Big Twin - April/May 2000

"Cookie's Monster - Never Judge A Bike By Its Cover"

Looking at the lovely creation pictured here, you might say to yourself, "Now, here's a pretty but rather milquestoasty motorcycle. Nice for a parade and the like, but I wouldn't bet my manhood on it."

Well, Mr. Man, you would be as wrong as wrong gets. Beneath all this bike's superbly painted bodywork lurks a tornado without a tachometer, a firestorm with wings.

When Cookie Halle contacted Roy Chamberlin, proprietor of C&C Cycle in Crofton, Maryland, about building a custom, Halle stated in no uncertain terms, that he wanted a one-of-a-kind bike. It had to be bigger and stronger than your typical custom, and different - with the major emphasis on "different." He tasked Chamberlin to build a custom that would not only be unique, but also fast . . . really fast.

Chamberlin loves a challenge, so he set eagerly to his task, starting by getting help from the best in the business. For the heart of the machine, the motor, Chamberlin ordered up a Merch Performance engine, which he immediately sent to the world-renowed Zipper's clinic for some augmentation surgery. When the bandages came off, the blaring patient boasted a whopping 131 cubic inches and 160 horsepower of pure attitude.

Yee-haw! Halle was starting to get happy pretty fast.

Creating the desired aethetics of the bike was a more demanding job. Why? Because for experienced hands, finding horsepower is a quantitative endeavor that engineers have been perfecting for a hundred years. But creating a vision that is entirely new, a vision that previously existed only in someone's imagination . . . well, that's like making snowballs from clouds, and can take a little longer. So, to help him create the desired "look," Chamberlin enlisted the aid of famed fabricator Mike Schultz.

"I told Mike that this bike had to be built on a dresser chassis," says Chamberlin. "It needs a longer swingarm, and needs to be offset for a monster tire. It also needs to be a monoshock - and, oh, by the way, I want it to have a totally new body." Schultz, who is no stranger to daunting projects, accomplished all that in spades.

Unique? Take a close look at the right-side footrest and you'll observe that there's no brake pedal. Chamberlin engineered a system whereby both front and rear brakes are actuated by the brake lever on the handlebar. You also won't see any flexible oil lines, because they're hard-plumbed, as is the crankcase venting system.

Chamberlin is especially proud of the detail work. "Everything is totally hidden under the body," he says, "the V-Thunder ignition and Dyna coils, the monoshock, the nitrogen-charged cartridge for the monoshock, even the battery."

When finally finished, this custom was nicknamed "Cookie Monster," not too surprising, given the owner's name, the bike's huge engine and the enormous amount of effort that went into the project. "This bike involved an unbelievable amount of work," says Chamberlin with a self-satisfied grin on his face. "You wouldn't imagine how many hours it takes to do this kind of stuff."

No, probably not, Roy, but we sure like it. A lot.

written by:

Beau Allen Pacheco

photographs by:

James Parker

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