"I liked the notion of the vintage '30s, H-D Peashooter single," Roger Goldammer said. "The first effort with a single cylinder was a styling exercise." Roger, is a clean, good-looking bike building mastermind. His first single, Trouble, was a challenge to develop, yet it won several custom motorcycle competitions. "I like to evolve and change my bikes." In other words the environmental component designer with a precision knack for motorcycle nirvana, couldn't leave it alone.

He followed the first single effort with Notorious, another carefully crafted single rotated to the stern, 15 degrees, fuel injected with a rear head machined to fit the front cylinder, allowing the intake to be aimed at the bow for a larger more performance plenum intake chamber position hidden beneath the fuel cell.

"A substantial plenum allows any intake to develop terrific top end power," Roger said. "This bike developed 80 horsepower at the rear wheel." That wasn't enough to satisfy Roger's need to deliver more than just distinctive class in the battle between style and practicality. "I decided to build a race machine that would compete at the highest level of custom bike building competitions."

It gave me chills to hear Roger articulate his desire to master and glean Bonneville race history and convey it to a national audience at the exclusive custom builder world championship in Sturgis. "It would be the best case scenario to succeed on both fronts," said Roger.

This bike, Goldmember, was born with the same configuration Notorious single cylinder engine and transmission. With the rear head mounted to the front cylinder Roger was forced to design and grind a performance cam. The bike would be longer and still utilize the front suspension designed into the elongated frame neck. "I was borrowing from the past, yet making it all new," Roger said. His base power train was historic pushrod technology from the '30s coupled with a '50s café racer tail section mated to a sportbike faring and a blown, inter- cooled, fuel injected, 965 cc single cylinder engine (60 cubic inches) on nitrous.

The challenge mounted, like a man with a broken leg attempting to climb Mt. Everest. Roger ventured to work with a historically slow engine package, cut it in half and pumped it to 140 hp at the rear wheel. Think about it. A brand new 96-inch California Twin Cam develops less than 62 rear-wheel horsepower. "I still wanted to do it," said Roger. "It was a challenge around something I love."

Hang on for the race story. With just 1 mile under the Z- rated tires he rolled to Bubs Bonneville event in September of '07 with his first bare metal version. He immediately blew up his 2- stroke flyer and rolled the untested frame configuration onto the notoriously slick track and ducked as close to the fairing as possible. "Although I broke the primary and the electric shifter," Roger said. "We still set a averaged record of 147 mph with a top speed of 164 mph during one pass."

He returned home to Vancouver with a World Land Speed Record, tore the bike apart for powder work, paint, fastener nickel plating, and he set it up to be street legal with lights and mirrors. It immediately won the Artistry in Iron show, then he rolled to Sturgis and the AMD World Championship.

"It was the best case scenario," Roger said. "I'm grateful that the industry took an open minded approach toward judging. They recognized the appearance coupled with the performance flair."

The AMD shows are judged by builders and they didn't miss Roger's unique combination of performance technology, machine work, sheet metal fabrication, wheel hub and brake designs, and fit and finish coupled with World Record functionality.

The next year he returned to Bonneville with the new paint and enhanced his two-way averaged record to 150.8 mph.

"I like to keep it fresh and interesting," Roger said, "a rideable bike with substance."

When it comes to Roger, that's a vast understatement. He created a never-before two-wheeled historic art object, designed in massive horsepower out of a half-breed engine and set a world land speed record using unmarketable components. "The nitrous still didn't work," Roger said with notions for the future. "I will dual plug the head, change the timing, for an additional 30 horsepower."

This year (2009) he has salty dreams of returning to the salt with his 2-stroke, the single H-D, a Softail and a 1098 Supercharged Ducati.

"I like the look of the bare-metal frame and sheet metal," Roger said. "It's always a huge commitment of thousands of hours, with no customer to fan the flame at the end of the tunnel." It's all about sacrifice, motivation, dedication, and two- wheeled passion.

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