2006 NYC Choppers - FatBook Dream Bike - Drag's Fatbook Bobber

There are things that they say you can't find in a book, and then there are things you can only find in one. For someone interested in building a one-off custom bike with a little guidance and a whole lot of different parts to choose from, there is only one book - the Drag Specialties FatBook. The bike you see featured here is an example of what can be done with a little imagination and a proverbial plethora of high-quality parts from Drag Specialties and other manufacturers listed in the FatBook. This particular bike is an example built for Drag Specialties by New York City Choppers, one of Drag's vendors and dealers, and it features a list of super trick parts popped out by "New York" Nick and his crew at NYC Choppers.

The heart and soul of any motorcycle begins with its frame, and this bike is no exception. Right from page 741 of the 2005 edition of the FatBook comes this custom rigid frame from Chopper Guys. As with all Chopper Guys frames, the attention to detail is phenomenal. When you throw in a few tricks like the ones added by NYC Choppers, you end up with a custom like no one else has. Looking towards the rear axle and custom rear fender bracket fabricated with material manufactured by NYC Choppers and available in the FatBook, one starts to realize the possibilities at hand. The rear fender by Paul Yaffe is offered on page 809 and was custom-cut by NYC Choppers to fit its custom-made rear fender brace. Slung under the rear fender are a traditional 16-inch wheel, spokes, and nipples (all available from Drag Specialties) that NYC Choppers had powdercoated candy apple red before lacing and truing it. The rear tire is an Avon 150/80VB Venom that brakes via a master cylinder from GMA and a combination brake and sprocket combo by HHI. Up front, the braking and suspension chores are handled thanks to a part #0401-0042 NYC Choppers springer and a Drag Specialties 40-spoke, 21-inch, custom wheel clamped by a Hawg Halters 4-piston caliper and NYC Choppers brake rotor; once again the tire is an Avon Venom. At this point it's interesting to note the brake hydraulics are plumbed using Russell Pro System II nylon lines available through the FatBook. Simply put, this means you don't have to enlist the help of a shop with the ability to affix fittings onto the 3/16-inch nylon lines after you've determined the proper length. Instead, you make sure you haven't draped a brakeline over the sidewall of a tire or exhaust pipe and then easily snug down the compression fitting and bingo, you're done.

To match the bike's rear, NYC Choppers doused the springer and wheels in candy apple red powder by Action Powdercoating. Mike Terwiliger of Visual Impact knocked out the frame molding and wet paint chores in first-class fashion with PPG Pitch Black paint and a one-quart can of Bondo. Speaking of visual impact, the drop dead gorgeous pinup girl on the modified Independent Gas Tank bobber tank is a combination of a Playmate of the Year and Betty Page dreamed up and brought to life by Mike Terwiliger and his amazing Iwata airbrush.

Along these lines of combining the best of old and new is the bike's powertrain itself. A 93-inch S&S high-compression (10:1) cone motor fashioned after '70-and-later H-D Shovelheads features a dual-plug head configuration to allow the use of today's crappy premium grade pump gas with little or no detonation or knock. An S&S 600 bumpstick is the standard grind issued with this forged piston combination. One of the few items not available in the FatBook is the one-off exhaust system by NYC Choppers, but Nick said his shop can bend one up just like it if need be, or they might even go into production if the demand arises. A fully polished Baker 6-into-4 Shovel-style tranny helps the S&S 93-inch monster motor with its heavy load of pure torque and ponies.

For the brave at heart or guys insistent on tradition, a kicker with an NYC Choppers iron cross kicker pedal pulls the 3-inch BDL beltdrive and clutch through into ignition, or for those moments when a guy is feeling a little puny there's also an electric starter. Another flash to the past is the Drag/Hotop jockey-shift kit. There's no back-up for the puny on this one, you gotta use the suicide clutch. The bitchin' black NYC Choppers seat with red piping is a pre-production example that should be available around the time this issue hits the newsstands.

So there you have it. If you're in the market to own a bike just like the promotional model built by NYC Choppers for Drag Specialties or feel that it's a good starting point for your own dream bike, it all begins in the pages of Drag Specialties' FatBook.