Stealth Rigid Motorbike & Anna in Tasmania

LOVING bikes and wanting something new, Marcus was thinking of buying a new Harley. However, after looking around and realising a stock bike wasn’t going to suit, he decided to build a full-on chopper. Marcus got his brother, Andy from Launceston Tattoos, to do some research on the internet and they decided to buy a rolling chassis. Not consulting anyone about the pros and cons of shopping on theinternet, Marcus deposited funds directly into an American bank account. Luckily, a rolling chassis turned up some weeks later.

The frame had six-inches extra in the down-tube plus five-inches in the backbone. The forks are 10-inches-over and there was an old-school style oil bag. It looked great in black. The wheels were a highly polished Bayonet billet with matching brake rotors and rear pulley.

Then came the drive-line, and after searching the net again, Marcus realised the value in the Ultima engines and purchased a 113 cubic inch motor and Prowler six-speed box.

With everything now in one place, it was time to find someone who could put it all together. After being introduced to Scotty Nation from Tassie Choppers, Marcus decided to search no further.

Scotty was horrified when he found out it was a rigid expecting it to ride like a pig. However, when they tried it in an unfinished state, everybody was amazed at how well it felt. With this positive outcome, a dozen lemons couldn’t take the smile off Marcus’s face.

It was then disassembled, and in the rebuild, the following were added: Gothic mirrors, Custom Choice marker lights, bullet rear indicators, BDL forward controls, and a custom fitted Dakota digital speedo. 

The front brakes are standard polished while the rears are four-spot. The night time visibility is from Ultra. The hand controls and switch blocks are from Custom Chrome which are supported by Burleigh Bars.

The carby is a G-series S&S while the air cleaner is from D&M custom. The ignition is Crane Hi-4. 

The pipes were fabricated by Scotty and are excessively loud (which he now regrets every time he goes for a ride with Marcus).

With the bike finished and sounding the way it should, Scotty decided to put it through its paces. He took it to the Motors AC Delco drag track at Paranna where it recorded its best time of 12.2 seconds.

It’s run-in now, and with nearly 3000 km on the clock, it has proven to be a very successful exercise. It was built on a sensible budget and the beer drank during the build with Scotty made it all worthwhile. Marcus would like to thank Scotty for his help and understanding in the construction of the Stealth Rigid. 

Anna doesn’t mind sleeping rough

ANNA LIVES in Launceston after moving down from Queensland. She has travelled in several parts of Australia on bikes and in cars and enjoyed every bit of it. She doesn’t mind sleeping rough in the bush for a couple of nights but enjoys getting back to a nice spa and a couple of drinks.

Anna is currently looking for a part-time job as a front office person and one that allows her follow her modelling work.

words & pics by Wayne Burrows