Article By: Paul Wideman – www.bareknucklechopeprs.com
Photos By: Chris Callen
Originally Published In The February 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
I first met Greg a few years back through my good friend Justin. You might remember Justin and his bare metal Ironhead that was featured in the Source a couple years ago. Greg and Justin worked together running these huge construction operations. When I say huge, I’m talking about thousands of yards of concrete, thousands of tons of rebar and I-beam, and thousands of man hours. It takes a man like Greg or Justin to successfully and efficiently run such a tremendous operation. This type of man does not fear getting his hands dirty, Cycle Source February ‘12 37 I and he will jump in head first to any task that he takes to. This is why Greg and Justin are able to knock out such cool chops from their humble home shops. Greg has been riding a while. Like most of us, years ago when he saw his first chopper, he was blown away. As Greg explains it, he “was really drawn in.” He loved the aura that accompanied these handbuilt machines: the individuality, the hands-on approach, the huge middle finger to the rest of the world, all appealing to our man. But he never even considered building one himself. Of course hanging out at Justin’s place got his wheels turning, so to speak. Justin has a pretty active mind, and he is forever upgrading, rebuilding, or modifying one of the many projects in his garage. One of such projects was a ‘70s era Shovel that Justin stripped down and we hardtailed for him.
When Justin came back through the door of his shop with that frame and Greg started helping him fab the new chop, he knew right then and there, he needed one too. Greg told Justin to keep his eyes peeled for a similar project for Greg, and seemingly before he even got home, Justin had found something online that fit the bill expecting used car dealer got in over his head on a trade-in, and Greg and Justin swooped in to capitalize. Greg was now on his way home with a ’79 FXEF. Shortly after stripping the bike down, Greg brought the frame to us for a hardtail conversion. Greg is a capable TIG welder, and our hardtail can be done on a bench with simple, everyday tools, but he preferred to have us do the complete conversion. It was a good thing too, as the neck, backbone, and down tubes were way outta whack. You couldn’t tell when the bike was all together, but when in the jig, the neck was about ½” out of place. So we tore the headstock off the frame and completely corrected the incorrectness, removed all the swingarm giddyup, and added the rigid rear section. And from there, Greg was off. While we were working on the frame, Greg had Craig at D&C Cycle in Eureka, MO. go through the top end, freshening and solidifying the old mill. Greg opened up his shop manual and rebuilt the trans himself, with only a little advice and minor head scratching. The new drivetrain was tied together with a 2” open belt drive. A cool pair of trees was sourced from cyberspace, and our old buddy Justin shaved the lower legs from the original FXEF frontend. A new set of chrome wheels and Avon MKII tires finished the roller.
Justin had ripped apart an old tank and rebuilt it into a pretty cool new little fuel vessel that Greg planned to run, but then Greg eyed a new one that Justin was working on. It was a set of fat bobs that Justin had actually snatched from Greg’s garage, and he had narrowed them and made them into the tight little package you see here. Greg took the new tank home and fabbed up the mounts and stuck it in its new home. About the same time, he was wrapping up the Fab Kevin stainless steel oil tank kit and placing it. Justin came over and the two put in quite a few hours reworking the stock fender to look just cool as hell. Never just bolting anything on, Greg reworked and rewelded the handlebars, narrowing them just enough, and heavily modified the drag pipes. I love it when guys can’t leave anything alone! As the build grew nearer to the finish line, Greg whipped up his own stainless steel shift arm and mounted the Keino Cycle’s tag light.
After a dose of powder coat and paint, the bike was back on the table and going together. Craig handled the wiring and firing chores, and Greg was ready for his first ride. The guys at D&C were very happy with the strength of the motor and the overall agility of the little chop, so Greg was excited to say the least when he went in for his maiden voyage. I don’t think he’s spent much time away from the bike since then. He claims to have a late model Road King, but I’ve never seen it. I have ridden next to him quite a few times, and the bike runs great. It is very responsive and sounds great. In the end, Greg has a great looking ride and a new respect for what goes into a hand-fabbed motorcycle. He admits that he pulled off more than he anticipated, but that’s what you expect from a man like Greg. Now, he didn’t come out and say it when we spoke about his first build experience, but you can tell that he has other ideas in his head, and some day they will burst out and another bike will be born. As Greg says, he “is completely sucked in.” Man, I get that.
Greg’s First Try Shovel Tech Sheet
Owner: Greg Gorman
City: Eureka, MO
Fabrication By: Owner and Friends
Year: 1979
Model: FXEF
Value: Some
TIME: 14 Months
ENGINE
Year: 1979
Model: HD Shovelhead (Cone)
Builder: Craig D&C Cycle
Ignition: Compu-Fire
Displacement: 74”
Pistons: HD .030 Over
Heads: STD
Cam(s): Sifton
Carb: S&S Super E
Air Cleaner: S&S
Exhaust: Modified Drags
Primary: BDL 2” Open Belt
TRANSMISSION
Year: ‘79
Make: HD Ratchet Top
Shifting: 4 Speed Hand
FRAME
Year: ‘79
Make: HD
Rake: Stock
Stretch: 2”
FRONT END
Type: 35mm Narrow Glide-Shaved Lowers
Builder: HD (Showa)
Extension: No
Triple Trees: eBay Find
WHEELS
Front Wheel: Chrome Spoke
Size: 19”
Tire: Avon Speedmaster MK II
Brakes: GMA
Rear Wheel: Chrome Spoke
Size: 16”
Tire: Avon MK II
Brakes: Hawg Halters Sprotor
PAINT
Painter: Randy “Rad” Brandel
Color: Gold Metal Flake On Black Buff
Type: House of Kolor
Chromng: N/A
Molding: N/A
Graphics: N/A
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Bitwell Keystones
Risers: eBay Find
Hand controls: ‘08 HD Road King
Gas Tank(s): Conjoined Fat Bobs
Front Fender: N/A
Rear Fender: Modified ‘79 HD FX
Seat: Fab Kevin Kit
Foot Controls: Swap Meet Find
Speedo: N/A
Headlight: eBay Find
Taillight: Keino Cycles
Oil tank: Fab Kevin Kit
Photographer: Chris Callen