The custom motorcycle industry blossomed between '69 and '71 like metal flake in the California sun. John Ventriglia was just 18, roaming the streets of West Covina, California, an establishment rebel riding since he was 15. He was blessed to be introduced to Dick Ellavsky from Atlas Precision who helped him build his first bike. He loved to ride, tinker with bikes and stand in awe, at the back of a shop, as the men who fired up this industry were inspired to create.

Dick was the type of man who loved to test his abilities and created something new everyday. It was in his blood, like a painter gone mad, but ultimately led him to the success of Atlas Precision Pro Magnum today, one of the best and most successful chassis builders in the industry. Dick helped John with his first custom, a '68 Shovelhead, ex-cop bike, that John bought at auction for $600. Dick modified his frame, built a long girder front end , bobbed the rear fender and manufactured the coffin gas tank. John was like a kid in a candy store watching Dick perform magic.

John grew up in Pico Rivera, California, where Mel Magnet the founder of Rivera Engineering resided. In 1970 Mel owned a TV store. Pico Rivera was a fast growing suburb on the South Eastern edge of Los Angeles. John rolled up to a foreign auto parts store one day and grilled the salesman for the necessary parts to rebuild an SU carb he had scavenged from a local junk yard. When he told the counterman that his intentions were motorcycle oriented, he was guided in the direction of Mel who was already rebuilding SUs and selling them for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. John was unemployed at the time and he struck up a friendly conversation with Mel, who asked him if he would like to assist with the project. John was happy to help and would have worked without pay, just to tinker with bikes and carburetors. He tore down junkyard units and ran to polishers and chromers. At night Mel and John rebuilt the carburetors in Mel's garage and filled mail order requests.

Mel recognized that there was a demand for carbs and performance parts for Harleys so he sold his XK-150 Jaguar to start a company, Rivera, and flew to England to make a deal with the SU Carburetor company that manufactured SUs. The salvage yard supply was not dependable and bound to dwindle . That's how Rivera Engineering was established. John became a partner and has been with Mel ever since, and the company continues to grow. Over the last 30 years (they celebrate their 30th anniversary this year), John has owned only 12 bikes, but they all have been significant. By the young age of 19 he owned a show winning chopper with only a paltry investment of $2,100. In 1975 the bike won the Sweepstakes Award, as well as the Best Paint Trophy at the prestigious Los Angeles Winternationals Custom Car Show. All this with a Sportster painted by Art "Crazy Art" Fullington, who is still painting. "Art painted under the fenders, the paint job was out there," John said, "but I never thought I would win Best Paint at this massive car show, and against that level of competition."

Okay, so that's the background behind the man who constructed this bike, sorta. He still relies heavily on the men he has built three-decade-long relationships with. Buck Lovell, former Editor of Hot Bike Magazine, now a longtime employee of Rivera, and the author of a recent photo history book on Police Motorcycles, supplied him with a Mike Edlund reproduction rigid frame with 100% accurate Swedish castings. "You can't tell the difference between this frame and an original," John said.

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