So we thought about how we could make one ourselves and started researching. We knew we wanted to put some unique lights on this one to go with the retro theme, so we set out hunting for a Finch pawn light and every time came across one on the chopper swapper pages someone always beat us to buying it. Could you give us a brief walk through of the process on that? There are a lot of really cool details on this build, one thing that stuck out to us was the Finch style pawn light you made. That Amen frame sold me but i definitely love the wheels and girder equally as much. Is there any specific piece on the bike that sticks out as your favorite? It’s awesome to see you used period correct parts with the build as well, from the Amen Savior frame to the Durfee Girder. I grew up riding with my dad to biker bars and hangouts and I definitely loved flipping through old mags to check out the bikes and dreaming of building one that would make it into a magazine one day. Well my (zach) plan is to make bikes that are more rideable than show style but my wife adds her touch and ideas and they usually come out way nicer than planned. This build looks like it came straight out of one of those old mags, was that the plan? Flip through any old chopper mag and you’ll find its filled with Japanese choppers ranging from cb350s to Z1’s. We’re huge fans of Japanese choppers, a lot of people seem to forget that Japanese bikes were a huge platform to chop back in 70s. I emailed Paul Durfee about the front end and he responded which was pretty cool. When we got the paint back it was an exciting day, when the sissy bar and front end came in from the chromer. Were there any favorable moments during the build process? Have you named the bike? If so, how did you arrive at that name?īoogie Nights, we were going for a straight out of the 70s theme so it fit.
So what we wound up with is what looks a barn find with a sweet paint job. We kept some of the original chrome parts and re-chromed parts that needed it. I've have always had a thing for long choppers, I think the 70s was a rad time and I couldn't wait to build one to keep. What was the inspiration behind the build? We put on a gasket kit, paint and polished the aluminum covers. We swapped the motor out for another one that was stored with the bike. The bike was basically a roller with a few boxes of parts. What was the starting condition of this build? The engine is a Honda 1972 cb750 four, Amen Savior frame, Paul Durfee square girder front end. Tell us a little about the bike (year, make, model) His name was Tommy Ray Shipwash hense TRS-The Rebel Spirit. We decided to start the business in 2016 in honor of my dad who sparked my passion into motorcycles. I've wrenched on motorcycles most of my life but got more heavier into it the past few years.
I have been riding with my dad since I was 2, I've had something or another ever since then.
How long have you been riding and building motorcycles for? Starting with the basics, what’s your name and where are you located? We reached out to the couple to get the inside scoop on this bike and a awesome collection of photos to go with it. When we came across some photos of Zach and Kristin Shipwash’ chopper they were building, we had to hear more. It’s safe to say that the Japanese platform had a heavy influence in the chopper world, and we’ve been seeing a resurgence of Japanese choppers being built or survivors being brought back to life!
Some may forget that in the 70’s the chopper scene was full of Japanese choppers, guys were buying these bikes new and immediately chopping them up into a one of a kind ride. From the factory these inline 4’s were a hotrod, and from the showroom floor these bikes were being customized. It’s no secret that vintage Japanese is our specialty, but when it comes to our all time favorite model, the Honda CB750 takes the cake.