Silver Buell Chopper

Q : Hi there Ken , when i first saw your bike i said to myself. this is a bike that i really like, and that i defenetly want to do a feature about it.The bike screams quality and makes me wonder what you have done before , because this can't be your first bike, or is it?

A : This is the first v-twin bike that I have built. I have mildly customized some sportbikes in the past. But this is the most extensive build that I have done yet.

Q : You told me that you used a buel as a donorbike,that is very interesting since most people use harley as a base for their chopperbuilds, what is your inspiration ?

A : I was inspired by other buell based choppers that I have seen before. I knew they could be built for much less money that a big twin custom. Plus I have ridden sportbikes for the last 14 years so I liked the idea of combining many performance parts normally found on a sportbike, like USD forks, and performance wheels and brakes with the look and stance of a custom chopper.

Q : As i mentioned before , you used a buel as a donorbike , can you tell me more about it ?

A : The original donor bike was a 2002 Buell Cyclone M2. I used only the motor. The rest of the parts I sold off to fund the rest of the build. But the nice part about these kits is that most of the parts from the dono r bike can be used and transferred over.

The bike really looks god and you can really tell by watching it , that great effort has been made to make it stand out. Tell me a little about the build and the obvious modifications to the original parts on the bike.

Most of all of the original parts have been modified. Both wheels have been cut, widened and rewelded. The rear has gone from a 5.5”wide 17” wheel to a 8.5” wide 18” wheel to accommodate a 260 tire. The front has had the same treatment. It hasn’t been made any wider but diameter was increased to 18 inches to match the rear. The front forks are a mixture of parts from a Buell XB and Buell X1 lightning.
The front fender mounts have been cut off and smoothed, and then they have been powdercoated to match all of the other parts on the bike. In addition to the rear wheel being widened, there has been a front XB perimeter rotor grafted onto the rear. The bracket that holds the rear brake caliper was also custom fabricated out of a solid chunk of billet aluminum. The handlebars are completely one off as well. The rear sprocket is also a one off=2 0design to match the contour of the rear wheel. Front sprocket, and press fit cover are also one off pieces.

Everything that wasn’t handmade for this bike like the headlight, controls, and intake, have either been customized or powdercoated. I didn’t want any shiny chrome surfaces so if it was chrome or polished, it got a satin powdercoat finish or a coat of paint. The headlight was originally from a Victory motorcycle. I thought that it matched the lines of the gastank. But it had a giant hole in the back because victory runs all of their wires through there and inside the headlight bucket. So it had to be closed off, and smoothed. All of the welds were ground smooth and filled in. the frame is smooth and there is no evidence of welds anywhere on the bike. It has an internal throttle, hidden clutch cable, and wiring.

Q : Have you done anything to the enginge then?

A : Engine is stock except for a Dynatek ignition, jet kit, and custom exhaust.

Q: Since we have a bunch of paintartists on the forum we want to know some little things about the paintjobb ,

A : The paintjob is all done by hand and some of the graphics are airbrushed, there are no decals on the bike.