Gold Class Shovel

A cool cat from Ballarat …

- Doc

Deep in the Victorian Goldfields region there is an outfit that builds totally cool, old-school customs; a genuine nugget that stands out amongst the dross of wannabees and me-too imitators. They are Bar-None Moto and at the 2019 Shovelfest this creation took out a well-deserved Best Custom as well as winning Top Chop award at the Boogaloo.

As cool as 10 trucks of frozen cucumbers, this flashback homage to ’70s styling represents perfectly the saying Less is More, with its mix of clean looks and unique stylish touches.

I’m speaking of touches such as milled fork lowers, milled footpegs, the logo on the points cover and the engraving on the air cleaner cover. Oh, and then there’s that little bronze cat that adds a stylish detail touch.

Given the low numbers of Shovelheads that came down the Motor Company line in 1974, a mere 16,000 in total, what are the odds that this issue of HEAVY DUTY would be featuring two customs with ’74 mills? Two ’74s, from entirely opposite sides of the globe. Go figure.

But wait, there’s more! If you haven’t noticed it yet we’re also running a blown Shovel in this issue. Amazing.

Readers who are Shovelhead aficionados will be well aware that the Motor Factory never produced a rigid Shovel so what’s the go? Well, the go is Doug and Kelly Haifley from Phoenix, Arizona who offer a big range of custom old-school parts, including hardtail conversions. And when these conversions are done right they look factory slick and Bar-None Moto have sure demonstrated that they know how to do them right.