The Porker

THE PORKER

RIDING THE HEAVIEST HOG OF THEM ALL

Jon F. Thompson

FIRST IMPRESSIONS, THEY SAY, ARE THE ONES THAT last. But not this time. Your first look at the custom Harley-Davidson on these pages is likely to make you think your eye-balls have completely freaked out.

That's wrong. Your eyes have it. What showing you is an outrageous stack of motorcycle that’s as long as a semi and too low to slide a cigarette pack under. What they’re showing you is a bike that is painted to resemble a granite cliff slashed with neon colors by a crazed graffito artist. What they’re showing you is a bike sufficiently loaded with passion and creativity to make even the most jaded custom-bike enthusiast crazy with desire. Right.

What your eyes are showing you is The Porker, the latest custom bike from the White Bros. (14251 Commerce Dr., Garden Grove, CA 92643; 714/554-9442), Southern California ultra-enthusiasts and purveyors of aftermarket parts for Harley-Davidsons and all manner of dirtbikes. The Porker is the brainchild of Dan White, who owns the bike, and restoration/fabrication artist Denny Berg, who is in charge of the company’s Prototype and Production Department. Ask

White the obvious and he asks back, contemplatively, “Oh, so you wanna know the reason for the madness? I just wanted a big, burly, fat motorcycle that blended a lot of new, high-tech parts with the look of a 1960s street rod. And when I parked it in a line of 20 Harleys, I wanted to be able to see it from 100 yards.” Simple

design parameters, for sure, and ones that are completely fulfilled. But it wasn’t easy. And it certainly wasn’t cheap. The

starting point was a 1990 Harley-Davidson FXST Softail standard, a model chosen because of its popularity, because White Bros, makes aftermarket parts for it, and because, says White, “It’s actually my favorite Harley. I think it’s got the best look.” That

look includes, at least on the ’90 model, a baremetal engine instead of one painted with black wrinkle paint. “We looked hard to find that,” says White, “and then we chromed all the engine stuff.” But

that isn’t all they did. Under that chrome beats the heart of a hot rod. The engine retains its stock 1340cc displacement, but its twin bores are occupied by 10:1 Wiseco pistons. Its oversized and reshaped valves, which work in a ported head, are operated by a Crane 1001 cam, adjustable pushrods and roller rocker arms. The fires are lit by a Dual Fire ignition system, and fed by a 40mm Mikuni carburetor allied with a blower scoop/air cleaner. Exhausts are White Bros. Porker pipes, 2.25-inch chrome monsters that conceal baffles and packing within their hot-rod good looks. The result is an engine that develops what Berg modestly describes as, “Enough horsepower for the street.”

The Porker also has “enough” suspension and “enough” brakes for the street. The fork is a chromed White Power 4054 Roma Series upside-downer, adjustable for compression and rebound damping. This is a massive unit, with 54mm machine-tapered legs and sliders that measure 40mm. Rear suspension is by a pair of Progressive Suspension Softail replacement shocks installed in conjunction with a White Bros. Adjust A-Ride kit that allows a 2.5-inch range of ride height, with the lowest point being 2 inches lower than the stock ride height.

Bcalipers, are front Performance and rear. It’s Machine the front rotors brakes and that are of special interest. These are twin six-piston calipers working on a pair of 13-inch floating rotors. White says, ‘T just like their look. They’re the most radical things out there.”

The 5.5-by-17-inch rear wheel also is made by Performance Machine, specifically mated to a low-profile 150/60 Pirelli Demon tire because, says White, “We wanted it to look mainly like rim, with very little tire.” Up front, handling the power of those massive brakes, there’s a 3.5-by-18-inch spoked rim wearing a 130/60 Demon.

As loaded with premium pieces as the Porker may be, it’s also loaded with premium details. Chief among these is the dished tank, hand-done by Berg.

“We used to do this a lot of years ago,” he remembers. “I just marked it with a template, and sat out on the curb in the sun and tapped on it with a plastic mallet. People want to know where we bought the tank; they can’t believe we made it ourselves.”

brake nice lines, details Barnett include stainless-steel Russell braided-steel cables, Performance Machine pegs, pedals and hand controls, a handlebar and headlamp from Arlen Ness, a front fender from Erik Buell, and a leather Porker seat.

And then there’s that paint, done by Bob’s Krazy Brush in Torrance, California. Its base does indeed resemble the specked, mottled look of fresh-cut granite. But it also carries an undertone of blue pearlesence, and it’s topped with brilliant, angled slashes of neon pastels.

Says White, “I wanted something flashy, and I think we succeeded.”

It doesn’t take a ride of much duration to confirm the bike’s success. Hop aboard The Porker, complete with its tiny pigtail and cartoon pig painted on the tank, thumb its monster motor into a rolling, loping idle, and people instantly gawk. You get their attention initially because of the raucous boom of the engine’s exhaust note, but you keep it because of the bike’s outrageous look.

That look is complemented by the rider. His arms arch forward to the downturned bar, and his feet rest easily on the bike’s beautifully crafted pegs. The result is a posture that merges rider and bike into a single flowing line.

That feel of unity is the prevailing characteristic of The Porker once it gets rolling. The built engine delivers sturdy waves of torque at low revs, and strong horsepower in its upper revs. Its White Power fork soaks up surface irregularities and provides steering that’s as tight and crisp as possible, given the Harley’s inherently lazy steering geometry. The ride at the rear isn’t nearly so plush, however, and because of the bike’s lowness, it is extremely easy to ground metal parts while cornering unless the Adjust ARide is used to crank up the bike’s rear ride height. And even then, canyon carvers need not apply.

The touch front from brakes two are fingers simply on marvelous, the lever with providing a light strong stopping, a sure feel, easy modulation and a feeling of quality that lets the rider know he’s got his hands on premium equipment.

Quality does not come cheaply, however. White figures duplicating The Porker-bike, engine, paint and all-would cost about $25,000.

A lot of money, for sure. But what White’s investment and Berg’s craftsmanship have wrought is a Harley that creates not only a striking first impression, but an impression that lasts. This is a high-performance Hog that is absolutely unlike anything else, anywhere else. And when you play in the big leagues, custom-Harley division, a lasting impression has got to be worth a very porky price.