Featured in the November 2014 Issue Of Cycle Source
Article & Photos By: Milwaukee Mike
In the mountains of Colorado there exists a group of people that ride their bikes until the wheels sometimes literally fall off. Amongst these folks there is one individual who puts more miles on his machine than almost anyone that I know. His name is Charlie Weisel and it has been my pleasure to call this man my friend since meeting him last year in May when my buddy Krazy Wes and I rode out to Arizona to attend the annual Choppertown Camparound party at the Burro Saloon in Wilhoit, AZ. On the way out we decided that a detour to Boulder, CO was in order, which is where I met Charlie when he came and met us and the good times began. We all got some killer BBQ in our guts and began snaking our way back towards the mountains that surround Boulder. Charlie was kind enough to put us up and we whittled the hours away swapping stories and getting to know each other. We almost talked him into joining us, but when the light of morning reality set in and he vowed to join us next year. True to his word Charlie met me at the Burro this year after freezing his stones almost completely off in the mountains but he made it and we started an adventure. More about that in an upcoming issue but it gave me the opportunity to see the way he transformed his 03’’ Heritage into the beautiful creation you see on these pages. Charlie bought this 03’ Heritage and began to ride the hell out of it, he purchased this bike with 12,000 miles on the clock and after couple of years he had racked it up to 55,000 and then the cam tensioners went out and lunched the motor. A total rebuild was in order and along with the new case came an S&S gear drive system as well as removing the dead weight of the counter balancers. The motor was re installed and Charlie racked up another 47,000 miles. Finally with the brutal winter we had last year it was time to do the work he wanted to do and make the bike truly his. The first step was to take the drive train out and begin changing the frame. For this he enlisted the skills of his friend Thomas Kearney. Tom started by raking the neck out to a whopping 53 degrees and then totally redoing the whole back end by building a hard tail out of the old softail, only reusing the axle plates and fabricating a bracket to hold the back of the tranny. Because of Tom’s great skills the drive train fell right in with no issues. Next on deck was that long front end, the look was accomplished by starting with a set of Pro One 7 degree raked trees mated with some 18” over tubes that were both acquired from 2 Wheelers in Denver. The sliders were reused and a Rollin Sands fork brace was used in place of a front fender. Then it was time to balance out the back end by getting a wheel on it. Charlie was getting sick of having to change the rear wheel every 8,000 or so miles so a plan was hatched to get a 15” car tire on the bike to make the miles coming less expensive. Charlie purchased a wheel from HD Wheels in Cali and that way he could get a tubeless spoked setup and run a radial car tire. A Vredenstein tire w a s ordered from Coker tire and the games had begun. It is a tight fit, to change the tire you have to remove the brake rotor first then pull the wheel.
The big surprise in this deal is that because of the decreased radius and 4” width, the valve stem was hitting the brake caliper, but Tom came to the rescue with a solution of a flush mount valve setup from the hot rod world. Tom built the sissy bar and re-radiused the el cheapo trailer fender to fit properly. With the stance set it was time to make the top complete. He started by reworking the oil tank to hold the minimal wiring which was accomplished by making extra room by employing a tiny Earth X battery. Nipples were also added to be able to use regular rubber oil lines. If you haven’t noticed, most of the modifications were to minimalize the problems of high miles down the road, just wanted to make sure ya’ll are paying attention. Next came the scallops on the sides of the gas tank and flushing the speedo so it sits into the tank, again done by Tom Kearney with great skill. Lastly a pair of just the right bars were found at a local shop called La Flores they were just hanging on the wall waiting for Charlie. To keep the bars super clean the only controls on them are the throttle and brake lever. There are no turn signals, horn, or hi/lo switches anywhere. The gear changing all comes via a La Briola foot clutch jockey shift setup. Charlie made the floorboards by cutting an old trivet in half, getting what you see, and pretty cool in my book. An old signal light off of a 64’ Grand Prix was given new life to light the way forward as a headlight and an el cheapo bullet light to shine on where he has been. The bike was then turned over to Tom’s wife Beth where she was given instructions to paint and letter as she felt fit, the only requirement was that a compass and a flying eyeball had to be somewhere in the scheme. After all the paint was ground off Beth got busy with some gold leaf and one shot and you see what they came up with. The rest of the patina comes via Mother Nature, there is no prep or treatment and that’s the way it’s going to stay. As of this date Charlie is on his way next week to finish riding in all 48 states this summer so by the time everyone reads he’ll have completed his journey. I have personally ridden next to Charlie for about 2,000 of the 23,000 miles that he has put on this summer and can attest that the bike tracks true and straight whether doing 9 or 90 mph is still pounding miles with ease. As Tom said, that’s one hell of a shake down.
The Long Bike Tech Sheet
Owner: Charlie Weisel
City: Boulder, CO
Fabrication By: Thomas Kearney/Charlie Weisel
Year: 2003
Model: Heritage Softail
Time: 6 months
ENGINE
Year: 2003
Model: Heritage Softail
Builder: Harley Davidson
Ignition: Stock
Displacement: 1450cc
Pistons: Stock
Heads: Stock
Cam(s): S&S Gear Drive
Carb: Stock
Air Cleaner: Stock
Exhaust: Thunderheader minus the collector
Primary: 1.75” Primo
TRANSMISSION
Year: 2003
Make: Harley Davidson
Shifting: 5 Speed Jockey
FRAME
Year: 2003
Make: Harley Davidson
Rake: 27
Stretch: 5 up
FRONT END
Type: 33.4
Builder: Harley Davidson / Tom Kearney
Rake: 53 Degrees
Extension: 18” over
Forks: Telescopic
Triple Trees: Pro One w/ 7 Degree Rake
WHEELS
Front Wheel:
Size: 21”
Tire: Metzeler
Brakes: Stock
Rear Wheel:
Size: 15”
Tire: Vredenstein
Brakes: Stock
PAINT
Painter: Beth Kearney
Color: Gold Leaf & Striping
Type: One Shot
Graphics: Beth Kearney
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Found on the wall at La Flores
Risers: Stock
Hand Controls: Stock
Gas Tank(s): Tom Kearney
Front fender: Rollin Sands Strut
Rear fender: El Cheapo Trailer – Modified
Seat: LePera
Foot Controls: Rick LaBriola
Floorboards: Charlie a la Old Trivet
Oil Tank: Stock/Modified-Tom Kearney
Headlight: ‘64 Pontiac Grand Prix
Tailight: El Cheapo bullet light from Two Wheelers
Photographer: Milwaukee Mike
