John Shopes Dirty Bird Concepts

In case you haven’t seen the memo, ‘lifted trucks are the new black’. Long gone are the days that pick ups were only thought to be driven by farm hands, cowboys and construction workers. Lifted Trucks are as mainstream and American as ‘baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and chevrolet’ and we know just the man to help you get that ‘oh so perfect’ ride height for your cargo crawler. Meet Jeremy Breher of Fidelis Automotive. Jeremy Breher has the confidence and the skill set to get things done quickly, effectively and correctly when it comes to not only lifting trucks, but with almost all things automotive. This is a mindset he brought with him after he served from 2007 to 2011 w the U.S. Marine Corps. After serving his tour of duty in Afghanistan, he came to a crossroads in life - Should he stay in the Marine Corps, or as another option, go back to school, get his degree and reenlist as an officer? He came to the conclusion that he could accomplish more for himself, and his country, by going back to school. Being the go getter that Jeremy is, while attending school in 2012, he started Fidelity Automotive Services of Tampa. Through 2015 Jeremy ’burned the candle at both ends’ by attending school and running a business. His business became so successful that he decided to not reenlist and pursue a full time career in the automotive industry. In 2017, Jeremy started Fidelis Automotive in the heart of Brandon, Florida and he hasn’t looked back.

In the time span between 2017 and 2021 Jeremy and his capable crew at Fidelis Automotive have garnered quite a reputation for getting things done, quickly and correctly. They are able to tackle just about any issue from wheels to wiring on any make and model of vehicle, foriegn and domestic. In the last couple years though, Fidelis Automotive has become the ‘go to place’ to get that pick up truck lifted to just about any height, in any manner that suits your particular taste. His specialized team has been in the ‘lifting’ game for many years. They are known to be the best in the business, and though it’s not about ‘speed’, they can typically get the job done in half the time of their competitors. Just as he once was as a Marine, Jeremy takes pride in himself, his team, his business and has the confidence in getting the mission done correctly for his client and customers.

VETERAN OWNED , TRUSTED QUALITY SERVICE FOR ALL YOUR CAR AND TRUCK NEEDS. FIDELIS AUTOMOTIVE

WORLDS BEST BOSS GIVES SUPER SURPRISE WORLDS BEST BOSS GIVES SUPER SURPRISE

PHOTOS JOHN COVINGTON

Hot on the heels of his success at creating oneof-a-kind custom baggers at Dirty Bird Concepts in Phoenix, Arizona, motorcycle mastermind John Shope came up with the next great idea: the Dirtytail. These Softail-based customs not only look incredible, they do the one thing that no stock Softail has ever done, namely, offer decent handling. “These bikes are something I’m very proud of,” John says. “They are comfortable and handle really well.” The Dirtytails can convert the entire Softail line, From Evos to M-8’s, into the motorcycle of your dreams. And they can be designed in a variety of looks, from lowriders that are a nod to the Cholo bikes seen in East L.A., to pavement pounding racers, to wide tire moto-mavericks, even to old school chop jobs with panhead covers and spoked wheels. All marry the love of Shovelhead FLH bikes that included rear shocks rather than a Softail swingarm for a low, lean look. And did we mention they ride and handle great? With over a million Softails on the road today, John Shope has the answer for turning your tired stocker into a head-turning temptress. Any Softail can become a Dirtytail. The bike you are drooling at here was the very first Evo-powered Dirtytail that John built. But there’s more to this story. Y’see, John has an employee who has consistently gone above and beyond to help John and the company to flourish. Rob Martinez has been with John for over eight years, and chances are, if you’ve called Dirty Bird Concepts, Rob is the guy who answered the phone and got you handled. Anyway, Rob bought a 1999 Harley Heritage Softail with just 5,000 miles on the clock with the hopes of turning it into a Dirtytail someday. He even had a photo of a candy apple red paintjob that he was dreaming about. Rob bragged that he would have the stock Softail converted into a Dirtytail in just two months. Shope said it would take at least a year. “I told him that bike would look exactly the same a year later,” John recalls. “Six months later, Rob hadn’t done shit to it and I called him on it. He said that he would have the bike finished as soon as he got back from vacation.” That’s when John Shope formed a plan to give his employee the world’s best Christmas Bonus. While Rob was away on vacation, John and the crew went over to Rob’s apartment and loaded up the stock Heritage right out of the parking lot. The would-be repo men took the scooter to the shop and tore it down. One look at the old Evo made John think of a name for it, “Rob’s Rusty Roach.” The Dirty Bird team had six weeks to turn the sow’s ear into a gold purse. They even toyed with the idea of presenting Rob with a fake bill for fifteen grand as payback for all their hard work. The Softail swingarm was exchanged for a Dirtytail unit with rear shocks and air ride. The neck was cut to accept a Dirtytail 26-inch neck and raked triple trees for better handling. Meanwhile, Dirty Bird’s paint wizard, Manny, created a mindblowing candy apple red paint scheme with badass graphics for the tanks, fenders and

nacelle.

Guy’s Upholstery handled the sweet solo seat and the wild wheels came from SMT including that 26-incher up front. John went for an open beltdrive and upswept dual fishtail pipes for killer old school looks and internally wired apehangers to give the Dirtytail even more attitude. When Rob got back from his vacation, John had him come straight to the shop from the airport. The world’s best boss was standing right next to the Evo Dirtytail and the conversation went like this: John – “That’s your bike.” Rob – “No, it’s not.” John – “Dude, that is your bike!” Rob – “No, it’s not! No way!” John – “That’s your Christmas Bonus.” Rob – “For real?”

For real, Rob. That’s what happens when you have the world’s best boss. To see the entire video of how this Dirtytail came to be, check out youtu. be/L3jxGeBPjuA. For info on John Shope’s parts, products, swag and custom bikes, visit www. dirtybirdconcepts.com or call 623-465-5263. And watch John play the bad guy in the new biker film “Rough Boys”, coming next year.

— Dave Nichols