“Midori” means “green” in Japanese.
This bike started as a running stocker which took me months to find. I rode it home the same day I found her. Knowing it’s a steady runner it sure gave me a peace of mind. I must have spent over 2 weeks just for mock up because I think there’s nothing more important than the flow of the line on a custom build like this one. I found Ardcore Chopper’s weld-on hardtail to be the perfect fit for what I’m looking for. So I send the chopped frame in for modification. The wait was a bit long but I’m very happy with the way the tail turn out.
I modified the stock sporty tank. It took me 3 tries to get to the right shape and size.
The first event I took this bike to was deLiverance show in Riverside, CA. Won the best Chopper there but I felt I was lucky because lack of participants due to bad weather on the day of the event. So I took “Midori XS” to David Mann Chopper Fest in Ventura, and got first place in Metric Chopper category.
This totally hit me by surprise, I’ve seen some fantastic chops with probably more money spend on just their frontend then my entire build but my “Midori XS” seems to hit the soft spots of judges’ hearts.
I wanted the handle bar to be as clean as possible, so I came up with the shape that internal throttle cable will flow smoothly without kinking. As I don’t have a tube bender, I had to outsource the handle bar, pipes and foot control. Then I met now a good friend, Slim from Slim Fabrication in Redland, CA.
I’m sure anyone who has met him will agree that he’s one of the coolest guy around. He definitely added some nice flavor to the build.
The seat was mocked up using kid’s play-doh, then I took the sample to my local upholstery guy who did a quality job.
I hooked up the neutral light with an LED inside an antique glass door knob, and now I got perhaps the biggest neutral gear indicator light known to men.
Fake oil tank and carb covers which I came up with the design but friends made it happen.
As you can imagine this is not the most comfortable bike to ride around with. High bars, low seat, rigid, no front brake, suicide shifter, hand clutch… it requires skill and balls to take her on the road. But like many of you, “comfort” wasn’t on the top of my priority list when I mocked her up.
I’d like to thank those of you who helped me out with this build: Pat, Slim, Sonny, “Batman” Jose, Kevinhog, Chanson, my family, and many other friends with the warm encouragements. This build would of never happen without you guys! If you like to see more in-depth progress photos, you can find me on facebook – Nori tsai.
