Featured In The June 2015 Issue Of Cycle Source
Article By: Roadside Marty Photos By: Jason Goodrich
I remember growing up and sneaking a few of my Dad’s motorcycle magazines off to my room so that I could check them out. I wanted to learn more and be like my Dad did, man it seemed like he knew just about everything about bikes. Well I remember seeing a few choppers that weren’t Harleys but they looked just as cool and in some instances they looked even better than some of the HD’s I had seen. When I asked my Dad about them he said that they were usually British bikes or Japanese 4 cylinders. He also said that back then people were building choppers out of anything with two wheels, but most really preferred either a Triumph or a BSA due to their availability and the rugged dependability they offered despite the legendary reputation of the Lucas electrical system, which according to legend was somewhat less than dependable. So when Chris asked me to write this story about this sweet little BSA chopper I was ready to hear the story right from the source. Eric Ross is the man who built this fine piece of machinery and like most of us he grew up being fascinated with machines and their moving parts as well as anything fast and loud which turned into another pastime that many of us can relate to, riding dirt bikes! It wasn’t until he took a few jobs as a motorcycle tech that he really got into the fabrication side of building motorcycles, most of what he had done in the past was automotive based because he was classically trained in Automotive Technology from UTI so at that time his main line of work was restoring classic cars and building custom street rods. Like a lot of car guys he soon realized that with building bikes the scope of the work was far less than building or restoring an entire car, not to mention you need far less space to manage a bike build which is certainly an advantage when your living in Brooklyn NY where space is not only expensive but minimal as well! This is Eric’s third full build with the other two being Triumphs that he says were built with the same attention to detail as this BSA was. He was trying for that timeless style which you don’t see with newer machines. This build started when he picked up this BSA as a runner from just south of the Finger Lakes in Elmira, NY for 1500 bucks. Later he was on his way back to NYC with all kinds of different ideas about what he wanted to do with it but in the end he just did a few minor repairs and improvements to make the bike roadworthy. It only took one riding season to realize that the bike needed a complete rebuild and transformation to turn it into the 70’s style chopper that the original owner had in mind.
After the bike was torn down Eric spent a lot of time shaping the neck and the axle plates while adding a few miscellaneous brackets before sending it off to Precision Auto Works NY so that they could lay a high gloss black paint job that would match the oil tank, rear fender and air filter face and backing plate. Eric handled all of the mechanical repair as well as completely rewiring the bike. He also fabricated a new ignition, coil mounts and fabricating those sweet exhaust brackets and exhaust system totally changed the look of the bike. Since he had never really been satisfied with the way the gas tank had sat on the backbone he made some new brackets to give that timeless Frisco mounted look. He also added an oil tank plug to make oil changes a little easier. That beautiful King and Queen seat just wouldn’t look right without that sweet stainless sissy bar that Eric handmade, which not only looks good but it’s not gonna break, like a lot of the sissy bars that were made in the 70’s did. He made short work of the battery box along with the dual headlight mounts and he was finally getting it where he had wanted it to be. Speaking of the battery box, Rachael Inman of DOOMED NYC handcrafted the one of a kind battery box cover that helps keep all of the BSA’s wiring tidy and intact. The motor seemed to run pretty solid as it was so Eric just freshened it up with new seals, gaskets and bushings. The outer covers as well as the Amal carbs were treated to a detailed polish job! To make the paint a bit more unique Eric commissioned Shawn Long of Imperial House to paint the gas tank, Eric says he couldn’t be happier with the way the tank came out because Shawn took their original design idea of gold on black and gave it a great twist. The majority of the parts on the bike were nickel plated to match the custom springer that was designed and fabricated by Iliya Hamovic of Steelborn Choppers. I have to say the springer is the one part of this bike that totally blew me away, from the original front leg design to the dual disc mounts for the PM calipers this springer is a true work of art in my opinion! Zombie Performance custom built those perfectly balanced stainless steel rabbit ear handlebars that complete the front end. Eric told me that he went to great lengths to try to keep the bike as classy and clean as possible without making the bike look fragmented or out of proportion as some choppers can be. His intention was to build something that was simple and elegant but strong enough to tackle the NYC streets without falling apart while looking good doing it. Well, as a diehard HD guy all I can say is you did one fine job Eric, I’m looking forward to seeing what you build next! Eric gave special thanks to all those that had a hand in helping him with this bike and a very special thanks to Lukas Lan for all of the support!
BSA CHOPPER TECH SHEET
Owner: Jay McBride
City: Brooklyn, NY
Fabrication By: Eric Ross Design
Year: 1969
Model: BSA Lightening 650
Time: 1Year
Value: $11,000
ENGINE
Year: 1969
Model: A65 654cc
Builder: BSA
Ignition: Sparks
Displacement: 39.9 cu in
Pistons: Stock
Heads: Stock
Cam(s): Stock
Carb: Amal
Air Cleaner: Stock
Exhaust: Eric Ross Design
Primary: Stock
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1969
Make: BSA
Shifting: Reverse
FRAME
Year: 2014
Make: Hardtail By Eric Ross Design
Rake: Stock
FORKS
Type: Springer
Builder: Steelborn Choppers
Triple Trees: Steelborn Choppers
WHEELS
Front Wheel: Harley
Size: 21”
Front Tire: Avon Speedmaster
Rear Wheel: Stock
Size: 18”
Rear Brake: Stock BSA
REar tire: Firestone Deluxe Champion
PAINT
Painter: Imperial House Painting
Color: Black / Gold
Graphics: Imperial House Painting
Plating/Polishing: Epner Plating
Frame Paint: Precision Auto Works
ACCESSORIES
Bars: Zombie Performance – Rabbits
Risers: 2” Risers
Hand Controls: Kustomtecg
Gas Tank(s): Cycle Standard Axed 2.2 Gallon
Front fender: None
Rear fender: Cycle Standard 6” Wide
Seat: Corbin-Gentry Widowmaker
Foot Controls: Stock BSA
Oil Tank: Fintage Hexagon
Headlight: Cycle Standard 4 1/2” Early Model
Taillight: 1920’s Harley-Davidson
Speedo: None
Sissy Bar: Eric Ross Design
Battery Box Cover: Doomed NYC
Photographer: Jason Goodrich
