BREAKING

Feature Bikes

Love Machine

Article By: Jimmy Frizzell

Photos By: Chris Callen

Originally Published In The March 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

Feature 4a

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.

Feature 4b

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.

Feature 4c

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

Related Posts

1 of 54