Article and Photos By: Chris Callen
Mitch “Magoo” Bodine runs a shop in New Jersey, is part of the Limpnickie Lot management crew and has had his hands in some of the most memorable builds to come out of Bling’s Cycles in recent years. He is as true blue a mutha as you’ll find today and I’m proud to call him my brother. However, it wasn’t until I started to write this story that I found out that Magoo has been doing this shit longer than even I have. He started out with a pretty substantial racing career that began at the age of fifteen and would take him through motocross, flat track and eventually road racing. At the early age of fourteen, he scored his first job, and of course it was at a motorcycle shop. He carried an AMA pro flat track license for a while, eventually started to race sprint cars and Crawlers; he is an all around moto-nut.
When I first met Magoo, he was wrenching for Bill Dodge at his joint in Farmington, New Jersey. He was a quiet sort of cat at first but over the past few year I’ve come to know him as a true king of the one-liner. Since then he’s also gone off on his own to form Magoo’s Motorsickles and has started to build some wicked cool stuff with soul. This Shovel is just such a bike. You might think that by its rough, ridden appearance that it was constructed to appear like a tough bike, but that’s not true. Actually, the bike was originally intended to be a shiny bike but unending admonishments from Charlie Ransome would put that idea to rest. You see, Magoo acquired this sweet Indian Warrior tank and once Charlie saw it, he told him that it just couldn’t be painted, no matter what.
Mitch began the work of assembling pieces and fabbing the parts that he would use to eventually build his idea of the perfect bike with. Billy Lane hooked him up with this motor and Midnight Mike had the rear wheel lying around. For the most part, it was a mishmash of parts collected from here and there. His boy, Mark Sagan, would operate the welder while Magoo did all the fab work. With the collection of parts, the mock-up came out almost like you see it here. That teamwork turned into the standard protocol that they work under to this day.
Jay at Tech Cycle really helped out by hooking Mitch up with a couple of scratch and dent parts to get a belt drive together for the build, a feature that ended up adding to the badass attitude it would have. The motor was sent out to Bones at Connecticut Performance Center. Once it came back, it was fitted with an electric carb from one of Mitch’s old race bikes, and now it was time for the big decision. What would happen to the old Indian tank Charlie loved so much? Well, the happy ending here is that Magoo had so much respect for what Charlie told him, he decided that the entire bike would remain in its raw condition in honor of the tank’s history.
In the end that whole look is exactly what makes this the perfect personal ride for Magoo. It has a ton and a half of class without being gaudy and overbearing. All of this could be a description of the cat who built it as well.
By the 2010 New Orleans’ Bike Week, the sled would be up and ready to go. Although it made its maiden voyage without a seat, it would only be a short time later that the custom Paul Cox leather would be fit to it. It was everything he wanted it to be, plain and simple, but most importantly it was bulletproof.
As Magoo is just in the middle of looking for some new property to take his shop to the next level, we are very proud to unveil his first official offering. While we will be waiting to see what he comes up with next, we can tell you to keep watching his blog and news from the Limpnickie Lot to see for yourself.
in the rough shovel tech sheet
owner: Mitch “Magoo” Bodine
city: Wall Fabrication By: Magoo Year: 1976
Model: Custom time: Too Long value: Hmmm…
Engine
Year: 1976
Model: Shovelhead
Builder: CT Performance Center-Bones ignition: Vulcan Engineering Displacement: 74 ci
Pistons: Cast 10:1
heads: HD-Ported & Dual Plug By CPC
cam(s): 490 Crane 308D
carb: 38 Lectron
Air cleaner: K&N
exhaust: 2 into 1 w/ Cherry Bomb
Primary: Tech Cycles
Transmission
Year: 2008
Make: Baker 5 Speed
shifting: Foot
Frame
Year: 2007
Make: Chassis Design rake: Stock stretch: Same
Front End
type: HD FL-Shaved By Magoo
Builder: HD-Magoo
extension:
triple trees: HD-Magoo
Wheels
Front Wheel: HD Spoke Shaved By Magoo
size: 21”
tire: Metzeler
Brakes: None
rear Wheel: Spoke-Midnight Mike
size: 18”
tire: Metzeler
Brakes: Tokico Radial Mount
Paint
Painter: OG Indian
color: Aqua type: Indian chroming: None Molding: None graphics: None
Accessories
Bars: Magoo Stainless risers: HD 100 Anniversary hand controls: HD
gas tank(s): Indian Warrior
Front Fender: None rear Fender: Led Sled seat: Paul Cox/Pan-Magoo Foot controls: HD
oil tank: Chassis Design
headlight: HD
taillight: Speedway ‘34 Ford
Photographer: Chris Callen