Honestly, I don't know what to call these bikes. Obviously not choppers and God forbid someone call one a bobber. I'll settle for "Club Style" since the first ones I noticed were ridden by certain 1%er club members. Those early ones were FXR's, but have since evolved into Harley's venerable Dyna. Since the hit TV show Sons of Malarky came out it seems like the things are everywhere. In Daytona earlier this year, Roadside Marty had the only one that I noticed. Otherwise, it appeared that the trend hadn't taken off with the fervor that is has here in California. Since several guys I know have either sold off their choppers entirely or added a Club Style Dyna to their stable of bikes, I figured it would be good to look into the formula. Chop Cult member H8TR just dumped a fortune into his, and it looks the business.
The evolution of the Club Style bike is something I'll have to speculate on, I'm surely no expert on the subject and if you have science to share feel free to add comments at the bottom of this article. As I imagine it, law enforcement probably used modern vehicle code violations to help put an end to outlaws riding choppers. OK, maybe not an end, but riders had to feel the weight of new requirements; turn signals, helmets, baffled-pipes and all the things good choppers generally don't have. So while enthusiasts can get away with getting a fix-it ticket or a little harassment here and there, a real outlaw wants to avoid contact with the law as much as possible. I would imagine the same theory could be applied to the old bike thing–who wants to wait on the dude with the cranky magneto when some important shit is going down and you could just have a push-button and get the hell out of Dodge? Enter the FXR. I'm a nerd, not an outlaw, but I happen to love mine, and I know several other guys who do too. At the time, the FXR's frame, rubber-mounted engine and other Eric Buell designs were revolutionary and looked different enough from a regular HD that the Motor Company eventually quit making them entirely. But, on this platform the formula for a modern hot rod club bike was born. Fast, good handling, reliable and easily modified for more performance. Small fairings and other pro-street elements made their way onto a lot of FXR's in the 80's and 90's and it's no surprise that the best looking bits of the pro-street days continued onto the Dynas, though thankfully they are usually black and subdued rather than the garish paint from a couple decades ago.
So, what makes a "Club Style" bike these days? In broad strokes I'd say this is the list: Dyna FXDX with gauges intact, Thunderheader, performance mods, tall risers with low bars, fairing, steering stabilizer, seat with some kick in the back and as much black as possible. In theory, every modification must be rooted in something practical or performance-oriented, nothing superfluous – and therein lies the beauty of these bikes. Even the fantasy outlaw scenario of "I don't know, it was an all-black bike, dude had on an all-black full-face helmet" makes it possible raise hell with a certain amount of anonymity. I will reserve judgement on the riders of these bikes, surely some are legit badasses and some just like to play dress-up, but either way the machines built in this purposeful style are fast, fun and look tough as nails.
I nailed down h8tr right after he got his bike back from Mackie up in Ventura. He made me ride it. He's a big guy, so who am I to say decline? I love railing around like a crackhead on my FXR but this Dyna will stomp my mostly stock 80" in a heartbeat. This particular Dyna sits a little high for me, but like I said, h8tr's a large dude and it fits him perfectly. The tall risers would take some getting used to for me, and honestly, I don't get the point of these much. A lower bar seems more performance oriented and fits through tight traffic easier. Is there a legit reason for the height? I get the tall risers and flat bars, with apes this size they would be wider and slip in the risers under heavy cornering. Other than one simple ergonomic complaint, this machine is glorious to ride. Full throttle runs will loft the tire easily and for a heavy bike the suspension and brakes feel up to the task. Over 90mph, the tail wags a bit, but h8tr's already got plans to get that dialed.
Bike name: The War Pig
Engine, year and make, model, modifications: 2005 Dyna FXDXI, 95" Dave Mackie Engineering Mega-sphere heads and pistons, ported and polished heads, Mackie 590 gear drive cams, Fueling cam plate, Fueling oil pump, Fueling beehive valve springs, compression release valves, 48mm throttle body, zippers backing plate and air filter assembly, TTS Mastertuner, ceramic coated Thunderheader, Primo Rivera Pro Clutch. It's putting out 116 HP, 114 TQ.
Frame: Stock
Fork: 39mm hydraulic with Race Tech heavy duty springs and Gold Valve Emulators, adjustable for compression, damping and rebound.
Tire/wheel size and style: Stock mags (19 front, 16 rear) powder coated black, Metzler 880's front and rear.
Favorite thing about this bike: It's reliable, it's fun, it starts when I want it to.
Next modification will be: Sputhe or True-track chassis stabilizer.
Other mods, accessories, cool parts, etc: Works Suspension dual rate rear shocks; Alth full foating rotors front and rear; over sized (13.5) rotors in the front.
I bought this bike after I sold my 1980 Shovel (see current issue of Greasy Kulture). I wanted something that would start and ride easily. My buddy, Mike D from Blotto Parts had an FXDX and loved it. So, I hunted around until I found a good base bike and went from there. It's a bike built for a purpose, a utility... beat it, thrash it, ride it hard and fast and whenever I want to. It's really fun to ride, it's loud and fast and does wheelies. Mike D sold his FXDX two days after I got this back from Dave Mackie, so now you'll see me cruising with a sexy red Ducati Hypermotard. Kind of an odd pair, but it seems fitting.
Thanks to:
Mike D - www.blottoparts.blogspot.com
Dave Mackie Engineering, ask for Monty - www.davemackie.com
And, of course my wife and kids for the patience and understanding.
nerdsports
shiftace
hdj
Great job!
jwortman
wickedblockhead
shiftace
fishlips
grandpab
MegaDON666
Ansutton21
davidabl
Making a lot of other good things possible at the same time. Like secure retirement, universal healthcare etc ;-)
davidabl
In that case they get a pass for possibly being no better looking than the 'rockets ;-)
originalrumrunner
evobuilder
I like the look, but where I get totally lost is that guys are setting these up to "handle" then they put ridiuclasly high t-bars or 10" risers..... to each their own I guess (hell I ride and love Evo Softails, so who am I to say anything about anything).
