Motorcycle Preview

To build custom motorcycles you must first be a little mad. I say this with absolute reverence. Those who toil away in garages, late at night, often foregoing sleep and proper nutrition-as well as other human pleasures-are indeed a special breed of deeply impassioned individuals.

In this world of abject mediocrity you have to admire these wonderful freaks of nature, driven by metallurgical lust due the motor oil that runs through their veins and the V-twin engine that resides in their chests.

With a name like Brickyard Killer you'd imagine the retro bike pictured here to be the brainchild of a U.S. born builder within earshot of the famous Indianapolis raceway. Well, you'd be wrong.

The homage to American funny cars and 60s-era Indy racers came to life in Sweden. Coaxed into existence by Paul Funk and Peder Johansson, the Brickyard Killer was one of those ephemeral puffs of whimsy that is formed during late night talks, fueled by drink and cigarettes. However, this bit of whimsy managed to survive.

Funk and Johansson, custom bike builders holding up the custom bike building flag across the pond, discovered they shared a love for American Funny Cars of the 60s and 70s, as well as Indy 500 racers, and set out to capture the underbelly American aesthetics in a motorcycle.

The resulting Brickyard Killer is a hardtail machine, emboldened with an FHP/S&S/Supercycles 1800cc knucklehead with Revtech 5 speed tranny. A single shock springer front end is constructed of tubular steel to maintain the design cues of the entire chassis. Custom ribbed backing plate on the rear brake was created to render the look of 60s Indy cars.

Spoke front wheel, raw metal look, and the famous vintage Mobil flying horse sticker mimics drag bikes of the 60s. The gas tank and rear fender were hammered from sheet metal by hand and lend a strangely beautiful, albeit makeshift feel that's in keeping with the inspired engineering of early dragsters.

The Swedes have promised a show at Bonneville with the bike. That'll be a headline; Foreigners build Brickyard Killer to take on Bonneville. We can't wait.

Motorcycle Specifications & Tech Info

Builder: Hogtech & Paul Funk paulfunkdesign@hotmail.com
Location: Eskilstuna
Country: Sweden
Bike Name: Brickyardkiller
Year / Model: 2010
Engine Make / Size: Reengineered FHP 1800 cc Knuckle
Transmission Type: 5 speed
Frame Make / Type: Hogtech/ Paul Funk Design
Front End: Hogtech/Hyperpro/ Paul Funk Design
Rake: 40 deg.
Stretch: Plus 4 out/minus 2 down
Swingarm: Hardtail
Wheels - Front: 17" 40 spoke/ Hogtech hub
Wheels - Rear: Made from 2 x 15" Halibrand
Tires - Front: Dunlop 17
Tires - Rear: Micky Thompson Drag Slick
Brakes - Front: None
Brakes - Rear: 2 Hydraulic drumbrakes Kustom tech/ PF Design/Chop 76
Painter: None/ Spray can
Chroming / Plating: Sand blasting/nickle plating

Additional Info:

Bike design inspired by 1960's Indy 500/dragracing, Engine totally re-engineered (blue printed: every engine part measured, re-aligned, straightened & machined to fit with the lowest possible tolerances of free play ) by Joop van Amelsvoord and PF at Supercycles.

Paul Funk customized Eaton m45 compressor with Edelbrock Two Throat Carb, Engine assembled with 90% fluid gasket material, Special remachined S&S HVHP oil pump with 1.5 to 1 gear ratio. S&S flywheels, S&S/ PTP Supreme con rods (machined for centrifugal piston lubrication system), restrictor free S&S crankshaft with Jims crank pin and custom con rod/crank pin bearings, Ross racing pistons with twin cam wrist pins, Power Seal Nikasil cylinders.

Heads welded in PTP/ Supercycles style bathtub combustion chamber & Singh groove, Kibblewhite custom valves (smaller in, bigger and higher positioned out), ported & flowed, Supercycles cam, Kibblewhite extra strong cylinder studs, Crane time savers, Fuel pump in lower custom Gas tank by Hogtech. Custom Hyperpro front shock, custom brakeplates by Chop '76, BDL Belt, PF customized Robban primary cover, Barnett Kevlar clutch, Saddle by PF and just too many hand made brackets and parts by Peder.

Dummy Gastank and risers made by Aad Heemskerk, Additional CAD engineering by DBBP. Big thanks to Johan Lexhagen for starting and believing in this project and Kaid Cousineau at Eaton and Charlie Karling for their help and advice. Decals by PF.