This is the license plate issued for my 2001 Gambler/Special Construction

As I pulled to a stop in my driveway, every detail that went into the construction of my new bike raced through my head. It had just completed its first ride, a 250-mile round trip break in.

Motorcycle riding wasn’t exactly new to me. I had ridden plenty of dirt bikes, but riding on the street was completely different. In fact, I’d never ridden a street bike before Memorial Day Weekend 2002. Throw in the fact that I’d just dumped $38,000.00 and seven months of time and effort into building this bike, taken my first ride during one of the busiest travel and traffic weekends of the year and rode the last 70 miles of the trip at 70 miles an hour into a 45 mph headwind, solo, with a failing battery, a problematic oil breather leak, at dusk and with half of the free world returning from their 3 day weekend.

Very first pictures of the completed bike… at dusk, just returning home from the 250 mile-break-in ride.

I was ecstatic about the bikes performance levels, but I was happy to be home safe and sound. Going from a lifted 4X4 truck with a fully enclosed 42-inch seat height, to being completely exposed at 20 inches off the asphalt takes some getting used to. So does that semi truck with the 40-foot trailer turning on the direction signals when you’re cruising along somewhere about mid-trailer.

It didn’t help much that my 2 buddies who worked along side me to build the bike weren’t concerned about it breaking down; they were more concerned with the fact that at 70 mph, something bad could happen. You know, “like the wheels falling off.” But with their beer in hand, they stood safely on their concrete driveway and waved good-bye as I set off for home. “Good Luck.” They had helped build this bike, and I’m sure they had to have at least some faith in it.

This isn’t a story about first rides, shakedown runs, oil leaks or holiday traffic. It’s a documentary about the trials and tribulations of building a custom motorcycle. As with anything, your results may vary.

Before all of you old schooler’s, long time riders and 1%’ers get all over me for being a newbie with a little bit of disposable income jumping on the motorcycle bandwagon, hear me out.

Building a motorcycle, at least the way I did it, isn’t brain surgery. I began this project with great anticipation and high expectations. I had researched the project over a year before I spent any money. I poured over 5 “big book” catalogs and hundreds of web pages. I had a parts list a mile long. I was dead set on every component that was going to be bolted to this bike. It was something I’ve wanted to do for years. Every other hot rod or custom car project I had ever done was always on a very limited budget. My time had come, I had the means to build something I wanted, the way I wanted to do it, so I did. More importantly, I had my wife’s signature on the second mortgage giving me the capital to get started.

Basically, that’s exactly what it takes to build a custom motorcycle, capital. Capital and patience. Capital, patience, the cooperation of parts suppliers and venders across the nation, UPS, FedEx, and the individual at the US Postal Service who lost my certified cashier’s check I sent Gambler Motorcycles to pay for my frame.

While building a motorcycle isn’t brain surgery, I found the motorcycle industry to be a bit of a closed society. Many don’t like outsiders coming in and building a bike. I guess they feel it dilutes the bloodline, I don’t know.

It’s not like I came in completely unprepared. I had a strong mechanical sense instilled in me by my Dad. I had years of hot rodding, 4X4 truck modifying, race engine building, and racecar fabrication, machine shop and auto parts counter experience. I know who Willie G, Sonny Barger, Mickey Jones and Billy Lane are. I’ve had e-mail correspondence with K. Randall Ball. On a monthly basis I read Easyrider, Hot Bike, Hot Rod Bikes, American Iron, In the Wind, Biker and The Horse. (Just to keep me grounded) I was 6’-3” 230 pounds, drank beer, had long hair, tattoos and liked hanging out in strip clubs. 22 years in construction had beat me down, tanned my skin, wrinkled my face and given me the vocabulary of, well, a biker. In essence, I looked, walked and talked like most bikers I ever saw, minus one thing. I did have some mental reservations buying leathers and a helmet. I didn’t really see myself as a leather-wearing-biker-type. I wear a tee shirt, shorts and basketball shoes, everyday, rain or shine, hot or cold. I just wanted to build a bike and ride it. Leathers were cheap insurance for a new rider, and a helmet is required in California so I got them. A 38-inch inseam happens to look good in leather chaps, or so I’ve been told. I’d never consider myself to be a “biker,” but I do own and ride a bike I built. That’s gotta count for something, right?

I tried not to ask stupid questions without first trying to solve the problems myself. It takes a bit to break through to the inside of the motorcycle elitists, but once inside, it still doesn’t mean jack to the parts suppliers and venders. It seemed to me, if you don’t have a big name shop, or you aren’t one of the elite builders, chances are you get to wait a bit longer for special order parts. Once while standing in Ron Simms shop after completing my bike, I overheard Ron tell his employee to order parts for a customer’s bike he was customizing. He told the guy to tell the supplier that he wanted a “Critical Rush” placed on this part order. Whether that was a line he was feeding everyone for the customer’s benefit, or something he has available to him, I’ll never know.

