Stocker To Chopper
STOCKER TO CHOPPER
Making the most of an Intruder 1400
NESTLED IN THE HILLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, OVERlooking the Pacific Ocean and the small beach town of San Clemente, is an expansive Spanish-style house. Resting under a quilt on one side of the two-car garage is a 1987 Suzuki Intruder 1400. Only this is not your average Intruder; it cost $35,000 (!) to complete.
Commissioned by owner Arnold Garlick, the intrepid Intruder was created by Summit Industries (1220 West Railroad St., Corona, CA 91720; 909/371-1744), maker of Jardine aftermarket components. “I’ve always admired choppers, and I enjoy being in the garage, drilling holes and shaving metal,” explains Garlick. “Ever since I saw Easy Rider, I wanted to build that style of bike.”
Of course, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda weren't
cruising the countryside on Suzukis. But when asked why he chose to modify this particular bike, Garlick quips, “If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.” Actually, Garlick’s impetus behind the Suzuki was the bike’s performance, handling and technology. And, perhaps most importantly, appearance. “I always liked the way the Intruder looked. It’s a good base from which to work,” he says. “It’s clean, it has a lot of low-end torque and a good bulletproof engine. There’s a
lot of potential for adapting the chopper look."
The 43-year-old corporate head-hunter purchased the bike in 1989, but he didn't make drastic modifications until last year. In the interim, he toyed with the bike on a piecemeal basis. "I gave it a custom paint job, lowered the rear end and extended the foot controls, though not as far out as the ones from Jardine,” he says. “Every time I turned around, I needed to do one more thing to the bike.”
Eventually, Garlick approached Jardine with several design ideas, including stretching the frame. Then, he pulled out all the stops. “I figured, what the hell,” he says. “Pull the engine out, polish the cases and paint the heads. While I was doing that, I might as well do some porting and install a new exhaust.”
Garlick admits that most of the modifications were made for the sake of appearance; the triple-clamps, toolbox and license-plate frame are just a few of the components machined from billet aluminum. And then, there’s the intricate flame paint job.
This Intruder is more than just a looker, though. The 1363cc, liquid-cooled V-Twin makes a stomping 80 footpounds of torque at 3000 rpm. Garlick credits this performance to the modified cylinder heads and Jardine’s free-flowing drag pipes.
Like most owners, Garlick believes his custom Intruder is a reflection of his personality: “It’s a nonconformist conformist. It’s not a Harley, yet it’s a really nice custom job. I didn’t want to do another beautiful Harley. I don’t have anything against beautiful Harleys; I think they’re great. But I don’t go along with the crowd on many things.”
Judging by the Intruder, apparently not -Wendy F. Black
