Vintage Chopper Action, or Fun with Joe and Steve

I was blown away when Joe Hurst sent me these photos from 1968.


This was Joe's first Harley. While building it sometime around 1967-68, Joe met Dick Allen who rebuilt the heads. Joe said Dick just had a big smile when he first saw the completed bike.


Another view of Joe's Purple Panhead. Note the braced sissy bar. I call it the "South Bay Swoop". This style of sissy bar was to become a standard feature on most south bay choppers and I had always attributed it's design to Dick Allen, but Joe was actually the first to run one. The design on the tank was a stylized 13.


This and the following photos really blew me away. Joe's old friend Steve Drale is on the left. Steve's dad was once the mayor of Torrance, CA.


A film package was placed on the ground to serve as a starting mark to let the fun begin.


This photo is just too much! Everything about it is way cool. The look, the angle, the kids. To me, it rates as one of the best vintage chopper photos ever!.. and is likely my favorite wheelie photo of all time. Joe said his forks took a pounding from doing this.


Steve's slick Panhead. The neighborhood kids got a real treat that day.

AEE's Big Twin Lives...

...well, sort of.

I thought I had read somewhere that it still existed.

Blog reader Stu, sent an email to let me know it's on freewh33ler.blogspot.com explaining that it's for sale on ebay right now. Item#170675591779. Note the outboard wheel is just placed here for the photo since it is both unbolted and inside out.

The replaced fork and front wheel assembly totally sucks and betrays Ed Newton's original elegant design. It originally showcased a narrow AEE Springer (which is how it looked the best). When AEE repainted it to this color scheme, they replaced the springer with a rigid girder style fork (not the current forks). You'd think that if anything would have been pirated, it would have been the engines.

Someone had the brilliant idea (NOT!), to modified the frame to accept a blower.

Besides the fact that they shouldn't have modified a classic show piece, the blower mod kind of ruins the effort of the reversed heads of the left side. The original intention was for the pipes and carbs to be a symmetrical mirror image of each side. The listing mistakenly states that machining of the flopped heads was done by Harley, it was actually performed by AEE's own machine shop. Good God, what happened to it's seats?!!

Note that it was licensed and tagged up to June 1980, meaning it was likely driven on the streets.

My vote would be to put it back to it's first incarnation's paint and forks.

I guess it's better that it has survived in this shape than not at all. Now all that is needed is for a rare individual who has the means and desire to rescue and restore it to it's former glory.

This Month's Header-Under The Influence

I did this drawing sometime in 1973 and you can clearly see the influence of the two bikes below.

Much of the general design was inspired from Joe Hurst's White Bear, but I used a Cone Motor instead of a Generator Shovel.

The bike from the center spread of Big Bike Magazine Sept. 1972 was the other source of influence. Borrowed from it were the rear fender, polished mags, rectangular headlight, pullbacks, and much of the style of the paint. It was also a South Bay bike but had more of a AEE Choppers look rather than the Dick Allen/Fats South Bay Style. The photo looks to be taken at the break water in King Harbor Redondo Beach, CA. with the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the background.

L.L.Long Bike Art

Here's a drawing I did either late in 72, or early 73. Long bikes were still in but getting lower. No high seats and pipes. The performance trend was gaining strength. Big carbs, magnetos and custom oil tanks were the hot set up... as were "Hot Pants" (short shorts on da'ladies).

The Chrome Frame Chronicles

The story of Dick Allen's/Joe Hurst's Chrome Frame Bike is complex and varied. At one time, Joe pulled the running gear out to put in the Green Bike. A buddy with an unfinished bike then asked if he could ride it (the Green Bike), to Northern California. Joe said, "is your motor and trans done"? When his friend answered, "yeah", Joe told him he could put it in the chrome frame roller for the trip. Sometime later, Joe put it's motor and trans back in and sold it.

