The next wheel started out as a chunk weighing some 300 pounds, a special alloy imported from Russia.  Around 160 hours later, Speed Trix had trimmed off 245 pounds.

“If it’s not formed exactly right, then I’d rather cut it in half than use it on one of our bikes.” Says Mike, who knows how to cut stuff up—thanks to year in aircraft structural repair.  To explain how they get the organic, fluid look to their bikes, Mike says, “I do a lot of banging, grinding and welding on sheet metal and it just makes the shapes very warm.  We don’t use any plastic or fiberglass so it makes for bikes that last a long time. In 40 years this bike we built for Pierre will still be beautifully and sexy.”

Looking at the bike, it appears to have been poured from a mold.  The paint seems to drip off the bike.  There are no square lines or edges, everything is round and flowing.  Check out the handlebars with internal controls and the mirrors embedded with all the instrumentation as well as turn signals.  The license plate goes a disappearing act.  Park the bike; turn off the key and the license plate slides back into the rear fender just above the LED taillight.  The motor that moves the plate hidden under the seat, while the battery, air suspension compressor and oil filter are located in the nose cone.

“Pierre was planning to ride the hell out of this bike with its big 124-inch motor,” says Mike.  “I knew it would need a lot of blood to keep on living, so I stuck a 5-quart oil tank in the front of the swingarm so that the turning of the big rear wheel acts as a fan and helps cool the oil.”

Notice anything missing?  Like the petcock?  The fuel lines, made from aircraft stainless steel, are routed through the frame.  Even the brakes seem to disappear since Speed Trix employed the very small 360-degree units that leave the wheels uncluttered by big discs and calipers but still stop effectively.  If you’re looking at the cases and seem to notice something else missing, that would be the starter motor.  You’ll find that relocated in the BDI belt drive system.  “Cutting the starter out of the Baker 6-speed transmission and filling it back in was the hardest part of the job,” says Mike.  “But it makes it look so clean.”

The bikes by Mike and Steve are truly tailor-made.  They input their customer’s measurements into a computer and then build the bike around those measurements so that it fits the owner like a satin glove.  That’s just another way they “seize the day” at Speed Trix.

By:      Paul Garrison   www.easyriders.com