What I want to see this trend evolve into is cafe Dynas, Sportbike influenced Dynas, etc. How about a Dyna with rear sets, clip ons, radial brakes, JMC swingarm, Ohlins suspension, Marchisini wheels..... now THAT is a trend I would follow.
Ryno
I saw a Dyna set up pretty similar at the local shop but with Excel rims, heavy spokes, chain drive, Ohlins shocks and to top it all off...a TC124". Probably the baddest Dyna I have ever seen. I believe it was the VP of a local club who rode it, and I was told he beats the living shit out of it on a regular basis.
It's a nice bike, but nothing special. A bunch of bolt ons and out the door. If you really want to label it, just call it a "Stocker"
Nosebleed
I bet that this thing is a blast to ride with those motor mods. I mean, really, all Harleys should make at least 116hp in my opinion. I'd take it for a ride around town.
CRFyou
the bike looks setup like like one of those KTM Dakar Rally bikes. which isn't bad. put some knobs on that bitch.
DickFitzwell
you gonna eat that man?
thanks
KevMoore
Sharky
Next steps on mine is to stiffen and raise the suspension another 1.5 or 2 inches. I'm 250lbs and need a little more room for curb hopping and a little more height for the corners to keep the exhaust from scraping.
SportyParts
northtown
FrankieV
onesickrace
bigxrdoug
God takes your soul; you're on your own
The crow flies straight, a perfect line
On the Devil's back until you die
This life is short, baby that's a fact
Better live it right, you ain't coming back
Gotta raise some Hell before they take you down
Gotta live this life
Gotta look this world in the eye
Gotta live this life 'till you die
You better have soul, nothing less
Cos when it's business time, it's life or death
The King is dead, the light goes on
Don't lose your head when the deal goes down
Better keep your eyes on the road ahead
Gotta live this life
Gotta look this world in the eye
Gotta live this life until you die...
suckaduckpunk1
I heart H8TER
something be said about not being run off the road by soccer moms in suburbans. Maybe I'm gettin old but being able to stop in a short distance or get on the freeway at speed are things I value these days. Dynas a good platform to start with if your into such things...Ducatis a better platform but we'll save that for another article...
mjasen10
davidabl
I gotta wonder..considering how few there are of the higher performance
Ducatis it's funny how I keep seeing them going home on the back of flatbeds.
On Highway 35, near Alice's etc. The rest of the bikes i see down there on the same flatbeds are generally there because they've been crashed.
The 2 valve per cylinders Monsters otoh by reputation are more reliable than the 4 valve and are certainly initially lower-cost than Dynas, at least in CA.
suckaduckpunk1
RIP Dragon
X0X0
Otto
KevMoore
If you want a forum that only caters to your niche of interest, start your own site.
I'm waiting for a hypermotard story...
DickFitzwell
"I submit that we instate a new rule...."
For that reason alone dork - you should be excommunicated
HFMC
I still like this style bike like I always have. Once SOA goes away, you'll be able to ride this style of bike again without being compared to Jax Teller....
Bike is turning out cool!
grandpab
We saw a hypermotard outside Century Cycles in San Pedro today. Looked like a Cushman frame, Mustang tank, and a Honda 50 engine. Then some guy came up on what appeared to be a Taiwanese knock off of a Honda 70 with a crab pot mounted over the rear wheel and made into the gas tank. I love this crazy shit as much as the show bikes it is just a different genre. Someday I am going to buy a camera just so I can post pictures of the goofy stuff on here. The first one will be the "horse" bike of Fallbrook.
Actually less negative comments than I anticipated, which I think shows the diversity of members on here. This type of bike might not be everyone's cup of tea, but is still worth investigating no matter what you are into.
I never did get an answer on the tall riser/flat bar position. It's the one thing I can't find a performance or practical source for. Why not a motocross type bar with this set up? Is it just style?
http://www.chopcult.com/news/articles/duck-soup-a-...
I penned this one during CC's infancy way back in November '09.
We like motorcycles around here, all kinds, but mostly ones that have been personally customized by their owners--not the dealer.
I've ridden Suckerfree's heavily customized Hypermotard 1100S, and let me tell you, it is a 21st century chopper if ever there was one.
We'll get back to old bikes and the dudes who build them soon enough, gentlemen.
In the mean time, thanks for your open-mindedness, continued faith and generous support.
McGoo
Sharky
Not sure if this answer is correct, but it's correct for me. I have the T-bars from the bung king (bungking.com) who sets up many of the club riders in the bay area.
They're strong, Little to no play and the position is comfortable for the long haul. I think the motocross bar idea would be sweet but I think if you drop a 600 lbs on them the current setup will hold up a little better.
Here's my setup:
1 1/4" Diameter
11" Height
7" Pullback 29" Width
Sorry for the plug but Daren is a good guy.
h8ter
It's high. I jump curbs. I studied suspension technology. I weigh 280 pounds.
It has high bars for comfort. But the straight drag bars are 28", quite a bit more narrow than apes. I'd love MX bars, but they're typically 1-1/4" bars, so that makes mounting the gauge cluster difficult and/or expensive.
KWashburn
KevMoore
zachparker
shiftace
JGH
The proof is in the pudding that they guys who evolved this style of bike did so not as fashion, but as a function. No more no less...