FLASHBACK

On the night of Jan. 10, 2001, Arlen Ness, Jesse James, Paul Yaffe and I were on different planes to the same destination: the Italian Chopper Custom Bike Show of Padova, near Milan, one of Europe’s most important motorcycle events. I cross the Atlantic a couple times a year, but it had been five years since I walked the streets of Rome, Milan or Firenze. The night flying from one continent to the other is very short because of the six-hour time difference. So when I fly west to east, I never sleep. I am excited like a kid because I love Italy so much. It is the birthplace of so many talented artists who influenced the world with their architecture, fashion and automotive designs. I spend the night drinking too much coffee and chewing peanuts (because I can’t smoke) and reflecting on what my shop has produced during these last months and on what I would like to build the next season. In the U.S., everybody and his brother (plus me!) are building choppers. In Europe, the craze is called bobbers (I would like to make one, too!). But what else to build? I am not supposed to follow trends. I have to surf on them. It’s what people expect from me. Thinking of new projects has always been for me like a sweet torture. So, I torture myself all night.

ESPRESSO ANYONE?

It’s time for breakfast before landing in Milan. “Espresso anyone?” asks the too-sexy Italian-American flight attendant. Espresso at breakfast? Did she say espresso with an S? Or expresso with an X? She said eSpresso. I am thinking eXpresso, like …so Express. That’s it! I’ve got a bike theme. I request my eXpresso, she gives me an eSpresso plus a cool theme for a fast-looking bike. If I weren’t seat belted in because of turbulence, I would jump to kiss her. Hey, of course, it will not be an ode to coffee (although hot java has always been a very good friend when building bikes). A bike with a chopper attitude and a street racer stance. A chopper to race? Attitude and speed would have to be mixed together. Is it possible?

BEFORE DAYTONA - DAYTONA - AFTER DAYTONA.

The time from before to after Daytona is a custom builder’s nightmare. There is too much to do, too much to fix at the last minute, too many people to see at the same time. Expresso is buried in the left side of my brain. The only decision I am able to make is the choice of the frame. It’s an easy choice. Since October, I’ve been teamed up with Peter Penz to market a Softail frame that I named “Kool Kat.”

I sold a lot of frames and rolling chassis, but there’s been no time to produce my full-blown “Kool Kat” custom.

The frame accepts the new Avon 250 mm rear tire with a stock belt. That’s very important when you run a big mill because 1 1/8 belts are a third less strong than 1 ½ inch belts.

The absence of the middle post and the battery relocated in the swingarm gives a lot of room in the rear, making the bike built on this frame look very agile, exactly what I am looking for. I offer this frame in many different geometries (rake from 36 to 44, stretch from 3 to 6 inches, front leg from minus 2 to plus 6 inches). And if that’s not enough, you can add one of our raked triple trees (3-5-7-degree) and you have your own ultra-custom frame. In my shop, I pick one with a 5-inch stretch and 42-degree rake.

EXPRESSO FIRST SKETCHES

The frame high neck gives Expresso the stance I need to mean attitude. Now I need to express(o) speed. It jumps to my mind that it can come from the swingarm. This part of the bike has long been neglected even on sharp customs. Only during the last few years has the swingarm evolved. A lot of custom builders are now going to the single sided swingarm, which looks very cool. But I want something different. Instead of focusing first on the overall shape of the bike, I try to imagine my “speedy” swingarm. I see it pointed in the rear, reaching far behind the axle, with stepping all along. I love computers but I hate to use CAD programs because the learning curve is very steep and usually it’s much easier and faster for me to use a pen and paper to jot down my ideas. But I know in advance that Bob, my master fabricator, is going to turn me down if I don’t bring him a sketch perfectly scaled (hey, he knows how to protect himself). The swingarm is all drawn in my mind but in a few days my briefing will have to be “engineered” as much as possible. I must CAD design this swingarm. Loading the CAD program on my computer gives me the same chill as filling out my tax return…but I have no choice. I spend about eight hours struggling with the keyboard and designing the Expresso swingarm. It’s not perfect, but in line with what I am looking for. From there I go back to paper and pen to make a first sketch of the bike.

INTERNAL AFFAIRS

I am always somewhat nervous when I present my ideas to my crew. Building bikes is not an exact science. Will they be excited? If not, I know it’s going to be a so-so bike. So, evidently, I will not build it. If they are as excited as I am, it’s going to be a great bike. Keeping the excitement alive from the first day to the time the bike is ridden for the first time is part of my job. Custom shops are horizontal structures. Everybody needs everybody. It’s a team effort. Passion is the cement holding us together for ventures lasting many months. I am the composer. My melodies have to first be approved. Then I will write the orchestration and will transform myself into music director. But that is another story.

Thursday is D-day. The crew in charge of this custom project (Bob, Sean, Brigitte) invades my office. I talk for half an hour, show the sketches, suggest a light …… paint job. (No I will not tell you the color right now because I reserve the right to change my mind, my special privilege. Then they give me the magic words: “Nobody’s done it before. That’s cool. We can do it. Let’s do it. When do we start it?”

Monday, of course. We always start on Monday because weekends are made to go somewhere. And it’s always somewhere out of the office that I find new ideas. And I still need a ton of new ideas to make Expresso a great custom. What I gave them is just the first draft.

“Hey, to relax, Sunday let’s ride to South Beach, Miami…” The boys always agree to this one.

On to Part 2 Part 2........