Article By: Milwaukee Mike
Photos By: Bart Mitchell
Originally Published In The May 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
Much like the concept of the world coming to an end in 2012, the year of 1984 was known for its Orwellian outlook on the world. Fortunately for humanity, none of the events in that book have come true, yet. Unfortunately, 1984 did signal the end of an era for Harley Davidson: the end of the fabled Shovelhead. I know some people who are in the know on the history of all things Harley. They claim that the last of the Shovelheads were the greatest of that iconic engine’s era, in particular, the 1984 FL version being the best of the best. If you remember, or do your homework if you weren’t alive at that point in Harley’s history, AMF was giving up their grip on the Motor Company. The employees were in the midst of buying the company back to start a whole new chapter in HD history. That time period gave birth to the bike you see on these pages owned by JD Sansaver of Flying Monkey Fabrication. The bike is called The Electric Watermelon because of the one-of-a-kind paint job on the tank. It’s so obvious but when I saw the bike, I didn’t even see the resemblance until I heard the name. The bike is still the favorite in JD’s corral and he says it has the right geometry to be comfortable and cuts through LA traffic like a hot, skinny knife! The bike came to belong to JD as part of a trade he made for the work he did at Cro Customs when Caleb was building a bike called the BS1: a board track inspired chopper that he built for a customer in England. To keep the costs low on the BS1 build, JD accepted the ‘84 FLH basket case as payment for services r e n d e r e d . The bike was all there except it was in pieces. He then put the bike together as a cut down stock bike with 6” over front tubes known as the “Brown Trout.” He rode the bike for a while like that and then was in a bad accident and broke his jaw. While he was recuperating the bike was totaled and was the perfect candidate for a total rebuild.
The new project began and the frame went into a jig; the beginnings of a chopper were born. The frame was obviously damaged so only the bottom half was used and the top rails were moved up 3” but no rake was added. This made the wishbone on the down tubes pretty close to vertical and puts the motor in a slightly upward angle which all adds to the illusion of the bike being sky high without it having to be. Before the engine went back into the new frame, it was treated to a fresh top end and a quick peek at the tranny revealed that it was all good and no work was needed. With the fresh motor and trans now in the restructured chopper frame, it was time to work on the wheels. Two aluminum Akront shouldered rims, 18” rear and 21” front, were laced to the appropriate hubs by JD and then put on the bike to complete the roller. It was finally down to a small amount of wiring and painting the tank which was all done in-house at FMF. For the most part, this is a one man operation so almost everything was done by JD. The icing on this cake was an original Denver’s Springer from the ‘70s which was cleaned up and put on the front; it works like a charm according to JD. The plan for this build was to keep it as simple as possible and to keep the lines of the bike clean as well. To stick with that strategy, most of the parts that were used came as either give-a-ways or for cheap, even by swap meet standards. Seeing as the bike started as a barter deal, JD has very little cash outlay in the build, just a lot of good old fashioned time in the shop. Since I first laid eyes on this bike last fall, JD has taken his shop to the next level. He said, “I am so legit now that I have to pay taxes!” So if you like what you see here, contact him and check out all the new things JD has going on. JD would like to thanks Cro and all the bros who hung out and drank all the beer while he worked! Just kidding; all the help is always appreciated.
Electric Watermelon Tech Sheet
Owner: JD Sansaver -Flying Monkey Fab
City: Culver City, CA
Fabrication By: JD Sansaver
Year: 1984
Model: FLH
Time: 2 1/2 Months
Value: Priceless! It’s Mine! You Can’t Have It!
ENGINE
Year: 1984 – Last Of The Shovels
Model: FLH Shovel
Builder: HD / Lower End Kyo of Garage Co.
Ignition: Points
Displacement: 80cc
Pistons: Stock
Heads: Stock
Cam(s): Stock
Carb: Super E
Air Cleaner: BCD Boyle Custom Moto
Exhaust: FMF
Primary: Open FMF
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1984
Make: HD
Shifting: Jockey
FRAME
Year: 2011
Make: FMF
Rake: 40 Degrees
Stretch: Up – No Out
FRONT END
Type: Springer
Builder: Think it’s Denver’s Swap Meet Trash
Extension: Over and Out
WHEELS
Front Wheel: One-Off Custom
Size: 21”
Tire: Avon Speed
Brakes: N/A
Rear Wheel: Akront High Shoulder
Size: 18”
Tire: Coker Diamond Skinny
Brakes: Disc
PAINT
Painter: FMF
Color: Lime – Gold – Black
Type: HOK
Graphics: N/A
Molding: N/A
Chroming: A Type Called Set Finish, Looks Like Stainless
ACCESSORIES
Bars: FMF Stainless Drag
Risers: Chinese Knock Off
Hand Controls: Twisty
Gas Tank(s): Modified Wassel
Front Fender: N/A
Rear Fender: Modified Trailer
Seat: FMF
Foot Controls: Modified Old Stock
Mirrors:
Oil Tank: Modified Humster
Headlight: Old Bicycle
Taillight: Swap Meet Gold
Speedo: Euro Trash Swimsuit!
Photos By: Bart Mitchel