...fender were ready, they were shot with candy apple red over gold, from spray cans. Stan Dishong was called upon for the front end and engine work. He supplied a 2-inch narrowed glide, extended 14 inches with new tubes. For a front wheel, a 21-inch rim was laced to a spool hub, and shod with an Avon 2.75x2l tire. On top, 7-inch risers hold a set of custom-built drag bars, and a Bates headlight shines on the road at night. The engine was given a .040 bore job and was completely rebuilt to stock specs. In the only change, pushrods from a 1960 Ford Falcon 6 replaced the originals. Everything except the barrels went to the platers. A 24-tooth engine sprocket and a 25-tooth countershaft sprocket make for quieter high speed cruising, and a Barnett clutch smooths out the shifting. The original tank shift and foot clutch have been replaced by a custom-made foot shifter and a mousetrap eliminator setup. The stock rear wheel lays down the power through a 5.00x16 Goodyear tire. Roberts likes the bike, and says that he'd make "no basic changes, just spend a little more time on molding and sanding," next time around. He considers the low speed handling fair, but says "it drives itself" at highway speeds. "It handled pretty wiggly, though, until we put in the tweek bar." In winter, when the rains make riding rough in the Bay area, Roberts enters the bike in shows. When the long riding season begins, he gets it on the road. where it "gets more use than a taxicab."

Hey- Hope you all out there are diggin' these vintage articles as much as I am. I gotta bunch more comin' so be sure to check back. This is the roots of chopper building - look for articles on frame choppin', engine tweakin' (uh...sorry, no evos in this line-up) and general all-around chopper mayhem. -Warren