A WHITE LINE NIGHTMARE 
By Ray Hryb
So, I’m in my bathroom or what I refer to my ”library” enjoying the privacy while flipping through the 2008 World Championship of Custom Bike Building magazine, (this is total "moto-porn!") I opened it up thinking 'Sports Illustrated' and put it down, shaking a little, thinking 'Hustler'. 2008 was a good year, (well at least for custom bikes anyway.) I don’t know whether it’s the tough economy or people waxing nostalgic for simpler times, but builders seem to be heading further and further into the “less is more” attitude, getting back to the fundamentals of the original Bob-job. For those not in the know, bobbers and chop-jobs first appeared after WWII when soldiers returning from war stripped everything they could off of the heavy military issue bikes to make them lighter and faster. Anything that didn’t make it run, went, giving birth to what we now know as custom bike building…and subsequently, the modern bike culture.
 Amidst the eye candy of showstopping customs, a machine catches my attention and causes me to second guess what I thought I saw. OK, the gleaming stainless tank and rear fender make it immediately noticeable. It looks every bit a streamlined bobber, but something is screaming at me like a stripper at last call. What am I missing? What could it be dummy? Oh yeah, maybe it’s the Ohlins front and rear high performance suspension and the Brembo superbike spec radial brakes. Oh shit, this thing means business. So, it’s not a typical stripped down bobber. The builder obviously had a bigger idea here, one I’m guessing was more geared toward actual performance and rideability than just stand-still good looks.
 A little further investigation and I find that this bike along with its builder, Lock Baker of Eastern Fabrications, has clinched the World Championship title for Best Modified Harley-Davidson. This eye-opening discovery leads me to a couple more conclusions that will eventually compel me to track this cat down and attempt to get inside his head for a day (more on that later). First, as you can tell from the pics, it may be considered a modified Harley-Davidson, but it comes across like a ground up custom build. Nothing about this machine remotely resembles a production bike-talk about extreme make-overs! Second, this guy is as serious as a heart attack when it comes to creating a usable motorcycle. I mean, c’mon, who goes to the length to not only chop and bob the hell out of a Harley and then set it up to handle like a sportbike? It’s like making a John Deere handle like a Porsche. So, I got him on the phone and pleaded my case for an audience. Lucky for me his shop was close by in Branford, Connecticut. That’s right, CT folks looking for a fantastic custom are in luck, this guy is right in our back yard, actually he’s kinda down by the beach. In any case you don’t have to venture all the way out west or down south to find a guy who can conjure up a miraculous build.
Upon getting to his shop, I am made immediately aware of how serious Lock is about what he does. There’s a sign on the front door that says, “Warning, this studio is not public. We live here. It is our home. Do not knock without an appointment.” Some people claim to eat, sleep, and shit motorcycles, this man may actually live up to that statement. In any case, I know he’s never late to work because of traffic.  On to the bike known as the “White Line Nightmare”. Trust me, pictures do not do this thing justice. In person this machine makes more of an impact that swallowing a bottle of Viagra. It has the gleam of a medieval knight in shining armor and the stature of his warhorse. Aside from all of the handcrafted artistry that went into it, the Nightmare still manages to look functional. Some builders go way over the top with their creations to the extent that it just doesn’t make sense to put them on the road. Or, more to the point, you would just feel foolish being seen on one at a stoplight, like a rolling circus. Not so with the Nightmare, or any of Lock’s other original creations. They demand to be ridden. After all what good is owning a motorcycle if you can’t use it. It becomes a really large paper weight or doorstop, or something just as useless. So, I asked him the obvious question, why?
Whereas the answer was simple, the process was anything but. The 'Nightmare' started life as a Harley-Davidson FXR, arguably the best handling piece of Milwaukee iron put on the road for its time. So the answer was to take something built to perform, and really make it perform. Okay, so it probably won’t outcorner a GSXR or other crotch rocket, but it is capable enough on backroads to make most weekend warriors on sportbikes second guess their own machines and riding abilites, and probably shit their pants. If the spec sheet for this bike was a football line-up it would read like the Dallas Cowboys roster back in the 90’s: Specifications: -Eastern Fabrications CT. Performance Center 84” Evo motor (H-D cases, heads, cylinders), manifold and heads ported and textured -Ultima lightened flywheels balanced at 55% -Carrilo H Beam rods -Hypereutectic pistons -Andrews cam -Motorfactory ignition -Spyke 80,000 volt coil -Lectron 44mm carb -HD/Jims/Andrews 5 speed transmission -Fork: Ohlins legs and sliders with E-Fab stainless trees -Brakes: Brembo billet -Wheels: RAD hubs, Buchanans spokes, Sun rims, Metzeler Tourance tires -Exhaust: E-Fab stainless -Primary Drive/Clutch: Bandit 100 lbs lighter and double the power later this thing says, ”whack the throttle, I dare ya”. Couple all that performance to the E-Fab custom aluminum gas tanks and tail section, stainless foot controls, bars and risers, titanium grips and throttle, alloy headlight, titanium taillight (all parts Lock makes himself in his shop), and the Heyltje Rose (that would be Lock’s girlfriend) seat and it’s easy to see why this machine won the prize. From a distance the silhouette still says Harley-Davidson, but up close it screams 'White Line Nightmare'. And best of all, unlike most custom shop builds, the Nightmare comes pre-registered, So no DMV inspections to lose sleep over. The bike is up for grabs if you’re interested and is currently on display at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT until October 25th. If you’re close by or planning to be stop in and check it out, it’s worth the hike. Meantime, you can also find more of Lock Baker's amazing work at www.easternfabrications.com
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