9 minute read
Iacona's Best Of Show
idon’t even have a name for the bike…it just happened!” – Steve Iacona
For his money, a Timex wristwatch was all my dad ever wanted or needed.
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Unpretentious, modest, and functional. “I only need it to tell me the time…and besides, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. Some people like shiny motorcycles, while others like things to be a bit more sublime.
Back in the “gold rush” chopper era, there were more builders than there were bikers (or at least it seemed that way). That was the genesis for the beginning of many a career.
Let me introduce to you Steven Iacona from Iacona Custom Cycles in Brooklyn, NY. Steve has been building full-time since 2002. First in his home garage (primarily for friends). Iacona now operates in a 1500 square foot shop in Brooklyn in what he says: “Is the last shop on the block that wasn’t knocked down for new condos.”
At first glance, this motorcycle has all of the pinnings of a fine swiss wristwatch. Very elegant, eye-catching, all while having something of a subtle attitude. It takes more than one or even two looks at this masterpiece to really dig down and appreciate all of the craftsmanship present in this Softail chopper. Some builders derive their style from other builders that came before them, while others exist in a space so foreign that even they get lost in the project, and from time to time, that project sits until the “writer’s block” subsides.
“I just pushed it around for
shop a year or so,” says Steven.
This bike started out as a parts bike assembled for a customer who decided not to proceed. Iacona pushed it around his shop for about a year, and then sometime last year (during COVID), he began to visualize the motorcycle you see in front of you.
It all starts with a Kraftech Softail frame. Steve removed the gussets in and around the neck area while still retaining their strength. He also moved the seat section back and narrowed it. This is one of the reasons that this bike requires a second and third look. A trained eye knows there is something very different, but it isn’t blatantly obvious until you drill down and really look for things like the oil bag, which is attached to the swingarm in place of the original splash pan. The same thing happens around the neck area. Once you really look closely, you can see lots of shaping in and around the removed neck gussets. Steven’s choice of finish only accentuates the area further. The paint was handled by the master Robert Pradke.
Steve hand-fashioned the oil tank in place of the splash pan to hold 2.7 quarts of oil. The fuel tank started as a $40 alien tank with a modified top, sides, and bottoms, but once again, upon further inspection, it is something you’d never find in a catalog. The headlamp is a Road King spot lamp that Steve hand cut
the headlight mounts fastened to Pro One trees. Both the license plate mount and rear brake bracket are also owner-made. Iacona CNC’d brackets for the front calipers and machined the lowers. A factory 19” Harley-Davidson front wheel from a Rocker was modified to fit narrow glide forks while the rear wheel is off a 2010 Sportster. Steve built a seat pan and shipped it to Paul Cox to have it covered and tooled.
The engine was built by a guy named Doug. Stock stroke rods sling the 10.1 pistons inside definned cylinders while the valves are opened and closed by an Andrews EV27 cam. This all happens inside a set of STD cases. Ported heads wear pan tops, and twin coils fire single plug heads ignited by a Dyna ignition. Steven is most proud of the custom exhaust. It fits the bike elegantly, and the heat shields were fashioned from aluminum.
Shifting is handled via a highly modified set of Death Metal Racing mid controls that Steve personally polished before sending them to be chromed. A BDL belt drive handles the power transfer. The bike sits handsomely perched on a Speed Dealer Customs side stand, and a set of Bare Knuckle Performance
Owner: Steve Iacona City/State: Brooklyn NY Builder: Iacona Custom Cycles Year: 2021 Model: Softail Custom Value: Priceless Time: 1 Year
Engine Year: 2021 Model: Evo Builder: Garrison Doug Ignition: Dyna Displacement: 83” Pistons:Wiseco 10:1 Heads: Ported & Polished H-D Carb: S&S Cam: Andrews EV27 Air Cleaner: E-Bay Exhaust: Iacona Primary: Modified BDL
Transmission Year: 2021 Make: STD Cases Andrews Gears Shifting: 5 Speed
Frame Year: 2021 Model: Kraft Tech Softail Rake: Stock Stretch: Stock
Forks Builder: Iacona Type: 39MM Narrow Glide Triple Trees: Pro One Extension: None
Wheels Front Wheel: H-D Rocker Size: 19” Tire: Metzeler Cruisetec Front Brake: Brembo Radial Mount Rear Wheel: Harley-Davidson Size: 16” Tire: Metzeler Cruisetec Rear Brake: Brembo Radial Mount
Paint Painter: Robert Pradke Color: Pradke Red Type: Metal Flake Graphics: Pradke Flames Chroming: Mara Plating
Accessories Bars: Super Bar Risers: Bare Knuckle Choppers Hand Controls: Brembo Foot Controls: Boosted Brad Gas Tank(S): Iacona Oil Tank: Iacona Front Fender: Iacona Fork Brace Rear Fender: Iacona Seat: Paul Cox Headlight: Iacona Tail Light: Iacona Speedo: None stainless steel Strongarm handlebar risers round out the controls.
Steve loves to push himself as much as possible. It took a total of twelve fifteen-hour days to get the final assembly done before Sturgis. Steve logged 26 miles on it, riding it to Sturgis shows. He won Best Chopper at the Buffalo Chip’s EVO Entanglement and Best of Show at the Cycle Source Custom Bike Show. This motorcycle has all of the panache and style of a fine Swiss wristwatch. There is something special about bikes built in Brooklyn. They are, as one could say timeless…
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