I lived six blocks from Alex Cardone's tidy garage for 12 years and didn't know it. I'm not sure if that's a testament to my own reclusiveness or Alex's homebody nature, but it strikes me as strange. Nevertheless, Alex and I have become friends, and I marvel at his ingenuity and low-budget approach to bike building every time he shows me his latest scheme. The man can turn a perfect concentric step on a steel bar with a drill motor, a belt sander and a 2x4. If genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, Alex Cardone is the smartest bike builder in the world.

NAME: Alex Cardone

LOCATION: Elsinore, CA

ENGINE & MODS, IF ANY: stock

FRAME: Cycle X Boxer
 

FORKS: stock Honda

CHASSIS MODIFICATIONS: none

TIRE/WHEEL SIZE (F/R) & STYLE: Dunlops D404 100/19 front 130/16 rear

MISCELLANEOUS DOODADS (FAB WORK, UPHOLSTERY, TWEAKS, ETC.): I made the oil tank, fender struts and did all the fab work. This bike was my first ground up build. I laced the Honda rear hub to a Harley 16-inch rim. My brother and I plainted it deep forest metalic green. My friend Duane Ballard did the seat.

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS BIKE: She rides canyons, freeways and street and does it all really well

NEXT MODIFICATIONS OR CUSTOM PROJECTS, IF ANY: '63 triumph 650, it's going to be a long '70s retro chopper

Alex on ChopCult: elsichoppers