Old School is Today's Cool. That's no secret. But what happens when a couple of grizzled veteran types get together on a project and build a bad to the bone showstopper? That's exactly what happened. Rodney, from Rodney's Cycle House in Little Rock, Arkansas had this old basket case that had followed him around for years. Donna had her own bike shop in Texas many moons ago. The bike was something she acquired in the course of doing business. When she moved to Little Rock, the old FXE came with her. It sat around the back of Rodney's Cycle House for some time. Then an employee came up to Rodney and said he'd like to build a custom out of it. It was a done deal. He started molding the frame and stopped. His interest changed, and he decided to move on. Fair enough, but the guy didn't want any part of the Shovel, so Rodney offered him $1,500 for the pile of parts. And then the bike sat again. At this point, Rodney's life long pal Jerry "Junk" Berryhill entered the picture. There's a good reason for his nickname too, and it's not quite what you might think. Jerry is forever digging into castoffs in the junk pile at Rodney's Cycle House. That's not unusual, but as it turns out, Jerry always has a knack of taking the proverbial sow's ear and turning into a silk purse. Everyone is regularly amazed at Jerry's eye for making something cool out of nothing.

Of course that sets the stage for the FXE laid out in the page before you. Jerry and Rodney proclaim themselves to be "older than dirt". Their really not but they do go way back into the formative years of custom choppers. Jerry decided he wanted to build the FXE with the method he would have used in the early '70s. Sure their were a few minor liberties taken, but the look is right out of the big bike shows from 1973. Because the frame was already molded, the pair simply finished the job. Up front, the forks were swapped for a set from a 1950 Harley. Rodney shaved the legs and set up the front end '70s style: a spool and no brake. At the rear they decided upon a retro fat tire kit. It consist of a 3.50-16" laced hoop wrapped with 5.00-16 Continental skin. On the nose , a 21" laced wheel is used along with an era-correct Avon tire. Also note the pair has eschewed black rims and other trendy stuff. Students of the era know that you went straight to the chrome shop back then. Nobody had painted wheels!

Jerry figured a Drag King Sportster tank was just about right. It was modified and installed over the Shovel. Meanwhile, Rodney dug up a pair of vintage Donnie Smith fender struts, reworked them, and had them rechromed, You'll note too, that the back fender is actually an FL front fender (more '70s trickery). The FXE oil tank was rechromed. The rest of the tin (basically the tank and back fender), along with the frame, was painted in house by Rodney. As the story goes, Rodney is definitely accomplished when it comes to to working a spray gun. Over 40 years ago, he was one of the few builders who did it all: everything from machining to engine building and balancing to paint. And in this case, he had to dust the cobwebs off his mind and remember exactly how to paint fish scales. If you look at the photos, you'll see he isn't exactly rusty. The basic paint includes the PPG black mixed with House of Kolor tangerine Kandy fish scale graphics accented with House of Kolor gold, which was mixed with some ancient Candy Gold discovered in the shop.

The vintage Shovel was rebuilt as another in-house job. It's a stock bore and stroke engine with a 10:1 Drag Specialties pistons, Drag Specialties rods, and an Andrews A grind camshaft. Years ago, Rodney developed a balancing program that truly eliminates the shovel shakes. Naturally, he applied it here. And as a result. You can use the rear view mirror at 80 mph. Pretty much everything inside the 74" Big Twin is era-correct save the ignition system and the carb. Those were considered concessions Rodney clearly wanted to make: "I was through with points years ago, and the S&S E Series carb is simply a better piece."

Backing the 60 or so horsepower Shovel is a stock four-speed gearbox coupled to a chain-driven primary with a vintage clutchless arrangement. Very basically, the shift pattern is reversed, and a cable goes from the clutch to the shifter. Once you shift out of first, the clutch lever isn't required. Just bang the shifter and go.

There are all sorts of other vintage details on the FXE. The seat is low-riding, frame-hugging LePera job. The turned-out shotgun pipes are brand-name-unknown swap meet specials. The little Drag Specialties accessory speedo is tucked low to the left side of the bike. The early risers hook up to a set of drag bars. There's a lone mirror on the left and a small bullet shaped headlamp from Drag Specialties. The taillight looks right out of the '70s, but it's filled with brighter-than-bright LEDs. Controls certainly aren't exotic, particularly when you run a spool up front. That means there's only one lever. We dig it. Simple is definitely good.

Simple is really what makes this motorcycle stand out from the crowd. Sure it's built in the style of scoots from way back when, but we're guessing that few bikes assembled four decades ago were built to this level of quality. We're also betting that once word gets out about these "Junkyard Specials" more folks will have'em built. That being said, if there was ever a bike that begs you to toss your leg over it and go for a rip, this is it! And from what we hear, owner Junk Berryhill does just that. AIM