1966 Crazy Frank Shovelhead
In the world of custom choppers it's easy to get wrapped up in the ever popular doom and gloom motif when choosing what statement your bike is going to make. Well what if doom and gloom isn't your cup of tea? What if you are more of the good times party vibes kinda chopper enthusiast? Well we have just the bike for you then and quite frankly we've had just about enough gloom for one lifetime this past year so right now the world could use a little P.M.A. and a solid vacation. Which is why we wanted to get a little insight on the "party shirt vibes" Iowa native and custom builder Jace Schroeder is laying down with his 1966 Crazy Frank shovelhead swing arm chopper "Vacation forever." Along with the paint masterworks of Michael Geltz aka "Flying Weasel" and one shot wonder artist Bob Anderson, Jace is setting the dial to a cool yet comfortable 72ﾟ permanently with this ever chill Shovelhead "Vacation Forever."
Let's start with your name and where you hail from?
Jace Schroeder from Cedar Falls, Iowa
So what did the bike start out as?
Well it's a '66 shovelhead and I got it from a dude in California, it was already chopped up a little then, like the frame was chopped. Then I scored a crazy Frank Fender on kind of a random deal and it just sort of took off from there. It's stretched up an inch and out like a 1/2 an inch and I did all the molding on it, then the paint work was done by Michael Geltz and Bob Anderson.
So I was actually talking to Michael earlier today about the paint and he said that you did all the framework molding and basically had it all ready for them. Then, even beyond all that they ended up still doing over 100+ hours of elaborate paint work on it! 100 hours! That is just wild.
Yeah so it was like base, and then clear, then spider web and then clear, and then they blocked out the murals, then clear, then Bob striped the murals, (which are all one shot paints hand brushed seriously probably like 10,000 brush strokes) then 10 more coats of clear on top of all that. haha
Wow! haha holy crap, that's a lot of clear.
Yeah they had it for close to 8 months I think, but yeah dude it worked out so good.
Thats so rad! So aside from the killer paint job what is one of your favorite parts of the bike?
Um, well I guess it's kind of like everybody's favorite thing, the "vacation forever" air cleaner that I had engraved by Don Lang. It was a tall boy artwork, this guy on Instagram @tallboy666 I believe is his handle. I actually found him on a random search and I already had the Hawaiian shirt theme going on and Don knew him and sent him our idea to use his image on an air cleaner and he ended up being stoked about it. Everyone just loves that thing, it just makes the bike ....completes it .
You know it pulls you right into it for sure like, its the 1st thing I saw as I was walking up to the bike and said "daaaaamn, that thing is perfect" then you pull back and realize the theme all fits together perfectly.
It does, it really does doesn't it.
So how did the bike evolve into this today? Specifically with the whole Hawaiian shirt theme, you definitely don't see that too often in the realm of custom choppers.
So I had the bike for a while and the previous version of it was like with a primer grey crazy Frank and a totally random seat that was just close enough to fit it and then a wassell tank flat blacked out all rattle can stuff. I knew I was gonna eventually take it completely apart and do a paint job on it but I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted it to be really different, you know? Well my folks do the whole snowbird thing down in Florida and I was like "Hey if you see any good Hawaiians down there I'm looking for a good party shirt, so snag one for me!" Then they ended up bringing a great one home for my birthday and I got it and really looked hard at it and I was like "Hey that would be a good paint job!" Then I sent the idea off to Michael and he was like "ohh fuck yeah!" and it just kind of took off from there. It's like I'm not trying to be the "toughest tough guy" and I like to make people smile, so it's just something that worked out for the best like that.
Exactly man, I love it. You know it's kind of a "peacocking effect" almost and it really stands out from everything in a bike line up and then it ends up being like the best chopper in the show cuz after you realize just how cool it is it's like how can you not love it?
Haha. Right man!
So with it being like a party shirt theme is there a nickname for the bike that ever just kind of stuck?
So I originally started calling it "high tide" and that just didn't stick so everybody just ended up calling it "vacation forever"
You know oddly enough though when I spoke with Michael about the paint job and the bike in general he was calling it the "Flyin' Hawaiian" which is absolutely the most fitting I think so I had to ask cause that one's pretty good. Haha
Yeah everyone just sees it and they are like oh man its the vacation bike, so I guess "vacation forever" just kind of stuck the most.
So how long have you had the bike altogether now?
Well I finished building it just before the Texas "giddy up" chopper show about 3 years ago.
So has it now become basically like your daily rider then?
Yeah definitely, it's my daily bike, I mean it runs good, starts 1st or 2nd kick and it's like I'm not in a big hurry to build another bike because that one's just so cherry. It's like it runs good, it rides straight, it's all I need right now.
So is there anybody you wanna give a shot out to for maybe engine work, fab work or anything else like that?
Actually it was mostly solo work, just me. Except for Michael and Bob on the paint, my biggest shout out really is to them for killing it so good on that paint job. All the body work on it was done by me and the motor work was actually pretty solid on it when I got it. I just ended up putting new heads on it. Surprisingly it actually wasn't too clapped out when I got it thankfully.
It always rules when you get lucky with any shovel and don't have to tear into it right away.
