MITCHELL, Neb. (AP) - Building a motorcycle from the ground up can be a challenge, but completing it in only 30 days has become an obsession for one Mitchell resident.
Last February, GardnerRoad Kustoms Owner Jeremiah Gardner won the chance to be in the 2014 Rat Hard Build-Off and Drive-Off competition this year through Ride Hard Magazine, the Scottsbluff Star-Herald (https://bit.ly/1tm3MAD ).
This challenge gave both rat rod and motorcycle enthusiasts the opportunity to build their own custom-made rides to be featured in the Ride Hard Magazine. Each competitor had 30 days to complete their ride and a $3,000 budget, starting on Aug. 14.
On that day, Gardner started his motorcycle build from scratch with only a concept drawing, a few parts and a lot of determination to turn his vision into reality. Now with 23 days and a cumulative 300 hours of work under his belt, Gardner has been very happy with his progress. Gardner said there is still a lot to do and not much time left, but hopes to make it work.
“I’m building the bike of my dreams,” he said. “In this competition I’m representing the Panhandle and the community.”
The motorcycle is a one-of a-kind, steampunk-style work of art that can be described as a modern day Frankenstein machine. The front of the motorcycle is based on a leaf-spring suspension from a 1932 Ford Model A, a headlamp from a 1930s truck, motor from a 1981 Yamaha 850 Triple and a 1930s fire extinguisher for the gas tank. Gardner said he is pushing to make the motorcycle have an early 19th-century look to it.
“If you can make it look good together, that’s what I think will set the builders apart,” he said. “That’s just something I have taken pride in over the years is the design, it has to function.”
From an old leather seat cover to the custom-built exhaust, the motorcycle has truly become a community-built machine. Gardner has had some help from a few local friends and crew members, including Bare Manufacturing Owner Larry Bare and employees Simon Jensen and Riggin McKnight. Mike Meloney, Jason Muhr, Jeff Woodward and Gardner’s parents and family have helped him along the way. Even the local police department has helped in adding a “high-tech security system” that is a set of late 1800s shackle handcuffs to lock up the motorcycle.
One of the challenges in building the motorcycle was when the build team replaced the carburetor this month. The existing carburetor was not up to par. Gardner took a set of carburetors off of a four-cylinder 1979 Kawasaki 1,000 and put it in the three cylinder motorcycle, which set the build back a few days.
“Took one of them off, machined a bunch of things and made it work on this bike,” he said. “We took a four pack and turned it into a three pack, which shouldn’t be done. I would never recommend it and if we didn’t have to do it, I would have never done it. It cost us four days that I wasn’t planning on.”
There was also a setback in getting the motorcycle to run, which was only started for the first time on a Tuesday this month. With only eight days to go on the project, Gardner said he has a lot to do, including brakes, wiring, get the lights working, put gas in the tank, build the handle bars and make sure it is safe to drive.
“I have to ride this,” he said. “I am going to turn every single bolt on this thing to make sure she is on and maybe by Sunday night I will be able to take my first ride. We’ll see.”
Gardner is still pushing to be on track and wants to have it completed and on the transport truck this month. Gardner plans to make a 13-hour drive to St. Louis in one day where the motorcycle will compete at Steel Fest.
After the show, the motorcycle will then be driven on Sept. 15 from St. Louis to Chattanooga Tennessee, on a 450-mile drive to test it in the drive-off portion of the competition.
“I’m not looking forward to that ride, but I think they are really trying to push people and test them out,” he said. “It’s not just a build off, it’s a drive off, too. You have to make it and be rolling into the next show.”
The motorcycles will then travel to a small show in Lebanon, Tennessee for the Redneck Rumble where the winners will be announced.
Local residents can view the ongoing project by visiting the “High Class Trash Choppers and Rat Rods” Facebook page and voting for Gardner starting Sept. 13 on the “ITW Hot Rods Rat Hard Build Off/Tour” Facebook page.
In looking over the motorcycle, Gardner said it’s better than what he expected it could be. He added that he is sacrificing a lot in this project with his work and family, but it’s a big point of pride for him.
“This is a big risk and sacrifice, but I think it will be a payoff,” he said. “I think I built a very decent contender for this competition.”
For more information on the tour visit www.ratrodtour.com/build-off.html.
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Information from: Star-Herald, https://www.starherald.com
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