Restoration: Pegasus BBC Athena Chopper - Project
While I liked my Athena, I was drawn to a Chopper due to its different stance. Wildcard Customs in Maroochydore QLD helped me to personalise the new bike as I wanted.
It started as a standard sharp styled BBC Athena Chopper, with its BBC S&S 100 smooth engine, Baker 6-speed transmission and PM brakes. I kept all the proprietary BBC parts on it like the triple trees, fork legs and forward controls.
I was keen for a custom paint job to make the bike mine and have it stand out from the crowd. As I'm in the paint industry, I mixed my own purple and yellow colours and went with the moulded welds and paint on my frame and swing arm instead of the usual powder coat.
Wilky's Pro Paints did the body work and paint, then Mallet Airbrushing brought to life the Athena Greek mythology theme of Pegasus the horse, plus some snakes and skulls.
With the design out of the way, it was time to work on the engine, which received larger jets to accommodate the extra airflow from the Wimmer Dual Ultra Suckers and BBC Fastback exhausts. There is that much air sucking in these things it sounds like it's going to take off…..I love it! The combination makes for more punch, a fun ride and a bad-ass exhaust note.
I wanted a certain riding position for my bars, so I sat on a bike with a similar stance and, said 'this is where I want my hands', and the custom team took the measurements. I picked the style of bar I was after, then it was up to Dave at Burleigh Bars to custom make what we wanted to achieve. They turned out exactly the way I wanted them, if not better!
The bike sits on a 21" Avon Venom rubber at the front and 18" 300mm Avon Cobra rubber at the rear, covering a 21" PM Torque front wheel and an 18" PM Torque rear wheel.
From there, I went a bit mad with the bling -- Arlen Ness Battistini grips, pegs and shift linkage and a set of wicked image mirrors -- which all just set it off! I also put a 3" BDL open belt on it with a BBC centre plate. I like the sound of an open belt which suits that sound the super suckers give off! I also added a Dakota Digital speedo so I could see the RPM as well.
A standard BBC seat was covered in purple crocodile skin to give the bike an Aussie flavour. It was really cool to make decisions on so many custom factors that added to the personalisation of my bike. The final result was a comfortable, powerful cruiser with that bit of extra go - and it certainly turns heads.
It turned out better than expected and many good times have been had cruising on my dream bike. In the last 12 months since it was complete, me and my Athena have travelled all over the South East, from Hervey Bay to the Gold Coast, going to shows, poker runs and any pub that we can ride to. It's all about the lifestyle and I definitely got that the day I picked up my bike!
By Cam Wallace
Source: JUST BIKES, July 2010, Collectors Issue #253
