Category: Knucklehead

The chopper scene has been responsible for some of the greatest atrocities committed against motorcycling: a smorgasbord of tasteless paint jobs, lethal handling and crippling ergonomics.

But there was a golden age in the late 60s and early 70s when there was still a tenuous relationship between form and function. And a beguiling, carefree style that suggested long road trips driving down dark desert highways in Southern California.

That’s the kind of classic chopper we can get into, and this Harley Knucklehead from Powerplant in LA absolutely nails it.

Builder Yaniv Evan has been running the Melrose Avenue shop for over 15 years now, and has picked up trophies from shows such as Moon Eyes and Born Free.

Yaniv generally avoids the worst excesses of the scene, taking inspiration from his background in aviation and his love of hot rods, racing and vintage motorcycles.

He’s become the go-to guy for many well-heeled enthusiasts in the City of Angels, and one of his clients is Norman Reedus—known for the TV series Ride with Norman Reedus as well as The Walking Dead.

“We’ve built Norman several bikes,” says Yaniv. “This time he had trouble deciding whether he wanted a older Knucklehead, or a chopped up version.”

Reedus ended up gravitating towards a classic ’47 Knucklehead look, so Yaniv has emulated that style while adding classic elements—like the hand painted Sportster tank.

Although the Knuck has a classic vibe, it’s actually been built up from scratch. The frame is a Paughco special order rigid Big Twin setup that Yaniv modified and added his own backbone to.

The engine is a 93ci S&S Knucklehead replica—which matches vintage looks to modern performance. It’s hooked up to a five-peed Indian transmission case with a combo kickstarter/electric start.

“The big compression motor is extremely strong—and difficult to kickstart at the beginning, during the break-in process!” Yaniv notes.

The front end is a replica 1947 Springer unit, with Powerplant’s own polished aluminum P16 risers on top.

“Norman also really liked ape hanger-style bars,” Yaniv reveals. “He tried several options with handlebars, and he always came back to the ape hangers. Plus a 60s-style tall sissy bar.”

The tank is from a Sportster, chopped up and with a slim accent line added across the top. Powerplant have also installed a classic Bates seat, dirt bike ‘bear trap’ pegs on the mid controls, and a handmade aluminum oil tank.

Norman was shooting The Walking Dead during the three-month build, but kept in touch with Powerplant throughout. “There was a lot of FaceTime, and photos sent back and forth,” says Yaniv. “We had a deadline—which was before his baby was born.”

Yaniv completed the Knucklehead just in time, and Norman flew out to LA to test ride his new baby. Then a few hours ago, his second child was born.

That makes two fine new additions to the Reedus family. Let’s hope Norman gets enough time off from his fatherhood duties to ride this beautiful machine.

Powerplant | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Shane Lives Long

Whether or not vintage Harley-Davidsons are your scene, it’s impossible to ignore the bikes that roll out of the Ehinger Kraftrad workshop. You don’t even need to know your Shovelheads from your Panheads to appreciate the level of kraft that’s poured into each bike.

This one’s a Knucklehead, and it’s been put together with the kind of taste and restraint we wish we saw more often.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, Ehringer Kraftrad is run by Uwe Ehinger and Katrin Oeding. Every second year, they take a break from commissioned work to build a ‘portfolio’ bike. This is that bike—and, unsurprisingly, it’s already been sold.

Uwe explains the inspiration behind the project: “We wanted to build a bike with a two-inch-over VL fork, which is why we used a 1957 straight-leg Panhead frame and a 19-inch rear tire. This allowed us to scale the bike a bit to accommodate taller riders.”

“In terms of design, we always aim to build bikes that are pure and simple. For us, less really is more. We try to reduce to the max.”

Remarkably, this bike started out as a 3D render (below) of the planned build. From there, Ehringer Kraftrad began piecing it together, bit-by-bit.

Up front is a VL springer front end from W&W Cycles. New wheels have been laced up using Morad aluminum rims: 21 inches up front, and 18 inches at the rear. The drum brakes are original Harley-Davidson items.

The engine itself is a 1940 Knucklehead, wedged into the rigid Panhead frame. There’s extensive work under the hood, but a few highlights include a Dell’Orto carb (to replace the original Linkert M51), a Morris Magneto ignition, and an NHPower clutch with a 1-inch belt setup.

Ehringer Kraftrad have also fabricated a smorgasbord of items in-house. The handlebars, tank, seat and rear fender are their handiwork, plus the delightfully simple stainless steel exhaust.

The final color scheme is minimalism at its best: a simple olive lifted from the RAL color chart and applied to the frame and bodywork. It’s offset by touches of black, raw metal and copper—a treatment that sounds garish on paper, but works beautifully in practice.

As Ehinger move on to their next project (a Knucklehead chopper with a 12-inch-over springer fork), there’s only one thing left to do:

Grab a cold one, kick back and pore over all the lovely details we didn’t list.

Ehringer Kraftrad | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Frank Sander of Thunder Media Service