Issue #228 In Spite of Myself | Picotte, Custom, His, Says, Frantz

You are here: Home

Issue #228 In Spite of Myself

Written by John Campbell
Thursday, 12 April 2007
With this issue, I, admittedly, tread on thin ice in the feature “One Man’s Bobber,” where I suggest that the nearly 10-year-long era of the extreme custom may be showing signs of decline. My observation may seem especially daft in the face of a recent news release from Orange County Choppers that reports a $13.4 million business expansion that will see the New York state firm invest in a 92,000 sq/ft. plant employing nearly 200 workers. According to the news release, OCC father and son principals Paul Teutul Sr. and Jr. are ramping up operations in response to demand for their expensive custom motorcycles. Well, just as long as the Teutuls continue their reign as Discovery Channel darlings and “builders-to-the-stars,” they’re going to sell motorcycles. There’s no argument. But no trend, especially a very costly one, can continue forever. There has to be a cooling period and while the Teutuls will no doubt carry on their highly-successful franchise, it’s the smaller builder—especially the freelance hobbyist—who will first feel the crumbling edges as the wave subsides. Especially in Canada where the market is considerably smaller and the riding season remarkably shorter than it is in California, Florida, Texas and Arizona where the extreme custom flourishes. The bikes themselves lack versatility in any conventional sense of the word and the absence of that virtue has never been a strong point in the reckoning of the Canadian market. Perhaps it’s all wishful thinking on my part. Though I love custom motorcycles, my preference leans toward genuine performance attributes and I see “One Man’s Bobber” as a challenge to custom builders everywhere to dump the chrome, the mammoth rear tires and the far-fetched front ends and return to unique designs that boast both form AND function. They’re not mutually exclusive terms. SPEAKING OF CUSTOM BIKES ... IN DECEMBER’S ‘C-NOTE’ I made mention of Torontonian Mark Frantz and his blacked-out custom 2004 V-Rod featured in our April 2005 issue. I noted a strong resemblance between Mr. Frantz’s custom and Harley-Davidson’s 2006 production Night Rod and boasted aloud that Milwaukee must be keeping an eye on Canadian Biker. No doubt a conclusion that would bring a smile to the face of Willie G. Davidson, the head of Harley’s design team, but for Mark Frantz, it’s no laughing matter. After our December issue was released Mark contacted me to express his feelings over what he says has been a deliberate infringement of his design. “You can only imagine how hurt and depressed I’ve been seeing this V-Rod design getting awards all over the world, as they [Harley-Davidson] take the credit ...” Frantz, the general manager of an Ontario Harley dealership says he first presented the Night Rod concept he had been working on for a year to Davidson in 2005, during a dealer meeting in the United States. “I had professional photographs taken of the V-Rod, which were handed to Mr. Willie G. Davidson in CD format,” he says. “It received a great deal of positive interest, which made me very proud.” However, time went by with no further response from the factory, nor any formal expression of interest. So, when the Motor Company released the 2006 Night Rod Special Edition, Frantz says he was both stunned and flattered. “I was shocked, yet I was still quite honoured that Mr. Willie G. chose yet again to use my design idea for a production model,” he says. Yet again? Apparently yes. “In 2002-2003, I converted a Heritage Softail, with different bars, paint, etc.,” says Frantz. “I had the bike photographed, and when I attended a Harley dealer meeting in the USA, I gave [Davidson] a CD with the images. The following year, they brought out the Deluxe. They copied the bike right down to the paint style and colour. Same treatment: no call, no reply, no thank-you, nothing.” Frantz says he is “saddened by The Motor Company’s reluctance to acknowledge me formally for my design contributions.” SUZUKI CANADA AND BLACKFOOT RACING ANNOUNCED In November they have inked a deal with the formidable Pascal Picotte to campaign the 2007 Canadian National superbike series. The announcement was brief and without fanfare but the acquisition of Picotte from Yamaha Canada is intriguing and deserves at least some context here. With a race resume that includes stints riding for Fast by Ferracci, Muzzy Kawasaki, Yoshimura Suzuki the Harley-Davidson factory team and, since 2003, Yamaha Canada, Picotte has flirted with international acclaim for nearly 15 years. During the 1990s, it seemed Picotte’s star status was always just that close to ascending—twice he placed fourth in points in the AMA’s Superbike series; in 1992 he won the ProTwins championship on the Ferracci Ducati. But Picotte could never quite shake the injury bug: compressed vertebrae here, a broken collarbone there, and in 1991 a high-speed collision with a seagull at Mosport. Okay, that’s beside the point. After all, Picotte survived the impact quite nicely while the bird exploded in feathers. But injuries coupled with untimely mechanical failures have ultimately haunted and robbed the Granby-based Picotte of at least some of the limelight enjoyed by fellow Quebecer, the now-legendary Miguel Duhamel. Still, with back-to-back titles for Yamaha in 2003 and 2004 in both the 600cc Sport Bike and Superbike classes, and with a total of 16 Superbike feature victories, the 36-year-old is now the third-winningest rider in the history of the Canadian national roadrace series. These feats alone have won fame for him in his native province, but it’s also his status as a serious iceracer and general motosport demon that have made Picotte a god in the Eastern Townships. Moreover, his Picotte Performance shop in Granby has gained recognition up and down the eastern seaboard as an elite builder of race engines. So, in Picotte, Team Suzuki/Blackfoot Racing scores not just a serious threat on the track, but an entire racing industry that comes complete with truck, trailer and high-end tuning capabilities. Paired with Francis Martin, also a two-time Canadian champion, Suzuki must be seen (on paper at least) as an early favourite for knocking off current title holder Jordan Szoke and his Kawasaki team in the 2007 national series. And with Team Green’s off-season signing of teen sensation Brett McCormick to help defend the 600 Sport Bike and Superbike plates won last year by Szoke, the 2007 season promises to be a beauty. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.