Thunderhead Choppers Wolvenchop
"This is the rigid build I have been working on," said Deano. "I named it Wolvenchop because while I was building it, I kept thinking of a wolf in a chopper."
THIS IS the type of rides I’m building these days. I like to fabricate as much as I can so I started by building the frame — a slight drop seat, dual down-tubes, up-stretch, 35 degree rake — and with a few other ideas like the seat post, the battery box behind the tranny, and there’s a bit of a stretch in the overall design.
I used a 74 cube Harley-Davidson Shovelhead hooked up to a four-speed kicker gearbox and a belt drive for a bobber chopper look. Next the oil tank was made to suit — ‘sharp’ is what I had in mind — so I used a sharp-teeth-theme.
The seat was hand-tooled with the shop name and logo then laced to a steel pan with three-inch springs. It’s fairly comfortable for a rigid.
Next I needed a fat Springer front-end and after many hours of machining and beers, this is what I came up with. For some it might look familiar — it’s a Crime Scene Choppers design with my own custom style.
The paint and graphics was laid on with the same theme in mind. I reckon it turned out great with the wolf image on the classic Sporty tank, and yeah, it will only get you about 100 km or so but that’s okay when you start feeling numb. Anyway, this chopper likes a good howl now and again.
I hand-picked the rims from a wreckers — they are 19-inch front and 16-inch, 150 rear — that needed a bit of work to fit. I stripped the paint off and polished them; they look pretty cool. The front and rear calipers got the same treatment.
Next I made all sorts of parts like the exhaust, battery box, bars and risers, top motor mount, forward controls, and a belt guard which I can take off easily and run tins off the same frame tabs.
The headlight was a must-have with its fang style, and the Iron Cross tailight got the nod for the rear.
The rear guard is a hand-beaten one-off because sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
So next time you’re riding through the O’Connell Valley you might hear the sound of distant thunder — or is it Deano working on another Thunderhead Chopper!
pics by Tonzy; words by Deano
