Lucky Bastard from Lucky's Speed Shop in Chandler, Arizona is lucky again. I could learn something from Don Yates. He's got class.

"I've reattached the spec sheet on the bike. I sold it and wanted the new owner recognized if possible," Don told me. "Also wanted to remove a gratuitous 'for sale' in the comments section. I hope it's ok. By the way, the new owner has some cool old original Vincents, along with some other really cool old bikes."

I can't sell a bike to fly a kite. Don lives where the women are beautiful, tanned year round and it's so goddamn hot outside they want to stay in an air-conditioned bed or naked in the pool constantly. When Don's not chasing women, he's running one of his three businesses, building race cars, a model-A, two-door sedan rat rod for his son, a dragster or another Indian-based custom motorcycle. "I love all things mechanical," Don said.

He has it made, the American Dream magnified. Since 1980 he built hot rods and race cars.

"My first Pro Stock car qualified at it's first race in 1986," Don said. Is he lucky or what? He ran a set of performance hotrod stores, a hot rod oriented marketing and ad agency and recently he took up building motorcycles. This is his first! So on top of a pile of luck he's got some abilities.

"I've wanted to build custom motorcycles for at least 12 years now," said Don. "After building dozens of NHRA Championship Drag Racing Best Appearing, Best Engineered, National and Divisional event winning race cars along with award-winning hot rods, my interest in the history, design and craftsmanship of the early 1900s vintage and racing motorcycles, has inspired me like never before to produce the Indian Uprising."

He fell in love with Indians, studied the history, and created the configuration for the motorcycle in a CAD CAM program before he built one component.

"I start by designing an attractive, functional and affordable custom motorcycle with computer aided design software before a single piece of metal is formed or a part fabricated," Don explained while rubbing some exotic Cactus suntan lotion on his latest girl's naked back. "Once a design has been finalized, CNC machining centers, water jet and laser cutting are used to fabricate exact duplicates of our computer designs. We painstakingly duplicate finishes, function and design elements of motorcycles, aircraft and automobiles of the early 1900s, while utilizing today's technology to produce the finest hand-crafted, meticulously detailed, custom vintage motorcycle components."

Yep, he's going to build another bike under a similar code. His computer is already spitting out board track configuration drawings.

"It will be a shorter wheelbase, 22-degree rake angle and the back bone will start with a tight radius up front and blend more toward the sleek rear," Don said. "That should keep 'em guessing as to how I did it."

It will be built with an Indian driveline with copper oil lines, brass fittings, and nickel finished hardware. "And I won't mess with the cases. I'll just leave them raw; no polishing or chrome, for a vintage look."

So he sold this bike and a '32, five-window coop to clear his shop for the next project. "Everything I build is a truly a one-off, one-of-a-kind creation. Dozens of designs, ranging from board track-inspired racers to a rear leaf-spring soft tail motorcycle remain to be produced. I love the vintage and restored motorcycle feel."

The lucky bastard. He's just keeps building cool stuff and getting the girls, and I'll panhandle in front of the local taco joint, and be lucky if a little Hispanic girl with big tits winks at me. Bandit said we'll bring you more about his new project as it comes together.

--Snake

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