Jason Parker's Rebuilt Vintage Harleys Are Loud So He Doesn't Have To Be

Jason Parker understands motorcycles. He's been collecting, building and re- building vintage Harley Davidson's for more than 15 years. Last weekend, I met up with Jason at the Soul Seekers Motorcycle Art & Photo Show, down a back alley, in a skateboard shop right in the heart of Toronto's west end.

After the show, I had a chance to speak to Jason about his bikes and his passion. "There's something for everyone in vintage bikes. People who understand vintage airplanes, vintage anything, understand it. These machines have travelled through time carrying so much history and innovation - it's intoxicating when you think about it."

Jason is part of a burgeoning custom builder scene in and around Canada's metropolis otherwise known as Toronto. ‟I used to do it because I needed to eat. Now it's different. These vintage Harleys will test you and you'll hate them and you'll love them and they'll make you so angry but then they replace it with the most joy you'll ever experience.”

He adds... ‟I'm completely addicted. There's not been a time in my life, from being a kid to being a bigger kid that I've not understood them. I like motorcycles more than people because I can make them do what I want. They don't break my heart in a way I can't fix.”

The 1975 Survivor by Doug Ahlers

The Super-charged Survivor wasn't built by Jason but is a special bike in his collection. Doug Ahlers is a guy we don't know much about. In 1975 Ahlers was inspired to build this machine after he saw a few custom bikes in California; one was built by Arlen Ness. Ahlers built his own chopper, then crashed it and rebuilt it in into what you see here. Jason Parker acquired the Survivor when Ahlers' son sold the bike.

The machine reminds me of a post-modern sculpture out of a Philip K. Dick novel. It's powered by a super charged, fuel injected Honda engine. A number of old race components were added to the custom build including the frame and moulding. All the chrome and gold plating was completed by Browns Plating in Paducah, Kentucky.

1200cc Shovelhead

A Jason Parker creation, this Shovelhead combines a 1954 Harley Davidson frame with a 1942 font-end and 1200cc shovelhead engine. Jason started the build last winter and then took a break; he completed the bike only a few days before the show.

Engine reliability is fundamental to Jason. ‟You don't want to be stranded. It's vintage so it's a little harder on your ass but the engine is optimized with updated charging and electrical systems. We do tricks with the electronics so they run and perform like new bikes.”

The sissy bar, dash and foot controls, handlebars and exhaust were fabricated in Jason's shop. Everything else is a mix of vintage chopper or Harley parts. By the way, it's sold.

Metro Police Bike #4 (MTP4) Low-Rider

This 1967 Harley Davidson FLH Shovelhead was an early police work horse.

Jason has always been into lowered cars and trucks so this dramatically lowered bike was a natural build. It's an East LA style, low rider, cop bike. The motorcycle has been modified with a 21-inch wheel, high handlebars, long fishtail exhaust, but the rest will stay in its raw form - save some paint - to evoke its history and style.

As to how it rides, Jason explains ‟It rides a little better than a skateboard and it's fun as hell. It throws sparks when you turn.”

HD 1939 Post-War Knucklehead Bobber

The '39 Knucklehead is the machine the guys would ride when they come back from the war, and this particular one is 90% original motor. All the parts are from the era and most were found with original patina and coatings. The build is packed with period accessories including the fender which was bobbed (or shortened).

‟I've got it where it should be. It sounds like a Knucklehead, very mechanical with squeaks, moans and groans but when you ride the bike, you forget you're riding a 75-year-old bike - it's a dream. Harley should have never stopped making them. The soul and the history it has are amazing. When you think about it, this bike was the most important thing to so many people - there is so much good energy.”

Talking to Jason, I realize every part and accessory has a story. Some parts have been in Jason's shop for 15 years. The handlebars, for example, were elusive for many years and it took two friends passing away before it was his turn to get them.

‟It's been hard for me to paint everything and chrome everything because I don't think any of that stuff will improve on it - it would be a shame to cover up.”

The 1939 Knucklehead was the first overhead valve design for Harley. And although it's not the most efficient bike, it's coveted for being ahead of its time. To put it into context, Jason explains "you can run this '39 motorcycle but you can't run a 1939 car engine today."

‟It's a very rare and expensive machine. It's hard to put a value on what it would take to replace it.”

The 1956 Panhead Loaner

This 1956 Panhead has been ridden a lot in the last few years. The bike was kicking around the shop, then assembled for friends to ride when visiting from out of town.

Jason built the engine, the transmission and made the exhaust and sissy bar. The carbureted 1200cc motor was built in the shop to be high performance.

‟It became the shop mule and is such a fun, fast cool bike, I'm in love with it now.”

I asked Jason what's a Chopper's like to ride? "Riding a chopper is more about straight lines than the cornering. It's about brute force acceleration." He explains "These old bikes weren't designed for going around corners and to compare a vintage Harley Davidson to a modern sport bike is seer ignorance. It's about going from standing still to full-tilt in a sheer display of power... It's about how much you can hang on."

The HD Panhead w/Custom Frame

The Panhead Harley came from Hollywood about 35 years ago. Back then, it was a totally different bike. It came to Canada with a Knucklehead motor in a custom frame. ‟I got it from a guy who had it parked for 15 years.”

Jason took the engine out of it and stripped it down, then put it away for a while. In early September, Jason started assembling the bike for a guy in his shop who was between bikes. ‟Now he's fully in-love with it and I'll have to beat him with a stick to get him off it.”

A company called D&D Manufacturing made the frames and front-end between 1968

• 71. D&D was later sold to a company called Paugho and as a result, the bike shows the change in ownership progression.

‟I used a vintage Paugho gas tank, it has a stamp with the same phone number as the D&D frame and it's being assembled by me, in Toronto, over 50 years later!”

You can find out more about Jason Parker's cars and motorcycles at http://www.jasonparkerracecars.com/home/

More photos from the Soul Seekers 2013 Art & Photo Show coming soon to EatSleepRIDE.

Enjoy the ride!