However Rama, the owner/builder of this beauty, had always built Japanese motored Streetfighters before and was well into that scene. But when the boss came over one day and GAVE Rama that gorgeous 21-inch RevTech Stilletto front wheel which CCi had just started stocking, Rama could hardly build a streetfighter around it could he?

So that's where the story of this bike starts, with a front wheel. Rama tucked it under his arm and went away to think about it for a bit.

He had admired the Swedish style of Harley chop for years, despite his leanings towards handling n'stuff, and began to conceive an idea of a fully sprung Swede with a berserk motor and serious brakes. A Swedish Style Streetfighter I suppose.

Best locate a berserk motor then.

And, as luck would have it (yep, you've guessed) Custom Chrome do one, and it's sodding exciting in more than one respect. Dubbed quite simply 'The RevTech Engine' and based loosely on the original Harley-Davidson Evolution 1340 Big Twin, they come in two sizes 88 and 100 cubic inches ... that's 1540cc and, fer fuxache, 1640cc to you and me!

The motor has been designed to be better than its illustrious stock predecessor in many respects; years of living with, and gradually improving Harley's Evo bigtwin with a huge range of after-market parts, RevTech were able to virtually re-design the basic concept when they came to build their own motor. The most obvious change of course is the cubic capacity, those extra cubes alone allowing the motor much more low down grunt, but allied with many other technical improvements, both externally and internally, the Rev Tech does look a winner. On the performance improvements side, the stock RevTech (against the stock 1340) boasts a Mikuni HSR42 carb allowing more performance and a better spread of power than a poor strangled Keihin 40 set up to keep the sodding Californians happy, and mates to the heads via a redesigned manifold which should allow better mixture flow. At the other end of the combustion cycle Rama chose to fit an Arlen Ness 2 into 1 exhaust system which breathes a hell of a lot better than stock too, and again D-shaped exhaust ports from the head have been designed to allow greater velocity than the 1340's round ports. The RevTech engine features as standard, a 495' High lift cam, featuring less Californian-friendly timing, allowing for a good spread - and plenty - of torque and a Thunder Heart high-performance ignition, while the heads come tapped ready for 2 plugs per head. On the reliability front, the motor features more and longer cooling fins to aid the engine cooling process... as does a RevTech oil pump which keeps plenty of the vital fluid on the move, while weak areas like the familiar weeping head and base gaskets for instance have been replaced by O-rings. High stress areas on the original have been tackled simply by adding more meat - the meat in the case of the RevTech being 356T6 cast aluminium which is claimed to be stronger and is used throughout the casings. Also stronger are the re-designed horizontally locked liners for the cylinders, the flywheels which are forged from 4340 steel and the main bearing inserts.

Built in Taiwan, the RevTech Engine comes complete ('just add oil' is Custom Chrome Europe's proud boast) with a 2 year/22,000mile warranty. And - here's the good bit - because the motor is built in Taiwan, they're cheap, and I do mean cheap ... About the only modification that Rama made to his motor so far is the addition of a Crane Single Fire ignition because he wanted to make full use of the facility to have 2 plugs per head and therefore make sure as much mixture as possible gets burnt in the combustion chambers.

Now with the motor and the wheel and an idea sketched in his head, Rama ordered a 1.38 inch tubular steel Rick Doss Fat frame which featured the strength he figured he'd need and set to. Well, I say 'ordered', but the sneaking suspicion is Rama walked downstairs to CCi's warehouse and went 'Ooh, Ich hätte das da, bitte!' ('Ooh, I'll have that one please!'). Anyway, the frame 'arrived' ready to receive the engine straight away, transmission plate n'everything, no hacking, splicing, wiggling and worrying, no tacking up plates here and there, sounds spot on and it really does look the business. Knowing that he was going to bolt a seriously OTT set of forks to it, the frame also features an in-built stop lock plate in the headstock, stopping the forks from dropping right over to the left or right. You really, really don't want to know how many inches those fine forks are over stock, but suffice to say that they're raked out to 51-degrees! Even the Rick Doss Fat frame couldn't handle that much rake at the headstock by itself - it takes care of 38-degrees of that outrageous figure while the trick fully adjustable CCi Ritz yoke adds the other 13 degrees. Bolted sweetly to the top yoke are a set of Carlini 1.5-inch 'bars, set off with Arlen Ness Radius switchgear. Also Arlen Ness while we're up here is the Ness Grooved headlight and mirrors but I forgot to ask Rama about the indicators - sorry. I did remember however to ask Rama about the electronic speedo, but he couldn't remember who supplied it (I did the interview at the Bulldog fer crissake, how much can you remember by Saturday afternoon?) - I'll push the boat out and guess it's one of them pedal cycle efforts - and probably bought in the same Halfords-a-like as the rear light.

