Purple Reign: World of Wheels Goes ‘Psycho’

Fat fenders and funky attitudes are the order of the day for this wild custom Flathead.

Last weekend, we attended the World of Wheels show in Chicago. There were a ton of amazing bikes in attendance, and this one caught our eye the moment we saw it.

Most flatheads we see are either restored to showroom condition, preserved as survivors, or customized into early postwar-era bobbers. This custom chopper has a distinct ’60s/early ’70s style that really sets it apart from the pack.

By modern custom bike standards, this bike has some pretty unusual proportions. We’re spoiled by modern bikes with airbag suspensions, skinny fenders, and stretched swingarms.

It didn’t take long, however, for this bike’s retro custom style to grow on us in a big way. There’s a lot of unusual things going on that really captured our attention. For one thing, we aren’t used to seeing such heavily-chromed flathead engines. Every surface was polished to a mirror shine, and every nut and bolt gleamed under the fluorescent lights of the Donald E. Stephens convention center. The bizarre headlight setup soon became one of our favorite features as we pored over this bike. The stock headlight housing was filled in with a panel that housed a rectangular sealed-beam headlight.

The status lights for the fuel and battery were located underneath the headlight. We’re not sure what good they would do the rider there.The left side of the bike featured a jockey-style shifter. Here, we also get a good look at the springer front end and the chunky front fender. Small fenders may be all the rage nowadays, but this retro-inspired custom reminds us that that wasn’t always the case.

Looking at this bike, we can’t help but think of how much the late, great Prince would have enjoyed this bike if he was still alive and kicking today. Would you judge us if we told you that we cranked Purple Rain all the way home from the convention center?

From this angle, you can see the small louver stamped into the front fender, as well as the scoop added to the gas tank. We’re not sure what purpose these touches serve besides showing off the builder’s impressive metalworking skills. Admittedly, that’s a good enough reason for us.

Photos for H-D Forums by Patrick Morgan

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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