1979 Saturday Night Fever Custom Chopper - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1979 Saturday Night Fever Custom Chopper - 3-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
Doctor’s Order to Cure the Fever
Is to Ride. And That’s Exactly
What Eric Clark Does!
Bike fever hits us all in various ways. Some
like to ride hard, morning 'til night, thrashing
machine and body mile after mile. We want to
squeeze every millisecond of enjoyment and
satisfaction from the sport that we can. Some
call it a disease. A riding disease.
Then others are hit by biking fever as Eric
Clark and his 1961 XLCH were. They have the
night-riding itch; a nocturnal disorder for two-
wheeling. Eric likes to scoot around the Bay
Area on his black and purple Sporty with friend
Trish on the buddy seat. The three have what is
known as Saturday Night Fever.
The condition developed when Eric bought
the bike from Arlen Ness. Ness, who needs no
introduction to CB readers, had originally built
the bike as a somewhat casual (for Ness!) shop
project. Then Eric bought the motorcycle and
decided to do further alterations to suit the bike
to his tastes.
Number one priority was to keep the bike as
streetable as possible. Saturday night junkies
demand that. So the bike was disassembled and
prepped to Eric's re-hab list.
The frame was left the way Arlen originally
modified it. The unit is based upon 1961 stock
frame tubes with a Ness hardhead attached.
Rake was extended %-inch overstock to bring
the stance of the bike level with the ground when
the six-incli overstock springer was added.
Keeping with Ness tradition, a 21-inch front rim
is used.
If that Sporty fuel tank looks a little different
than stock, it is because Ness took the torch to it
(when it was empty!) and cut it down 1 Vi inch.
Eric claims its capacity to be 1 '/? gallons, enough
to carry him and Trish from one night spot to the
next with less than two tank fillings!
Ness was allowed to continue doing his num-
ber on other major components of the bike,
adding one of his seats, rear fender, fender rails
and chromed struts.
The 16-inch rear wheel assembly was
chromed (as were all the other parts of the bike)
by Action Plating of Oakland. California. To
spice up the rear portion of the bike even more,
the swing arm was also given a dip in the
chromium bath. The rear tire is an Avon, popu-
lar with the Bay Area group.
After the frame was cleaned and ready for
paint, Eric had Horst coat it with black, then
dressed with purple flames. Subtle yet tasteful
pinstriping accents the bike and helps make that
chrome glisten even more under the flashing
neon lights of town.
Part of the bike's six-month downtime re-
sulted in wiring the electrics through the frame
tubes; a time-consuming exercise but. in the
end. results in a very' clean and sanitary rig.
Originally built by Arlen Ness, the stock XL
fuel tank was altered to complement the
lines of the bike. Capacity now is 114
gallons...
11929-7902-40
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