Retro build echoes the ideology that fueled the heyday of custom bikes.
Shop Success
When Brandon Wurtz established Rawhide Cycles in 2015, one of his major aspirations was to be an invited builder at the Born-Free Motorcycle Show. After opening, Wurtz hired Ryan Stallcup and the duo has since worked hard to make their Garden City, Idaho shop a success. That dedication paid off in 2019, with an invite to Born-Free.
Photos courtesy of Rawhide Cycles.
Heyday Ideology
In addition to being a full-service custom shop, Rawhide Cycles also presents the Landlocked Show, an annual motorcycle event held in the historic Linen Building in downtown Boise. With the Born-Free invite in hand, Rawhide set out to build a 1960s show bike, keeping true to the ideology that fueled the heyday of the chopper movement.
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Project Chassis
Wurtz and Stallcup first located their donor bike—a 1966 FLH. The vintage highway star had started out life as Shriner Edition, until it was sold to its second owner in 1970. A trip to Fallon, Nevada, secured the soon-to-be show bike project. The pair then sourced a 1957 straight-leg frame for the build, rather than cut into the FLH's touring chassis.
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Pushed Back
With all the necessary show bike parts on the table, Rawhide got busy meeting the June 2020, Born-Free deadline. As with many other events across the nation, 2020 proved to be a year of postponements and cancellations due to pandemic concerns. The show was pushed back a year and then rescheduled to late summer of 2021.
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Finned Look
The additional time was not wasted, and details abound on this time-warp build. Making the engine shiny and functional was the first order of business. Wurtz and Stallcup rebuilt the 74 cubic-inch Shovelhead with a S&S flywheel and Wiseco pistons. A polished S&S Two Throat carburetor takes care of intake duties, and finned rocker covers from Throwback Cycle Parts completes the nostalgic look.
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Modernized Mill
While the Shovelhead has all the trappings of a vintage machine, some parts were modernized. Using one of their own Rawhide Cycle electronic ignitions, the inventive duo adapted it to run off the distributor. They consider it a working prototype, a system that Rawhide will soon offer for pre-1970s Big Twin Harley-Davidsons. With the mill taken care of, it was onto the running gear.
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Raised Angle
Getting a perfect show-bike stance was paramount to the build. The 1957 straight-leg frame was narrowed in the rear, and the backbone raised up 2.5 inches, resulting in a 33-degree rake. Borrani wheels with Mullins star hubs laced with Buchanan spokes, and a set of Barneys Lowers with 6-inch-over fork tubes levels the modified frame to just the right angle.
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Invited Efforts
Max Schaaf of 4Q Conditioning laid down a paint job, perhaps best described as 'fiery hot rod.' Eric Reyes brought the whole thing together with his artful pinstriping. Despite the show postponement, it was well worth the wait. Wurtz and Stallcup took the 'Best Chopper' award for their efforts. Rawhide Cycles will be back for the 2022 Born-Free, again as invited builders.
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