Yeah and that's like my favorite Harley motors far as style goes. I'm just super happy with it.
I totally feel the same I have a '72 FLH shovel and it's a cone instead of a slab motor but it's always been one of my favorites. Maybe not the most reliable thing out there but there's just something about that damn bike that I love like no other. I will say a good solid evo blockhead motor is good to have in your stable these days too if you're going the cone route.
That's actually what my next bike I'm building now is. I had an FXR that I just didn't really care for, not my thing, so I saw a chopper, pulled that motor out of it and put it in a frame and I'm doing that style now. So it's an 80" Evo in an old jammer frame that I had to modify the seat post to get to fit. It has a 5 into 4 Baker transmission on it and and 8 over K model sportster front end with a 21" drum wheel. I think it's going to be pretty cool but I'm just gonna take my time on it.
So as far as the front end on this bike what are some of the specs on that? It looks pretty solid.
It's got a 10 over wide glide, actually an early wide glide with 1" narrowed AEE triple trees and the bars are actually Arie Vee of Vee manufacturing bars, I really dig those.
What about the seat?
The seat was done by a guy in Idaho who goes by "interior revolution" the sunrise pattern the Palm tree, that is all custom.
Yeah that's so tight, I was definitely wondering about that because there's a lot of original crazy Frank patterns still out there and that's definitely not one that I've ever seen.
Yeah, the sunrise pattern and then the Palm tree, it was all original from the upholstery guy. I actually had an original crazy Frank seat on it to start with and it was just too roached out and too far gone to try and save. The panels had rusted out also and so I just sent it out to get recovered. Well he ended up being like "man this thing is fucked up" and he ended up having to build a new pan for it. Then he did that whole custom design and matched the theme.
That seat is actually one of my favorite parts of the bike cause it just ties everything together so well.
So how did you come across the crazy Frank Fender to begin with? I mean it's kind of getting tougher and tougher to find good condition saveable originals because they've been abused pretty heavy over the years.
Actually I got it on chopperswapper. I think Dave Polgreen had it and I hit him up. It was like a 1000 bucks like right before they started to really jump past that.
Well now Frank is back in the game and making them again and I believe they start out for around a grand for a brand new one of his. Like an actual 2020 crazy Frank fender. I think that's pretty damn cool! Well, going back to some other cool details of the bike is there engraving on the gas cap also from the same artist as the air cleaner?
Yup that's Don Lang also, I think the original art was a sketchy tank design though gotta keep that chill theme going. haha
One of the other details I love is this crystal choke lever, who made that?
That enrichener knob is like a turquoise rock I believe and that was made by bone orchard cycles.
Well what's your next step with this bike then?
Just ride it! That's it
You know it's funny because I often ask people that question in interviews and usually "just fuckin ride it" is the most honest answer. haha
Ha ha, right well, it's like it took me 2 years to build it so you know, I was without a chopper for 2 years ! Now I'm basically making up for it haha.
Well we appreciate you taking the time to let us get some good vibes off of this thing today.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff
Let's start with your name and where you hail from?
Jace Schroeder from Cedar Falls, Iowa
So what did the bike start out as?
Well it's a '66 shovelhead and I got it from a dude in California, it was already chopped up a little then, like the frame was chopped. Then I scored a crazy Frank Fender on kind of a random deal and it just sort of took off from there. It's stretched up an inch and out like a 1/2 an inch and I did all the molding on it, then the paint work was done by Michael Geltz and Bob Anderson.
So I was actually talking to Michael earlier today about the paint and he said that you did all the framework molding and basically had it all ready for them. Then, even beyond all that they ended up still doing over 100+ hours of elaborate paint work on it! 100 hours! That is just wild.
Yeah so it was like base, and then clear, then spider web and then clear, and then they blocked out the murals, then clear, then Bob striped the murals, (which are all one shot paints hand brushed seriously probably like 10,000 brush strokes) then 10 more coats of clear on top of all that. haha
Wow! haha holy crap, that's a lot of clear.
Yeah they had it for close to 8 months I think, but yeah dude it worked out so good.
Thats so rad! So aside from the killer paint job what is one of your favorite parts of the bike?
Um, well I guess it's kind of like everybody's favorite thing, the "vacation forever" air cleaner that I had engraved by Don Lang. It was a tall boy artwork, this guy on Instagram @tallboy666 I believe is his handle. I actually found him on a random search and I already had the Hawaiian shirt theme going on and Don knew him and sent him our idea to use his image on an air cleaner and he ended up being stoked about it. Everyone just loves that thing, it just makes the bike ....completes it .
You know it pulls you right into it for sure like, its the 1st thing I saw as I was walking up to the bike and said "daaaaamn, that thing is perfect" then you pull back and realize the theme all fits together perfectly.
It does, it really does doesn't it.
So how did the bike evolve into this today? Specifically with the whole Hawaiian shirt theme, you definitely don't see that too often in the realm of custom choppers.
