BREAKING

Feature Bikes

In Loving Memory

Article By: Chris Callen

Photos By: Kerri Schindler

Originally Published In The April 2013 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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So my boys at Chop-in Block always have a great assortment of kick ass sleds when they roll into town, but in Sturgis I laid my eyes on a real gem. It was an old Flatty that was done up in the slickest traditional bobber dress. Now this is the k i n d a stuff that drives me nuts; I had to grab the owner and bend his ear for a half-hour or so. Well, the story that I walked away with was one I had to bring to our readers, and one I am honored to tell. Wendell Turner is a Detroit boy who has become known for building great old bikes that always win awards. He grew up under the influence, as it were, when his dad got a chance to grab an old ’46 Cleveland Police Knucklehead. He still remembers the old man taking him for rides on the buddy seat of that bike with another friend of his up on the tank. They didn’t have a garage growing up so the old girl sat outside with a tarp over it. Sure as the sun would be shining, his old man would find Wendell with the tarp off, sitting on the bike waiting until he could ride it. But before he would get that chance, a pickup truck showed up one day with some hairy biker guys in it. They handed Wendell’s father a roll of cash and loaded it up; the Knuckle was gone and it only brought in $150. It crushed Wendell, but it also burned the love of motorcycles into his skull.

While Wendell has built and owned many bikes since the old man’s Knuckle, when it came to this bike, it would end up being h i s favorite motorcycle ever. You see, Wendell’s son Jared came to him around 2002 and told him that he wanted to build a bike with his dad. Wendell was into it and told his son he had a fresh Flathead motor on the bench. They started rooting around the shop for parts to get started Originally, he was going to restore this Flatty, but the bobber thing was just getting popular and he thought that would be a more fitting bike for the kid to ride so it was gonna be retro all the way. It was about a year into the build when Jared was diagnosed with cancer. They were just about done with the bike, but once he started chemo treatments, he didn’t feel safe taking a hand shift, rocker clutch out on the road. If he wrecked, even a light fall, it could be fatal. He underwent a major surgery to remove a tumor from his lower back that left him without the use of one leg; it didn’t stop him from fighting. For the next four years the bike sat finished waiting for Jared to ride her. He got stronger, was able to walk again and continued to fight the cancer, but sadly was never able to ride the Flatty. He was only 32 years old when he lost the battle with this gripping disease–too young and Wendell’s only child.

You would think that this story would be too painful for a parent to pass along, but Wendell chooses to celebrate his son’s life with positive thoughts and cherished memories, and the Flathead is among those. Over the years, it has become his favorite bike. It never leaves him stranded, it’s never hard to start, and it has been the perfect bike. He’s not sure if his son has seen to that in some way, but he’s decided that he’d never take it back apart. For the rest of his days it will remain in the exact configuration it was built. Funny, he mentioned that the bike with rattle can paint and spare parts has won m o r e awards and captured more people’s attention than anything else he’s ever done. Today, Wendell rides the hell out of the Flatty and continues upon the work of building  and restoring some of the greatest old bikes throughout the Midwest. He favors the pre-1980 bikes; mostly the ‘40s and ‘50s style motorcycles. You can see him these days running with the Chop-in Block crowd. You’ll know him right away ‘cause he has a few little beauties like this Flatty that he travels with. If you see him on the road, you can guarantee it will be on this old girl.

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In Memory Of Tech Sheet

Owner: Wendell Turner

City: South Lyon, Georgia

Fabrication By: Turner’s Cycle Shop

Year: 1945

Model: UL

Value: Priceless

Time: 6 Months

ENGINE

Year: 1945

Model: UL

Builder: Wendell & Jared Turner

Ignition: H-D

Displacement: 74c.i.

Pistons: H-D

Heads: Cast Iron

Cam(s): H-D

Carb: M33 Linkert

Air Cleaner: H-D

Exhaust: Stock 2-into-1

Primary: Open Belt Drive

TRANSMISSION

Year: 1945

Make: H-D

Shifting: Tank Shift

FRAME

Year: 1945

Make: H-D

Rake: Stock

Stretch: Stock

FRONT END

Type: Springer

Builder: H-D

Extension: Stock

Triple Trees: Custom TCS

WHEELS

Front Wheel: Spoke

Size: 21”

Tire: Goodyear

Brakes: Stock Drum

Rear Wheel: Spoke

Size: 16”

Tire: Goodyear Speedgrip

Brakes: Stock Drum

PAINT

Painter: Turner’s Cycle Shop

Type: Rattle Can

Color: Fat Black

Graphics: Turner’s Cycle Shop

Chroming: Very Little

ACCESSORIES

Bars: 16” Apes

Risers: Custom TCS

Hand Controls: Stock H-D

Gas Tank(s): Stock H-D

Front Fender: None

Rear Fender: Custom TCS

Seat: K-Model

Foot Controls: Rocker Clutch

Oil Tank: Aftermarket

Speedo: V-Twin

Taillight: Cat’s Eye

Headlight: Cycle Ray-Guide

Photographer: Kerri Schindler

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