Voodoo Child

April 5, 2016

0Points

Article And Photos By: Fred Mathews

Originally Published In The January 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

Every part of this bike takes you back to the early days of Triumph choppers. From the large flake candy paint to the no non-sense bare essentials of what makes a chopper. To top it off, the work is done meticulously with passion and precision. David Orr built this bike based on some family traditions his father passed down to him. He remembers his father’s bikes having candy flake and lace. Being on motorcycles E Cycle Source January ‘12 21 most of his life, starting with dirt bikes, David is no stranger to all the various families of bikes but his fondness is for the ‘60s & ‘70s types. This is not David’s first ride, nor is it his first Triumph. His first street bike was a Sportster that must have been too cool as someone else wanted it real bad, and stole it. This didn’t slow David down; his next build was a bike-in-a-box hardcore kit that he rode for a couple of years. Building motorcycles continued on as David built 3 more Big Twin rigids after that, then his first Triumph followed. He says, “Once it’s in your blood, it’s hard to shake!” This bike came together in about 6 months once he had gathered all the parts. Many of them were custom fabs from David himself. The main ingredients for this bike were bought from a buddy who picked it up at a pawnshop, in a basket. Many of the other parts were traded out for things David had laying around his shop.

Starting with the basics, he rebuilt this 1973 Triumph engine with some technical help from his friends. He pushed it .020” over while working the valves to help the air through the engine to get the bike going in the wind. Fit this into a 1965 Triumph frame with some Z bars to handle the turns and you have a throwback build in the works. Tuck in a homemade oil tank, rework an old rusty gas tank, cut up a Mastiff front fender to cover the rear tire and you are putting it together old school for sure. Many of the stock parts were incorporated, as they still worked, while helping keep it from becoming overlaid with custom parts. One custom part you might not notice is the chain tensioner. David needed something that was functional but also didn’t sling oil all over the place. It has a piece of Teflon in it that is adjustable as needed.

After the hard work of fitting everything together that might not have been intended to fit where they ended up, David went to town on the finish end of this great looking Triumph. With only a few chrome pieces, this left a lot of area for the House of Kolor Candy Apple Red with some pretentious metal flake. This of course was done after many hours of molding to make each seam perfect. Top it off with a killer name like “Voodoo Child” and you get a bike that will turn most anyone’s head. Being the perfectionist that he is, David even turned all the clamps to line up the same way. It is the small details that set this bike apart from many others. David does ride this Triumph, not that you can tell by looking at it. After getting to the location by Bear Butte in Sturgis, South Dakota, David turned his attention to wiping off any dust that had accumulated during the ride. If you are ever in the Wichita, Kansas area I’m sure you will see this bike spotless even though it will have more miles on it. David has been working on another Triumph and we look forward to seeing that one as well.