But a simple wheel exchange is not enough, because if the wheel dimensions are altered, the whole bike geometry, including the trail, are out of alignment, and the trail is especially important for the later riding performance. In order to correct that, the fork tubes were shortened and Rick’s 7-degree triple tree was used, with which the handlebar angle and the trail can be corrected. So even by having a larger rotating mass at the front end, a riding performance can be achieved that comes closer to the stock performance.

Now to the fenders, probably the most typical style element on a Chicano Bobber. Rick’s employs experienced chassis builders, who can make any chassis part out of sheet metal. So instead of adapting the old Touring fenders, it was obvious that those should be created on their own work benches. They should be massive, long and curved, typical for a Chicano Bobber, and so that the bike sits extremely low when stationary, an airride system was installed with which the bike can be pumped up to the desired height with the push of a button.

The long, stretched look is of course achieved by the fenders, but another element of the Chicano style are the exhaust systems, which are mostly so long that they reach far beyond the rear wheel and usually have Fishtail end caps. But, as mentioned before, we only wanted to pick up elements and not fully copy this style, and at some point we had the idea to angle the end caps upwards and instead of Fishtail style, they should be Trumpet style. This not only looks cool, but also pays off after you encounter the first hurdle, because by going over obstacles with these overlong systems, they easily scrape the asphalt when the front wheel gets lifted. Thereby Rick’s has not only given the bike an unusual look, but also an extremely practical shape.