This is probably right before Joe sold it. It was originally fitted with a H-D Sprint tank. Here it has a larger Super -Glide tank.

After it was sold and painted blue by the new owner. Looks good. Just about any color will work with a chrome frame.

Joe got it back years ago. Here's how she sits today.

Chrome Won't Get You Home...

...but it might get you a trophy.

Some guys think if a little is good, a lot is better. Chrome or not it's a pretty cool old scoot. Okay, the risers and bars are a bit much, but it was for show.

Chrome Frame Confusion

After seeing the Chrome Frame Lives post, Bruce Parrish sent this photo and said, " I see the South Bay saga continues. This is the tank I painted for the Chrome bike. As I remember it was for Doc . He had something similar to this eagle a few years earlier". (Note that the bike is in the house next to the Christmas Tree.)

When I posted Joe's first version of Dick's chrome frame bike, I purposely left out this cool photo and was saving it for another day. As I remembered it, Joe told me that Bruce repainted it for him based on the Eagle he did for Doc.

Joe later sent this photo showing how it looked when he got the bike from Doc in '73. It was originally pearl white with yellow tips. Bruce said he didn't do this version and did not come up with the Eagle Scallops concept but instead had traced it for the silver to black version.

Joe liked the motif so much he used it once again on his green bike. What makes things even more confusing is that this bike seems to have all the drive train components from the Chrome Frame Bike including the oil tank with the peg mounts. (Note the neck, and it's similarity to the one done later on Bruce's Funny Bike.)

Joe's thinking of using the Eagle design again on the latest build of the Chrome Frame Bike, but with a new twist.

The Chrome Frame Lives

Captain America may be the most famous chopper ever, chrome frame or not , but before Captain America there was Dick Allen's chrome frame chopper. Dick's chopper was another one of those bikes that everybody seemed to dig.

In an earlier post , I mentioned that the Shovelhead that once powered Dick's chrome bike ended up in Joe's Hurst's Hustler. Which brings up.... what ever became of the chrome frame?

This collage serves as a refresher, shows some changes, and helps to illustrate a few things.

Joe Hurst has it today. Jim Andrews got it from Dick and then it went to Doc Holiday. It had been stolen at one time too. Joe got it from Doc around 1973, kept it until '84, and then he got it back in '86. It's hard to keep all the years and facts straight but like many bikes (or parts of them), they seem to find their way back to Joe.

I posted this shot of Joe's pad before in hopes that someone would have recognized the twisted cross sissy bar and rear fender.

This first version built by Joe in the early seventies is probably my favorite of all his bikes second only to White Bear. The tall sissy bar and full fender isn't what you'd normally think would work with with the long springer, or what was hip at the time, but somehow, it all works... and to think, at one time I didn't even like chrome framed bikes.

A little later in the Mid Seventies, it got the black treatment and the forks were modified using Honda 750 rear shocks for hydraulic dampening.

Flash forward to December 2010. It's been on the back burner for about the last 20 years, but Joe is now working on it's come back. This time as a Panhead.

That's Dick's original rear fender. The seat was re-upholstered years ago, but it Dick's old seat pan too.

The modified Dick Allen springer. Joe says it's now mounted on the frame. Those Shovelhead cases on the shelf are from Joe's White Bear!

Joe still has the 6 quart oil tank that Dick made. Since all previous versions of the bike had a magneto, there was no need for a battery. Sadly, it probably won't be used this time since Joe is using a five speed with electric starter. The upper holes are for passenger pegs as pointed out in the Choppers Magazine Wheeler Dealer article.

Joe has about everything he needs for the engine and trans so hopefully he'll get it together soon. I'll keep you posted.

Mike Likes It

Howdy, I was just checking out your blog and was in there for a long time checking out all your stuff. I also draw bike cartoons and used to paint bikes for Denver's Choppers on E. St. in old Berdoo. I have been drawing cartoons for some of the local motor cycle clubs in the area and wanted to share a couple with you. Keep up the good work and I hope you dig my art.

