187 by El Pitts, Vegas City Choppers by Steve Kelly Photography

Cool comes when you dance to a different tune

Former casino security guard, El Pitts of Vegas City Choppers is possibly the most laid back person I have ever met. From the shade of his booth at Sturgis he casually cast his sleepy eyes over me as I introduced myself, and when he answered my questions about VCC’s bikes he responded in a slow drawn-out drawl. I asked if it would be possible to shoot the bike known simply as 187 first thing the following morning, El responded, ‘sure, I’ll see you at noon’. I guess he dances to a different tune to most folk.

As well as dancing to a different tune, El Pitts builds his bikes in a truly unique style, this monster of a man boldly lets his bikes do the talking for him; have you ever seen anything quite like this beast before? 187 was built to compete in season three’s, (episode six), Discovery Channel Biker Build-off program, El was pitted against Harold Ponterelli from Vacaville, California. Although relatively new to the custom bike world, El and his crew have been building quite a reputation for themselves, turning Vegas City Choppers into a major tourist attraction in the process! The crew includes El, his technician Kenny, and Dino, who creates incredible seats and accessories from hand-tooled leather and exotic skins. VCC’s marketing guy, BS, was fuelling up his car one day when he saw El and Kenny cruise by. He chased after them but could not catch them, later in the year he ran into the guys at a custom show and talked himself into a job. It’s a funny old world we live in!

After El Pitts got the call from Hugh King (Biker Build-off’s producer) asking whether he would be interested in doing the competition build, he responded by constructing this stunner of a custom board track racer that shows what can be achieved in the City of Sin. Right from the start, El knew that he wanted to build a super fast bike; he wanted it to look fast, and run even faster. To achieve that goal he powered the bike with a 147 cubic inch lump, which kicks out something in excess of 170 bhp at the rear wheel. That is about as big and powerful as they come. Engenuity Motors International of Colorado built the tarmac-scorching engine for Vegas City Choppers. This billet engine benefits from a Patented gear driven dual cam design that employs half the moving parts of a stock Twin Cam; integrated lifter blocks for accurate valve train geometry, Nikasil cylinders with increased ring seal and reduced operating temperatures, an all billet top end construction for massive strength and good looks, proprietary casting techniques offering unmatched structural rigidity for the crankcases, proprietary crankcase oil evacuation requiring no breather gear, the list goes on… Basically, this 4.5 inch bore / 4.625 inch stroke, 10.3/1 compression ratio motor is the bomb!

During the Biker Build-off program, El came across as a soft-spoken; self made man, a man who is deeply grateful for the success he has garnered. He worked on the project at every stage, and best of all, it shows that he is doing something that he loves. Of course, there were problems during the build; it is great to see that these problems were left in for us, the viewer, to see, and to gain knowledge as each problem is overcome. The Vegas City Choppers 187 project started with a 40-degree rake, 4-inch stretched gooseneck and 4-inch stretch backbone frame from Xtreme Cycle Design to get the long and low look El was after. A stock length Perse front end was then bolted to the frame, along with a 23-inch one-piece billet wheel from Weld Wheels. Take a close look at this brakeless wheel, it has been machined to look like it has fat spokes, but in reality it is a fantastic engineering achievement, a one-piece wheel. The power train was next to be tackled; the engine was mated with a Baker six-speed gearbox and a meaty Billet 4-U primary drive. Once aligned in the frame there were some clearance issues, but it was nothing a little fabrication work couldn’t fix! El had to notch the left side lower frame rail about an eighth of an inch to clear the backing plate so that the driveline lined up. Once this was achieved the notched rail was welded shut for added strength. Later in the build El had problems with routing the wiring through the frame as Xtreme employ slugs, but all things considered, the build went well.

Time was used wisely, which is just as well, as having only ten days to build a ground up custom goes by in a heartbeat. As the VCC team waited for the rear wheel to arrive they cracked on with the sheet metal work. El wanted to create a set of two piece petrol tanks that ran the entire length of the backbone, which were to be no higher or wider than the front end. Simple hey? Well, no! Each piece was painstakingly cut out and hand shaped, before its mirror image was tackled. Mounts were welded to the frame once the twin tanks were complete. If you look at the top of the tanks, it appears that a couple of leather straps are all that hold the tanks in place. This method was once again engaged later in the build when it was time to secure the battery in its box. To keep the seat height low, the oil tank has been mounted to the front frame rails and hard-lined to the motor. This has allowed El to drop the seat some three inches or so. Once the custom rear wheel arrived from Weld Wheels in Kansas City, El and his crew lined it up in the frame with the Fat Katz rear fender to complete the dry build.

Ryan at Kaotic Kustoms tackled the paintwork; the frame and sheet metal were shot with a gold base coat followed by a candy maroon. Black and gold graphics highlight the tanks and rear fender along with lavender pin striping. When the paint had cured enough to touch, the guys were left with less than three days to put the bike back together, plumbed and wired. There was a flurry of activity at Vegas City Choppers as everything from the Exile sprocket brake kit to the VCC Shot Gun exhaust system was bolted into place. A beautiful hand-tooled leather saddle by Dino with the shop logo and 187 was added as the final touch.

With the bike complete, El rolled it outside into the Vegas night for a test ride. I thought that 187 was an unusual name for a motorcycle, that is until I learnt that it is the numeric police code for murder! 187 is used for the purpose because section 187 of the California Penal Code defines murder. The number 187 is now in common use by many gangs throughout the United States as a synonym for murder; it has also been widely used by rappers such as Snoop Dog and 50 Cent. El’s 187 is anything but a silent assassin, its bark is both sharp and clear. If the noise does not do enough to grab your attention then the candy red/maroon paint job will. It’s been beautifully executed, and benefits from some cool accents.

All Biker Build-off bikes have to be ridden to a show where they are judged. In this case, El and Harold had to ride from Pittsburgh to Hartford Connecticut. El’s 187 slammed into a large pot hole just south of Pittsburgh and a smaller man would have bitten the tarmac, El, though visibly shaken by the experience, managed to keep the bike rubber side down. As they continued their ride, there appeared to be a vast amount of potholes on the northeast, which kept both riders on their toes. A little later into the ride a bolt backed out of El’s sprocket, damaging the Exile calliper. Worse was to come, the motor mount fractured, El was now seriously in trouble! The BBO rules are clear, if the bike cannot be fixed on the side of the road with a regular tool kit, it is up to the other competitor to decide whether they take an automatic win. Harold was a true gentleman, and allowed El to get some help from a body shop, although, I must mention, El did all the fix-up work himself! The rest of the ride passed without further incident, both men pulled in side by side, brothers in the saddle, to Hartford Civic Centre for the fans to vote. Predictably, Harold won, although I personally think that El Pitt’s bike was by far the best and should have murdered the competition.

Words & Images: Steve Kelly