Text by the Svenmeister
Logan's
Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love
Usually I begin starting my creations by staring at a bike, frame or rolling chassis for several hours. Combine that with several cases of drinking beer ! This specific one ended up being a whole different story.
First of all, I needed a clean front end for a bike aI was working on around February 2007. I found a 1975 Honda CB 360 that had exactly what I was looking for. So instead spending $ 100 for the forks on eBay I got myself a complete non-running bike for one hundred and fifty bucks . After unloading it I was curious what it’ll take to get the thing to run.
While spending about an hour doing a little tune up I came to find out that it only had 2700 actual miles on it. Sweet! Plus I got it to run like a champ.
After that it made my casket-style work stand about 6 times over the next following months. It started as a complete bike without front end and ended with a frame sitting in about a third of a frame. Every time I tried to started working on it I kinda had a vision but then it had to make room for another project. That vision changed from a 1920’s look to a Swedish style chopper and even the paint skim turned from green to flat white…
After moving into the new shop in January 2008 I decided to finally do a quick chop job and get it on the streets. Of course that quickie took a while longer. After turning it into a hard tail frame I came up with the idea using it as a beer transporter to the liqueur store and back so an old luggage rack came down from the rafters, got chopped up and welded right on the frame. Since money was (and always seems to be) tight in the Svenmeister head quarters I decided to put it all together with part that have been collecting dust in the shop. Therefore an old Sporty tank found it’s place on top of the frame, a reproduction moped set was set on it’s new post and a 1971 CB 350 front end turned it into a roller again. Ape hangers were bent and welded out of one inch tubing and connected via upside down mounted Harley pull back risers. Out of a bunch of exhaust tubing and mandrel bends I fabricated a set of mufflers which had to have flame throwers. After looking at the paint shelf and realizing I almost had a full container of House of color rainbow red flakes I had that final vision. It had to be different than everything I built before. Shiny paint, kickstand on the left (unlike most of my other bikes), a front fender and actual working front brakes.
Well, I started to regret that metal flake paint job after about two days of Bondo sanding on all those tight spaces in that funky frame and wished I had my fabrication partner Cadillac Bob TIG welding it instead cleaning my MIG welds. Towards the end of about 120 hours of paint prep I came to realize that unless I’d find a person like Jay Leno as a buyer I would not make a dime on it. That and knowing that my wife Logan would love to own her first bike herself was too much of a coincidence still not having a damn clue what to get her for the upcoming big 30th birthday.
So, after several coats of flake and clear the tank and matching helmet made it’s way to one shot slinger’s place. His pinstiping could not have came out better!
After topping that with some more clear it finally came to my most favorite part of building; the assembly. The black rims were laced with new white painted spokes. The rear wheel turned out to be a very tight fit under that weld-on luggage rack but my friend Kim of Fay Meyers just found the right tire for it. Several little mounts were made, painted and mounted with all new hardware. Once it became looking like a bike Logan and I looked at it and discussed about a matching name for that motorsikle. Her, not knowing it would be her own some day said: ”What about Hunka hunka burning love?”
Heck yes that matches that flame throwing, psycadellic painted bike and I also had that matching colored Elvis skull which I was gonna use as a suicide shifter knob!
My buddy Dan from Bitchn’ Stichn’ ordered up some gold metal flake vinyl and covered the seat and back rest, which was not mounted at the time I took these pictures. After spreading the first pics via email to my friends three European magazines asked me to feature this bike. Since I already knew who the future owner would be I thought it’ll be cool if she’s included in those magazine features. “Man, it’s kinda like a love story- I was thinking about my woman while sanding and wrenching for at least the last two hundred of the 350 total!” What other dude does that while working on his HOG?
So I pulled the “Hunka hunka burnin’ love” out the shop, rolled it on the driveway and got her to do a test sitting…pulled out the title and said: “Happy early birthday, baby!”
As of today, I have not mounted the suicide shifter since I thought it be easier for Logan to get used to it with the foot shifter. Also, the propane bottles still need to get connected to the pipes. I am proud of what I’ve done and will be even prouder when I see my wife roaring down Main Street in Sturgis and shoot some flames!
