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Feature Bikes

None Of Your Business By Paul Cox

Featured In The March 2015 Issue Of Cycle Source

Article & Photos By: Mark Velazquez

Feature 1a

There are those who build, there are those who create. And then there are those who inspire. In a city that never sleeps where survival is the name of the game, second best is just not enough to make it in this town. So what inspires someone like Paul Cox to inspire…Maybe that’s none of your business…but then again maybe, just maybe it is… So how does one create the perfect ride with only the inspiration of the words “none of your business”? Well for Paul Cox he has once again challenged himself to be inspired to give us yet another piece of himself in this, his latest build. For those of us who know Paul this should come as no surprise for this is the personal journey that is taken with each build. Just like no two tanks are ever quite the same in his world so goes the emotional attachment that is built along with each and every bike that rolls out of his shop deep in the heartland known as Brooklyn. So when asked about how this build began Paul tells of a gentleman from Puerto Rico who has followed him from a distance for some time. Story goes that a discussion quickly becomes a visit to Brooklyn. It is here that Paul discovers what will be the driving force behind this build… This is a man who just like most of us is so busy in life that this will be the one thing that is totally for himself. No need to explain, justify or second guess. The only requests right out of the box were that the bike be simple, sexy and that somewhere on this bike be the words “none of your business”. Now with this in mind there is no way that these words being the anchor behind the vision are going to fall into the paint or on the tank, that would be too easy and to be honest, not Paul’s style. Without even a second thought it is decided that first things first. Out goes the cam cover to Canada’s best kept secret Heather New of New Line Engraving. It is here that these words will be forever set into a work of art itself that is beyond words. So how do you build the perfect machine yet keep the complexity that exist in all things simple? Well that appears to be the art of the build. Simplicity can lead to perfection but perfection is far from simple. When you speak to Paul you hear words such as rhythm, geometry, time and patience, to me the corner stone to what you see when you gaze into this bike. At first glance you are drawn into a one-off handmade tank that is the center of attention. It is the base line and flow of this hand hammered tank that allows every other element to follow. A closer look shows a sample trademark that is only Paul Cox, molded layered trim for contour. This time painted and sometimes exposed polished stainless steel. This is seen not only on the tank but the fender as well. Now the engine is a true 1960 HD Pan which was built up to 88 cubic inches. S&S flywheels, BigBore cylinders and pistons, for Paul this was the way to go. And of course a staple found in most of Paul’s builds the Morris Magneto, this one being the G-5. So built for speed yet built to ride the horizon and with only kick start, a true rider. Now to complement such an engine there are the elements which should not be forgotten and are great building blocks to keep in your head if you plan on taking on such an engine and riding her straight. So 2” up on the neck with a 30 degree rake. Stack that with a 2” over springer with twisted front legs and steering damper! Now that’s sexy.

Feature 1b

Now with all the above mentioned if you’re not wondering about this killer paint job then maybe then maybe life inside that bubble is overrated. We don’t have enough words or time to dive into the life and times of Fritz Schenck owner of “Spritz by Fritz” but let’s try to give this man some props. If there was ever detail to detail Fritz is the man! Born and raised on Long Island and now making Kansas City Missouri his home in a nutshell you’re talking painting royalty. As it goes Paul and Fritz have known each other since their days over at Psycho Cycles, NYC in the early 90’s. The perfect way to work is when you can go back and forth with an old friend who can feel what you’re thinking and for these two, perfection meets perfection. To see this bike in your face, in person shows that art can travel on two wheels. The rest…well I suggest you take a look at the spec sheet and view the images before you. Builds like these do not come around often. Speaking and spending time with Paul is more than picking the brain of a bike builder. With a creative mind he is a welder, leather smith, painter, husband and father that pulls his passion from a place far deep inside his soul. He will be the first to tell you that at the end of each build letting go is the hardest part. And in the same breath he is forever thankful that those he builds for actually “gets it”. A true New Yorker who would prefer riding to the rhythm and streets of Brooklyn vs the open road, it is here where inspiration is found as well as piece of mind. It’s what keeps him forever close to home. And looking back on this conversation it was remembered that if you take a moment… look at the ever so quite cut away oil tank. It is those pieces that are from days gone by for they are original experimental parts from none other than Larry that Paul had saved in a quiet place in his shop and in his soul that are once again reborn and moving on.

Feature 1c

NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS TECH SHEET
Owner: Gabriel Berrios
City: Puerto Rico
Fabrication By: Paul Cox
Year: 1960/2014
Model: Paul Cox Ind. Chopper
Value: $70,000
Time: 12 months
ENGINE
Year: 1960
Model: Panhead
Builder: Paul Cox
Ignition: Morris Magneto G-5
Displacement: 88”
Pistons: S&S
Heads: HD, Big Bore
Cam(s): Andrews
Carb: S&S Super E
Air Cleaner: Yes
Exhaust: Paul Cox Ind.
Primary: 3” Belt
TRANSMISSION
Year: 2014
Make: Baker 6 into 4
Shifting: Standard Foot
FRAME
Year: 2014
Make: Paul Cox Ind.
Rake: 30 Degrees
Stretch: 2” up
FORKS
Type: Signature Twisted Springer
Builder: Paughco / Paul Cox Ind.
Extension: 2”
Triple Trees: Paughco
WHEELS
Front Wheel: Drag Specialties
Size: 21”
Front Tire: Metzeler
Front brake: Performance Machine
Rear Wheel: Drag Specialties
Size: 16”
Rear Tire: Metzeler
Rear Brake: Performance Machine
PAINT
Painter: Spritz By Fritz
Color: Black and red
Type: House of Kolor Enamel
Graphics: Varigated Gold Leaf Flames
Molding: Yes
Chroming: Wilco Plating
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Drag
Hand Controls: Performance Machine
Risers: 6” Glide Style
Gas Tank(s): Paul Cox Ind.
Rear fender: Paul Cox Ind
Seat: Paul Cox Ind, Rigidaire System
Foot Controls: Performance Machine
Oil Tank: Paul Cox Ind., Spun Aluminum
Headlight: 4 1/2” Spotlight
Taillight: Paul Cox Ind.
Photographer: Mark Velazquez

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