Here is one other bit of information you might find useful when starting your own custom bike project; a “custom shop” doesn’t mean they make custom parts. It doesn’t mean they can give you a name of a company or individual that makes custom parts. It doesn’t even mean they understand what a custom part is. I am positive shops like this exist; I didn’t find any while building my bike.

I visited every custom cycle shop I happened to drive past during different phases of the construction of my bike. Most times I’d walk in and look around and ask a question about a certain problem I might be having at the time. Of the 7 or 8 “custom cycle” shops I visited personally around the San Jose/Morgan Hill/Santa Cruz area, not one could give me a name of someone who could build pipes, most had never heard of a right side drive transmission, and one shop completely dismissed the fact that I had a drive side brake system and actually said there isn’t anything like that available. One shop owner, who I had just met 5 minutes before, spent 30 minutes trying to convince me how tough he was, how everyone else (except him) was “a prick” and how he wanted to tear the head off his ex-wife’s new boyfriend while his own “slut-trophy-girlfriend” watched. He then proceeded to tell me that the engine I picked sucked, the frame I picked sucked and everything else, sucked. I guess the custom shops I saw, might be able to bolt chrome parts to a bike and then call it a custom. Some, I’m still not sure about.

While this is a small percentage of shops in the area, we decided to spend more time fabricating things we needed, rather than asking for a name to get it done.

While I might not be a “biker,” I can say I know more about a Gambler frame based, 250 rear tire bike pushed by a 121” TP Evolution, right side drive transmission with a open belt primary, than most other “bikers” and custom bike shops that I’ve talked to. I understand this is a very limited knowledge base, but at least I know what I’m talking about.

Rob’s custom, Kim and Brian at the Jamestown, CA Harley-Davidson

When building from the ground up, don’t expect a lot of help from instruction manuals that are included or in most cases, not included with your parts. I spent a lot of time looking through magazines, Bikernet.com and other web pages for tech articles and adapted what I learned from them. Simple things like fluid capacities or torque spec’s on aftermarket parts usually tell you to refer to your “Owner’s Manual.” That isn’t always possible. The bike I built was very simple, because I tried to keep it simple. I bought a custom frame built to my specs, the motor in a crate and the transmission in a box. The motor was carbureted, not fuel injected, electronic ignition, and the wiring was very basic, with few relays or modules. Other than machining a few parts to fit, everything was pretty much a direct bolt up. Even the Billet4U belt drive was simple because of the set up they use. Because of it’s design, alignment and clearances aren’t as critical as most.

Another important fact is this; Just because you see a pretty picture in a glossy catalog, the catalog says it will fit what you are building, a shop takes your money and orders the part, it doesn’t mean that part is available anywhere in the USA. It doesn’t mean it will be available anytime soon. It doesn’t mean anyone is making it anymore. But it might still be in next year’s catalog.

I had a tach and speedometer on order for 5 months. They were in 5 catalogs and on 16 web pages of various online distributors but no one could find them for 5 months. When they did become available, the manufacture of the 1-1/2” thick handlebars I bought and heavily modified to accept my hand controls, decided that the gauge mount I had ordered from them, which was advertised to fit my bars and gauges, probably wasn’t going to fit the gauges. I called, faxed and e-mailed them repeatedly, asking them to let me know what the solution would be. At the time of writing this, they still have not contacted me. I either wasted $300 on gauges I can’t use, or $350 on handlebars I can’t put gauges on. I’m told this is typical for a custom bike.

Without a doubt, I can say that Gambler Motorcycles is one of the best companies I worked with during this project. CK Spurlock was as helpful and understanding as an individual can be. I chose a Gambler Bigg Ballz 270 soft tail style frame. The choice was an easy one. I had a vision for this bike. Wide tire, wide tank, big forks, and burly look to the overall package. The Bigg Ballz frame is based on a symmetrical design. The frame doesn’t need the 2” offset in the motor that some frame builder’s use. It also doesn’t offset the back tire 2” like others. The reason this is possible is due to the fact that Gambler has seen the right way to build a wide tire bike. They have incorporated the right side drive transmissions now on the market into their frame set-ups. This frame is built so everything is centered on the backbone. Since I have a construction and design background, symmetry it very important to me. Second, the frame is 1-3/8” chromemoly tube construction. You can’t get any better material in a motorcycle frame. CK will also tell you that he has the best welder in the entire world working for him. The 1-3/8” tube size fit the “burly” theme of the bike. It also had a symmetrical swing arm. It was strong and it was lightweight. The choice was made even easier because I grew up on racetracks in California. Racing, was a big part of my life. I watched the World of Outlaws for most of my adult life. Gambler Sprint Cars dominated the series at the time. The quality race cars Gambler put out every year, along with the innovation they showed me every season were more than I needed to pick Gambler as my frame builder. As a bonus, CK was there every time I had a question. He was willing to help long after cashing my check and moving on to the next customer. This is something I have found doesn’t exist much with a lot of parts vendors.

Gambler frame before final assembly