WORLDS BEST CUSTOM BIKES

OLD BLACK CHAINED TO THE HILL.

The build of Old Black, the bike from LC Fabrications, which took second place in the Freestyle class at the 2012 World Championship of Custom Bike Building began immediately after its builder Jeremy Cupp returned home from the 2010 Championship. While at the Championship that year Jeremy looked at the history behind Sturgis and in particular the part played by the Jackpine Gypsies and their ongoing hill climb races. As Jeremy himself says: “I’m into design from the ‘20s and ‘30s and I wanted to pay tribute to the early Sturgis climbers and the Jackpine Gypsies.”

He then went on to explain why he based the build around an XL motor, saying: “I like to mix modern technology in there too.

That’s why I used the Ironhead Sportster motor.” However, it is only on close examination that it becomes apparent what the motor started life as. The rocker boxes have been removed and the rockers re-engineered to include internal oil feeds. The inspiration for the look came, Jeremy says, from seeing a Shovelhead engine with the rocker boxes removed. The changes to the engine are not limited to the rocker design, as the front cylinder head is actually a rear head that has been spun through 180 degrees to allow twin Amal carbs to be fitted.

Jeremy completed his work on the Ironhead by cutting away the transmission. This was then replaced by a gearbox from a 1964 BSA A10 coupled with a clutch from a 1973 unit construction Triumph.

The unusual drivetrain choices continue with the final drive; from the gear box a short chain connects to a jack shaft that allows a final drive chain to run to each side of the rear wheel. The reason for the dual drive set-up is that Jeremy felt it would be the sort of arrangement a ‘30s hill climb bike would run, even though he has never seen it done.

“I LIKE TO MIX MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN THERE TOO. THAT’S WHY I USED THE IRONHEAD SPORTSTER MOTOR.”

Having done all the drivetrain work, Jeremy then turned his attention to crafting a frame to hold it all.

The single-downtube frame features an extended bolt-on rear section to give the longer wheelbase that characterises a competition hill climb bike. He then turned his attention to building a Springer fork. The design for the fork was base on that used by Excelsior and uses an early British motorcycle rear shock for its damping.

To get Old Black rolling Jeremy then rebuilt a 19in BSA front wheel and a 19in Triumph wheel. The rear features BSA drum brakes on both sides to visually balance the twin drive sprockets.

While fl at sided tanks are a familiar sight on ‘30s style bikes that is not the only reason such a design is used on this bike. By his own admission Jeremy does not have the best sheet metal fabrication skills and so the simple tank was the easiest style for him to make. Acknowledging, once again, his lack of metal beating skills he then used a rear fender from an H-D WLA, rather than try and make his own.

Despite Jeremy’s admission about his sheet metal working skills, his obvious talent for bike building has been recognized by his fellow Championship competitors who placed Old Black second in the Freestyle Class at the Sturgis event.

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