Published In The March 2014 Issue Of Cycle Source
Article By: Hugh Owings Photos By: Kerri Schindler
What makes a great bike? Is it a pile of awesome parts from the V-Twin catalog? How about some “period correct” stuff scoured from the swap meets or that online auction site? Or is it having a mighty hefty credit card limit and a talented builder to “see your design come to life?” Surely there is more to a great bike than the sum of its parts, right?
I met Duke Miller back in 2008 at the Smoke Out. Duke is an interesting fella. He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t have to say a whole lot to get his point across. What I remembered the most about him was how he spent over an hour talking with me just outside of the drag strip. I mean, all of these sweet builds were sitting on the show grounds and here we were watching bikes blast up the asphalt. We talked horsepower, speed, metrics and Harleys, eyeballed a few good looking gals, and then it hit me: Duke likes fast bikes.
Back in the early spring, I received a phone call from my good friend Dan over at Pandemonium Customs. He was looking for some go-fast goodies for an XS650 he was building for a friend. We got to talking and I found out he and Duke were building this bike. No way! Small world , huh? I was way too booked up to build them a complete engine, but I had time to hook him up with a sweet, bulletproof bottom end if he was willing to build the top end himself. A plan was set in motion, I ordered parts, and set aside a set of cases; I was ready to make it happen. But the best laid plans often go astray, and with those best plans often come the worst circumstances. Long story short, Duke’s bottom end wasn’t happening. Not one to disappoint my friend, I dug into my personal stash of XS goodies. I had already built a 277 degree re-phased bottom end for my “probably never gonna see daylight salt flat project,” and with tears in my eyes, I packaged up that beauty and sent it to Ohio.
Dan and I talked a few times about this particular build, but mostly we discussed speed tricks and tips for the XS650 platform. You see, Dan and I are what most people would consider “competition,” being that we both cater to a niche’ market of XS650 enthusiasts. I don’t mind sharing my ideas and building upon them with like-minded folks.
When Dan finished the build, he brought it down south to the Smoke Out. We met up, eyeballed the bike, and talked shop for a few minutes, but I could tell something was on Dan’s mind. After a few hours he said, “Hugh, I really want you to ride this thing.” I thought about how I don’t ride other people’s bikes and Duke wasn’t even there so I was skeptical. ‘Nah man, I’m good,’ was my reply. In the end, Dan convinced me. He never really stated why, but I had an idea. So we fired up the kick-only beast. She just purred. I checked it over real quick: Springer – check; rear brake only – check; kill switch – check. That’s all I really needed to know. Just as I was about to ride off, Dan said, “Hugh, I’ve never had this bike past 1/2 throttle.” Knowing that had to change, all I could say was, ‘Well, I know the guys that built it, and if I break it, we can fix it.’ I gently rolled off away from the crowd. My hands were in just the right spot, foot controls felt perfect, seat height was spot on, and after getting acquainted with the machine, it was gotime. I gave that throttle a twist, the front wheel came up, and the rear tire hooked hard. That Acme Springer was in for a rough landing, but it handled it just like a smooth hydraulic fork. I was banging into 2nd and 3rd gears in no time. I went for a brake check and there it was — a near fatal glitch in only a heartbeat of a second: no brakes! Dan had setup the rear brake on the handlebars, but in my checking over the bike I had noticed a rear-only setup and figured it was conventionally foot operated. In reality, it only took a split second to stop the bike, but between the wheelies and the funky brake setup, it was a blast!
When I hopped off the bike, Dan asked, “Well, does it run okay?” I hemmed and hawed for a minute or so, giving him feedback on the brake system (which worked flawlessly once I knew it existed), talking about how cool the satin paint was, but never mentioning the engine. We both sat back, stared at the bike, and again he asked, “Yeah, but did it run okay?” All I could say was, ‘I guess you get to keep that bottom end,’ and his eyes just lit up. Truth be told, it was one of the fastest XS650’s I’ve ridden that I hadn’t built myself.
So, what about Duke? He still hadn’t ridden this thing, and had no idea that I had thoroughly flogged his precious machine, but now it was “Hugh’s HandBuilt Approved.” It would be a few months later that Duke would meet up with all of us at MountainFest. We partnered up for the Cycle Source Ride through the Hills. I was riding my personal XS650 “Slight Hell” and Duke was riding “The High Life.” I watched Duke hammer on that bike like they were old friends. I watched as that Red Tail Leather seat held him firmly in place, the Springer doing its damn best to keep the front wheel in contact with the road, and all the while he was riding like it was a Super Moto. Duke knows how to ride, that’s for damn sure!
for damn sure! I would say that a great bike is not the sum of its parts, nor the quality of its paint, or the money spent to make it happen. This thing is built to perfection in finish, fit and function just as I would expect from Daniel and Pandemonium Customs.
And what exactly is my favorite part of this bike you might ask? That single, hard bag mounted on the right side of the bike. An asymmetrical “F-You” to the bagger crowd, all while being just non-conformist enough to fully suit Duke’s personality.
The High Life Tech Sheet
Owner: Tattoo Duke Miller
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Fabrication By: Pandemonium Custom Choppers
Year: 1981
Model: Yamaha XS650
Time: Long Enough
ENGINE
Year: 1981
Model: Yamaha XS – Re-Phase
Builder: Hugh’s Hanbuilt / Pandemonium
Ignition: Pamco Pete Electronics
Displacement: 700cc
Pistons: JE Forged Hoos Racing
Heads: XS – Pandemonium Ported
Cam(s): 256
Carb: BS34 XS650 Central Jetted
Air Cleaner: Uni Filter
Exhaust: Hugh’s Handbuilt
Charging System: Hugh’s Handbuilt PMA
TRANSMISSION
Shifting: 5th Gear Overdrive
FRAME
Year: 1981
Make: Xs – Pandemonium
Rake: 28 Degrees
stretch: Pandemonium 4” Hardtail
FRONT END
Type: Springer
Builder: ACME Choppers
Extension:
Triple Trees:
WHEELS
Front Wheel: H-D
Size: 16”
Tire: Avon Gangster
Brakes: Disc
Rear Wheel: H-D
Size: 16”
Tire: Avon Gangster
Brakes: Pandemonium Dual Caliper
PAINT
Painter:
Color: Clear Satin
Type: Powdercoat
Graphics: Paint Chop
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Swap Meet
Risers: ACME Choppers
Hand Controls: Pandemonium
Gas Tank(s): Swap Meet
Front Fender: Nope
Rear Fender: Led Sled
Seat: Red Tail Leather
Foot Controls: Pandemonium
oil tank: E-Bomb Electronics Tank – Pandemonium
Headlight:
Taillight: Model A Pandemonium Bracket
Photographer: Kerri Schindler