Article By: Chris Callen
Photos By: Benji Laney
Originally Published In The August 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
When I first saw the little Evo you now see before you, I remember thinking that it was odd. Not to see it, but to see Ben Jordan tooling it through the BMR. You see, Ben has built some of the most incredible bikes that we’ve had in this magazine including one, the Pan E Dropper that was on the cover. His skill for hand crafting pro level builds has scored him first place trophies from Easyrider shows all over the country, wins at the Ultimate Builder shows this past year and features in both foreign and domestic publications. So far he has had a very nice career, but this bike was a very different thing for him. I slid over to the spot where he threw down the stand to get the skinny. It turns out that every couple of years Ben builds a bike like this out of spare parts lying around the shop, usually taken off of previous projects. He built this one for himself, a kind of way to just get out, stretch his legs and have fun on a bike for a minute. You see, Ben started riding when he was fresh out of college. He promised himself a bike as a graduation present and since then he’s traded, bartered, swapped and scrounged for everything he’s ever had on two wheels.
He’s been building bikes for so long now that he realized that it costs quite a bit of money. This bike would be an example of what the average guy can do for 5 or 6 grand. That’s what this has always been about, and where i t started for him. It comes f r o m what you can do with what you have, your ingenuity, bargaining power and ability to work with your hands. That’s what a true chopper has always been for him and his friends, and late nights in a buddy’s shop with a case of beer was all that really mattered. So that’s what this bike was about, just friends getting together and makin’ stuff. Starting with a stock Evo motor, trans and primary, he set upon the task. Material was removed from the primary to give it a different look. Fender tabs were milled off the Wide Glide frontend and a set of one-off pipes were created. The rear fender was from Chica, but Ben cut the hell out of it. Nothing was ever really finished, just put together and ran. The paint work would be a combination of Evel Knievel and a faux patina effect. It makes it look like an evil bike gone bad, with stars and stripes and of course a Motor Company #1 with upside down printing to express the anti-factory condition of it. A little Sportster gas tank was the perfect recipient of this paint and finished the bike off nicely.
In the end, a good friend of Ben’s named Kendall would end up getting the bike; staying in the family is a good thing for him, too. This is the kind of bike you want to see get passed around a group of friends. So with the Easyrider show series coming around every year, a gauge Ben uses to push himself to set goals and have deadlines, we can’t wait to see where he goes next. We’ll keep you posted and you can expect to see whatever he comes up with will be in a future issue of Cycle Source.
Spare Parts Tech Sheet
Owner: Kendall Tucker
City: Waxhaw, NC
Fabrication By: Ben Jordan
Year: 2008
Model: CAF (Cool As F**K)
Value: You Tell Me
Time: 3 Months
ENGINE
Year: 1999
Model: HD
Builder: HD
Ignition: Dyna
Displacement: 80 ci
Pistons: HD
Heads: HD
Cam(s): Andrews
Carb: CV
Air Cleaner:
Exhaust: Jordan Designs
Primary: Jimmy Bortles, Jordan Designs
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1999
Make: HD
Shifting: Hand
FRAME
Year: 2008
Make: Paughco
Rake: In The Yard
Stretch: In The Morning
FRONT END
Type: Hydro
Builder: HD – Jordan Designs
Extension: Nada
Triple Trees: HD
WHEELS
Front Wheel: HD
Size: 21”
Tire: Avon
Brakes: HD
Rear Wheel: HD
Size: 16”
Tire: Coker
Brakes: HD
PAINT
Painter: Ryan Young
Type: All Types
Color: Lots
Molding: Nada
Graphics: Ryan Young
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Mini Apes
Risers: HD
Hand Controls: Cheap
Gas Tank(s): HD
Front Fender: None
Rear Fender: Chopped Chica
Seat: Emore Leather – Jordan Designs
Foot Controls: Swap Meet
Oil Tank: HD
Taillight: Cheap
Headlight: Unity
Photographer: Benji Laney