Memo to PM R&D Department:

Noticed experimental bead blasting treatment of new wheel. We're not selling it that way, so lets not use that on the show bikes.

Marketing

Re:Memo to PM R&D Department:

Eat me

R&D Department

So goes communication between the PM Marketing and R&D Departments. Although both groups share a common goal, achieving it is typically like having two artists paint the same painting, there's gonna' be some conflict! In this case Todd Sillicato, long time PM R&D expert, had started building a Sportster based custom for himself and had little interest in feedback from other departments. It didn't take long for marketing to start eyeballing the bike with their own malevolent aspirations.

In all fairness, Todd had finally swapped in a set of wheels that we actually made (his previous set had long since been discontinued) and it was his "personal" bike and not a PM funded machine. From its inception, though the bike showed enormous promise and one could hardly blame the advertising geeks, for taking a liking to it. Each component was painstakingly mocked up before being hand fabricated and most parts, no matter how simple, were modified to fit the theme of the bike.

The chassis is a Pauchco hardtail with a bit of rake and stretch. Up front are a set of factory HD forks and triples with some height removed to match the low stance of the rear. Bars are Flanders units and controls are naturally PM. The Sportster based motor is a gargantuan 100 inch S&S race monster fed by a modified Zippers carb and breathing through a Chica air cleaner. Todd hand built the exhaust from stainless tubing and left it with a natural finish. The minimalist bodywork consists of a Chica built tank and fender that have been heavily modified to suit the bike. Wheels are PM Hooligans (18" x 3.5") and have 10 hours each of masking and bead blasting to achieve this understated look.

Eschewing the traditional shinier is better approach to motorcycle building, Todd has chosen to bead blast most of the exposed aluminum and use a satin finish on any painted surface. The bodywork was even sent back to the paint shop because it had too much shine! After creating full size cardboard mockups, the oil tank and battery box were hand built to fit the bike. Like many of the other parts, it took several tries to get the seat right, but it now perfectly follows the lines of the tank and fender.

The finished bike is truly unique and has already caught the attention of several magazines and biker based websites. The hundreds of hours of construction time have produced a genuinely distinctive custom that is sure to be copied.