American As F**k – Nitro/Turbo-Charged NASCAR Show Piece

In America, Cruiser, Custom by Tim HuberLeave a Comment

For a time, NASCAR was experiencing rapid growth, attracting legions of new fans and deep-pocketed corporate sponsors. Though it was a far cry from the sport’s humble roots, the well-funded association was once poised to become more popular than football (according to early 2000’s projections), and as races drew larger crowds and received better TV ratings, more and more corporate companies – whose products had little or nothing to due with the cars or racing – started getting in on the action, sponsoring events or sometimes even full-on race teams.

One such company was ephedra-based weight-loss supplement purveyor TrimSpa (prior to ephedra getting banned). In addition to backing a car/team, TrimSpa also commissioned Roger Bourget of Bourget’s Bike Works to create an over-the-top show piece motorcycle to be used as an advertising tool and press piece at races and events. TrimSpa asked Bourget to make them a bike based on the company’s stock car racer, so he and his crew got to work. Starting with one of the shop’s 2003 Auti-Mo frames – which houses the bike’s oil – with 45-degrees of rake and no stretch in the downtubes, Roger married the chassis to an inverted fork with Bourget’s Bike Works’ Narrow Glide triple trees.

Next came the powertrain, a whopping low-compression, 100 ci, “Evo-style” V-Twin from S&S that Bourget’s crew bored out to 124ci and then rebuilt to accommodate a Lineweber turbo charger, and nitrous. The S&S power plant was also given an Aerocharger air-cleaner, a Crane Hi-4 ignition, dual-nitrous canisters, a CV carb and a bespoke exhaust system developed and fabricated in house at the Phoenix, Arizona shop. The turbo and nitro-charged V-Twin was paired with a Primo 3-1/3” belt drive and clutch, and a JIMS six-speed tranny.

From there the shop got down to the cosmetic details of the build, opting to work with carbon fiber instead of sheet metal to save on weight. A front fender was crafted, along with the custom’s monocoque tank, tail, and seat/seat-pan unit. A belly-pan was also fabricated for the project, shaped to direct air at the engine while adding an additional aesthetic touch. Like most of Bourget’s projects, the TrimSpa bike was taken to Deano’s Custom Painting in Green Bay, Wisconsin where the bodywork was adorned in a red, black and white livery – a la the TrimSpa car.

Once the bike was back from Green Bay, Roger and his crew started selecting the final odds and ends such as the bespoke cruiser’s drag-style bars with built-in risers, an Autometer speedo which was mounted on the lower left-hand side of the front-end, and an oil-pressure gauge was fitted to the drag-bars. A myriad of parts from BBW’s in-house catalogue also went onto the bike, such as its foot-pegs and controls, mirrors, and taillight, while the headlight was sourced from Headwinds. A bespoke seat was also created for the one-off endeavor.

The last leg of the project was the build’s rather unusual wheels; three-arm rims – 18” fore and aft – with each arm sporting little TrimSpa NASCARs. Said wheels were also fitted with BBW six-piston calipers biting 11.5” rotors and wrapped in Avon rubber. Since the build’s completion, it has been registered for road-use, and 1,400 miles have been put on the odo. The seller claims that TrimSpa originally shelled-out $140K for this one-off two-wheeler, though I couldn’t verify this. The seller also says they have documentation and the previous bill of sale, and that the bike is in solid running condition.

You can find this ridiculous turbo/nitro-charged S&S-powered custom from Bourget’s Bike Works (VIN: 1B9BAY8A23A393202) for sale here on Craigslist in New Fairfield, Connecticut with a price of $29,999.