Stopping all that potential for very quick forward motion is a serious job. Rama sensibly chose Billet 6 pot calipers all round, acting on Pro One discs - and they work. The rear wheel is another RevTech item, a RevPro 7x15 and that's sprung by a pair of Progressive Suspension shocks. Arching above that is a CCi mudguard which features an invisible internal strut (or pair of struts, not absolutely sure) and is fully self supporting. Not quite happy with it, Rama cut it about a bit 'til it was right, while it's rear light is a Hella item originally intended for a car and was probably sourced in the German equivalent of Halfords.

Moving forward, the seat was made by a mate at Alles Leder in Hamburg, and as you'd expect, is all covered in leather but, quite unusually nowadays, is stuffed with feathers. No bolts hold the seat to the frame, it cleverly clips in and out of position for easy access to the electrics. Rama opted to use more friends to help for those electrics, shoved into Pro-One boxes, they were wired up by Rama, Thomas, Buddy and Karsen at Motorheads in Hamburg.

The shapely petrol tank is again CCi, called a Druiser, it comes already stretched by 5inches - and looks a treat. It, and the rest of the painted parts, was sprayed up by Rama and a mate called Marcus Klinger, while any plating that would've normally caused a headache to get shipped off and done was already part and parcel of the 'off the shelf' parts he bought. Not everything went perfectly, as you'd be right to suspect; there were loads of little niggles too numerous and/or trifling to mention that is all, unfortunately, part of the custom bike building process. However Rama did tell me about the exhaust pipe episode:

A Ness Flare 2-into-1 was sitting snugly in place when I met Rama: it worked well and looked great doing it. However, Rama had originally wanted a meaty set of Porker Pipes. Admittedly, they would've looked the absolute business, but when he got hold of a set, the buggers wouldn't fit. Great. But, not one to give up without a fight, Rama set to with the gas axe and began to modify the pipes so they would bloody fit. That was when he received a tremendous electric shock off the welder, which blew him across his workshop and dislocated his shoulder. Not surprisingly, Rama figured this was nature's way of telling him to junk the Porker Pipes idea, so he did. Now, these look very much like something wholly different, but hey! That's what you get with evolving customs. It could be running something else by now.

Lastly, the name of the bike 'Bikers Lust' relates to the name of a club Rama has fond memories of. He is justifiably proud of his first ever chop, wouldn't anybody be? Bikers Lust is, you have to agree, totally drop dead gorgeous. But, Rama admits that it doesn't go round corners - er, hardly at all - roundabouts especially are a hoot.

So what next then? Back to Streetfighters? No chance! Rama is hooked and already planning his next RevTech 100 chop... but that one is going to be dead short and stubby and he's casting his eyes about for a 230 frame. Watch this space, if this bike here is Rama's first chop, gawd knows how utterly cool the next one will be.

Specifications

Owner:	Rama
Make & Year:	2000 RevTech
Engine:	RevTech 1640cc (100ci) with dual plaug heads, Crane Hi4 Single Fire ignition, Mikuni HSR42 carburettor, RevTech 6-speed transmission and 3-inch "Brute IV" open belt drive
Exhaust:	Porker
Frame:	2000 Custom Chrome / Rick Doss "Super Wide" with Progressive suspension.
Forks:	Ritz / Custom Chrome 14-inch over stock
Front Wheel:	21-inch RevTech Stiletto. Avon 90/90 x 21 tyre
Front Brake:	Harrison Billet 6-pot caliper on Pro One floating disk; braided hose
Rear Wheel:	RevTech RevPro 15x7. Avon AM21 230 x 15 tyre.
Rear Brake:	Harrison Billet 4-pot calliper on stock disc rotor
Seat:	Eigenbau
Petrol Tank:	CCE "Druiser" with flush aircraft filler
Oil Tank:	Rick Doss
Paint:	Maarkus Klinger / Midnight Blue Metallic
Handlebars:	Carlini 1.5-inch bars, Ness grips, Rizoma Mirrors
Switchgear:	Ness "Radius".
Wiring:	Pro One / Motorheads
Lights:	Ness headlamp, Eigenbau tail-light, Kellerman Indicators,
Stuff:	Milwaukee Iron read mudguard, Rick Doss / Custom Chrome billet footrests.
Other details:	Build and Thomas Sonnet / Rama over 5 weeks. Model: Jacqueline