Texas to get some final tuning achieved at Dan Carr’s DC Choppers. This is where the candle was burned on both ends as the Linkert carb and the Morris Magneto were dialed in, complimented by some other minor twists and tweaks to enhance the motors performance.
Four hours after the final tune up, after a year of bloody knuckles and all the headaches associated with birthing a reliable piece of machinery from ancient parts, the 1947 Knucklehead graced the world with its presence in front of the Love Cycles booth. While any builder anticipates the debut of their latest project at any show, Paul’s swan song was easily muted by the anxious heart palpitations of seeing his reborn Knuckle in the flesh. It took only one kick, backed by hours upon hours of labor, for that motor to be resurrected, and the cadence of the pistons becoming reborn inside a nearly seventy year old shell was unforgettable. The long wait, endless searching for parts, and Love Cycles’ dedication to historic engineering are all too apparent in this mutant time piece. The marriage of modern fabrication and pieces frozen in time is flawless. Paul realizes that his Knucklehead would never be what it is today without all the hands that had their part in the build. He doesn’t have any plans on selling it in the near future and takes great pride in the fact that it’s now his daily ride. You can never forget the first time you hear your bike fire up….and you never forget a Knucklehead.
Love Machine Tech Sheet
Owner: Paul Posso
Fabrication By: Jeremiah Armenia
City/State: Houston, TX
Year: 1947
Model: Knucklehead
Value: $30,000
Time: A Year
ENGINE
Year: 1947
Model: Knucklehead
Builder:Jeremiah Armenia
Ignition: Kick Only
Displacement: Stock
Pistons: Stock
Heads: Stock
Carb: M74B Linkert
Cam: Stock
Air Cleaner: Short Stack By IK Works
Exhaust: Custom 2 Into 1
Primary: Knuckle Tins
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1947
Make: Harley Davidson
Shifting: Suicide
FRAME
Year: 1946-1947
Make: Bullneck Knucklehead
Rake: Stock
Stretch: Stock
Forks
Make: 1936 VL Springer
Builder: Jeremiah Armenta
Extension: Stock
Triple trees: Stock
WHEELS
Front Wheel: OEM Starhub
Size: 19”
Tire: Avon
Front Brake: N/A
Rear Wheel: OEM Starhub
Size: 19”
Tire: Avon
Rear Brake: EOM Drum
PAINT
Painter: GenLove Ear Art
Color: Black / White
Type: Old
Chroming: Rust
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Jeremiah Armenta
Risers: Narrow Visionary Angled
Hand controls: N/A
Gas Tank(s): Panhead Police-Kiyo’s Garage
Front fender: N/A
Rear fender: Narrow Hinged
Seat: Bates
Foot controls: Rocker Clutch
Oil Tank: Narrowed Horseshoe
Headlight:
Tailight: Sparto
Speedo: None
Photographer: Chris Callen