Rods & Rides Fat And Skinny Hardtail
T.D. Ward started Rods & Rides as a small company offering custom vehicles other than just motorcycles, and while it still makes other cool conveyances, the shop has cranked out more than a few head-turning two- and three-wheeled showpieces in its time, some of which have emerged victorious at Sturgis and Daytona bike shows. The bikes are built by hand, one at a time, and are sold all over the entire world from America to Africa to Australia.
If you want an example of its fine handiwork, take a look at this hardtail the shop built for Brett VanHoogstraat. The back half of the chassis bends around the seat area on its way to the back wheel, which isn’t something you see in a typical catalog frame. Up front, Rods & Rides ran a springer fork that’s 4 inches under stock length and straddles a 26-inch DNA wheel shod in Vee Rubber tread.
Which brings us to the rest of the rolling chassis equation. Over the eons that my ancient self has been writing bike features, I’ve seen the fat back tire chopper craze and the big wheel bagger fad come and go. Rarely do you see them in the same bike like this; out back, Ward packed 300mm of booty around a Shinko wheel to round out the roller.
You can’t get far on just a frame and wheels however. You need this little thing called an “engine” (or at least pedals, if you’re bicycle folk) if you want to go anywhere that isn’t downhill. T.D. Ward chose an Ultima V-twin from Midwest Motorcycle Supply to provide ponies for the project.
We don’t know if this machine made its way to parts unknown on another continent. Whether it did or not, it’s definitely getting looks somewhere, and that’s pretty much what Rods & Rides intended.