Redneck Engineering strengthens their chassis with a large diameter, bowed top frame rail.
The parts available in today's aftermarket catalogs are a quantum leap ahead of the chopper parts for sale 30 years ago. Back then, tales of frames that snapped on rough pavement and frontends that gave way like chrome-plated drawbridges were as common as kickstarter's knee and roadside vehicle inspections by The Man. But while custom motorcycle technology and advances in metallurgical manufacturing has made streetbikes safer over all, it's not unheard-of to meet chopper riders who've found themselves on the wrong end of a faulty custom project. Many in the industry blame the unofficial custom motorcycle arms race that has created public hunger for V-twin motors with ever-larger displacement figures and frame manufacturers who are struggling to keep pace. The whopping torque and horsepower output of today's more powerful aftermarket engines aren't just tying the occasional chopper frame in knots; many at-home builders find themselves running afoul of drivetrain components that prove incompatible with motors, ultra-wide rear rims that require handmade spacers to run properly, and electrical systems struggling to lend spark to high-compression engines.
Is that big-budget, big-inch powerplant too much for your low-budget frame? Make sure you've planned to invest equally on all components.
"There's a lot more trial and error involved in building custom motorcycles than the TV shows tend to reveal, but if you choose the parts carefully and don't overdo it in any single area, you can still build a reliable, safe custom. The problem is, most people tend to overdo it in one specific area by choosing too much of a giant stroker motor or spending $4,000 for paint when their gearbox or frame can't handle the power," said John Duzicky, owner of and principal builder at Infamous Choppers located on the East Coast. During a recent visit to Duzicky's busy workshop, I spotted a crew of technicians meticulously welding a break in the long, stretched downtubes of a green custom chopper. The chassis rail had unexpectedly fractured while the bike was in motion, and this wasn't the first aftermarket frame that Duzicky's crew had repaired since the Pittsburgh-area shop opened in 2002. "I've head horror stories about frames snapping while people were riding in the fast lane at 90 mph and that's pretty scary. When I see a frame with a crack in it, the first thing I look for is whether the driveline components are perfectly aligned, especially if they're running a wide rear tire," Duzicky said.