So I had the bike for a while and the previous version of it was like with a primer grey crazy Frank and a totally random seat that was just close enough to fit it and then a wassell tank flat blacked out all rattle can stuff. I knew I was gonna eventually take it completely apart and do a paint job on it but I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted it to be really different, you know? Well my folks do the whole snowbird thing down in Florida and I was like "Hey if you see any good Hawaiians down there I'm looking for a good party shirt, so snag one for me!" Then they ended up bringing a great one home for my birthday and I got it and really looked hard at it and I was like "Hey that would be a good paint job!" Then I sent the idea off to Michael and he was like "ohh fuck yeah!" and it just kind of took off from there. It's like I'm not trying to be the "toughest tough guy" and I like to make people smile, so it's just something that worked out for the best like that.
Exactly man, I love it. You know it's kind of a "peacocking effect" almost and it really stands out from everything in a bike line up and then it ends up being like the best chopper in the show cuz after you realize just how cool it is it's like how can you not love it?
Haha. Right man!
So with it being like a party shirt theme is there a nickname for the bike that ever just kind of stuck?
So I originally started calling it "high tide" and that just didn't stick so everybody just ended up calling it "vacation forever"
You know oddly enough though when I spoke with Michael about the paint job and the bike in general he was calling it the "Flyin' Hawaiian" which is absolutely the most fitting I think so I had to ask cause that one's pretty good. Haha
Yeah everyone just sees it and they are like oh man its the vacation bike, so I guess "vacation forever" just kind of stuck the most.
So how long have you had the bike altogether now?
Well I finished building it just before the Texas "giddy up" chopper show about 3 years ago.
So has it now become basically like your daily rider then?
Yeah definitely, it's my daily bike, I mean it runs good, starts 1st or 2nd kick and it's like I'm not in a big hurry to build another bike because that one's just so cherry. It's like it runs good, it rides straight, it's all I need right now.
So is there anybody you wanna give a shot out to for maybe engine work, fab work or anything else like that?
Actually it was mostly solo work, just me. Except for Michael and Bob on the paint, my biggest shout out really is to them for killing it so good on that paint job. All the body work on it was done by me and the motor work was actually pretty solid on it when I got it. I just ended up putting new heads on it. Surprisingly it actually wasn't too clapped out when I got it thankfully.
It always rules when you get lucky with any shovel and don't have to tear into it right away.
Yeah and that's like my favorite Harley motors far as style goes. I'm just super happy with it.
I totally feel the same I have a '72 FLH shovel and it's a cone instead of a slab motor but it's always been one of my favorites. Maybe not the most reliable thing out there but there's just something about that damn bike that I love like no other. I will say a good solid evo blockhead motor is good to have in your stable these days too if you're going the cone route.
That's actually what my next bike I'm building now is. I had an FXR that I just didn't really care for, not my thing, so I saw a chopper, pulled that motor out of it and put it in a frame and I'm doing that style now. So it's an 80" Evo in an old jammer frame that I had to modify the seat post to get to fit. It has a 5 into 4 Baker transmission on it and and 8 over K model sportster front end with a 21" drum wheel. I think it's going to be pretty cool but I'm just gonna take my time on it.
So as far as the front end on this bike what are some of the specs on that? It looks pretty solid.
It's got a 10 over wide glide, actually an early wide glide with 1" narrowed AEE triple trees and the bars are actually Arie Vee of Vee manufacturing bars, I really dig those.
What about the seat?
The seat was done by a guy in Idaho who goes by "interior revolution" the sunrise pattern the Palm tree, that is all custom.
Yeah that's so tight, I was definitely wondering about that because there's a lot of original crazy Frank patterns still out there and that's definitely not one that I've ever seen.
Yeah, the sunrise pattern and then the Palm tree, it was all original from the upholstery guy. I actually had an original crazy Frank seat on it to start with and it was just too roached out and too far gone to try and save. The panels had rusted out also and so I just sent it out to get recovered. Well he ended up being like "man this thing is fucked up" and he ended up having to build a new pan for it. Then he did that whole custom design and matched the theme.
That seat is actually one of my favorite parts of the bike cause it just ties everything together so well.
So how did you come across the crazy Frank Fender to begin with? I mean it's kind of getting tougher and tougher to find good condition saveable originals because they've been abused pretty heavy over the years.
Actually I got it on chopperswapper. I think Dave Polgreen had it and I hit him up. It was like a 1000 bucks like right before they started to really jump past that.
Well now Frank is back in the game and making them again and I believe they start out for around a grand for a brand new one of his. Like an actual 2020 crazy Frank fender. I think that's pretty damn cool! Well, going back to some other cool details of the bike is there engraving on the gas cap also from the same artist as the air cleaner?
Yup that's Don Lang also, I think the original art was a sketchy tank design though gotta keep that chill theme going. haha
One of the other details I love is this crystal choke lever, who made that?
That enrichener knob is like a turquoise rock I believe and that was made by bone orchard cycles.
Well what's your next step with this bike then?
Just ride it! That's it
You know it's funny because I often ask people that question in interviews and usually "just fuckin ride it" is the most honest answer. haha
Ha ha, right well, it's like it took me 2 years to build it so you know, I was without a chopper for 2 years ! Now I'm basically making up for it haha.
Well we appreciate you taking the time to let us get some good vibes off of this thing today.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff