That' 70s Bike

Zane’s wild chopper raises the bars …

- David Cohen

We first got to know Zane Waldon from his work at Burleigh Bars. The high-quality handlebar maker is a long-time supporter of HEAVY DUTY and when we heard about the chopper their Sales Manager had built, naturally we wanted to find out more. A lot more. So, we set up a meeting on a sunny Gold Coast Saturday to get the story firsthand.

Walking into Zane’s workshop was like being a kid in a toy store – if that store had a ’70s biker film theme.

There are several very interesting projects at various stages of completion and an array of parts, motors and components spread out around the walls, but pride of place was taken by a stunning, custombuilt Harley-Davidson Shovelhead finished in candy purple. We sat down next to the classic beauty so I could ogle it as I asked the usual questions …

FRAMED QUESTION

“I bought the frame from a friend of mine’s housemate. I said I’m looking for a rigid frame, and she said, ‘I know a bloke who’s got one’, so I ended up picking up the frame and a mountain of parts, and it just kind-of took off from there. That was about two and a half years ago.

“The frame was custom made some time in the ’80s. Nobody can tell me exactly who built it, or where it came from, but it’s just got the perfect line,” he said with the conviction of a true expert. “It’s a bit longer than a factory rigid, it’s more up and out, but it’s got that straight-leg look that I wanted. That ’57 Panhead kind of stance.”