This article is reproduced in parts, courtesy of Barnett's Magazine.

Like so many of us, Don Birchfield had a dream. He had very specific ideas of what he wanted in a bike and he knew that there was no way he could find the bike he was looking for on the floor of a Haley dealre, or even in the realm of production "custom." The custom bike world is full os guys with a similar vision; they want a bike that's rideable, but they also want a bike that is very unique, and they want it all on a limited budget.

Don's idea of a perfect bike was one that wedded some of the luxuries of a modern stock motorcycle with the clean lines and simplicity of an old bobber. As the former owner of a 1954 Panhead, Don was quite familiar with the charms as well as the pitfalls invovled with the old bikes. But as a promoter of custom bike shows, he also wanted something very special that he could ride with pride. So it had to be trick, too. The real trick was going to be how to fulfill all of these requirements without breaking the bank.

He kept his dream in his back pocket just waiting for the day he met the right builder for it. A chance meeting with Johnny at last year's Bakersfield Thunder Run made is all come together. Upon meeting Johnny and Don kept hitting the right notes, it was a match made in heaven.

This bike is a chopper! 6" up and 4" out stretch and a 40 degree, 2: over front end. This rigid has all the credentials of your classic chopper. The difference is the tank. Instead of a Sportster-style tank riding high on the the frame rails, this puppy has Insane' s version of a fat bob hugging the tops of the rockers, voila... a one-piece, six gallon fuel cell that gives the bike both range and a meaty look.

It also features both internally routed clutch and throttle, breaks are all handled in through the classically-styled brake pedal, which applies both the front and rear, and is claimed to stop the 520 lbs bike on a dime. A mostly stock HD Evo powerplant right out of the P&A catalog was used to power the custom machine for a variety of reasons: Easy parts availability, reliability, and low price figured heavily in the equation.

In the end, the bike was brought in for under $30K which made both Johnny and Don happy.

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