Respect, Mike Mafufa of Berdoo

We dig it. You've probably seen and admired Mike's art and old photos on the Church of Choppers blog. Not only is he (like most of us), a Roth fan, turns out he's also a fan of Pete Millar. Mike's artwork has a style of it's own, but kind of reminds me of Stanley Mouse.

A photo of Mike from the COC blog. I really dig this type of classic chop.

Earing Mike's South Bay Chopper, or Ask and You Shall Receive?

I said I'd like to see more of the bike, so I get a call from Joe Hurst saying, "you asked for it".

Mike still has his bike and as you can see, not only is it almost unchanged, but it also looks fresh as ever. The beautiful forks deserve a double take as they are narrowed and extended Harley (by Mike), with Dick Allen rockers.

While not having all of the exact same styling cues, the look and stance is definitely South Bay. The Sportster headlight, Hunt magneto, 12 spoke mags, and D.A. rockers do add to the recipe. Go back and look at Joe's White Bear, Foots bike, or Bruce's Funny bike, and you'll see it was all in the family of friends.

Compare this shot with the one in the last post and it drives home how, other than the paint and the plug wires, nothing has changed!

While repainted, the tank retains the Ride to Live and Wings theme. The frame is fantastic. Note the seat area. It's been stretched, raked, and molded with metal before chroming. The sissy bar doesn't have the normal South Bay Swoop, but instead has an almost invisible fender following support bar. The oil tank reminded me of the Funny Bike's tank and it's no coincidence since it was made by Bruce's mentor, Steve Davis.

My thanks go out to Mike and Joe for sharing this cool ride.

The Joe Hurst Blog presents: The Blue Bike

Since becoming friends, Joe has sent me a lot of cool photos and for awhile there, the blog was in danger of a coup d'état. Since it's been awhile, and the threat has subsided, it's time to share some more from his archives.

Circa 1970. Joe just calls it the Blue Bike but, it's actually the Hustler redone with less rake, a shorter springer, a Harley Sprint tank, and of course, blue paint.

Great roadside shot. I'm loving the pan too.

A bit later with fish tail up-sweeps.

Joe out on the road. This photo is interesting for two reasons. 1. Joe's wearing one of those cool Harley shirts with the psychedelic font from a page in a 1970 parts and accessories catalog as posted here in Dec. 2009. 2. He's also wearing one of those heavy duty wide leather wrist/watch bands. Joe says he had it made with a cover to protect his watch, and as far as he knows, was the first to wear one. Did Joe invent them? At one time they were quite the rage. I could easily see how they might make a comeback... at least within the retro chopper scene.

Doc Holiday's Witch Street Chopper May 1970

Back in November of 2010 I posted The Witch as featured in Roth's Choppers Magazine (click Here to view it), and also used it for this last October's Header. Therefore, I figured some of you might like to see the Street Chopper feature since it has better details and shows how the bike changed some. I reformatted the article so that it would fit the blog and make it easier to read the captions.

Once again it was also the cover bike. Instead of the original metal flake, the bike was repainted a candy orange. I like the former better.


Check the custom touches like the peanut tank's chromed side panels, the hex down tubes and pin striping as you view the photos. Very much like the stuff you'd see on a Von Dutch custom.

Custom Cycle Engineering Finned Dish Pans were now installed.

Randy of Gardena as in Smith repainted the witch again but I like his first witch better. Go back to my October 2011 header post to compare.

Note the very high position of the brake pedal. Back in the 60's, a lot of guys liked the radical (but not very practical), look it gave. The small photo shows a high clutch pedal as well.

The sissy bar now sports what I call the South Bay Swoop. Again, the paint and the metal work looks Von Dutch inspired.

The bullet taillights are cool, but note the broken license plate frame.

This bike may relate to more posts than any other to date. As evidence, check the Labels/links below.