Chunky Thunder

So far as most motorcycle fans know, the ultra-wide 200-series tires were not available until the very end of the '90s. Well, Russell Mitchell of Exile Cycles can tell you that's not quite true. Sure, the 16-inch 200-series tires didn't come around until the last months of the previous millennium, but Metzeler was already making a 15-inch version of the 200 quite a few years before that. When Russell got his hands on his very first 200 in 1995, fat-tired machines were popping up all over the San Fernando Valley region of Southern California, well before the rest of the world began to catch on.

One of Russell's key employees, Johnny Goodson, built this particular bike, and he stuck to the Exile formula. Just like the rest of the bikes that roll out of the doors of Exile each year, you'll find nothing on Johnny's bike that it doesn't need to help it burn down the highway. The bike also has Exile's trademark broad and beefy styling, from the massive wheels and tires to its large-diameter handlebars -- something else that Exile was ahead of the curve on. Johnny started with an Exile-by-Daytec rigid frame with 40 degrees of rake and no additional stretch.

To that, he added a 41mm frontend that was constructed with 6-inch-over fork tubes, from Forking by Frank, mounted in a set of S.J.P. triple trees with an additional 6 degrees of rake built in, bringing the total to 46 degrees, while leveling out the chassis. A 200-series Metzeler rear tire was mounted between the fork legs to run in reverse-rotation to handle the stresses that would be placed on it during hard braking. A 230-series Avon on a 15x7-inch wheel was mounted to the rear of the frame, and both ends were fit with Exile braking systems. The rims of both wheels were powdercoated in black to enhance the sinister look of the finished bike.

Since Exile's bikes are very lightweight and the bike was to be Johnny's everyday ride, he opted for a 96-inch S&S instead of going for one of the mammoth cube motors that are now available. The 96 was purchased as a pre-assembled long-block, and the only parts added were the Exile exhaust system and a Crane HI-4 electronic ignition system. Johnny built a five-speed transmission by stuffing a Harley case with a JIMS gearset and used a Primo open beltdrive to mate the new trans to the S&S powerplant.

While Johnny was getting the chassis and driveline in order, Miguel's Psycle Paint was busy shooting a few coats of paint on the King Sportster tank and fenders that had been shipped his way. Miguel's left the flamed area of the tank with a natural brushed finish that comes to life when the sun hits it. In the interest of keeping the design simple, both fenders were shot with a few coats of black and then clear-coated before they were shipped back to the Exile shop.

After the sheetmetal was bolted on, Johnny got to work building his T-style 1-1/4-inch diameter drag bars with built-in risers. Exile has a really trick kit that places the cable-operated front master cylinder beneath an enlarged fuel tank tunnel, but Johnny wanted a little extra fuel capacity for his commute, so he opted for the traditional bar-mounted master instead. An S.J.P. headlamp was bolted on and Johnny built the cat-eye taillight and license plate frame combo himself. The seat was a collaboration between Exile and Paul Cox, of Gasoline Alley, who did all the upholstery work himself.

Russell, being the good guy he is, didn't want to steal any of Johnny's thunder and was not interested in his shop taking any credit for the bike. We felt differently and thought it was important that we let you know of the caliber of talent that is employed by Exile Cycles so that you'd know where to go if you wanted a cool bike like this to park in your own garage. Give them a call at (818) 768-7667 or log on at www.exilecycles.com for more information.