New work: Aluminum Overdraft custom FXR

Hey out there - it's Jeremiah. I have received some emails asking for more bike building images, specifically of the Marlboro Man custom FXR Black Death 3 replica. Jay is on a road trip for a few weeks, also on an FXR, so these pics have been painter heavy. I know for sure Jay has more images of the building process for this next beauty: Aluminum Overdraft. I promise to share as soon as I get them in my painty little paws.

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This concept ride stems from some old fart's fascination with WWII aviation. In designing the tank art, I learned quite a lot about military graphic design during this period of killing-people history. Please allow me to bore you to death with it:

These are Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, bombing the Hell out of some poor area of Europe. Don't worry - they deserved it, just read any history textbook or watch Dr. Strangelove. On the closest aircraft pictured above, note the military aircraft insignia, a modified roundel we officially call the Stars and Bars Roundel. I know, with only one star and arguably only one bar, so some also call it the "Star and Bar." This insignia, used from 1943 - 1947, is one piece of the inspiration.

One B-17 bomber was called "Aluminum Overcast." It was shot down over France in 1944. A restored B-17 now flies under the same name, in commemoration of the bomber that survived 33 successful missions. It has some impressive nose art:

 The lightning bolt is the next component of our design.

Finally, there was "Bad Check."

Why named Bad Check? A bad check always comes back. At any rate, Bad Check went MIA in January 1944 . . . While building the bike, Jay joked that we were going into debt in polished aluminum and so the name "Aluminum Overdraft" was born. When Jay gets back I can have him 'splain y'all why polished aluminum is much better than chrome. I styled the lettering based on the sans serif military stencil sheet.

And here she is:

 

 

And now for a little bit of Harley history. Jay chose a pivotal year for this custom rebuild: 1984. This is the last year of the shovelhead engine (seen above), as it was replaced by the evolution. It is also the beginning of the softail era as Harley Davidson introduced a rear suspension system in place of the traditional rigid frame. That makes this vintage the only softail shovel in production. Of course this bike is far from production: much of the build is custom modified or even fabricated from scratch, down to linkages and struts.

There will never be another like our own Aluminum Overdraft.