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Flyin’ Hawaiian

Article By: Jimmy Frizzell

Photos By: Sean Bowie

Originally Published In The November 2016 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

Sometimes it’s both nurture and nature. When motorcycles are in your blood it’s a disease very few of use try to cure. At a young age, Noah Ogeen witnessed his father breathe new life and speed into countless motorcycles for both the hardcore tire spinners and the wallet heavy business man. He learned to scavenge through the piles of tossed aside parts for motorcycle gold and hold onto as much of the lost treasures as he could. This was the beginning of what would make Noah a great builder. At around 20 he, accompanied by his 55 Triumph Tiger, left the open roads of the U.S. mainland and set up shop on the little island of Maui, a small chunk of paradise only 727 square miles in size with a total of 636.01 miles of public roads. Possibly not the most perfect location to be a chopper junky, but definitely one of the most scenic. With roughly only 140,000 year round residents and a constant surge of tourists owning one of the only custom shops on the island is a sink or swim commitment, but Hot Rod Alley Motorcycles has withstood the onslaught of competition and allowed Noah to live the chopper lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to.

In the early turn of the century Noah bought this bike unassembled from an old buddy fresh out of the federal pen. The muscle behind the skeleton at the time was a fresh 1967 Shovelhead and as Noah remembers, it was quite possibly the nastiest Shovel he had ever tried to tame. With the tenacity of a two stroke the long bike would have a tendency to put the front end vertical and after his visiting father witnessed the fury of the built demon he suggested Noah find a milder motor. The motor was pulled shortly after and the roller was left hanging from the rafters until proper attention could be had. Upon further research of the long bike that perilously dangled above, he realized that this in fact was one of the first Denver Mullins frames and bolted to the neck was a 30 over Denver Mullins springer. This in fact was original dangerous motorcycle shit and that is what the kid inside Noah always wanted. For Noah, the beauty of the Harley-Davidson name always came from the vast history of the ones that have ridden the bikes long before he even existed and if he was going to revive this death trap it was going to be as close to how it was done in 1967 as possible. Last year Noah purchased a ‘61 Panhead motor that used to belong to an old friend that unfortunately passed away in the late nineties. Since his friends passing the old pan had changed hands more then a few times so it was completely torn down and rebuilt. It wasn’t as bad as some 55-year-old motors tend to be so not a ton of abnormal attention was needed. The cylinders were bored and the flywheels balanced and trued along with the other normal details and the addition of a Hunt magneto. Finally, the roller would have a more suitable heart. It was Ogeen’s full intention to build a rolling and functional museum and not your average loose unreliable show horse. All the mechanics and fabrication were done in house while the paint and chrome were sourced out. The motor sports a set of original CCE finned covers and breathes with the assistance of a chromed out Linkert carb with an original Ed Roth deflector helping the power plant look as good as it runs.

Prior to the build Noah was lucky enough to meet Marvin Hall, the inventor of the invader mini drum, the spool hub and the founder of Hallcraft. For years, sitting on Marvin’s desk was the first spool hub he created chromed on a plaque as a gift from his employees. Hallcraft unfortunately shut its doors sometime in the seventies forever leaving its mark on the industry. Lucky for Noah Marvin gifted that same beloved spool to him and now the trophy rotates its way guiding the front wheel through endless miles of adventure. The bike sits almost exactly how it would if it was built in the sixties. Noah used only original chopper shit and OEM parts. The frame had a gusset attached to reinforce the neck strain and the rear legs of the springer was strengthened using 120 wall tubing on the rear legs, but it still remains to be what it was almost 50 years ago, the real deal dangerous bike thousands of moms warned their daughters about. Noah feels this bike separates the men from the boys. Many people would build long bikes well after Denver produced this one, but Noah feels that none of them can compare to it’s beauty. He was proud to restore this bike and to build the bike that as a kid he always loved. He’s just happy to be doing his part in this industry “to make motorcycles dangerous again”.

We all have our opinions about bikes that see more trailer time then street time. Our heads hang low as we see these beautiful two wheeled contraptions get pushed from their traveling resting places. But when you live on a damned island you have no choice. Noah tries to get his riding in at least once a year on the mainland and knock the dust off during some well deserved seat time. This year would be no different. After the Denver chopper was shipped to Vegas and reunited with Noah and his girl, Adrianna, the 3 would zig zag around Sturgis and surrounding states for roughly 3800 miles. Two up on an original chopper with no more then the usual minor torque here and there and one flat tire. A bike from the 60’s, all show, all go and a testament of everything chopper.

Flyin Hawaiian Tech Sheet

Owner: Noah Ogeen

City: Maui, hawaii

Fabrication By: Noah Ogeen

Year: 1961-1967

Model: Panhead

Value: Priceless

Time: 4 Months

ENGINE

Year: 1961

Model: FL Panhead

Builder: Noah Ogeen

Ignition: Hunt Magneto

Displacement: 74”

Pistons: Harley-Davidson

Heads: Harley-Davidson

Cam(s): Harley-Davidson- HGrind

Carb: Linkert

Air Cleaner: Ed Roth

Exhaust: Noah Ogeen

Primary: H-D Tin/Chain Drive

Transmission

Year: 1938/1948

Make: Cal Products/Andrews Close Ratio Gears

Shifting: 4 Speed Jockey Shift

FRAME

Year: 1967

Model: Wishbone Gooseneck

Rake: 62°

Stretch: 4” Up, 3” Out

Front end

Type: Wishbone Springer

Builder: Denver Mullins

Extension: 30” Over

WHEELS

Front Wheel: Hallcraft

Size: 21”

Front Tire: Avon

Front brake: Front Brakes Are For Pussies

Rear Wheel: Harley-Davidson

Size: 18”

Rear Tire: 4.50 Firestone

Rear Brake: Juice Drum

PAINT

Painter: Kanaiela Aipa

Color: Black

Type: PPG

Graphics: Burnt Orange/Sky Blue Ribbons

Chroming: Northwest Plating

ACCESSORIES

Bars: Noah Ogeen

Risers: None

Hand controls: Internal Throttle

Fuel tank: UnionSpeed/Noah Ogeen

Rear fender: LCI/Noah Ogeen

Seat: Noah Ogeen/Joe’s Upholstery

Foot Controls: Noah Ogeen/Lee

Oil Tank: Harley-Davidson

Headlight: Mini Bates

Taillight: Old do-Ray Lamp

Speedo: None

Photographer: Sean Bowie

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