ABOUT THE BIKE
2002 HARLEY-DAVIDSON
DYNA WIDE GLIDE
Besides all the paint, custom parts and chrome upgrades the bike has been modified with:
H-D Screamin Eagle HP air filter and re-jetted carburetor; Anderson Cams & Vance & Hines shorty pipes.
The bike is ridden frequently and has over 36,000 miles on it thus far.
BEATLES BIKE
Why a Beatles Themed Bike?
Simple, I’ve been a huge Beatles fan and collector since they first came to the US. After I got my Harley and started going to many of the dealerships and bike events I began admiring many of the custom bikes I saw. Not only Choppers, but Harley’s with custom paint jobs and other modifications. I’ve seen a lot of really cool Choppers, but after a while they’re hard to differentiate from each other. Most have flames and/or skulls, etc.
However, the bikes that I’ve seen that really stick out in my mind have been a Vietnam POW bike; Jack Daniels bike; 9/11 bike; 3 Stooges bike; an Indian themed bike with a side car and a Major League Baseball themed bike. I think this bike falls into that category and will be one people remember long after they’ve seen it.
Right side of front headlight – image from the “blue” 1967 – 1970 greatest hits LP
The Helmet
Sissy bar backrest – Yellow Submarine
The right side mirror is a chromed duplicate of a ticket to see the Beatles live at the Hollywood Bowl on August 30, 1965
The left side mirror (top) is a chromed replica of an actual ticket from the Beatles first concert in the US… February 11, 1964 at the Washington, D. C. Coliseum…the price… $3.00!!!
Left rear fender – Love Glove from Yellow Submarine
Front spoiler – Magical Mystery Tour
Timing cover – Beatles for Sale
Front of gas tank – representing the British invasion from England to the US
Right rear fender – Help!
Air filter cover – John Lennon self-portrait
The White Album is featured on the battery cover. Painted by Chris Cruz, the battery cover features the 4 black and white photos inside the album cover, along with the embossed “The Beatles” album cover title and a serial number which was on the front cover of the first release of the album in 1968.
Right side of front headlight – image from the “blue” 1967 – 1970 greatest hits LP
Right side of gas tank – Abbey Road
These were originally chrome. The chrome has been removed and the aluminum sticks were painted by Chris Cruz Artistry to make them look like the real thing – wood drum sticks.
The drum sticks linkage was fabricated by McGowan Metal Fabrications.The shift linkage utlizes a J & P shift linkage as its base. The drum sticks are made from 5052 aircraft grade aluminum. Utilizing a metal lathe machine, it took over 11 hours to create both sticks. The sticks are attached to the linkage by a cleverly hidden bolt which is adjustable from the rear of the linkage. After the sticks were fabricated, 1/2 of the material of the stick closest to the viewer was ball milled out so it would be recessed in closer to the other stick. This detail provides a much cleaner look to the piece.
The shift linkage was then milled to receive the small bolt which is inserted from the rear of the linkage so the viewer cannot see it. Milling a slot into the linkage was also a functional part of the creation because it provides the flexibility of adjusting the sticks for clearance regarding the length of travel for shifting. It took another 16 hours to do the final milling on the sticks and yet another 7 hours for milling the bolt slot into the shift linkage which is a total of 37 hours to create this one-of-a-kind piece.
gas cap on top of gas tank representing the Apple Records label
Left rear fender – Love Glove from Yellow Submarine
Let It Be – Front Fender
A new headlight by Headwinds features the Beatles first British release, “Please, Please Me”. This photo was also used on their first greatest hits album 1962-1966, which many call the “Red” album. Their second greatest hits album 1967 – 1970, the “Blue” album is on the other side of the headlight.
Right side of front headlight – image from the “blue” 1967 – 1970 greatest hits LP
Left Side of Gas Tank – Sgt. Peppers with a Hofner Bass Guitar in the background
A Le Pera seat customized by Advanced Custom Design aka Alligator Bob…who did a spectacular job. The seat features the face images from “Meet The Beatles” which are surrounded by the albums of “Meet the Beatles”, “Yesterday & Today”; “Revolver” and “Let It Be” with the original labels as released by Capitol and/or Apple Records.
The back rest features three 45 pm records…”Please, Please Me”, “Ticket to Ride” and “Hey Jude”.