Acme Rocket Powered Triumph

April 11, 2016

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Article By: Matt Reel

Photos By: Chris Callen

Originally Published In The March 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

Whenever I hear the name Acme, I’m taken back to my childhood, sitting in front of the TV on Saturday mornings watching the coyote trying to catch his dinner. Acme was a great supplier to him. Whether it be roller skates, horseshoe shaped magnets, or rocket packs, they had it, but none of these things seemed to help him. Moving forward to present day, the name Acme has a whole new meaning. The guys at Acme Custom Choppers don’t build any of the things the coyote used (give them time on the rocket packs though). What they build are some very slick choppers and bobbers. When Texas native, Ray Johnson, came across an Acme bobber on an Internet auction site, he placed a bid but missed out. Not one to give up, Ray contacted Acme and got the wheels turning on a bike of his own. Ray wanted a Triumph bobber similar to the one he saw on auction but other than that, he left it in the capable hands of the Acme crew. The guys at Acme wasted no time rounding up a 1968 Triumph basket case for the build. The bike they started with was essentially just a front frame hoop, a water logged engine with no top end, a transmission, a rusted frontend, and a set of wheel hoops and hubs.

The guys started on the Triumph by building a short wheel base hardtail section for the frame. This short design led to heavily modifying the aluminum oil tank to fit around the seat post, while clearing the Amal carb and velocity stack, rear wheel, and chain. The engine and transmission were then tore down to find mostly rust and corrosion. The cases and c r a n k were cleaned and reused, while most of the other internal parts had to be replaced. A Joe Hunt Magneto was added to light the fire, and a slip fit stainless steel exhaust system with reverse megaphone was built to get the exhaust out while adding a unique sound. Once the engine and frame were ready, it was time to get the bobber rolling. A Triumph frontend was rebuilt with 3 inch under tubes, and the original rims and hubs were rebuilt, powdercoated by Good Hues and laced with new spokes, then wrapped with Avon rubber. The original Triumph front and rear drum brakes were also rebuilt and used. A set of Acme stainless steel handlebars with Acme hand controls were clamped into a set of Triumph risers to provide something to hold on to.

Now that the Triumph was rolling and stopping, it was time to add some sheet metal. To match the modified aluminum oil tank, an aluminum rear fender from 7 Metal West, along with an aluminum peanut gas tank were added. The Acme crew made up some slick custom fender struts to mount the rear fender, then had to decide on a finish for the metal. With aluminum,there is only two ways to go: polished or brushed. These guys really stepped it up on this. They spent a couple very long days first polishing the aluminum to a perfectly smooth mirror finish, which sometimes involved adding weld to fill the low spots then working it back down to make the metal flawless. They then went to work with scuff pads to give it a machined appearance. The metal was then turned over to painter Sonny Ambrose for the Acme name and logo. To finish things off, a TT & Company aluminum headlight was added to show the way, while an Acme taillight brings up the rear. John Donahue provided the seat, while the original Triumph foot controls were reused. Ray Johnson may have missed the bobber he first saw for auction, but it gave him a chance to work with the Acme crew and get his own. This leaves me thinking about the coyote from my younger days. If he could have had the crew at Acme build him a ride like this one, how would have things ended up? I’m guessing we would have seen him riding off into the sunset headed for beer and wings while flipping off that skinny ass bird(yeah, I always cheered for the coyote).