14 April.pdf April 2014 | Page 24

up straighter than it had previously. Chris watched in horror as one big gust of wind pushed the bagger over onto its right side. Chris, feeling sick inside, picked up the bike and the damage he saw was disheartening to say the least. A call to the trusty insurance agent got the bike on a path to a full recovery, and, a little more! Mike suggested that while the scoot was being repaired it might as well get a full-on rebuild. Chris talked things over with his wife, and she was in total agreement. Her only caveat, keep it ride-able, no trailer queen. Now that’s a woman! The engine received the aforementioned Thrasher kit, and the stock primary went away in favor of a 3” open belt drive. A new stretched fuel tank was added, and Brian Plihal set to molding parts to achieve the clean lines the bike now enjoys. Work on the bike was progressing nicely when a month into the build, a third back surgery sidelined Chris again. During his recovery, the build continued, with Mike doing fabrication, Uncle James handling painting, and a ton of powder coating was handled by Liquid and Powdercoat Finishes. Chris eventually healed and jumped in to help get the bike finished. The goal was to have the scooter ready for the Wide Open Bike Show. 24 Wide Open With a little over a week and a half to show time and the bike 95% complete, Chris and Mike came to a startling decision. The ass of the bike didn’t flow like the front ha lf did. Chris went home, jumped on a bagger forum, and miraculously found a set of TOL Designs bags, side covers, and a rear fender that would give the bike the look it needed. A deal was struck for the TOL Designs goodies, part of which involved trading the bike’s existing Bad Dad parts. Chris pulled the parts and drove 10 hours to the Illinois border in a snowstorm to secure the parts. Now just one week before our show, the final leg of the build kicked in at full speed. I love a happy ending, and this ending doesn’t disappoint. The bike was completed in time for the show, and the rest, as they say, is history. Check out the accompanying photos and the extensive spec sheet for Chris’ Best of Show machine. I’ll let them do the rest of the talking. Nuff said!